This would be my first review in LYN forum. Hope you guys could spare my grammatical errors and low quality photos (using iPhone Cam)

So i had been researching for my new rig and decided to settle myself with CM HAF 922 Advanced, but then i was approached by a close fren of mine who requested me to tryout this case instead the usual CM casing. i guess why not since this new casing had a slight lower price (RM300) with major similarity of HAF 922.

The item reached last Sunday. Cougar Evolution


i do like its packaging as HEC used woven bag instead of normal plastic bag to cover the casing



The casing is relatively heavy compare to my old CM Elite casing. 11kg


A stripped-down Cougar Evolution


i do like the design which all major function buttons and panel are on top instead of front as i plan to place the rig on floor


Casing also came with a build in fan controller knob.


This post has been edited by ZaRnX: Aug 22 2011, 09:58 AM

Top View


Hidden Bay


With a slight push, you could place SSD or HDD onto it and plug into system using the provided build in SATA cable


Side View. To be honest, i dun really fonder the Evolution wordings, i might spray it off and powder coat in near future.


Bunk out for hidden cable management slot. Similar to HAF 922


Back of casing


Courtesy of HEC to provide a slide out air filter to cover the PSU fan for cleaning purpose.



This post has been edited by ZaRnX: Jul 25 2011, 11:22 PM

Bottom of casing. 2 to 3cm legging built attached to prevent block of airflow.


14cm Airflow install mount


To remove the side panel, just unscrew and flip off instead of sliding off.



5.25 and 3.5 Bays


Different from CM, the casing uses clip on/clip off to lock the drives at its bay.


3.25 Bay. It could be removed if unscrew the top and bottom screw.



This post has been edited by ZaRnX: Jul 25 2011, 11:23 PM

According to the web, this is the antishock tray to mount the HDD before sliding in to the bay. Has yet to test it out.



Quite spacious for a Mediocre mid tower build though. It could fit up to 305mm GPU though.


Fan provided. 12 cm with orange padding to prevent noise and vibration to the casing. Nice idea.


Back of Mobo tray. (Bunk at the side panel) Spacious.



Place for cable management to install hooks and pins.


Luckily i had not bought my mobo, this is the connector for USB3.0 on the front panel, not many Mobo has the slot. At the moment i found only Asus Z68 has it.



This post has been edited by ZaRnX: Jul 25 2011, 11:24 PM

Main Specifications
The main specifications for the Cougar Evolution case include:
Style: Mid-tower
Application: ATX and smaller form factors derived from this one
Material: Zinc-coated steel (SECC) body
Power supply: Doesn’t come with the product
Available colors: Black
Side panel: Meshed/transparent window
Dimensions: 20.2 x 8.8 x 20.6 inches (514 x 223 x 523 mm) (H x W x D)
Net weight: 19 Lbs (8.6 kg)
Gross weight: 22.5 Lbs (11 kg)
Bays: Six external 5.25” bays, one 3.5”/2.5” external bay with hot-swap connectors, and four internal 3.5”/2.5” bays
Expansion slots: Eight
Maximum video card length: 12” (305 mm)
Maximum CPU cooler height: 7.1” (180 mm)
Fans: One 120 mm fan on the front panel (1,500 rpm, 52.18 cfm, 28.2 dBA) and one 120 mm fan on the rear panel (1,500 rpm, 52.18 cfm, 28.2 dBA)
Optional fans: Two 120 mm fans on the top panel, one 140 mm fan on the left-side panel, and one 120 mm or 140 mm fan on the bottom panel
Extra features: Two-channel analog fan controller
More Information: http://www.cougar-world.com
Average Price:RM350. yet to be confirm


Conclusions

Strong Points
Fair priced
Meshed bay covers
Vented slot covers
Air filter for the power supply fan
Air filter for the optional bottom fan
Air filter for the optional left-panel fan
Eight expansion slots
Two-channel analog fan controller
Hot-swap docking station
A huge hole in the motherboard tray for accessing the backplate of the CPU cooler
Holes for routing cables behind the motherboard tray
Sprayed interior similar to exterior, unlike CM only exterior painted with color

Weak Points
Covers of the holes for liquid cooling solutions need to be manually broken
No air filters on the bay covers
No air filter for the front fan

This post has been edited by ZaRnX: Aug 2 2011, 07:39 AM

looks great dude. might consider of getting myself 1.

Sure, I guess we could even start thread on this brand as well. Haha

which shop did u get it from?

like the hdd hot-swap on top panel

SS2 ComputerWAR. once i get a confirm pricing. will post up details here.

not bad casing you have

i like the yellow fan.so temptingggggggg
please confirm the price asap! hehe

Thanks!

It's Orange though, lsorry for the ow quality camera. Will get back to you asap.

very nice casing...the PSU is included???

oh orange? looks like yellow to me.im a yellow fan fyi. haha

PSU excluded. but rather cheap though. 650W for RM250

bright orange, if you sleeve the cable with UV orange, will be very nice orange and black theme.

sure.but i lazy to learn sleeving.haha.
quite complicated and take times though.

me too. i am working on my old rig on sleeving. haha

wow nowadays casing manufacturer produce more & more convincing cases around...with relatively competitive price performance wise....

felt my cosmos really crap....really lack many features hahaha

i guess it's good that more manufacturer are building up its quality, fairer price and better designs for us end users perhaps? lol

btw, the orange fan got 2 or 1 only?

yep perhaps with this kind of competition....
manufacturer like CM,Corsair,Thermaltake..etc will put the price in a reasonable margin figure

1 front 1 rear according to the web, but all i see is the back one. still waiting reply from the supplier on the issue.

But current market are being dominated mostly by CM though, that's why my fren and some forumers suggest me to leave the CM pool.

maybe the front 1 hidden behind tray/filter?
u checked it yet?

dismantle and checked. not in placement. sad >.<

then u kena tiao by the shop la.haha

lol the other way round. i diao the supplier

Very nice casing u got there..i have retired from casing modding long time ago..haha..

walao.wut did u do to him

really. i was just thinking of starting case modding

no la. just some harassment to get a fan replacement only.

so then, did he gave u another fan? u manage to get it then?

yeap. replace me with 2 more 12mm, as the casing can fit 4x 12mm and 2x 14mm. i guess i will fully utilize it then.

wah lucky.got xtra charge wan not? or free

free ! will post up photos after sleeving and installing hardwares

haha gj.faster post moarrr screen shot

Some sneak peaks over the days.

Choco chips?


Preparation


Sata Cables Done!

nicely done bro!
how many metre did u purchased for psu sleeving?

total of 45 meters just for PSU

omg. how much did it cost u? rm100++?

yeap. if inclusive of sata cables, fans and top panel, total of RM120++

keep up the good work haha
can't wait to see more pictures of ur progress xD

oh ok la include all that. so u finish sleeving it all d? post moar drillsss

just finish top panel and psu sata cables. left 6pins 8 pins and 24pins now. estimate finish around wednesday. but i think i gonna pass to atomik to finish up the balance PSU as i will be heading outstation soon.

u pass it to him because it is 24pin rite? haha

true
this saturday would began assembling hardwares for the rig. stay tune for more photos.

haha i knew it !
sure2. will be waiting for ya!

nice casing and value for money...seriously considering it in near future

Here you go!

Yeap. give it a try

PSU done sleeving. (Sata, Molex Sleeve myself and 24pins, 6pins and 8pins by atomik, lazy )


Sleeves bought from nicholasteoh. High density on top, normal quality bottom; next time i would op for high density ones.


BitFenix Wannabe!



Next up, Hardwares!

walao so tempting.nice colour bro!
keep it up. this is so poisoning

Slight Updates

Front fan mount with filter, there is no need to screw the fan up, just snap it on will do.


Side Panel with Filter. Easier Cleaning!


Thumbscrew instead of the usual Cross Screws.


Without front cover. Pending for fan arrival.


Next update with full component.

Desktop Customization


This post has been edited by ZaRnX: Aug 14 2011, 03:56 PM

more less like haf x, the side panel

Yeap. but cheaper by 200+. I guess this case are for those who have tight budget like me.

Nice sharing, may i know which program u r using for desktop customization, it is cool!

Oh. i am using Rainmeter with Omnimo tweak.

waw. nice desktop bro. so done modding d? when we view the final pict

still waiting for fans and UV lights. ^^

alrite bro.keep us posted.
so what colour is ur ccfl gonna be.ur theme is?
i assume its gonna be red

Finally finish assembling the rig and using the new rig to post now.

Hereby is the specs of it:

Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz
Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD65 B3
RAM: 2*Kingston Value Ram 4GB DDR3 1333MHz @ 1600MHz
Harddrive: OS: WD Caviar Blue 500GB WD5000AAKS |Storage:Samsung Spinpoint F4 2TB HD204UI
Graphic Card: MSI GTX 560 TI TWIN FROZR II OC 880MHZ
Power Supply: Cougar PSU RS 60W
Dvd-Rom: NU Slim External USB ESW860
Casing: Cougar Evolution
Fans: Cougar Votex PWM 12cm (Rear) | Cougar Turbine 14cm (Front) | Cougar Turbine 12cm (Top) | 2*Artic F12 PWM 12cm (Front) |
Monitor: AOC 24" 2436VW| AOC 22" 2236VW
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-bit
Peripheral: Razer DeathAdder | Logitech G700 | Razer ExactMat | SteelSeries Qck+ Mini | Logitech K350 KB
Speaker: Altec Lansing VS4121

Before assembly


After assembly




Instead of Internal DVD Burner, i opt for this



This post has been edited by ZaRnX: Aug 20 2011, 03:40 PM

Maybe will OC this rig in 1 year time


Fan Controller in Action:
Standby


Group A Tuning


Group B Tuning


Artic from clawhammer


After attaching to casing

NZXT LED Sleeve kit arrived from lingloong


Controller attached on back plate


Without Lights


With

Congratulations ! Your case build is now the world's only documented ..... Cougar Evolution case build ! that I could find.

Too bad the Cougar vortex fans aren't available ... at least not in the US. I think Ive finally found the sturdy & feature rich & affordable case to build. Now to pick my way thru the minefields of the rest of the build pieces. Nice sleeving work.

Thanks bro! Glad to find another cougar user

Never heard of the brand before but damn nice casing! More pics please

Lol. Thanks. but i cant fit all photos is 1 post that's why you would have to screen thru first 4 pages for the photos.

Wah..that blue led look great

you could get it too. it's NZXT Led kit. i bought from lingloong.

cool man

too bad,my case dont have window

Thanks!

Do some acrylic mod!

Final updates:

Spray paint to plain black, do not like the logo design.


Addition of some fans and CPU Cooler. (OCed to 4.3 GHz)


Full setup view.


Final touch up with stickers


In 24/7 Action.

Nice setup.
The V6GT seems blocking 1 ram slot..

not really. the clearance is enough. using 16gb (4x4)

16gb? So much?

is this brand cougar linked with cooler master? this casing structure seems identical to hafx,932

nice cable management n sleeve.....

Multitasking freak!

Cougar is linked with HEC. But it could not be denied that the similarity of HAF X though.

Thanks! took quite some time of it.

BRO! U JUZ GOT MY SALUTATION! HHGGGGHHH!!!

Thanks bro for your kind words.
There are a lot members here with better builds and impressive mods.

I saw this case in Lowyat Viewnet. Quite impressive and comparable to my CM 690 II Plus.

Would have swap for it if there is filter in the front. Dont like the orange fan at all.

this casing comes along with PSU? i saw it says "cougar" at the psu

Nope. I bought the same cougar brand PSU. Reliable too

I see you've done the job to the Cougar - nice work !

I finally got around to building my Cougar-i7 rig, but the biggest part missing ?
hot-swap doesn't work and I dunno wat im doing wrong - my bad.

sata cable & power are hooked up - i think but put in sata drive - can't read it in explorer. No support for Cougar that I can find.

Maybe you can tell me your hot swap connections ? How the cables are hooked up ?

Nice review. Altho I would suggest next time to use normal images instead of using creative filters. While it might look cool and creative, I can barely see since the casing and the background looks like it's blending together.

Bro, i had PMed you regarding the issue.


Thanks for the suggestion, as i am using plain iPhone camera to capture those picture. Maybe next time i would borrow a camera from my friend?

Wow.. Drooling gle...

I'm looking for the perfect case (for me) in an affordable price, and I thought this Cougar can be the one, but several issues are holding me back from buying it, or - let's add more weak points to the list:
1. Who needs so many optical bays (six!)? an additional removable 4 HDD cage which will replace the middle current 3-4 optical bays would be great. A removable middle HDD cage will also allow the user to remove it in case of a very long graphic card.
2. Adding a removable dust filters on ALL fan holes would be great. The user will be able to remove the dust filter if installing an out-take fan.
3. Why on earth does only one of the front fans holes have a filter?
4. Adding Rubber shock absorbers to the PSU bay would have been great.

If Cougar will do that while keeping the current price as is, I'm sure this case will be one of the best sellers in the world.

This post has been edited by Coresh: Jan 8 2012, 06:00 PM

i like your fan color

dammmm...i die die tot it came wif psu