CM Storm Sniper Black Edition
Packaging & First Look
Published: 15th October 2009 | Source: CM Storm | Price: £124.97 |
Packaging
The front of the box has a blue and black theme which hints to whats inside, you can see a picture of the case from a sniper sight style target. The front of the box also give information about a bundled mouse mat. On the back there is a large picture of a sniper for obvious reasons, information about the built in fan controller, SSD support amongst other features we will cover today.
The case arrived as expected protected by polystyrene ends and a thick plastic bag cover to help it survive shipping. As ever it has done its job very well and the case arrived fine.
Externals
Taking our first look at the externals on the Black edition it all feels very familiar, for a good reason too as the outside is exactly the same as the old case. Its not till we look at the rear of the case we get our first glimpse of its dark internals.
The lack of changes are not a bad thing, this case has been endorsed with many awards, so it is a good thing that the case is still raised from the desk with large feet and big intakes. The roof vent doubles as a handle perfect for those of you that attend LAN's. I'm a big fan of the side panels, the bulges help not only help conceal the most untidy PSU but it also helps make the mesh panel even more of a feature.
The externals of this case are Marmite with many, you either love it, or you hate it. The front I/O panel is one of these Marmite moments, the large power power switch next to the even larger fan controller dial and fan led switch. There is no denying it is very easy to use, plus the being able to disable the fan LED's is perfect for late gaming sessions but its hardly Megan Fox to look at now is it, more like Jo Brand! Also situated on the front panel is 4 USB's, a Firewire port, eSATA, head phone and microphone jacks plus a power and hard drive activity lights.
Head over the page for a closer look inside.
Most Recent Comments
Great review mate, always a nice touch to see a video of the cases in the flesh, always give a better showing of the cases size than the static pictures.Quote
At the moment Id still say the 840 is the daddy, but then then its much more expensive than the Sniper. Ill be filming all the case reviews now boys so its going to be a regular feature.Quote
Top job Tom, thorough as always, any idea's wot cases we got to look forward to yet?
Or is that still need to know
Quote
Or is that still need to know
QuoteFirstly to say that the ATCS is not a great gaming case as it does not have a window. Although that sounds dim, we gamers love looking at our expensive systems, especially when you add some cold cathode lights into the sniper.
I did not care about the mesh addition as I wanted a great window. However I could not find a retailer in the UK that sells it, so I imported it from Germany at this awesome site:
*edited*
Postage was cheap too, however I am based in Ireland, so the Euro could knock the value up for you if you are in Blighty.
I look a lot of time with the wires and managed to get a very clean system, with all the wires around the back. Did not find this such a chore as you may seem.
Also I added a 140mm fan to the bottom, but due to my Coolermaster 1000W power supply there is not a lot of room for the cables, therefore I would recommend getting a 120mm fan here. The reason: Well you don't have a side window and if you want to mimick the ATCS then this is a great idea to bring in air for your graphics card from the amble room at the bottom.
I am a big gamer and have had my rig running over 2 weeks now and no problems on low fans. My [email protected] is never over 50C, although it does have a prolimatech megahalems on it, coupled with a noiseblocker MF12-P. That truly is the ultimate cooling for air cooled systems.
Finally I would just like to add that I lover my Window version of the Black edition, so make sure you think about add lighting to show off your rig!Quote
I did not care about the mesh addition as I wanted a great window. However I could not find a retailer in the UK that sells it, so I imported it from Germany at this awesome site:
*edited*
Postage was cheap too, however I am based in Ireland, so the Euro could knock the value up for you if you are in Blighty.
I look a lot of time with the wires and managed to get a very clean system, with all the wires around the back. Did not find this such a chore as you may seem.
Also I added a 140mm fan to the bottom, but due to my Coolermaster 1000W power supply there is not a lot of room for the cables, therefore I would recommend getting a 120mm fan here. The reason: Well you don't have a side window and if you want to mimick the ATCS then this is a great idea to bring in air for your graphics card from the amble room at the bottom.
I am a big gamer and have had my rig running over 2 weeks now and no problems on low fans. My [email protected] is never over 50C, although it does have a prolimatech megahalems on it, coupled with a noiseblocker MF12-P. That truly is the ultimate cooling for air cooled systems.
Finally I would just like to add that I lover my Window version of the Black edition, so make sure you think about add lighting to show off your rig!Quote
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Good review too Tom. Would you still say the ATCS has the crown? (I've yet to watch the video review).Quote