CM Storm Trooper review

Final words and conclusion

Oh hey now, initially when I heard about the CM Storm Trooper I figured it would be a run of the mill full-tower chassis, like the many we already have seen. Fact is, features and innovation wise this chassis blows me of my socks as its very original. I think I said this before, but every time we review a Cooler Master chassis we stumble into the fact that they continuously pull it off to improve the PC case in some way, form or manner. And the Trooper definitely shows that, by thinking outside the box (well inside the box if you take it literally :).

The one thing that people might dislike is the style. We say it over and over again, taste is the most subjective thing and is not making the job of reviews any easier. Some will hate it, and others will love this chassis for its looks. Fact is that if the aesthetics suit you, then really ... for 150 EUR you are looking at one remarkable chassis. There's very little left to be desired as the CM team thought through it all, the optimal cooling, the fan controller, dust filters, the handle with rubberized grip, the lovely USB 3.0 integration, tool free design, the new X-Dock, the hidden drawer for screws and that's all just externally.

Internals are great too, the biggest motherboards will fit, the most lengthy graphics card will fit, heck even four of them if your mobo allows it. Then there's place for liquid cooling, the drive bays you can disassemble, the really nice motherboard cutout and then there's just plenty of space left for cable routing through the grommet holes, all in that all black painted interior.

It seems that pretty much any chassis Cooler Master releases these days is a win, at least in my book. So yeah it all comes down to aesthetics, your requirements and the price you are willing to cough up for a chassis. We think the 150 EUR / $179 price tag is fair for a product of this stature.

Eeeeehm should I nitpick just a little then? I would have really liked to see the front panel connectors behind a hinge or small latch -- that again is taste though. Secondly, I probably would have liked some 3.5" hot-swappable bays as well. Anyway, that's all I have to moan really as the chassis itself is downright excellent.

So let me conclude, Cooler Master has been able to out a long list of esteemed cases over the past few years from that legendary Cosmos (which will get an update soon as well) to the gamer oriented HAF and Storm series. Each and every time they hit the nail on its head as CM designs cases that appeal to gamers and enthusiasts, this audience. The CM Storm Trooper is an excellent combination of features, requirements, looks and offers decent value. We can wholeheartedly recommend it.

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