Cooler Master Cosmos SE Review
Category : Cases
Published by Luca Rocchi on 17.10.13
Today we are going to take a look at another version of the Cooler Master Cosmos, which is the new Cosmos SE. First presented this year at Computex and announced at Gamescon, the Cosmos SE is a fulltower created for people who want high-end or simply enthusiasts. This case is a beast, even if it's a scaled down version of the standard Cosmos. For example, you can install no less than 18 SSD's, which is, even to our standards, quite ridiculous!
On the following pages we will show you the strengths and weaknesses of the
Cooler Master Cosmos SE.
[pagebreak]
Preview
Specifications
| Model |
Cooler Master Cosmos SE |
| Case Type |
Full tower |
| Dimensions |
263.8 x 569.4 x 524.4 mm |
| Material |
Polymer, steel, aluminium, mesh front bezel, rubber |
| Color |
Black |
| 5.25'' drive
bay |
3 x external |
| 3.5'' drive bay |
8 x 3.5'' |
| 2.5'' drive bay |
18 x 2.5'' |
| Expansion
slots |
7+1 |
| Form factors |
ATX, mATX |
|
Weight |
10.8 kg |
| Cooling |
Top: 120/140mm fan x 2 (one 140mm black fan installed, 1200 RPM, 19 dBA)
Front: 120mm blue LED fan x 2 (installed; with LED on/off), or 140mm fan x 1 (optional)
Rear: 120mm fan x 1 (installed, 1200 RPM, 17 dBA)
Side: 120/140mm fan x 1 (optional)
HDD cage: 120mm fan x 2 (optional)
|
| Compatibility
|
VGA Card:
With HDD bracket: 276mm
Without HDD bracket: 395mm
CPU cooler height: max 175mm
|
| I/O ports |
USB 3.0 x 2, USB 2.0 x 2, Audio In & Out |
[pagebreak]
Front
Overview |
|
| The Cosmos SE is the latest in the Cosmos series, is significantly smaller and lighter than its siblings but shares the same materials and many interesting features. After a first look, we can say that the materials used are of good quality and also the finish is excellent. In the front there are three 5.25 inch slots with an
easy to remove cover - totally tool-less. Below the 5.25 inch drive bays,
there is a mesh grill, which is also easy to remove. Removing the mesh will expose two 120mm intake LED fans,
and since there are 2 x 120 millimeter fans you can even install a 240
millimeter radiator. Actually, if you want to, you could also go for a 360
millimeter rad. |
| |
Back
Overview |
|
| |
| Right above to the usual
expansion slots, of which there are 7+1 in this case, there is a
pre-installed 120 millimeter fan (1200 RPM, 17 dBA) with 3pin connector
cable. The area dedicated to the power supply is located at the bottom of the case and the housing is
spacious. Additionally the PSU bracket is removable. You will be able to install PSU of any length. Below the 120 millimeter fan, there are also three rubber grommets for routing tubes of custom watercooling installations. |
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Right side
Overview |
|
| |
| The right side panel has a decent bump out that adds
some extra space for cable management. After removing the side panel,
which has been equipped with thumb-screws, you will see the generous cut-out dedicated to the backplate of the CPU
coolers. On the motherboard tray there are quite a few cut-out holes that help you get a good cable management. The tray is dominated by pass-throughs with rubber grommet for wire routing. Above and
below the big HDD cage you can install two SSDs, Cooler Master have made a new retention system, infact there are hooks that will keep the SSD in
place. |
[pagebreak]
Left side
Overview |
|
|
| |
The left side panel of the sample we
received from Cooler Master has a big window. We mention it this way,
since, there are two versions of the case: the COS-5000-KWN1 ships with
window and the COS-5000-KKN1 ships with mesh structure. At the front there is the whole area dedicated to the installation of HDDs and SSDs.
Overall there is space for no less than 8 + 16 drives. The bracket allows to install HDDs and also SSDs
and mounting them is very easy thanks to the completely tool-less mounting system. For SSDs you will have use a couple of screws. If you have to mount a long graphics card
it's necessary to remove the HDD cage, but not entirely because it's
made by three modules, where each module can carry up to two hard
drives. Other than that, if you like watercooling and you want to install 240/360mm
radiators in the front, you can do so after having removed all four modules.
The bundle is standard and includes zip ties, a speaker, motherboard stand offs and mounting screws. Also there are two brackets for mounting a radiator to the front of the case. The manual is easy to follow and the illustrations are well done.
In our build we used a 240 millimeter, all-in-one liquid cooling system, installed in the top of the case. We had no issues during the installation, the radiator fits perfectly and does not cover any slots. On the top of Cosmos SE
you can install a 240 or 280mm radiator in push-pull configuration and even radiators
with 38 mm thickness fit.
Once all the components were inside the case, you can see, that the Cosmos SE is very spacious and you will be able to install large heatsinks and high-end video cards effortlessly. |
[pagebreak]
Top
Overview |
|
| |
| A
closer look at the top reveals generous handle bars typical for Cooler
Master's Cosmos line. With 11 kilogram, this case isn't exactly
lightweight, which means having handle bars makes perfect sense. The handles are perfectly integrated into the design of the case.
Additionally there is a mesh similar to the one you can find in the
front. The I/O panel includes two USB2.0 ports, microphone, audio and two USB3.0 ports. Just above
there are power and reset buttons, and LED switch.
|
| |
Bottom
Overview |
|
| |
| The bottom part is quite simple, there are two dust filters one for the power supply and another
one for the front. As for the top, at the bottom of the case there are also two
rails, similar to the handle bars on top, which give the case additional
stiffness, stability and a safe stand. |
[pagebreak]
Conclusion
| General |
|
+ |
- |
| The Cosmos SE is
yet another great case in Cooler Master's Cosmos Series. The
manufacturer made some significant changes since the first version. This new version looks fantastic and
it's a very solid case. The aluminium handle bars for example are very useful and provide an easy way to move the case around. Last but not least, the side panel
with window adds a nice touch if you like show off your system's
components. Other than that the fans included are good but only feature 3-pin headers.
We would really like to see 4-pin fans in future.
|
|
-
Design
|
-
Fans |
| |
|
|
|
| Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics |
|
+ |
- |
| Cooler Master has not been saving money on the materials used. Quality of plastics, aluminium and steel is the way it should be. Installing components inside the Cosmos SE is quite simple, there is a lot of space available. We like the rubber grommets for routing cables, they are very practical. Apart from that there is a huge cut out behind
the CPU socket, very useful for the installation of aftermarket coolers when the motherboard is already inside.
Also installing hard drives as well as solid state drive is piece of
cake and on top of that you can equip this case with a shedload of
drives. There was actually only one thing we didn't like: the reset
switch has been placed too close to the fan LED switch.
|
|
- Build
quality
- Interior
Space
- HDD/SSD |
|
| |
|
|
|
| Design |
|
+ |
- |
| The design is similar to the old models and it's timeless. There have been some minor changes but
the basic looks are still the same. We liked the form follows function
approach, when it comes to the handle bars. It's also very pleasing to
see, that this case doesn't look as cheap as the HAF series. Even with
the high-end Cosmos there is a lot of plastic, but the overall quality
is in another league. |
|
-
Unique design
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Recommendation |
|
+ |
- |
| The Cooler Master Cosmos SE is currently listed on Geizhals for 150 Euro. The price is great as is the quality of this product. If you are looking for a full-tower that offers a lot of interior space,
features handle bars, comes with a cool design and is ready for watercooling,
go have a look at the Cosmos SE. |
|
- Gaming-PC
- Enthusiast build
- File Server |
|
| |
| Rating |
|
The Cooler Master Cosmos SE gets excellent five out of five
stars. The case comes at a price point of est. CHF 184.- (est EUR
150.-). |
| |
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