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Cooling
That's some fancy equipment they got there.
Cooler Master originally got their recognition from their heatsinks, so it's natural that the R&D into heat dissapation carried over into their case design. The ATC in its name stands for Active Thermal Convective System. The name is exactly as it implies... the case acts as a giant heatsink. This theory comes from, in part, that the case is made of aluminum, which as we all (should) know, is decent at dissapating heat. The Active Thermal Convective System however, is a bit different, as it represents the design in the case's airflow, air pressure, air resistance, and ventilation. By default, the ATC-201A-SX1 comes with four 80mm fans, as well as the Air Guide, which is a 10cm hole and duct.
 
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Fan #1 is located in the top of the case. The fan is configured to exhaust air from the top, which in theory, should work pretty well. As hot air rises, the fan will accelerate the air flow out the top. Previously, Cooler Master cut into the top of the case to create the vents for the fan, but now there is a mesh screen, which should allow for more airflow out of the case. Like the front screen we'll be talking bout, there is a foam filter between the fan and screen. I have not figured out a way to remove it yet, so cleaning will be a bit of a chore.
  
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By removing the front mesh screen, we can see the filter Cooler Master has installed into it. Although it is removable, Cooler Master didn't exactly make it easy for us to clean. To get to the screen, you'll have to remove the front bezel, which is secured by six hex screws. The screen then requires the removal of four small Phillips screws, which will almost certainly drop unless you use a magnetic tipped screwdriver. The screen secures the filter itself by folding portions of it into the filter. An air gun is all that's needed to clean out dust particles, but I wish there was an easier method of removal.
The benefit of Cooler Master's method, as opposed to some other cases is the mesh screen allows for direct airflow to the intake fans. For some cases, the front bezel does not lie flush with the front panel of the case, so air is drawn from the front still, but from beneath the case. I am not sure how much this affects airflow inside the case, but Cooler Master's method, in theory, should work better.
Fans #2 and #3, which are the two front fans, are configured as intake fans. Not only do they serve as intake fans, they also serve as hard drive coolers as well. Although the air will now be somewhat "warmed-up" by passing through the hard drives, I don't think it will affect temperatures all that much.
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The last fan, #4, is located in the back, next to where the CPU would be. This fan serves as an exhaust fan. Like the changes to the top panel, you'll see that Cooler Master no longer uses ventilation holes stamped out of the metal, but rather, they use a traditional fan grill which will allow more air to pass through the back.
 
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An optional feature, the Air Guide is the most significant change in the ATC-201. Ducts are nothing new, but for those who don't know, the idea behind them is they assist in isolating the air around the CPU and to help keep the heat away from the rest of the PC. Dell has been using ducts for years, though they do it much differently. Unlike Dell, there is no fan built into the duct (they don't use fans on their CPU heatsinks).
On the ATC-201A-SX2, there is another mesh screen built into the side (otherside is the Air Guide duct), with a nice acylic decoration around it. We'll see later on if the duct affects temperatures at all.
By adding a PSU, you should have a minimum of 5 fans (perhaps 6 or even 7 depending on the PSU), where 3 fans exhaust air, and 2 are intake. In terms of noise, there is quite a bit of it, though a high speed CPU fan, such as a Delta, will still overpower the noise generated by the case fans.
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Cooler Master ATC-201A SX2: Cooler Master, pioneer of the aluminum cases, overhauled one of their most popular models, and released something enthusiasts should consider when shopping for a new case.
