The Coolermaster Cosmos has landed! I've taken quite a long time to write this review. Though I received the case from Coolermaster last month, I'm only writing the review now. I took it slow and easy so I can have more time to play around and really check out all the details of this case and take a whole lot of pictures for you guys.
Before I start on the review, I'd like to say thank you to Coolermaster Taiwan and also Ban Leong Technology Sdn Bhd for providing me with this case for review.


Okay, here we go with the review. It comes in an extremely big box. The packaging is really good. In fact the unit that I received from Coolermaster had a big gash on the side of the box. I really thought I was going to be greeted with a damaged side panel. I opened the box expecting to see a damaged side panel but was pleasantly surprised that everything inside was in perfect condition. Here's how the packaging looks like.
















If you look carefully at the red circle in the picture, you can see a big gash in the box. It actually looks like it made it through to the side panel. A worrying sight indeed. This side of the box also shows all the special features of the Cosmos.













This side shows the specifications of the case.












Here's the specifications sheet from Coolermaster's site. The picture above may be too small to see the details.












This post has been edited by ianho: Nov 19 2007, 07:35 PM

The case is also protected inside the box by a plastic bag and stick on plastic sheets to prevent scratches on the black acrylic parts.


















Let's get on to the case outlook. I've tried my best to show you guys how it looks like from as many different angles as possible. I understand what most guys think when they say this case looks a bit boring. I was of the same opinion when I first saw the case in pictures. However, when you actually see it in real life, it's a whole different story. It's a nice case and I really like the way it looks. That's why I've taken so many pictures from different angles to try and show how the case actually looks like rather than just a boring shot of the side panel which doesn't even have a side window. There's a very good reason for that big flat side panel. We'll get to that later in the review.

Here's a whole bunch of pictures of the case from all the different angles I could think of.

















This post has been edited by ianho: Nov 19 2007, 07:49 PM

This is my favorite part of the case. The rear view of the top exhaust. This part of the design is just brilliant in my opinion. It just looks so awesome. It's like a jet vent or something. Just imagine how it would look with some red LED fans under that vent. That would really make it look like a jet vent.

















This is the switch panel on top. It comes with 4x USB, audio ports, 1x Firewire and even an E-SATA port. The usual power and reset buttons, power and HDD LEDS are on the front part of the switch panel. The E-SATA port is especially useful as many people have external HDDs with E-SATA. There's no more need to stretch all the way behind the case and fumble around for the E-SATA port.









This post has been edited by ianho: Nov 19 2007, 09:02 PM

nice...how much for this casing??

it cost less than 800.
anyway,uncle,
dont u think so the psu is at bottom and has difficulty for certain psu to reach 8 pin ATX of certain mobo?

The retail price is rm799




Well, most ppl who buy a rm799 case will most likely be using a good PSU n most good PSUs have really long wires. Shouldn't be a problem.

OK. Let's move on to the internals. The Cosmos was designed with 1 objective from the very beginning. That objective is silence. Coolermaster went all out to design this case to accommodate a high end rig with an emphasis on silence. They've designed a silent case with easy maintenance in mind. This case is perfect for the lazy enthusiast who doesn't like cleaning out the PC often. You'll see why it's perfect for lazy people further on in the review.

Here's the bottom of the case. That intake fan has a louver grill that can be rotated to direct air in any direction you wish. It intakes air from the bottom of the case for nice cool air. There's a 120x38mm fan included in the louver. I've included 2 pictures to show you the different positions of the louver.













Next up is the tool free mechanism. The Cosmos is completely tool free. I've always prefered cases with the usual screw mountings as they're more secure and always results in a better build in the end. However, the Cosmos has totally changed my perception of tool free cases. That's only if they're well implemented like in the Cosmos. OK, let's take a look at the tool free mechanisms now.

Here's a shot of the DVD drive n HDD section.

This is the DVD drive tool free mechanism. See that big blue button?









To mount a DVD drive, all you need to do is to remove the front slot cover like this.







Slide in the DVD drive.









Now, all you need to do is press the big blue button and you're done. This has got to be the best tool free design around. Everything works nicely and the DVD drive sits securely locked in there.

Moving on to the HDD tool free mount. There are 6 aluminum "drawers" for HDDs. Look's really neat and nice. Here's a close up view of the drawer.







To install a HDD, just lift the handle, unscrew the thumscrew and pull the drawer out.








Here's the HDD drawer.










It comes with 6 thermal pads. You need to install them at the bottom so that the HDD sits on top of it. This will transfer the heat into the aluminum drawer and dissipate the heat through the steel chassis. In effect, the whole HDD mounting area acts as a big heatsink for the HDDs.

Thermal pad installed.






HDD sitting snugly in the drawer.






This post has been edited by ianho: Nov 19 2007, 09:11 PM

i like its solid feell...high class and superior.. is it server chasis? seems like..

Wao~ what a great chassic , but out of my budget...
design very nice~

The Cosmos even comes with a nice little surprise that's contained in front of the HDD drawers. I was wondering what this bubble wrapped thing was at first.














Here it is out of the case.















It's a nice solid aluminum box with plastic end caps. It contains the mini screwdrivers(flat n phillips heads included), thermal pads for the HDDs and all the screws. It's nice to know that Coolermaster has gone the extra mile with this box of goodies after you spend rm799 on the case.







This post has been edited by ianho: Nov 19 2007, 10:05 PM

I love the small box and those things inside it ^.^

Ya man. It's like a nice lil xmas surprise goodie bag.

Let's take a look at the front door mechanism now. It's reversible and it uses a very simple n quick solution too. It uses spring loaded attachments that you slide off and install into the other side of the hinge.

Just remove those white plastic attachments.

















Install them on the other side like this.













The door now opens the other way. It only takes about 2 minutes to do this.

The side panels have a really unique and superb mechanism. It works really well and seals the door tightly against the chassis. There's a rubber ring like the O-rings on water proof watches on the chassis and the mechanism locks the side panel tightly against it. To open the side panel, you need to lift the lever on the back panel like this.











The locking bar on the inside then slides to the open position and the side panel pops off from the top. Then you just lift the panel up and away from the chassis.












The interesting bits of the case are now starting to appear. Just look at that side panel, it's got proper acoustic foam on it. This is how it looks like on the inside of the side panel.








Here's a closer, more detailed look at the acoustic foam on the side panel.





This post has been edited by ianho: Nov 19 2007, 10:22 PM

no transparent side window this casing....

saw this case in the cooler master uk website some time ago and saw the real thing at prangin mall the other day. you really need to see the real thing to appreciate it. sweet. and super quiet too...

This case is meant for silence. If u look at the above posting on the construction of the side panel, u'll understand y there's no side window.





Ya, funny thing about this case is that u really need to look at it in real life to c just how nice it is. It just doesn't look special in photos. That's y I've tried to take pictures from as many angles as possible to show the fellas who havent seen it in real life.

This post has been edited by ianho: Nov 19 2007, 10:26 PM

u can always mod it...