CoolerMaster Cosmos case review
Installation
The installation of my hardware into the Cosmos took about 45 minutes. The installation of my hard drive and DVD burner was really quick but the installation of the motherboard took a bit longer. Because I'm using a fairly big processor cooler there wasn't enough space for my hand to insert the screw in the upper left motherboard standoff so I first had to remove the top panel and one of the top fans to create enough space and this added quite a few minutes to the installation process.
Other than that I didn't encounter any problems during the installation. Most parts of the case are very roomy, as you can see on the photos there was still a huge amount of space on the right side of my motherboard.
Another positive thing about the Cosmos is that there are very few sharp edges inside. During the installation and inspection of this case I didn't cut myself even once.
Testing and Conclusion:
Weight: One of the biggest issues of the CoolerMaster Cosmos RC-1000 case is it's a very heavyweight. With all your hardware installed this case will probably weigh a bit more than 20kg. However, this is only a problem for people who go a lot to LAN parties. For other users, the weight shouldn't really be a big problem.
Size: One of the other things I immediately noticed is that the Cosmos is very large. It's so large that it barely fits on my desk, I had to rotate the case a bit to the left because otherwise there wouldn't be enough room for my mouse and mousepad. However, because of its big size the Cosmos case is very roomy.
Ease of use: The Cosmos is a joy to use. It's one of the best cases I've ever seen. The side panels are easy to open, it has nice hard drive cages, toolless 5.25" device installation, lots of room, lots of cable management options, a door of which you can change the opening direction, handles that can be used to lift the case, an easy-to-remove VGA duct and lots of other small convenient features.
Appearance: This is pretty subjective. Some people really don't like the design and hate the handles on top but I think it looks pretty good.
Cooling: One of the things where the Cosmos lacks a bit is in HDD cooling. There's no fan that blows over the hard drives and therefore the drives get hotter than in other cases. I first installed my HDD in one of the cages on the bottom and during normal work conditions the drive reached a temperature of 44°C. I then installed the drive in one of the upper cages, close to the intake fan and noticed that the increased airflow to the drive reduced temperatures to 40° with an ambient temperature of about 24-25°C.
Update: Cooler Master informed that it's possible to change the position of the bottom intake fan to the HDD cage. Or you can also buy the optional HDD cooler for increased cooling.
Noise: Cooler Master really thought of lots of ways to reduce your system's noise. There are vibration dampeners, silent fans and side panels with noise dampening material. Overall the Cosmos is relatively silent but my sample had one problem: vibrational noise. It's not a lot but there's an audible increase in noise when I close the left side panel when all four fans are running. I checked out a couple of reviews from other hardware reviewers and it looks like none of them noticed this problem. Maybe not all cases have this problem or perhaps my case was dropped a bit too hard during shipping.
The Cooler Master Cosmos really impressed me, not only does it have great looks but it also has lots of features that make it a joy to use. If you don't mind the heavy weight and the high price I definitely recommend it, this is one of the best cases I've ever seen.
The CoolerMaster Cosmos isn't available yet but it will arrive in retail stores all over the world in the next few weeks. The case will be introduced in Japan and Hong Kong on August 1st, in most European countries it will become available on August 11 or August 18 and the U.S. launch will take place on September 1st. Australians will have to wait until September 7.
Some stores are already taking preorders for the Cosmos and it looks like it will be quite expensive case, a Dutch webshop is currently asking 183.80EUR for the Cosmos.
The Good Stuff
- Very convenient to use
- Side panels are very easy to remove
- Great hard drive cage system
- Has several dust filters that are easy to remove
- VGA duct, which can also be removed easily
- Lots of noise dampening material
- Ships with lots of extras
- Cable management
- Holes for watercooling
- Good build quality
- Nice looks
The Bad Stuff
- Extremely heavy
- Left panel creates some vibrational noise
- Hard drives run a bit hot
- Expensive
I award the CoolerMaster Cosmos case with a 9/10 and my Editor's Choice award.
Previous Page (4/5)Added: July 21st 2007
Product reviewed: CoolerMaster Cosmos case
Reviewer: Thomas De Maesschalck
Score: 9/10
Page: 5/5
