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The Cosmos has certainly been an interesting product, starting off with our early story at CeBIT, running through the pure panic of the Cooler Master staff as we informed them of its troubled state upon arrival and then going onto the lab bench.

We had concerns about the retail ticket. The RRP of £120 is one of the highest on the market for a steel-based chassis, if not the highest.

The weight that results was also a concern. We reckon that 16.9kg is only just acceptable and not something we'd want to be moving around much. This case is heavy and feels that way, too.

The thermal performance wasn't so much disappointing as predictable. The acoustic performance, though, was a surprise - a pleasant surprise. Sound was held right down and that's impressive.

It has to be said, though, that Cooler Master needs to address some of the niggles, most notably the problem with packaging - it would be daft not to.

However, this is something that buyers need to watch out, rather than panic about or be put off by. And, if you use a reputable retailer, you'll be looked after if you have any problems.

Overall, the Cosmos is a chassis that can hold its own when the heat is on and do so while sitting quietly in the corner.

It's not cheap but it has some sterling qualities and is well worth a look if you're planning to build a system that can deliver high pixel-performance at moderate acoustic levels - and it isn't going to be carried around to LAN parties.

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Cooler Master Cosmos

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TBA

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Posted by DR - Fri 06 Jul 2007 05:16

It's nice to see the chassis has finally come out - I've been following this from concept stage, looking good - I'm keen to see the Extreme Aluminum one, which should address a number of issues.

I know a lot of people are keen to see the ATCS range back in action - I'm sure this is just the start of new cool products :)

Posted by YorkieBen - Fri 06 Jul 2007 09:17

maybe Im being a little stupid, but are the hard drives only passively cooled? Six hard drives with no active cooling?

Posted by MD - Fri 06 Jul 2007 09:57

The hard drives are passively cooled, but due to the 1 input, 3 output fans there is a large draw of air through the chassis which helps keep the temperatures acceptable.

Posted by lost eden - Fri 06 Jul 2007 16:56

Glad to see we're getting shots of the system installed now :)

And wow, 16+KG empty? Christ! Certainly not going to be seeing many of those at the local LAN parties!

Posted by zepper - Fri 06 Jul 2007 17:38

I still think the original Stacker (STC-T01) is better for extreme systems with its capability for dual PSUs. Makes having a highly specified system quite a bit less expensive. It looks like CM could have made space at the top rear for another PSU if they wanted to. It's already a large case, a little larger wouldn't have mattered much.

.bh.