Cooler Master Sniper Review

Cooler Master Sniper

About Cooler Master:

Cooler Master was founded with the mission of providing the industry's best thermal solutions. Since its establishment a decade ago, the company has remained faithful to this mission, emerging as a world leader in products and services for companies dealing with devices where heat issues must be resolved.

In pursuing this mission, Cooler Master is absolutely committed to delivering solutions that precisely meet customer requirements for features, performance, and quality. Moreover, we strive to be a reliable long-term partner for our customers that they can truly depend on. It aims to be the first and foremost name that comes to mind for companies around the world seeking thermal solutions, and seeks to build such a reputation through outstanding technology, sophisticated design, and superior service.

Cooler Master's current business encompasses a comprehensive lineup of thermal solutions for a full range of applications. Its products range from heat sinks and fans to component housing, chassis, and ducting for computers, industrial machinery, telecommunications equipment, and many other devices.

A critical component of Cooler Master's ability to successfully pursue its mission is an unstinting commitment to quality, as demonstrated by the ISO 9001 certification granted to its main manufacturing plant in Taiwan. It has also enforced ISO guidelines and is in the process of applying for ISO 9002 certification at its second and third plants, located in China. Cooler Master has also implemented a number of analytical and testing protocols to ensure top quality, including at subcontractors, to further ensure thorough quality control. Moreover, Cooler Master's dedication to quality extends beyond manufacturing to every aspect of its operation, including service.

Features and Specifications

• Fierce exterior design inspired by military weapons
• Unprecedented airflow from up to 3 huge fans
• Next generation control center for tuning your lights and fans
• StormGuard- ground-breaking security system for safeguarding peripherals
• Convenient handle and foot stand
• Screwless design
• Top mounted power/reset button
• 4 Front Panel USB ports, 1 Firewire, 1 e-SATA

 Dimensions:(L) 22.3 x (W) 10 x (H) 21.7 Inches

Weight: 23.42 lbs

Motherboard Support: ATX/MicroATX

5.25" Bays: 5 Exposed

3.5" Bays: 5 Hidden, 1 Exposed with adapter

Cooling:

•  Front: 200x30mm Blue LED (500-100RPM, 17-23 dBA)
• Top: 200x30mm Blue LED Fan (500 - 1000rpm, 17 - 23 dBA)
•  Rear: 120x25mm Standard Fan (1200rpm, 17 dBA)
•  Bottom: Supports 140mm Fan x 1 or 120mm Fan (Optional)
• Side: Supports 1 200x30mm Fan or 2 120x25mm Fan (optional)

Packaging:

The outside of the box is very well decorated with specifications and pictures. There is plenty of color to catch the eye of anyone who sees it so it will definitely stand out. The front of the box is covered by a side image of the case. The back is covered by a large image of a sniper, as well as details about the "Storm Tactics" for cooling. Overall the box design is very appealing.

Equally important to box design is protective packaging. It doesn’t take much of a hit to physically damage a case; so it's no surprise that Cooler Master has taken precautions to prevent that from happening. Upon opening the box I found that Cooler Master put two large pieces of styrofoam to protect the case. A piece on to and on the bottom successfully hold the case in place and also hold it away from the edge of the box. That way, even if the box gets hit; they case will still be fine.

Installation:

Installing components into this case was fairly easy. With the screwless design everything just slides and snaps into place. Installing optical drives is easy, just remove the front panel cover using the clips...

Then slide your drive into place. Locking the drive is as easy as pushing the button.

Installing harddrives is not much harder. Simply put the drive in the removable tray and slide it right back into place.

Next comes the motherboard. Cooler Master was kind enough to put a paper sheet on the motherboad tray with numbered holes. This makes it very easy to know where to place your standouts.From there you just have to put the board in place and tighten everything down. Another nice feature from Cooler Master is a hole in the motherboard tray. It is designed to make it easy to change heatsink backplate and it is a great idea!

Last comes the addon cards. Installing your addon cards, such as graphics cards or TV tuners is very easy because, once again, it is screwless. All you have to do is connect the card to your motherboard and then clip the expansion connector over the top and your card is now secure. Another feature that Cooler Master has included with this case is their "StormGuard." StormGuard is basically a locking system for USB peripherals. To secure your peripherals all you have to do is look the cables through the connector.

Cable management is a big deal with most people, so its not surprising that Cooler Master added as many routing holes as possible to this case. There are holes everywhere surrounding the motherboard, making it easy to hide (atleast partially) every cable. There is ample space behind the motherboard tray for a large mound of cables even. Here is the finished product!

Conclusion:

Overall I am very happy with this case. Cooling is the same, or better than my previous case (depending on fan speed) and it looks better. The size of this case makes installation and upgrading easy. This case is also very well built. Everything seems sturdy which is sometimes hard to find in a case anymore.Everything works as Cooler Master says, and I haven't found anything major wrong with this case.

Pros:

• Appearance
• Cooling
• Size
• Screwless design
• Quality

Cons:

• Price ($179.99) 

$179.99 is a decent price for this case, however some cheaper cases are almost as good. As always, you get what you pay for.. so the Sniper might be worth the extra money for many gamers. Because of this, the Sniper has earned a 9/10 and also the Golden Ghost Award!