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Ive seen other Cooler Master aluminum cases before and they have a reputation of being quite visually pleasing. The ATC-210-VX2 is no different. Largely in part to the acrylic swinging door, this case provides a cool finish to an already incredible looking case. But this case has more than looks, and well look at that now.
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Before I continue, Id like to thank our friends at LoVermeCases.com for providing this case for review. They modded the case with a side window, provided a blue cathode light and gave us an 80x80mm clear fan. They also made us Neoseeker custom window etches and had Neoseeker logos put on the two exhaust fans in the case. Theres more they gave us an extra side window with two 80x80 clear fans installed in it for extra case cooling. Wow, you guys are truly amazing!!
Specifications
Dimensions: 520 mm(L) x 196 mm(W) x 452 mm(H)
ATX Form Factor
Material: Aluminum and Acrylic
Drive Bays: 10 total
5.25 Bays (External) x 4
3.5 Bays (External) x 2
3.5 Bays (Internal) x 4
Dual Standard USB front ports
Removable Motherboard tray
80x80x25mm exhaust fan top
80x80x25mm exhaust fan back
Weight: 6.5kg
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First Impressions
The swinging front door is the most noticeable part about this case. Because the coloured acrylic looks like glass, it not only looks very modern, it also gives the case a very unique look when compared to other aluminum cases. Aluminum cases are notorious for being lightweight so, naturally, I picked up the case. I was pleasantly surprised at how light the case is. It would be perfect to bring to LAN parties. I was a little disappointed to find that Cooler Master does not include a cover for one of the 5.25 bays. This makes stealth mods difficult.
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Intel Pentium 4 1.7Ghz (478pin)
Abit TH7-II RAID
AVC Sunflower CPU fan
2x256M Samsung RDRAM
Abit Siluro GeForce4 Ti4600
Soundblaster Audigy Platinum
80Gb Maxtor (Win 2000 Pro)
HP CD Writer
Installation
The removable motherboard tray made installation a breeze. I took out the tray, popped in the motherboard spacers included with the case and screwed in the motherboard. There are thumbscrews everywhere so I barely had to touch a screwdriver. Only the power supply requires traditional screws.
The case had lots of room to work with and I had literally no problems getting everything in and working. I even put the cold cathode in and you really have to see it to believe it. These cold cathodes are really bright and produce very little heat. This case was truly a dream to work with.
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Cost & Option Prices
Coolermaster ATC 210 (Emerald Green) $299.00
Regular Rounded Rectangle Window w/ Chrome Trim $35.00
Secondary Regular Window w/ Dual Clear Fans and Chrome Grills $57.00
Custom Window Etch $23.00
12" Cold Cathode Kit w/ mounting bases $32.99
Custom Tattoo in Brushed Aluminum $10.00
Custom Fan Tattoos in Reflective Chrome $5.00 (for two)
Total Package: $461.99
Conclusions
Wow! Very little surprises me but this case was exceptional. The case itself is truly one of the better aluminum cases on the market today. But when coupled with the great people at LoVermeCases, the result is so great that words cannot even describe it.
Pros:
Cons:
Overall Score: 95%
- Comment on this article (3)
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The review is more of a brief overview and while it's an interesting read with nice pics I'd have liked information on the case's cooling abilities (seeing as Coolermaster dub their cases "Active Thermal Convection System") as this is one of the case's central features. Usually with cooling comes noise, which is another aspect which deserves to be commented on.
Also, more info on installation such as how the drive bays are organised (for example whether they use rails or not, can the orientation be changed) and the amount of space you have internally for mods/kit (watercooling, space consuming mods and "extra" HDs) would be useful.
Cheers,
Moots
When I took a look at the case my first impression was "cool!"... then I thought that some of the coolness was not too practical, like the swing out door, which is yet another thing for me to break by accident. That and the fact that it has a fan on the TOP of the case, which is not good for me because I place my system on the floor, just to the side, and that fan would add a lot more noise to my work/play environment - I think Moots can relate to my lack of enthusiasm for something that compomises my music quality hehe
It's down to the old thing of "which is the best" vs "which is right for me" - everyone has different needs. I've got another thread on the go re the quietness thing...
Moots