If you haven't heard about this case yet, it's time to enlighten you. It's less than $100 shipped, it's a mid tower, and it has space for SEVEN 120MM fans OR FIVE 140MM fans and two 120mm's, whatever you choose.
Let's move on.
Big box, big case, makes sense
Slick, isnt it? The whole front is mesh (and has the appropriate filters installed to prevent dust bunnies from invading!). A part of the top where 2 120mm or 140mm fans mount is also mesh (and filtered.. sorta). You'll also see the power & reset buttons are on the side of the bezel as well as the power & hard drive activity lights. Some may hate it, but I love it, because the case sits on my desk to the left of me so it makes turning on my rig even easier
Theres a nice [blurry] picture of the side. The case comes with a 120mm cooler master side fan. IIRC, coolermaster rates it at 21db. Theres also the same fan in the rear, and a blue LED one in the front. On the side panel fan mounts, theres screw holes for 140mm fans and 120mm fans.
USB, Audio, Firewire AND ESATA up top. Nice Theres also the large vented portion for the top 120 or 140mm fans.
The back is pretty standard. Yet another case with the PSU at the bottom. This is becoming a popular trend [set by antec] and I like it . You'll also notice two watercooling tubing holes already there for you. I don't think you'll be fitting 7/16" through them though.
At the bottom we have a vent for the PSU fan, and another spot for a 120/140mm fan!
The inside is pretty roomy. It has room for 5 hdd's and 5x 5.25" devices (or one 3.5" with the included adapter).
Included is a manual, 3.5" cover, adhesive cable clamp and standoffs. Where are the screws?
Right there, on either side of the 5.25" bays! Sweet! No more lost screws
Backside is relatively plain. You'll notice 2 holes for running wires behind there (and theres lots of room) as well as a spot for an 80x15mm for some airflow behind the mobo.
Popping the top off was a bit of a chore but once you get the hang of it removing it is fine. Heres where you can mount two fans (and maybe a dual rad? )
Installed.
If you've ever owned a Cooler Master, you'll know the front bezel comes off easy. Just grab it from the bottom, brace yourself and give it a nice jerk. Pops right off . Getting it back on is kind of tricky but once its on its not going anywhere.
Oh yes. Coolermaster actually installed filters behind all the vented 5.25" covers. A VERY nice touch.
Installing optical drives is easy with their tool-less system.
Slide the blue lever to unlock, flip up, line up the holes, flip back down and lock
Fast forward and everythings in the case. As you can see, you have lots of room back there for cables (and yes, the side panel fit on fine )
Main view of the computer [and my foot ] installed Yeah, I was lazy, didn't use any zipties.
All set up and running, it looks great on my desk IMO. Surprisingly, it's VERY quiet and the HDD cages have made my HDD's dead silent.
Right..
Left...
Top USB in action
So there it is. The case, finished. My CPU temps are amazing, as to be expected when the freakin' heatsink is surrounded by THREE 120mm fans. This case would be awesome for an IFX-14 or Ultra 120 Xtreme, or even the HR-01 Plus running passive. The GPU runs very cool too, with the side fan blowing right across it. Note though, with tall coolers, you will NOT be able to install the top 120mm side fan as it'll hit your heatsink.
As I conclude this 5 minute writeup, I'd like to say that cooler master has done an astonishing job on this case and the quality is top notch for very little money. If anyone is looking for a case on a budget, or just a case with great airflow that keeps your PC quiet, this is it.
Watch out antec, this combines the cooling, features, and looks of the Antec 900, P182 and P190 into a smaller, lighter, cheaper package! Overall, this case is a great choice for the cooling junkie, the lan-partier, or someone set out to conquer the squad of dust bunny ninja's under his/her desk waiting for the right chance to get into their PC.
If you have any questions feel free to ask them. If you want a picture or closeup of something, I'll do that too. Just ask!
Bookmarks