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...

i think what cooler master is doing here is to introduce a new air route, drawing air in from the bottom and exhausting them out from the top. not sure if this will work because the path might be blocked by graphic card. but then again the case is really nice and clean.
then there's the bottom placement of the PSU, predrilled holes for water cooling, aluminium rails stands, removeable filter for intake fan etc...

This post has been edited by webster: Nov 19 2007, 10:37 PM

hmm.. lovely case, lovely design... i love this casing.. shud i change? hehehe.. just joking..

This is the sight that greets you after popping off the side panel. See that big black bar across the middle of the case? That's the graphics card windtunnel as Coolermaster calls it.

















Let's remove the windtunnel to see how it works. Just push the tab on the front like this.
















Swivel it out on the hinge like this and just pull it out.














The windtunnel removed from case. It has a nice brushed aluminum plate with the Coolermaster logo on it. I haven't peeled the protective plastic sheet from it. The scratches that can be seen near the Coolermaster logo is actually just the plastic sheet. After peeling it off, it's a pristine brushed aluminum surface.
















The back of the windtunnel. It doesn't come with a fan.














Here's the windtunnel with a 120mm fan installed in it. This is the proper orientation for the windtunnel fan. It's meant to draw air in from the back of the case and blow it out directly on to the graphics cards. This should be really good for SLI set ups.

I don't think the wind tunnel would work flawlessly ..

If the user is using stock cooler found on 8800 series and 2900XT ..

the hot air that exhaust from the rear side of the case would be inhale by the wind tunnel to cool off the card ...

Apart from that it might even drag the hot air exhaust from the rear case fan ..

Imagine if a hot CPU is cooled with tower cooler and exhaust hot air through the rear vents. more or less the hot air might be drag back into the system through the wind tunnel ..

just some point to thought of ... probably u could prove my theory is wrong ... Ian ...

Well, I'll be testing the thermal characteristics of the case soon. After I finish the initial review of the case. I will install my hot hot hot hardware inside to try out the thermals.

I'll get back to the part where I said this case is really good for lazy enthusiasts. The Cosmos' ventilation system is totally filtered. There's not a single intake that sucks in unfiltered and dusty air. The intake of this case is right at the bottom. That's why the Cosmos sits off the table on those rails. It's so that nice cool, clean air can go through the bottom and into the case.

This is the bottom of the case. See those nylon mesh filters?










All you need to do for maintenance is to slide these filters off like this.










Filters off. You can now see where the intake areas are. On the left side is the intake for the PSU, the middle is for the directional louver intake fan I showed earlier and the right side is for the HDD area.







This is how it works when the case is in it's normal position when sitting on your desktop. Just put your hand under the front and back panels and pull the filters out.













All you have to do then is to wash these filters. They're actually the same exact material that's being used in our home air conditioners. Just flush it with water, fling off the water, put it in front of a fan for about 30 minutes and you should be good to go. Since all the intake air is filtered, you will not be cleaning the internals often like in normal PC cases. That's why I love this ventilation system so much. I live in a very dusty environment caused by contruction around my housing area so this is a rather brilliant system for people living in dusty places. I wont have to clean out all my fans and internals every month with a filtration system like this.











View from the top to show the intake vents for the PSU and the louvered fan. Take note of the foam lining on the PSU support. That is a very nice feature. This will help reduce vibrations between the PSU and case and also prevent our uber expensive PSUs from getting scratched. Very important not to scratch the PSU as a lot of enthusiasts own really expensive PSUs nowadays. These PSUs cost as much as mid range graphics cards at more than rm1k and it really hurts to see scratches on them.












The front intake vent can be seen under the HDDs section after removing all the drawers.











There's also an intake vent above the HDD cages.








You can purchase an optional louvered fan just like the one on the floor of the case and install it here to make sure the HDDs get enough fresh air through the intakes at the bottom of the case. Again, it's a tool free design. All you have to do is pop it into the slots and it's done.



This post has been edited by ianho: Nov 20 2007, 12:05 AM

like the fact they went the extra mile with the toolbox n esata, anyway for a casing that doesnt start with an L or S not bad actually plus it looks different in a positive way

uncle...can op1000 cabel all long enuf for this casing? btw this casing good enuf space for watercooling? i hope the air ventilation is good...

damn, this casing really puts down my antec p180b really bad lol, and just for an additional rm200 or so.

and ive really been very fond of acoustic casings with proper dust filtering systems, this really fits my needs. good review too man, looking forward to see your thermal review on the case, as the antec dont fare too well on the thermal department.

Shudn be a prob at all. OP1000 and all the other top end PSUs have very long wires.







I'll be sure to share the thermal results later on.

The 2x120mm exhaust on the top panel. It exhausts air out through the louvered vents on the top, this results in quieter operation as the louvers act as an additional buffer and directs the air and sound towards the back of the case. People who use water cooling will be able to mount radiators up there too. The case comes with only 1 fan at the top though. In my opinion this is a minus point. A very big minus point in fact.














Finally, let's get to the aesthetics. Wire management will be superb with this case. Just take a look at this picture and you'll see why. All wires can be hidden behind the mobo tray and HDD drawers. There are 4 holes in the mobo tray(2 vertical slots and 2 horizontal slots) for wires going to and from the mobo to ensure there are no surplus wires hanging around inside the mobo area. I will experiment with wire management in detail once I get to installing all the parts in the case.
















I'll end the aesthetics part of the review with this shot again. It's just so nice I cant resist posting it again. This is the defining part of the Cosmos' design in my opinion. I'll be sure to install some red lights there later, to make it look like a rocket exhaust with flames.












Conclusion

This case is brilliant. It looks great in my opinion. However, this is a contentious point in many forums because many people have not actually seen the case in real life. They take a look at it in the pictures and just dismiss it as boring. I understand that as I too dismissed it as a boring looking design. That was until I saw it in real life at a shop. It kind of jumped out at me saying "Hey! Look at me". I actually did a double take and turned back around because I walked past it without realising it was the Cosmos. I then took a closer look at it and really liked it. Ever since then I have been waiting impatiently to review the Cosmos. I've finally got my hands on it and I'm in love.

The build quality is really good and solid. This is to be expected seeing as it's made with a steel chassis. Only the handles, side panels and front door are made of aluminum to give it an exclusive look. The heavy steel chassis may be a minus point in some people's point of view. I like it though. A good solid steel chassis keeps everything nice and sturdy. It also cuts out a lot of vibrations. Those of you who remember the good old Stacker STC-T01 will know just how good a solid steel chassis can be.

Sound insulation is absolutely fantastic. Those side panels are not just there to look good. They actually work to kill noise. The acoustic foam must be doing a good job of it. I actually tested the sound insulation property of this case. Problem is there's no way to put that in writing so I'll just try and describe how good the sound insulation is. I put a 90mm Delta screamer fan inside the case to test it. As you know, a Delta screamer sounds like a vacuum cleaner at 12V. So I reckoned that was the best way to check it out. As it turns out, the sound of the Delta screamer was about half of what it sounds like in free air, outside the case. This was tested by turning on the fan with the side panel open. Then I closed the side panel and the sound level dropped by half I reckon. There's no hard facts to quantify this unless I use a sound meter but I can assure you, the Delta fan no longer sounded like a vacuum cleaner.

Finally, the tool free mechanisms are just brilliant. I've never liked tool free cases until I got this case. They work really well and keep everything nice and tight after installation. No rickety, crickety noises and vibrations from the cheap tool free designs in all the tool free designs I've seen to date. This is the first time I'm actually endorsing tool free mechanisms.

After all that glowing praise, I do have one major gripe about this case. The lack of fans. For a case at this price point, Coolermaster should provide 2x120mm fans for the top exhaust, rear exhaust, windtunnel and also include another louvered fan for the top of the HDD cage. Other than that, it's just perfect.

I will be installing the hardware later to test the thermal characteristics and wire management results. Will update then.

This post has been edited by ianho: Nov 20 2007, 01:15 AM

hows the space for this casing? big? i hope airflow also good nia...feel wanna go for tj07...but this cosmos still i waiting for ur review uncle

wut's is da price?

would love to know temps for hdd & vga...

woot! priced at only RM799? this is actually a bargain for those looking for decent high end casing... about the look, the design of Cosmo 1000 is future proof, at least for a couple of years to come. It's nice to see makers like CM take the lead in designing radical and yet practical casing for the masses. Gone are the boxy, squarish, design...(remember the beige colour casing?)

Please dont compare this to those raidmax casing, Cosmo 1000 is completely in a different league in term of functionality and the internal design.

Just when I was leaning towards LianLi V1200 for my next casing upgrade, Cosmo 1000 suddenly made me re-evaluate my options...

i got q quote from one of the bulk sellers (can't remember who) for around rm690 for this casing../

The zhen_wei seller, if not mistake he offer this price.

okboy:
try Jy14... i bought my casing from him last time, nice seller with nice price... can try pm him...

ianho:
btw nice to have dai low Ianho back with this cool review... nice case

waiting for u to install hardwares in it and do some cable management on it...

bro ianho,
why my Cosmos 1000 are different with urs?
after i go through ur review and pictures, i found few difference between urs and mine.
1) i dun have fan mount in the VGA duct.
2) my HDD drawers dont have the thermal pad + the drawers dont have any surface, but only a hole at the bottom of the drawer and the size is as big as ur thermal pad
3) i have 3 fans that come with the case compared to u which is 1 fan only.
4) our cosmos box a bit different.

other than that, i cant see with my naked eyes
but anyway, mine is ES product. is there anything to do with our difference?
p/s: do you know how to change the magnet at the door? the magnet not strong enough. it easily open when i unpack the cosmos out from the box. is there any way i can replace the magnet screw?

thanks in advance!

This post has been edited by hafiez: Nov 20 2007, 08:31 PM

what is ES product?

bro waiting for more review fast fast very tempted to get a casing..between stacker 830 or cosmos

Engineering sample

most likely your ES (as the name implies) is an early revision or even a prototype of the cosmos thats on retail right now.

ohh.. can i ask some replacement?

@ Hafiez, where did u buy that case?

Case also got ES? nice reviews ianho
i also very curious where u got that ES..got extra?

i just bought mine from BuySellTrade for RM530, brand new unused, but it's the older version like hafiez's.. comes with 4X 12cm fan..

i got it for free!
i won the Cosmos 4 months ago from CM competition. but only on 31st Oct the casing departed Taiwan and arrived my home two days later.
that's why i wonder why our cosmos are different. maybe bro ianho can help me?

This post has been edited by hafiez: Nov 23 2007, 07:46 PM

i checked cooler master's site, and according to the spec, 4X 12cm fan is included as standard, and there's no mention of fan mount on the airduct, so i wonder whether ours are newer version or the reviewed 1 is newer.. haha..

checked the review from madshrimps dated november 20, and it's exactly the same as mine and hafiez.. so i guess ours is the newer 1, while the reviewed version is older..

This post has been edited by kevin613: Nov 23 2007, 08:17 PM

All in all i think this is a very well built and cool case.

U guys have the old 1. The 1 I reviewed is a retail unit. There were numerous complaints about hot HDDs so they changed the design.

This post has been edited by ianho: Nov 23 2007, 10:37 PM

yea, i agree with u because why CM want to remove the fan mount at the VGA duct and replace a hole at the bottom of the HDD drawer instead of the thermal pad..
btw, have u all heard about the Cosmos ESA version?

Bro, no more continues the installation part?

giv him sometime.. will d

My new gfx cards havent arrived yet. I wanna install SLI system so can really test the temperatures. Then oni can really test the temps to the limit. Once my gfx cards arrive I will install everything n update.

ah.. my mistake then..
thought since madshrimps review is just few days ago, so they would probably be using the latest revision..

this chasis gt another color version?

nope, just this color only

just replaced the 2 top fan with 12cmX38mm delta and nidec triblade running at 5V(pushes more air compared to the stock coolermaster fan, and still silent), and moved the 2 coolermaster silent fan to the HDD cage, 1 on the top, and another 1 at the side, facing the graphic card, both fan is positioned to draw air out from the cage, hopefully this will cool the HDD properly.. it's kinda warm after i left it running overnight yesterday..

would love if it was in black!!

There r rumours of a black color full aluminum version!

WOW...
but this case design is kinda futuristic lahh...

if the price cheap sure i buy wan... LOL

CM still in process to produce an aluminium version of this case. so, it will be lighter than the normal one.
p/s: i dunno how far the progress is.

the time would be when i buy it, haha..
i just imagine this monster in my house then.. ~sigh, wait for my scholar lorr~

hurm
for me cosmo kinda ugly

When I 1st saw it in photos b4 it went into production oso I tot it was ugly. The design just doesn't show in pics. U really need to see 1 in real life then u'll appreciate the design.

I think it is sexy outside but so so inside ...

however the size would really put my interest with it on halt ...

It's just too big ... IMO ... no offese for those that loves it ...

Still haven't got any photo with ur rig within it Ian ??

Too busy or too flattered .... ???

The gfx cards havent arrived yet.

ic ic .. so what holy god GFX would be this time ??

SLI New 8800GTS or even something more ??

Anyway Ian, what happened to Artic Cooling Freezer Extreme ??

NO details at all ..

i think it must be 8800 GT SLI!!!!!
ianhoo is full of suprise and oso rich maaa

maybe bored with 8800GTX liao

now get 8800 Ultra SLI or HD 3870 Crossfire

do some old thing.. 2x 7950GX2..

Really nice casing here..and the price is quite reasonable..like the interior..really look solid...nice review there uncle ianho,can't wait for ur hardwares to go into it...

Absolutely!

very nice casing review there uncle ianho..hopefully the pictures of ur hardwares will be out soon..can't wait to have a look at it!

bro ur item when coming..cant wait ledi la for your review

whoa.... what a caasing.... cant wait for the review......

Waa ... 18.9kg, who buy this using courier really can kill him ..

Courier is nothing.... Imagine carrying that from G floor to 5th floor with all components inside the casing..... Ur bones will surely break ar....

im about to feel that feeling in January as my Uni start the class.
my back will pain after 1 minute carry that case. damn heavy.

18.9 kg is bladdy heavy. for the casing itself.

Imagine if you have to move the casing around, with all your hardware summore..

I saw it in real life.. molested it.. appreciate though not necessarily agree on some of the thoughts put into the chassis but conclusion is the same.

Still FUGLY.

haha.........sniper u olang tua also said fugly..........

but seriously the idea of silencing on the sound absorbtion is done remarkably i can said.....

and i love the idea the case is supported on rail lifting the casing up.... solve a lot of ventilation problem. though it good on some ocassion, but sometime also trouble if u placing it on a table... i think for my case, i will sent the casing jumping off the roof anytime haha........

LOL. This Sniper oni likes the ol skool Coolermasters.

The picture says it all...

Oh gawddddddddddd I loved that silver 1 on the right sooooooooooo much. Tried to get 1 locally but oni found the normal short ATX version. I wanted the EATX deep version. AlvinGoh had a brand new unit for sale last time but it was teh ATX version.

This post has been edited by ianho: Nov 29 2007, 06:31 PM

i have to agree it's not the best looking, especially with the weirdo handle and stands.. but those weirdos that are sticking out of the chassis serve it's purpose, i dont have to worry about scratching the side panels when i'm working with my casing lying down, and it's needed for the bottom PSU intake, the HDD fresh air intake and also the bottom fan intake..

Main disadvantage this case for me is weight...Need to find lightweight case because always moving my case...sigh

Edit: Typo error

This post has been edited by Godek: Nov 29 2007, 09:52 PM

comos light??
isnt it freaking heavy with its stainless steel.

i think he meant disadvantage..

Typo error

Thanks for corrected it.