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Cooler Master's Latest High-End Case Reviewed

Posted by timothy on from the when-you-can't-take-the-shuttle dept.

Hubert writes "Cooler Master, pioneer of the aluminum cases, overhauled one of their most popular models, and released something enthusiasts should consider when shopping for a new case." Cooler Master has also come out with some cases which might meet the often-expressed demand for PC enclosures which would look at home in an A/V rack. Pricey, though.

2 of 97 comments (clear)

  1. For some reason people seem to be. . . by kfg · · Score: 5, Informative

    getting confused by the way the article has been posted.

    Please note that there are *two* cases linked to, one of which is a standard tower, and *one* of which is an AV style case.

    Please read the article carefully and follow both links if you expect your comments to make sense.

    KFG

  2. Re:Aluminum drive bays... by skeedlelee · · Score: 5, Informative

    I am not a case modder but here are a few comments on that...

    The article actually mentions (if you got to it before the slashdotting) that CoolerMaster sells bezels that match. That would be useful for the mid-tower case.

    The desktop case (which looks like an AV component) doesn't need it because there is a very attractive door in front of the drive bays, making the whole thing look like a laserdisk player or a 7 disk CD changer or something. You only see the drives when the door is opened.

    This bears mentioning though because I helped someone get a computer that ended up coming with an ATC-600 (IIRC). This is a desktop with a transparent door in front of the drive bays. Very attractive case, actually had Mac people ooo-ing and aww-ing (unpromted even). The case is really solid, put a 19" CRT on top of it with no complaints (which ordinarily might be a stupid thing to do). The door is attractive and well built. Unfortunaely the door is also a completely stupid idea if you actually plan on using the computer. There are two optical drives on the front, not surprisingly you often want to get in and out of them fairly often. The door is on some sort of smooth opening device, which means it opens slowly. Frequently you'll eject a CD or DVD and the drive slides right into the stupid little door. You can try to frantically open the door as the drive comes out but it goes way too slowly.

    The result is that I tend to just leave the door open all the time when I'm using it, have almost brought myself to remove it (which looks pretty easy). I'm guessing that the new case has a similar problem with the door. If you're planning on using this in an AV system, be aware that this will be an issue (minor as it is, but these are rather expensive cases). The door is a liability and to some extent negates the 'don't need matching face plates' comment that started all this off in the first place.