Cooler Master SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Storm Scout ATX/MATX/ITX Mid Tower Case (Black)

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C. Violet “Electronics junky” (San Francisco, CA) –

  

This case is hot off the new Cooler Master Storm line. I ordered it in anticipation of putting together a new $2k gaming rig. It has several features that make it value the price:

-3 built in fans (front intake, top, and rear)
-Factory lighting on each fan (standard is red, blue is optional)
-Front panel ports: 4 USB 2.0, 1 eSata, 1 headphone & mic, kill switch for fan lights (stealth mode)
-Handle (sturdy for transporting a loaded rig)
-Mounts for two additional fans on the left panel for increased airflow
-Brilliant cable management out of the box (tucked out of the way giving you room to work)
-Simple install screwless rails for your HDDs
-Extremely simple install of optical drives (also screwless)
-Screwless install of expansion cards
-PSU mounts on the bottom, giving you space for a large/custom chipset fan

Those are just the features I can reckon of right now. It also came with a handy small graphic to help with mounting your mobo according to the right form factor.

My only issue is that once I installed two GeForce GTX 285 cards (this card is double wide requiring two slots on the back panel), there is very small room left to access ports on the bottom of the mobo. That has nothing to do with the case design – but it is something you’ll run into if you’re installing twin double-wide graphics cards. They fit well but with small room to spare.

I don’t particularly like the square front panel power button as it tends to get stuck on a corner rather than smoothly sliding up and down like a round power button – but this has not caused any problems – you just have to press it so it comes back up.

All in all, it’s a fantastic case and very well thought out. As a gamer, having the headphone & mic ports on the front panel is awesome. I can plug in my gaming receiver with ease without having to mess with my HD audio 5.1 direct setup connected to the mobo.

I highly recommend this case so far – I’ve only had it for about a month, but as I said, it just came out. If I run into any problems specific to the case, I’ll update my review. I doubt I’ll need to though – this is a fantastic fortress for my newest rig.

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Mamoon Baig “–<|/|/-|/|[][]||>-” (Queens, New York USA) –

  

Ok, I commented on some of the low scored reviews of this case, only to find out that the reviewers were either first time builders, or by no means opened the instruction blue-collar.

#1
Front panel comes off for simple installation of the CD/DVD/BD Drive. Again, it may be a small tough to push in, which is a poor design choice, BUT it went in for me. So don’t complain about ‘taking out the motherboard’. SMH.

#2
Clips that hold the video card, sound card etc, are NOT to be removed. They swing back when pressed on, so the card can be inserted easily.

Ok now for my real review.

This case is AMAZING. I really considered this as an upgrade from my before CM Stacker 830, which was also IMO the protect of all cases. This one met it in every aspect, and beat it in a few… The lack of a removable HDD cage is a HUGE plus to me, and removing and count drives is SOOOOO simple!!! The interior is painted all black, there is a top rear 140mm exhaust fan, 2 120mm RED LED fans[front and back] with the ability of turning the lights off with the button in the front, and ESATA port in the front, a removable front panel which can be washed/dunked in soap water, clear side panel, AMAZING cable routing system, and the space in the back of the motherboard tray allows for simple installation of aftermarket heatsinks!!

Now the cons:
The LED on/off button is cool, but it’s integration is a bit questionable… I will soon replace the RED LED fans and the function of the button for something cooler…

The Red LED fans have MOLEX power connectors..which SUCK.

the DVD Drive was hard to get in… but a small push did the trick.

Safeguard seems gimmicky, but a name may need it… somewhere.

and the worst one yet…

I have blue LED fans, and the case came with red ones. MY LIFE IS RUINED D=

Tips:

The leading heatsink that can be used is 165mm in height, and you won’t be able to use the top 120mm side fan slot anymore. There is no fan there to start with. My xigmatek dark knight fit perfectly, but I can’t place a fan on the top of the side panel anymore. No biggy.

The leading video card that can fit is 270mm long. My HD 4850 fit fine with an inch or so to spare.

Have a lot of ties ready.

Corsair HX750 PSU fit fine, no extensions needed.

and the best tip I can give anyone:

READ THE MANUAL.

I hoped this helped =].

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Robin T. Wernick (San Jose) –

  

Like most of you I don’t pay much attention to the notebook cases that I buy when I integrate the parts for a new notebook. I’ve been doing this for twenty years and my attention is focused on the motherboard, CPU, and drives. This time but, I needed something special in portability mixed with configuration convenience. I didn’t want to be bothered with the older lock design that left the box locked when the key finally became lost with the second go.

I found all I sought after to get in this case. First of all it has a well designed handle which makes for a large improvement in portability. This is a excellent thing because I have three large drives and a huge fan which raise the consequence a fantastic deal. Also, the internal cabling is routed below the motherboard mounting plate allowing for a much improved air flow. The front fan blows directly across the everlastingly mounted drives and into the power give insuring a well regulated thermal background to enhanse long life and stable operation in tight air enclosures. The low placement of the drives and power give produces a low center of gravity which enhanses the stability of the notebook. Case access is through popoff doors secured by a single thumbscrew, easily removed without the need of screwdriver or other tools, Finally, the tyrany of case keys is over.

There is a top back and top of case set of fans which act as highly efficient heat scavengers that keep my i7 motherboard as cool as if it was running in the open. Since I insist in some serious overclocking, this allows me to reach the limits of air cooled performance without having to switch to something drastic such as a water cooled background. I have pumped my low cost i7 from 2.6 to 3.8 GHz without a sign of thermal overload and further tweaking should allow me to reach 4.0 GHz in an overclock setup.

I installed two cold boot removable drives to make backups very convenient and the case accepted them easily. They are integrated into the front panel seamlessly and allow me to retain the professional appearance of the case.
The front panel USB 2 set of four slots has been very convenient for testing numerous WiFi sticks, mice and external drives. Once I stabilize the setup, I will go the group of connections to the rear panel and be able to shut the desk drawer making this the most convenient case for testing and production use that I’ve ever had.

There were two small drawbacks to the case. The initial fan setup didn’t allow the back fan to run and I had to fuss with the power connections in peacefulness to get it operational. The power connections to the fans in the cable were set for the three pin( direct connection to DC power ) and not the four pin connectors that connect to the motherboard. So I wasn’t able to get fan alacrity control or monitoring for the top case fans. Note to Cooler Master, place in parallel cabling to do this, we’ll be pleased to pay the difference instead of finding adapters. A possible problem for LAN party customers was that the front panel switch to turn on the case lighting didn’t function either. It’s not a factor for me because my case is running mostly as a server, but do take note.

By and large, I have high praise for the design and implementation of this case. I am looking forward to buying another for my back room server or Myth TV installation. And it fits easily into the car for my out of town assignments. I’m looking forward to supplying this as an upgrade for all my friends who are looking for something better than their ancient small box with a pentium 4 motherboard or something for their family to take to college.

I have to say that it also looks mean and lean as well. When all of the parts are installed and the cables are routed it’s excellent that the by and large product looks like it has some serious capabilities. This case really does the job well.

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