10
That's a bit of a hellish look, isn't it ?
The side panels are very sleek and have no signs of a handle or opening mechanism unless viewing the rear of the case. What I like very much is that you can tell this is a CoolerMaster chassis ... yet there's very little corporate branding; only on the right side of the chassis "CoolerMaster" can be spotted. I like the lack of that. It's tasteful and discrete. Though that Cosmos S badge on the side is a bit of a moment breaker.
In all, the Cosmos S is a very solid case. It has a lot of great features and is a product with among the best build quality I've ever seen. Though, it has a hefty price tag at $249 USD. Let's move onwards to our verdict.
The Verdict
Funny story; I am really thrilled about this chassis. I mean, despite it's a little noisy I still think it's the shiznit. So I was having a chat with James our server admin the other day and the man is a high-end PC buff as well. I show him one photo of this review and instantly he says "I don't like it". So I'm still a bit in shock and say "Huh .. ? How can you not like it?". So he says "I think it looks horrible" ...
So I explain to him that I think the chassis is like a little slice of heaven ... then he goes in shock "Really??".
So funny, see this is the tricky thing with designing something; I always state in our reviews that they are bound to some sort of trend-style. Taste differs per person, Some of you will dislike the chassis, others (me included) are stunned by it. It's the reality and luckily we all have different taste.
The Cosmos S case is the new flagship that trumps the Cosmos 1000 and Stacker; it is designed to form your high-end gaming rig, premeditated with high-performance airflow in mind. The airflow does come at a cost, the looks of the chassis are a bit less appealing than the Cosmos 1000 and the noise levels went up. Compared to the standard "Cosmos 1000" model there are numerous changes to be found. For the exterior the chassis is made out of aluminum with a lot of meshes implemented, yet also has a different color design. On the inside we'll notice that drive cages where been removed to offer more space and placement for optical and HDD drives. The mainboard tray is placed in such a way that cables routing can be managed behind the actual tray. Also the chassis has been prepared for watercooling and then there's that big-ass side-panel ventilator. All well protected and implemented preventing dust ingestion.
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Due to the mesh design it does loose a little of the mojo that the original slick look that the Cosmos 1000 series had, they seemed to look a bit more glossy & stylish with that entirely closed design. But if you're looking at going 3-way SLI for example, this would be the case you should end up with. Period. It will require high-end gaming hardware, as otherwise this is a waste of money as the case truly will take a big chunk out of your wallet. But if you do like the looks then you are good to go. Everything has been thought trough well, and that includes airflow, it's user-friendly, has pretty good cable-management, is reasonably in weight as the bigger parts are made in aluminum and on and on. The 'S' uses significantly more aluminum than the plastic-clad Cosmos 1000 and weighs a little less as a result.
Everything about the case seemed well thought out and nicely implemented; the side panels slide smoothly into place with almost no effort and the touch power button is the type of thing we enthusiast end-users get goosebumps from. So sure, not everybody will like the design of the chassis, but if you do ... it doesn't really get any better than this. It's where excellent craftsmanship, functionality and design merge together. It's a chassis that surely is expensive, yet positions itself at the same quality level as Lian-Li.
Money aside though, the Cosmos S is an admirable addition to the Cooler Master chassis range and a good buy for anyone who can spare the dough; if you're looking for a quality enclosure for a high-end gaming rig. In the end, Cooler Master has created a bizarre full tower in the Cosmos S. It impressed us enough to grant it our Best hardware award, which we rarely give away.
The Cosmos S is expected to retail for $249 (the plain-vanilla Cosmos 1000 goes for just under $200). I do expect the price to sink under 200 USD for e-tail in the weeks to come.
CoolerMaster Cosmos S
SKU: RC-1100KK1-GP
Info : coolermaster.comPrice: 249 USD
