A Closer Look (Exterior):
The actual case itself is amazing, and very very large. It comes in two colors: black and the silver that is used in the review. The case itself has a brushed aluminum finish that looks quite amazing. However, when moving the case itself be very careful. The slightest knock into an object seems to create small scratches and touching the case itself creates odd looking smudges.
The front of the case itself has a removable shield with a Cooler Master logo print on it nice and bold. Under the shield lies one of the (3) 230mm fans. The other two of course are placed on top. The only other fan included is a rear 120mm fan. The top of the case also contains the pop out I/O panel. The I/O panel is a nice touch as when it is not needed it sits neatly flush with the rest of the case. The I/O panel contains (4) USB ports, speaker and microphone jacks, a firewire port and e-SATA. There are also two places for power supplies (top or bottom mounted). The grommets for water cooling are found at the top where an optional second power supply can be installed.
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| Side view | Front view |
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| 3/4 view | Rear view |
The exterior has a very nice clean look to it with rounded edges all around making working on and carrying this case much more safe for fingers. A quick glance at the rear of the case shows us that Cooler Master has engineered in two spots for you to place power supplies. This not only gives you the option of mounting your power supply in a top or bottom position, but also further gives you the option to run dual power supplies if your hardware requirements should need it. As we mentioned earlier the top position optionally includes holes for water cooling if that is your preference.
Honestly I prefer my cases with a window, but I also agree the side fan would not add anything. I actually find them more of a hassle due to having to find ways to plug them in.
The CoolerMaster ATCS is a fine case but it lacks two things to make it stand out from the crowd. For one thing there is no tranparent side window by default. This is an optional item you must buy if you want it. Most of the people buying this type of case would probably prefer a transparent window because they want to show off their rig. Secondly there is no side panel fan to assist with cooling. This should be an option.
So in other words, it lacks nothing. Side Fan does not improve or lower tempe. at all. And the windows thing, well not everyone wants to see there s…… components.