Cougar Challenger review

PC Cases and Modding 227 Page 1 of 8 Published by

teaser

Introduction

Meet the Cougar Challenger

In this review we have a peek at the Cougar Challenger, a mid-tower chassis that is loaded with options, and hey .. it's priced quite competitively as well. The Challenger mid-tower case is aimed and targeted to gamers demanding capacity, airflow and optimized ventilation characteristics. A chassis that has decent features alright.

  • Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower
  • USB 3.0 x 2 (internal), Mic x 1, Audio x 1 Front Ports
  • 3 External 5.25" Drive Bays
  • 7 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays
Internally, the jet themed Challenger has more than enough space for even the longest graphics cards. Any video card that is up to 410 mm in length. This is achieved by a 3-Mode drive cage concept. In standard mode there is 300 mm of space, but by using a special HDD track mechanism you can relocate the drive cage to gain another 30 mm, and when removing it entirely you get the maximum of 410 mm. Now I have yet to find a graphics card that long, but it sure is nice to know that the chassis can deal with it of course :)
The chassis also comes with dust filters, these however are located 'outside' the chassis, thanks to magnets you just clip them on and off, and that means easy cleaning aka easy maintenance.
Ventilation wise this chassis can house seven fans. One large 200mm intake LED-fan in the front and a 120mm rear Turbine exhaust fan come with the chassius to manage your airflow needs. In addition to that you can in the COUGAR Challenger install an extra fan on the left side panel which again is covered by a magnetic mesh. The Challenger is ready for multiple kinds of liquid cooling including the newer 140mm mounts, but should you need an external loop then at the rear side there can be found three liquid cooling hose holes on the rear panel which allow for a maximum of accessibility.
 
But let's have a peek at Cougar's own press-release:
 
Developed for gamers who demand flexible upgrade capacity and efficient cooling in a mid tower form factor, the aggressively designed Challenger takes its aesthetic inspiration from the cockpit of a fighter plane. The ultimate design high-light is to be found right on the top of the case: to power up your computer you first have to lift a cover lid just like a pilot unlocks the missile button to fire. A safety feature to prevent accidental touch, which at the same time makes you feel in gaming mode right away. 

Chellenger offers sufficient space for powerful graphics cards of up to 410 mm length. This is achieved by a unique 3-Mode drive cage concept. In standard mode there is 300 mm of space, by using a special HDD track mechanism you can relocate the drive cage to you gain another 30 mm, and when removing it entirely you get the maximum of 410 mm.

Ventilation meets convenience
Innovative air filters on the bottom PSU cover and the side panel prevent dust from entering the inside and piling up there, BUT on top of things, COUGAR made things much more effective and convenient. These filters are now attached on the outside with a magnetic mechanism, allowing for easiest assembly and dis-assembly. This way it is incredibly easy to take the dust filters off at any given time, without the need to open the case, and simply clean them under your water standpipe for a minute, dry them and put them back on. Deal done, and your ventilation has been re-optimized within minutes a not efforts at all. A large 20 cm intake LED-fan in the front and an 12 cm rear Turbine exhaust fan come pre-installed and therefore provide for excellent ventilation characteristics right out of the box.

Easy and Tidy Upgrade
Challenger comes with a huge cutout on the motherboard backplate, allowing for spacious room to install or exchange CPU coolers. In addition, the newly designed cable management keeps cables away from the setup and tunnels them in a way so users can easily keep track of their hardwares' lifelines and change them conveniently at will. As a matter of course, this also is precondition for optimized ventilation characteristics of the overall setup.

Features

  • Innovative & revolutionary UI design takes inspiration from the pilot unlock missile cover then fire!
  • Interior black painting
  • Advanced two USB3.0 ports for maximum data transfer speed and compatible for non-USB3.0 function's motherboard
  • Top access external 3.5" & 2.5" HDD/SSD hot-swap for easy mobile data transfer
  • Support for 7 fans:
    • front 120mm fans x 2 / 140mm fans x 2 / 200mm fan x 1;
    • top 120mm fans x 2 / 140mm fans x 2 / 180mm fan x 1 / 200mm fan x 1;
    • bottom 120mm fan x 1 / 140mm fan x 1;
    • rear 120mm fan x 1;
    • side 120mm fan x 1 / 140mm fan x 1
  • Front COUGAR 200mm red LED fan x 1 and rear COUGAR Turbine 120mm fan x 1 are pre-installed
  • Acrylic side panel
  • Support for longer high-end graphics cards up to 300mm, 330mm & 410mm. (depending on varies graphics cards requirement to change position with HDD bracket)
  • 7 PCI slots provides flexibility for multiple graphics cards solutions.
  • Screw-less mechanisms on 5.25" devices
  • 3.5" HDD trays x 7 compatible for installing 2.5" HDDs/SSDs x 7
  • Provide 2.5" HDD trays x 3 to install depending on the graphics cards length
  • Holes x 3 on the rear panel for water cooling solutions. (with rubber protection)
  • Installation opening in the MB tray for easy upgrade CPU cooler
  • Cable feed-through on the MB tray for easy routing and hiding cables
  • Vented slot bezels for better cooling performance
  • Air filter on the bottom cover & side cover to prevent dust from entering the enclosure (magnet filters are easy to uninstall and clean)

Cougar released three model, white orange and black themed. We have a peek at the black model. Well, enough said really... let's start-up the review. 

Img_8036

Share this content
Twitter Facebook Reddit WhatsApp Email Print