CM Praetorian 730 & Musketeer 3

The Praetorian is a throwback to the dreamy hay-day when Cooler Master first rose to prominence on the enthusiast case scene. They have been keeping it fresh with wild aesthetic additions and some new functional attempts but the bones of this system are nostalgic goodness and provide a solid familiarity.

Those specs in full:

• Available Color - Silver/ Black
  
• Dimensions - L540 x W225 x H463 mm
  
• Weight - 10 kg
  
• Material - Aluminum
  
• M/B Type - ATX 12
  
• 5.25 bays - 4 (Exposed)
  
• 3.5 bays - 2 (Exposed); 4 (Hidden)
  vCooling System - Front: 120x120x25mm x 1 ( Intake),1200rpm, 22dBA Rear: 80x80x25mm x 2 ( Exhaust ) ; 1800rpm, 22dBA
  
• I/O Panel - USB2.0 x 2; MIC x 1; SPK x 1; IEEE1394a x 1

That Door

One of the notable signature features of this current generation of Praetorian is the front door. Again, we are looking at a system with a door and, as always, their appeal is subjective. The door on the 730 is a compound affair consisting of three solid pieces of cast aluminum (technically, it could be extruded, the point is that it's solid material) bolted together in a staggered configuration. This is one of only a scant few differences between the 730 and the 731.

At first, I wasn’t sure as to the reasoning of why they went this way with the design of the door but it becomes apparent after a few seconds of inspection. The layered effect promotes two good things: airflow and accessories. By breaking the panel up, the panel is no longer solid and allows a free flow of air. Because the middle section is raised you have more room for buttons and knobs that may be on any of your bay accessories like fan controllers or sound card panels. Good thinking.

Unlike other models of Cooler Master cases with doors, this one is not as versatile. It’s not entirely practical to remove the door and switching around the way the doors swings is out of the question. The hinge assembly is rock solid and will stand up over time but it is not flexible in terms of configuration - what you see is what you get. Personally, I think it’s a sexy solution. It’s rock solid and it will last forever. It also does a good job of blocking the sound of the system's fans through the perforated front panel of the case.

The Vent

The other signature feature of the Praetorian (which is present on both the 730 and the 731) is the side panel ventilation port. There have been many cases with side ventilation, the Praetorian goes one step further by adding a sort of funnel to try to enclose the CPU and feed it fresh outside air or pushing it outside the case keeping ambient temps down depending on the flow of your particular cooler.

Cooler Master took their best guess as to the location of this port. Given motherboard standards, odds are pretty good that the funnel will correspond with the location of your cooler but your mileage may vary and the funnel can be removed if it doesn’t work out for your setup.