Cooler Master Aims to Impress

The Cosmos II is one of the biggest enthusiast-class cases we have seen in a long time with a feature set that really aims to please.

Right at the start of 2012, Cooler Master released a new case that was trumpeted as an "Ultra ATX" design.  And while the name itself is purely a Cooler Master creation, the Cosmos II chassis fits the name more than anything we have seen in recent memory.  Even though we posted this video on our PC Perspective YouTube channel before CES, I didn’t get a chance to write up this short post and embed our host of images below.  

This is an impressive chassis design with tons of features and great layout decisions that needs to be seen to be understood – hence the video review below!

Cooler Master’s new Cosmos II case is going to cost you $349 and while that price is extremely high, the fact is this is designed exactly for the PC builder that doesn’t want to compromise on anything.  It weights nearly 50 pounds without a single component installed and feels like it could take more than its fair share of beating without showing damage.  Still, it is unique and stylish enough to look good at the same time. 

If you have the space and the money for the Cosmos II, then you will undoubtedly be happy with the purchase.

If you still want to see some photos of the Cosmos II, I have included an assortment of them below along with some descriptions and notes. 

Continue reading our review of the Cooler Master Cosmos II Case!!

You really can’t see the massive size of this case from a single photo – instead, look above for the Cosmos II in reference to ME!  The brushed metal "feel" of the case is classy as well.

The front panel has a door that slides down to reveal the optical and hot-swap HDD bays.

The optical bays are modeled to look like the 3.5-in hot swap bays right below them.

Front panel connections on the Cosmos II includes 6 total USB ports, two of which are USB 3.0 ready, with an eSATA connection and audio input and output.

Above them rests the fan controller buttons (described in the video) as well as the power and reset buttons and indicator LEDs.  These can be hidden by the sliding door above them.

The signature feature is the swinging doors on both sides that allow you to easily access the internals while also serving as fan mounts and filters.

Cosmos II is divided into zones that allow for better cooling control.  The bottom of the cases includes a pair of fans in front of the bottom-mounted power supply.

Behind the pair of fans are six additional HDD bays that can actually be removed for installation of water cooling gear.

Here you can see the 6 six HDD trays removed with space made for a 240mm radiator!

Up top you can see optical bays, five more HDD bays and the rubber grommeted openings for cable routing.

Interestingly, the power supply actually extends OUTSIDE the back of the case and is held in place with another bracket.

The back of the Cosmos II gives you a bit of a scale for the sheer size of the case based on the power supply and expansion slots.

With support for 10 expansion slots the Cosmos II will work with quad-SLI and quad-CrossFire (as long as your motherboard does too) and the "+1" slot is there for audio break out cards or anything else (like a USB 3.0 header) that you don’t want to take up a standard expansion slot.

The top of the case is removable and has room for three 120mm fans.

You can of course also fit in a triple-120mm radiator as well.

There are filters on all the air intakes including the front (seen here) the sides (on the doors) and on the bottom where the power supply rests (on the bottom).  

And, like many of the new cases in the last two years, the cable routing system on the Cosmos II is superb and allows for very easy and clean installations.