I've never been a huge fan of CoolerMaster, but i have to say I really like what they are doing right now. Keep it simple, focused and with little to no bloat and you're sure to get my attention when I'm picking the parts. The last thing I want is to have to dig through 20 pages of spec sheets and marketing babble to find out what is the actual difference between two sets of RAM, except for different fancy color on the completely unnecessary heatsink of course. Thumbs up from me, CM.
Coolermaster does have some excellent, affordable, well-designed SECC cases, that's for sure. My issue with Coolermaster has always been at the high-end. They're kind of like an "Acer" in that the brand doesn't justify high costs, but they're the best at what they do in the low-end.
I remember a decade ago having a Coolermaster 'Pretorean' which was one of their first aluminum cases to compete with Lian Li, and it was priced like a Lian Li without the Lian Li quality or refinement.
Then came along Silverstone, who priced most of their products above Lian Li while appropriately surpassing Lian Li quality.
The Praetorian wasn't one of the first CM all-aluminum cases at all - it was actually one of the later models once they were trying to bring them down-market. Though it used the same basic design as most of the ATCS line-up that had been around since the very early 2000s. Though it may have been getting a bit long in the tooth at that point, when those first full-aluminum cases (like the ATC-201) were introduced, they actually were better than Lian-Li in both design (which is admittedly subjective) and build quality (which is objective - they were thicker and stronger aluminum panels).
Later on, most of the ATCS team went on to Silverstone, which is why the high-end Silverstone cases like the Temjin series really feel like the spiritual successor to those early ATCS cases.
Hmm... I don't see any mini-ITX cases in that list. Does that mean they are getting out of the small-case market? I hope not - I liked their Cooler Master 120 & 130 min-ITX cases.
This, so much this. The 120 is perfect in my mind for small m itx cases. Just a bit of better component arrangement and better cooler support(140mm or 120mm aio cooler), more usb 3.0 and two 80mm slim fan on the side( Mitx board is 170x170mm, why not put two 80mm fan on the side or one 140mm fan?) I'm using an 120 elite for my current build and for the price, I can't complain. Just some recommendations.
The 120/130 are still my favorite cases for HTPC use that are intended for some gaming as well. They are decent looking, big enough without the 'holy hell this thing is MATX tower size' aspect that some ITX cases have evolved into, and they've been dirt cheap forever (if you're paying more than mid $30 range you are paying too much). It looks like they were both replaced by the HAF 915 Stacker?
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Barilla - Monday, January 12, 2015 - link
I've never been a huge fan of CoolerMaster, but i have to say I really like what they are doing right now. Keep it simple, focused and with little to no bloat and you're sure to get my attention when I'm picking the parts. The last thing I want is to have to dig through 20 pages of spec sheets and marketing babble to find out what is the actual difference between two sets of RAM, except for different fancy color on the completely unnecessary heatsink of course.Thumbs up from me, CM.
Murloc - Monday, January 12, 2015 - link
the product names are still unrelated though.I've always bought CM cases, you just can't beat their price-quality-features balance and their availability in online shops.
Samus - Monday, January 12, 2015 - link
Coolermaster does have some excellent, affordable, well-designed SECC cases, that's for sure. My issue with Coolermaster has always been at the high-end. They're kind of like an "Acer" in that the brand doesn't justify high costs, but they're the best at what they do in the low-end.I remember a decade ago having a Coolermaster 'Pretorean' which was one of their first aluminum cases to compete with Lian Li, and it was priced like a Lian Li without the Lian Li quality or refinement.
Then came along Silverstone, who priced most of their products above Lian Li while appropriately surpassing Lian Li quality.
GokieKS - Tuesday, January 13, 2015 - link
The Praetorian wasn't one of the first CM all-aluminum cases at all - it was actually one of the later models once they were trying to bring them down-market. Though it used the same basic design as most of the ATCS line-up that had been around since the very early 2000s. Though it may have been getting a bit long in the tooth at that point, when those first full-aluminum cases (like the ATC-201) were introduced, they actually were better than Lian-Li in both design (which is admittedly subjective) and build quality (which is objective - they were thicker and stronger aluminum panels).Later on, most of the ATCS team went on to Silverstone, which is why the high-end Silverstone cases like the Temjin series really feel like the spiritual successor to those early ATCS cases.
romrunning - Monday, January 12, 2015 - link
Hmm... I don't see any mini-ITX cases in that list. Does that mean they are getting out of the small-case market? I hope not - I liked their Cooler Master 120 & 130 min-ITX cases.Thesysadmin4T - Monday, January 12, 2015 - link
This, so much this. The 120 is perfect in my mind for small m itx cases. Just a bit of better component arrangement and better cooler support(140mm or 120mm aio cooler), more usb 3.0 and two 80mm slim fan on the side( Mitx board is 170x170mm, why not put two 80mm fan on the side or one 140mm fan?)I'm using an 120 elite for my current build and for the price, I can't complain. Just some recommendations.
Bob Todd - Monday, January 12, 2015 - link
The 120/130 are still my favorite cases for HTPC use that are intended for some gaming as well. They are decent looking, big enough without the 'holy hell this thing is MATX tower size' aspect that some ITX cases have evolved into, and they've been dirt cheap forever (if you're paying more than mid $30 range you are paying too much). It looks like they were both replaced by the HAF 915 Stacker?tshen2 - Monday, January 12, 2015 - link
'Two significant figures'.. did you mean two decimal places?