Hardware Early Look: Cooler Master Sniper

My impression is that they are keeping the same old Cooler Master line for those of you who like the sleek cases etc. Then there's the people who like the really "Bold" stand out design, like a lot of my friends. I personally don't like it, but I think the overall case would be perfect for my lan friends, these are the cases they just love. Lot's fans, can see the hardware, and stands out, they like that.

 

tbh, I wouldn't mind one of them thar cases. I quite like it.

 

Bigger Fans = Quieter Fans and generally more air turbulence so more cooling!

Its a pretty straightforward performance case, and i can see it's only purpose really is to offer something to the crowd thats NOT antec900/1200 (which should be MUCH louder due to lack of proper fan control and smaller fans)

 

besides that I would never consider it due to not liking the looks there is also a objective reason why to stay away from it, that reason has 4 letters and is called dust.

 

In theory yes, however larger fans are also more susceptible to breaking if the central axle isn't strong enough, or the ball bearing noise is greater because the blades weigh more, or it's more likely to be unbalanced causing vibration. It's especially important to have a quality manufacturer.

 

I really don't mind how it looks, I like that rugged style. The fan knob is a joke though lol. Looks like an old car stereo.

 

I doubt they'll top my Antec900's 800RPM. Not to mention they have easier fan controls on the CM, so it shouldn't be all that hard to make it at a same level of decency


I'll never buy another "fanned" case again though... I'd rather spend 300€ on a TJ07 or anything LianLi

 

fugly!

just dont like the look one bit...

 

I rather like it. I generally prefer minimalist cases, but if it's given a quality finish, this would be nice. It has an industrial look which won't appeal to everyone, but there's certainly a market for it. Even in an early build, this is not an eyesore, which is more than I can say for most 'gamer' cases.

Things I like:
- solid black finish, looks quality and really shows off your kit. This should be standard for all but the cheapest cases.
- looks like plenty of ventilation.
- Solid handles Cheesecake. I cannot overemphasize how useful that is.
- I like the grill on the back side panel. It makes it look balanced, which is important with a 'showpiece' case like this. And it looks like it'd be useful for airflow to the drives and the back of the motherboard (I've seen situations where that's important.)
- A cutout so you can get to CPU heatsink mounts? Give the man a raise! I've never liked or used removable motherboard trays, I generally think they're not worth the risk of banging something on the case. But that may be just me.
- I like the front as it is right now. It doesn't need anything fussy. Doors are overrated.
- I like the simplicity of the front panel controls. It needs some polishing up, it looks rather clumsy right now, but knobs don't break (at least, not as much as touch screens), and are easier to find without taking your eyes off the screen. Way, way too many computer parts have 'features' that just get in the way. I just want something that does its job, and does it well, without too much fuss and bother. Plus, if I want a touch screen, I'll put it in myself.

Bad:
- Non-standard fans always worry me. I'd rather have multiple standard 120s that I can replace with the (very very quiet) fan of my choice.
- I'd like to see support for water cooling, or at least some thought to how it would fit together. It's one of the things that separates an 'average' case from a 'nice' case, and it doesn't really add to fabrication costs - just some design time.
- Are those tool-less mounting setups for the drives and PCI slots? Blech! I've never seen one that's worth the plastic it's made of. And I've seen a lot of them. They don't survive travel. Sometimes they don't even survive being carried across the room. I want everything FIRMLY screwed in place. That also means at least two screws on each side of the hard drives, I'm not sure how accessable those are in the current setup.

I'm also waiting for someone to make a decent video card retention bracket. One slot and one screw are not enough to hold today's (extremely heavy and extremely valuable) monsters. Lian-Li has made a good stab at it with the vertical bar over the PCI slots that some of their cases have, but it's still not enough. If this is really designed as a LAN gamer's case, something that grasps and holds the card(s) in place would be worth its weight in gold. It's difficult to do because of the variation in card sizes and shapes, but CoolerMaster has a chance to really set itself above the competition here if it could come up with a workable design. (Of course, lots of people will hate it no matter what. So making it removable is probably also a must. Sorry about that.)

Looks like CoolerMaster is on the right track here, I'll be watching this one.

 

Rule #1: Don't hire Thermaltake designers
Rule #2: Don't copy Thermaltake designs

The black interior has been a long time coming - I love it to bits. The extra vents in the motherboard tray are great, and there's clearly a lot of work gone into the chassis itself. The side panels having some extrusions make it stand out from the crowd, a feature I really liked about the Stacker 830.

But now on to the bad. There's WAY too much plastic. The feet are horrible and take me back to those horrible cases in the late '90s early '00s. They add stability - but at the cost of making the case look like it was £5 in a car boot sale. The Stacker 830 doesn't need nasty feet like that, so this case certainly shouldn't. The top bit I like - if it wasn't so nasty and plasticy. It looks clearly like a piece of plastic added to the top to add 'bling'. The 830 suffers from the same problem, but not to such a degree.

Like in the image here: http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2008/08/early-look-cooler-master-sniper/9-5.jpg The panels just aren't lining up. If this is a cheap case, fine, no worries, but if its expensive, panels that far out of alignment is horrible. The 830 also has poor fitting panels that really spoil it.

Sorry to keep going on about the 830, but I feel that case had so much potential, yet corners were cut which really hurt the case's appeal. I think Coolermaster should do what Silverstone do - have an ultra high-end range with proper build quality. Then have cases like this - but make them real cheap.

For what its worth, I think the design has potential merit - but its been Thermaltakeified - that is, a decent chassis destroyed by low quality materials, unnecesary bling, and a poor attempt to be 'cool'.

 

nice

mind chucking it on some scales for an actual weight measurement? After the P180 I refuse to get a case that weighs more than 10kg. My current one is 4kg dry

 

The case has it's good points, but something smells cheap here.

 

Despite being the almost complete opposite of what I prefer, I actually quite like it. It's got a brutish handsomeness to it, as if it's style has been dictated by essential abilities and ruggedness. I'm thinking Land Rover Defender, or Ron Perlman. In fact it would look pretty good with just a Land Rover badge added to it, though I guess you could paint it camouflage, if you must.

 

Open-air panels are inconducive to air cooling.
Looks shite.

 

That is like... wow I dont need a case but I do want that case very badly... Other than the fan controler which looks odd, but is better than SUPER FUTURISTIC style for sure. Also dont scrap the backside grill thats my favorite part makes the case different, its 3d rather than just the front and 1 side looking cool like most cases. I also love the hard drive cage hard to find that lately. Maybe add a fan filter like plating to both sides like a big sheet of dryer sheet almost? so its still rather see through but helps with airflow and dust?

 

I really like it. But then I'm all for flat black and mesh. That being said the fan knob is a bit much though...easily replaced though. I'd get one for sure.

 

i prefer the lack of motherboard tray. It adds unneeded complexity. I mean, for the average PC enthusiast (who doesn't have $1000+ to spend a month) how often do we change cooling/motherboards ? It's cheaper to make a case without it and to be honest I probably only take a motherboard out of it's case once maybe twice in a few years, and I'm not bothered by it taking 1 or 2 more minutes without a tray! If you need to change your motherboard that often, by all means buy a case with a removable tray.

I've never needed to remove a motherboard to change CPU/cooler/cards

 

what sort of doesnt make sense is the mention of dust filters which are great, but the sides are mesh. dust will get in anyways!

 

Looks like a jerrycan to me... xD

 

All that mesh may be good for cooling, but it's bad for noise and dust.

A few nifty little features but it looks like something for 10 year old's, which is fine of course. Just not my bag!