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CoolerMaster Cosmos 1000


Date
: 09/18/07 – 04:48:30 AM

Author
:

Category
: Cases

Page 1 : Index

Manufacturer:
CoolerMaster

Price:
$199.99 US

CoolerMaster obviously needs no introduction here at OverclockersOnline as they have been a regular subject of reviews for quite some time. From computer cooling solutions to cases, they make it all. They have been quite busy lately with releasing new products and today is no exception.

I think most computer enthusiasts have seen the photos of CoolerMaster's latest high end PC case, the Cosmos 1000. Over the last few weeks I have had the pleasure of reviewing one, and today I am sharing this experience with you. Will the Cosmos live up to much of the hype? Read on to find out.

Page 2 : Package and Specifications

The first thing that hits you about the box for the CoolerMaster Cosmos 1000 case is..man this is massive.

The front of the box has a large picture of the Cosmos 1000 on a white background. Below the name is sort of the mantra of the Cosmos, "Performance Meets Silence".

On the back of the package is a good exploded view of the Cosmos. Along with this view is a listing of some of the main features and details of the Cosmos.

The right side is basically a duplicate of the front of the box, albeit on a bit of a smaller scale.

And finally on the left is the continuation of the picture from the front and a list of specifications such as weight and measurements.

Straight from CoolerMaster's website, here is a rundown of some of the Cosmos 1000's features and specifications:

Superior Silent Environment:

> Soundproof materials applied to build a quiet environment
> Sound barrier design reduces vibration for silent operation

Thermal Solution:

> Dual bottom air intakes to enhance air flow and reduce system noise
> Six aluminum detachable HDD modules with ventilation holes for optimizing cooling performance
> Side removable VGA cooling tunnel to advance thermal airflow.

Tool-free User-friendliness:

> Patented finger pressing buttons for quickly maintaining or upgrading 5.25 drive devices
> Tool-free design for opening side panel conveniently.

Cable Management:

> Separate HDD modules make it easy to organize cable direction
> Cable management system for better cable routing and neatness

Quite the impressive list of features, it seems that CoolerMaster has been listening to their customers. One thing you notice when handling the box, this case is heavy. At 16.9kg, the Cosmos weighs in above the Stacker STC-T01 and the Stacker 830.

Page 3 : Exterior

We have seen the package and taken a quick look at the specs, time to open up this massive box to see what is hidden inside

If you've ever had a case from CoolerMaster you know they always make sure the case is packaged and protected well. When you open the top the only thing you can see is the styrofoam shell.

Pulling the case out of the box you can see the full styrofoam packaging. CoolerMaster also wraps the Cosmos in a plastic bag to further protect it.

With the protective styrofoam and bag removed we get our first full view of the Cosmos. I'll admit the design probably won't appeal to everyone, what case does, but its clean styling is right up my alley. To me this case just screams class with the black on silver. Note that the Cosmos has a protective sheet on every shiny surface on the case, including the rails.

Opening the front door you can see the five open 5 1/4" drive bays. The black mesh below is mainly for aesthetics as it is a solid piece behind it. Following along the lines of the side panels, removing the drive bay covers are equally as simple. So far CoolerMaster has taken tool free to another level with the design of the Cosmos and that's just on the outside. The front door can also be switched to open to the right or left by simply swapping the hinges from one side of the door to the other.

The front panel is located at the top of the case and has 4 USB, 1 eSATA, 1 IEE1394, headphone and microphone jacks to go along with the power and reset buttons. With the orientation facing up like this, I can see some potential issues if your case sits under your desk.

Taking a look at the side you can get a better look at the rails that run along the top and bottom. Along the bottom they are the case feet, and server to lift the case off the floor allowing air movement into the bottom vents, to be touched on more later. There is no protective covering on these lower rails, so you need to be careful not to scratch them depending on the surface your case rests on. While both side panels are near mirrors of each other, they are not interchangeable. You can see the differing angles along the corners that prevent one side being used on the other.

The back of the case brings up one of my favorite features of the Cosmos, the side panel latches located in the upper corners. No more dealing with screws or thumbscrews, just simply lift up on the lever to release the side panel. An absolutely wonderful feature. Also of note are the two predrilled holes for watercooling, a feature showing up more and more in cases lately. You can also see the 120mm exhaust and below that the intake for the VGA duct. On the top are the vents for the two 120mm exhaust fans.

With the vent piece removed, you can see the two 120mm fans. Also notice that CoolerMaster has mounting holes predrilled for 140mm fans if you want to use them. You can also see where the rails are attached, and trust me they can handle the weight as I have picked up and moved this case around (both full and empty) by those rails without any problems at all.

Turning the case upside down you can see the two intakes on the bottom of the case. Both have a removable filter that slides straight out, making it easily removable without having to turn the case over.

Lots of features and we have just scratched the surface, lets move onto the inside.

Page 4 : Interior

When you finally open things up, the first thing brought to your attention is the side panel itself

As you can see here the side panels are lined with sound dampening foam. Near the top you can see four rectangular slots; these holes are where the hooks on the case lock the side panel on.

Here is where we really begin to see the many features packed into the Cosmos. Starting in the lower right are the six hard drive cages. Each has a handle and single thumbscrew holding it in place. Moving straight up from there is the truly tool free 5 1/4" drive bays. You simply slide the drive in and push the spring loaded button and you are done. Installation doesn't even require you to take off the right side panel. This is by far the best system I have seen and used. Moving back to the bottom is the 120mm fan cage that pulls air in through the bottom vents. To the left of that you can see the vent located below the power supply area. While it is designed to keep the PSU out of the ventilation loop within the case, you are able to mount your power supply with the fan facing up. Through the middle of the case is the VGA duct, with the use of negative pressure allows air to be pulled from the outside of the case to the video cards. And finally notice the two 120mm exhaust fans in the top and one 120mm exhaust fan in the back.

You may have noticed the bit of bubble wrap next to the drive cages in the previous picture. CoolerMaster doesn't give you a cardboard box for your screws and accessories, instead you get this slick matching box that contains all the screws ,standoffs, a healthy dose of zip ties and two screwdrivers. A nice touch indeed.

Taped to the motherboard tray is a paper diagram that shows where standoffs are needed for the different motherboard form factors. While a lot of people can probably do this with their eyes closed, it's a nice gesture that can save time for some. You can also see the bundle of connectors for the front I/O panel. One change I have noted from previous CoolerMaster cases I have owned is with the audio hookup. Included are just the connectors for AC'97 and HDAudio, gone is the individually broken out connectors.

Swapping around to the right side you can see a better view of the steps CoolerMaster has taken to make cable management easier. Obvious are the two long slots going up along the middle. Not so obvious are the little loops located above the hard drive bay. These loops were included to zip tie and order the cables for your hard drives and front panel wiring. One point that kind of confused me is that basically the area directly behind the motherboard is somewhat useless for cable routing. There are slots on the top and bottom which would be the perfect place to route some cables, however the bar running along the top that secures the side panel makes this impossible. The side panel sits flush against this bar making anything running over it an obstruction to the side panel closing. I'm sure any modder could get creative and find a solution for this if they wanted, but it's still a mystery to me.

Also included with the Cosmos is an 8-pin power extension, a healthy dose of large cable ties and the instruction manual.

Page 5 : Installation

We have taken a good look at the Cosmos, now it's time to put it to use and install some hardware. I will be installing the following hardware:

CPU: Athlon64 3700+ @2500 (1.55v) – Themalright SI-128
MB: DFI LP NF4 Ultra-D
RAM: G.Skill 2x1GB PC-4000
GPU: XFX 7800GT
PSU: OCZ GameXStream 850W
HD: Western Digital 40GB IDE, Seagate 80GB IDE
DVD-Rom: Lite-On 18x DVD Burner – SATA

Installation was pain free, so I'm just going to touch on a few points of interest during the install. I started by installing the motherboard.

With just the motherboard installed you can see just how spacious the interior really is. One feature I was hoping to initially find was a removable motherboard tray, but honestly the Cosmos is roomy enough that I didn't miss this at all. Next was installing the hard drives.

The removable hard drive cages make installation a snap. The cages use the four holes located on the bottom of the drives. There is a rubber grommet that lies between to help prevent any vibrational noise from the hard drives.

The orientation of the hard drive cages forces you to sort of twist the cables to get them to fit. This obviously wouldn't be an issue with SATA drives, but thought I would mention it for those of us 'dinosaurs' still using the older IDE drives.

Jump ahead and everything else is installed. I realize that my cable management could be better, but I am amazed with what I was able to accomplish in the short time it took me to organize it. Keeping in mind this wiring job was accomplished in about 10 minutes, this is heaven compared to the wiring mess in my old case.

The only other issue I came across dealt with the SI-128 and the VGA duct. As you can see here the duct hits the edge of the fan on the SI-28, thus making me unable to use the two components together; Something to keep in mind if you have a cooler with a similar design.

I also wanted to point out that there is an additional location where you can mount the lower fan cage. Located on the top of the hard drives there are holes for mounting either the included fan cage or mounting an additional one. This location will allow more air to be drawn over the hard drives; one area that I felt lacked ventilation in the stock setup. Additional fan cages will eventually be available for purchase should you want them, though they are not available at this time. I will test these different locations to see the affect they have on hard drive temperatures. Keep in mind also that you lose the lower 5.25" drive bay when the fan is mounted in this location.

Page 6 : Testing

For testing there were a couple of different situations I wanted to check. I will be measuring the temperatures at stock for the CPU, GPU, chipset and hard drive. Following are the constants for this testing.

Ambient Temperature: 24-25C
CPU: Athlon64 3700+ – Stock Opteron cooler*
MB: DFI LP NF4 Ultra-D
RAM: G.Skill 2x1GB PC-4000
GPU: XFX 7800GT
PSU: OCZ GameXStream 850W
HD: Western Digital 40GB IDE, Seagate 80GB IDE
DVD-Rom: Lite-On 18x DVD Burner – SATA
Cases: CoolerMaster Stacker STC-T01 and CoolerMaster Cosmos 1000

*Due to the VGA fan duct not fitting with the SI-128 installed I am using the stock Opteron cooler for comparisons.

First up is testing with configuration as the Cosmos 1000 is shipped.

The results are pretty much in line with what I was expecting with the hard drive. With no active circulation in the hard drive bay I expected a jump in temps, especially considering the Stacker has a 120mm fan blowing directly across the hard drives. Chipset, CPU and GPU temps can almost be considered equal with such a small difference in temps. Good results all around considering how much quieter the Cosmos keeps things in comparison to the Stacker.

Next I changed a few things around to see how the temperatures were affected.

Not surprising that there is not change in CPU temperatures as this component is the farthest from the changes and is located right near the three 120mm exhaust fans in the top and back.

The biggest change of notice is the drop in hard drive temps when the fan cage is mounted directly over them. With a drop of 7C in temperatures I would say that is a more useful location than at the bottom. Without the fan located on the bottom, the GPU actually ran a little warmer. I think the reason for this has to do with the way the VGA duct is situated. There is a perforated opening on the side of the hard drive bay where the VGA duct attaches. It seems with the fan cage located above the hard drives it might aid slightly in pulling in air through the duct. Unfortunately I wasn't able to test with a fan cage located in both locations as extra fan cages are not yet available, but I think it's obviously more beneficial to leave the one included above the hard drives.

I also removed the VGA fan duct to see how temps of the video card would be affected. As you can see temps did rise 1 to 2 degrees on the video card. I had my doubts as to how well this would work considering the duct is actually pulling in air from the back of the case above the exhaust from the PSU. It is a small adjustment in temperatures but it is working.

Page 7 : Conclusion

If you looked around the net at various forums I think it goes without saying that CoolerMaster's Cosmos 1000 generated some buzz when it was first revealed earlier this year. I have to say they have hit right on a lot of marks with this case. While no case will ever appeal to everyone, I think the Cosmos 1000 has a broad appeal with its styling. The steel construction obviously increases weight, but this also helps to prevent vibrational noise in the chassis. Overall the quality is superb, but it is the little things that keep me talking about this case to friends. From push button 5.25" installation, cable management and side panels released by levers, the Cosmos was built with ease of use in mind. The sound dampening material on the side panels is a nice touch and the panels fit together very securely, leaving no room for noise or vibration.

I can go on about all the great things the Cosmos brings, but this doesn't mean it's not without a few possible warts. One thing I discovered had to do with the rails that the case rests on. While not an issue on carpet, if your case rests on tile or possibly even wood they are going to get scratched up real quick if you need to move it. It would have been nice to have some optional plastic or rubber feet to add on for these situations. Another is more of a situational problem stemming from how the front I/O panel is situated facing nearly straight up. If your case sits under your desk this can be an issue with using the front USB ports for thumb drives if there isn't enough clearance.

Positives

• Quiet

• Tool free design

Negatives

• Heavy

• Price

Overclockers Online would like to thank CoolerMaster for supplying the Cosmos 1000 for review.