What is it : Aluminium Chassis with Window
Manufacturer : Coolermaster
Supplier : Coolermaster
Cost : £182 from KustomPCs
Availability : Now
Verdict : Looks nice.
This stock photo is about the best I have of the 201b without being modded. As you can see, its a normal 201 with a black mirror finishing and a precut window.
The back of the case is standard fare :)
One thing I liked about the side panels was the little groove at the rear for pulling the panels off.
The window panel is very, very nice. Despite being a square shape, the overall look is very classy.
Finishing is the tops.
Inside view of the acrylic.
The removable mobo tray is easy to slide in and out, works a treat. The fan comes as standard.
The front of the case houses two 80mm fans which intake through the grill over the 3 1/2" bays. Dust guards and finger guards come as standard, which is a quite handy.
The power button array is on the left hand side of the case, nicely out of the way. It would have been nice to have had blue leds as stock but, you can't have everything :)
Front (stealthed) USB ports = teh win. However, unlike the slightly nicer cover on the 101, the 201 has a bit of a manky metal 'flap' that slides away to reveal the ports. The mechanism doesn't feel very quality, as it 'grates' over the sides of the ports.
Bag 'o' hardware....
To fit the PSU, you have to remove this plate from the back of the case, attach it to the unit, then slide the unit in, screwing the plate back into the case. There are a heck of a lot of screws around the power supply, and its very easy to get confused as to which ones you are supposed to be removing!
All kitted out.
I stealthed my DVD drive.
The overall feel of the case is very nice. Its very sleek and sexy, and is clearly a high-price, high-quality case, continuing the Coolermaster tradition. One down side to the new black finish is that it is extremely susceptible to fingerprints, so try and keep your hands off when you're finished modding it! The one thing I do hate about the case is the fact that you can't take the damn top panel off! This can make some aspects of system assembly a little problematic. Unlike some other coolermaster cases, there is not fan vent in the top panel. Personally, I much prefer this.
Being used to full towers, I was a little concerned about how I would fare migrating to a smaller system. However, the layout of the case worked well for me and there was plenty of room : the 4 5.25" drive bays means the case has a fair amount of room up top and the power suppy rack is nicely out of the way of the case window.
Manufacturer : Coolermaster
Supplier : Coolermaster
Cost : £182 from KustomPCs
Availability : Now
Verdict : Looks nice.
This stock photo is about the best I have of the 201b without being modded. As you can see, its a normal 201 with a black mirror finishing and a precut window.
The back of the case is standard fare :)
One thing I liked about the side panels was the little groove at the rear for pulling the panels off.
The window panel is very, very nice. Despite being a square shape, the overall look is very classy.
Finishing is the tops.
Inside view of the acrylic.
The removable mobo tray is easy to slide in and out, works a treat. The fan comes as standard.
The front of the case houses two 80mm fans which intake through the grill over the 3 1/2" bays. Dust guards and finger guards come as standard, which is a quite handy.
The power button array is on the left hand side of the case, nicely out of the way. It would have been nice to have had blue leds as stock but, you can't have everything :)
Front (stealthed) USB ports = teh win. However, unlike the slightly nicer cover on the 101, the 201 has a bit of a manky metal 'flap' that slides away to reveal the ports. The mechanism doesn't feel very quality, as it 'grates' over the sides of the ports.
Bag 'o' hardware....
To fit the PSU, you have to remove this plate from the back of the case, attach it to the unit, then slide the unit in, screwing the plate back into the case. There are a heck of a lot of screws around the power supply, and its very easy to get confused as to which ones you are supposed to be removing!
All kitted out.
I stealthed my DVD drive.
The overall feel of the case is very nice. Its very sleek and sexy, and is clearly a high-price, high-quality case, continuing the Coolermaster tradition. One down side to the new black finish is that it is extremely susceptible to fingerprints, so try and keep your hands off when you're finished modding it! The one thing I do hate about the case is the fact that you can't take the damn top panel off! This can make some aspects of system assembly a little problematic. Unlike some other coolermaster cases, there is not fan vent in the top panel. Personally, I much prefer this.
Being used to full towers, I was a little concerned about how I would fare migrating to a smaller system. However, the layout of the case worked well for me and there was plenty of room : the 4 5.25" drive bays means the case has a fair amount of room up top and the power suppy rack is nicely out of the way of the case window.
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