Cooler Master Storm Trooper Gaming Case Review

Gaming cases mean different things to people.  In the past a gaming case could have been any mid-tower design that was modded for better cooling.  Full-tower designs of the time didn't improve things since they often required the same cooling mods and were more difficult to move around.  Fast forward several years and you'll see a perfect storm of enthusiast chassis sampled and designed after what modders have done.  These cases often feature the best cooling methods possible and have been redesigned from the ground up to enhance compatibility and make the most of current enthusiast systems.

We're going to make a bold statement and say that the CM Storm Trooper is the best looking case we have ever seen. The overall styling has perfect lines to complement the features and yet allows them to blend in with exceptional balance. A great example of this is the carrying handles.  The front of the case is molded and sloped to the same height as the handle and then filled in with the fan controller and power button.  Looking at the case from the front you would never know a handle was there.  The same styling occurs beyond where you place your hand, as it is met with a sweeping vent system as it gently returns to normal case height.

Inside the case we are pleased to see support for XL-ATX motherboards along with nine expansion slots allowing us to finally install four dual slot video cards into a single system and still have room left over.  Sadly extremely large motherboards like the EVGA SR-2 won't fit into this chassis but XL boards like the Gigabyte UD9 and MSI Big Bang Marshall will slide right in.

Cooling options are exceptional out of box.  For those addicted to DIY watercooling you'll be happy to know the Trooper can easily fit two dual fan radiators with an optional third after some dremel time.  This of course also brings up the issue of modifications and what you could do with the CM Storm Trooper.  Obvious modifications include watercooling with dual fan radiators.  Your pump and reservoir will likely reside in the hard drive bay, which is also removable without modification.

Other mods include custom paint.  All of the plastic pieces feature a rubberized coating which you'll likely want to leave alone but you can remove the mesh panels and paint those separately and achieve some excellent accent colors.     

We mentioned that the Trooper is windowless which is perfect since that gives you the option to cut in a custom window design or leave the panels alone, either way the options are there giving you a blank canvas modding and other personalization's.

Excellent Styling
Four Fans Included
Six Position Fan Controller
LED Light Control
2.5" SATA Dock
Stacker Style Drive Bays
Modular HDD Rack
Nine Expansion Slots
XL-ATX Support
Carrying Handle

Would like heavier gauge wire on fan controller
LED light control for 3 fans only
200mm fan has no LEDs