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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.
Cooling Performance
Other than the aesthetics, an important aspect when shopping for a case, is the cooling performance. Contrary to popular belief, having a large tower with 10 fans blowing in every direction is not necessarily going to mean it's going to keep your components cool.
Test Bed
AMD Athlon 1700+ w/Swiftech MCX462+
MSI KT3 Ultra2
2 x 256MB Crucial PC2700
2 x 80GB Maxtor 7200RPM
PNY Verto GeForce 4 Ti4600
Plextor 24/10/40 CDRW
AOpen 1640 DVD
Enermax 430W
Comparison cases will be a Lian-Li PC65U, which is also a mid tower aluminum case, as well as a full tower, steel construction AOpen HX-08. All three cases are configured with their stock cooling for the initial tests. The second group of tests will be with all three cases with all their fans off (except on the power supply).
I should note that for the first two tests, we have removed the Air Guide from the ATC-201A, and taped the side screen shut. The last test will be with the Air Guide enabled. Temperatures were read with the Vantec Multifunction Panel (which fit just fine btw), except for the CPU and system temperatures, which were gathered from . Temperatures will be presented in Celcius, but you can grab a Celcius to Fahrenheit converter . Temperature readings are taken at full load, with Prime95 and Folding@Home enabled.
Stock Fans On
Both the Cooler Master and Lian-Li are the top performers of the three. Between the three, the AOpen seemed to be the noisiest, as I would guess that the larger case echo'd a little more. Hard drive cooling was led by the ATC-201A, as well as the video card and system cooling tests.
Although the Lian-Li also has dual intake fans blowing directly over the hard drives, the way the hard drives were arranged (sideways), it was a tighter fit than the dual drives in the Cooler Master. Furthermore, there's a bit more obstruction on the Lian-Li, as the air filter is thicker, and the front vents are not as free flowing as the screen mesh on the ATC-201A.
System cooling temperatures were drastically lower with the Cooler Master. This can probably be attributed to the top blowhole wicking away the rising hot air. To equalize the playing field, we'll now conduct tests with all the fans off (except on the power supply). All ventilation holes on all three cases will now be cardboarded, and taped off.
Stock Fans Off
By turning off the fans (and taping shut any ventilation, save for the power supply), we can get a better idea of how well each case handles heat. The AOpen does the worst, but not really as bad as I thought it would do. It's possible that being such a huge tower, there's just more air volume to heat up. The Lian-Li fairs much better, but like I said earlier, the interior is a bit more cramped when you load it up. The CDROM drives are very close to the PSU, and being a shorter case than the Cooler Master, wiring becomes more of an issue. The Cooler Master does the best, keeping temperatures just a bit lower than the Lian-Li. Now, let's see how things are when we enable the Air Guide.
Air Guide Enabled vs Air Guide Disabled
Testing the Cooler Master with the Air Guide enabled netted some interesting results. System temperatures actually increased slightly, but CPU temperatures did lower by a small margin. What is probably happening that the CPU fan is configured to draw air into the heatsink, and the Air Guide is channeling cooler outside air on to the heatsink. The reason we're not seeing a more drastic drop in temperatures though is because the Air Guide does not reach the motherboard, thus not cutting the heatsink off completely from the rest of the components. The increase in system temperatures is probably the result of the Air Guide obstructing some of the air flow to the rear vent, though I think this rise in temperature is worth the drop in CPU heat.
I should note that these temperatures for the CPU were obtained by running our Smart Fan 2 at full speed. When we ran the fan at low speed, CPU temperatures were the same, regardless if the Air Guide was used or not. What is probably happening is that at low speed, the fan simply isn't drawing air in fast enough to matter if the air was being channeled or not.
Installation Notes
I have already mentioned the Vantec Fan Controller issues, but other than that, all our hard drives and optical drives had no problems. Our KT3 Ultra2 had no problems fitting, nor did the Air Guide "miss" our CPU/HSF. The problem with the Air Guide compatibility is if you use a dual CPU setup, a Slot-1 or A motherboard, or an ATX motherboard with an oddly placed CPU socket. For the most part, the majority of ATX motherboards should have no problems. One other heatsink that comes to mind as possibly having problems with the Air Guide is the Zalman CNPS3100-Plus, as the cooling fan may not allow for the Air Guide to fit.
Final Words
Cooler Master has taken everything that was good about their ATC-201, and carried it over into the the ATC-201A-SX2. This includes the sharp aesthetics, the thumbscrews, the removable motherboard tray, the slick paint job, and its ATC technology. What has been improved with the latest version is the stronger construction overall (thanks to thicker aluminum, though I wouldn't use the case as an ottoman), the Air Guide, and dropping the older ventilation cutouts with either grills or mesh screens instead.
Complaints are minor, but there are a few things that did bother me. The foam filters used in the top and front ventilation screens are problematic to clean, as they don't lend themselves to easy de-installation. The USB door, though a nice touch, does not lock into place, possibly slamming shut if you're using it. I am not going to penalize the trouble with the Vantec Nexus Fan Controller woes, since it was a pre-production product we used, but be aware that peripherals with outside screws not flush with the unit will have problems installing. The edges in the interior could have been folded, or covered with some protective plastic to protect your hands would have been nice as well.
I will flat out say that the Active Thermal Convective System does indeed work here, as our overall temperatures are in fact lower than they have been before. Whether fans are off or on, the case itself does wick away heat, though I would not quite go as far as turning off fans on your heatsinks. Our tests have shown, though not dramatically, that the Air Guide does indeed lower CPU temperatures slightly. I also find the side cutout a nice aesthetic feature, though you're free to remove the Air Guide and place an additional side fan in its place. All this cooling also does not come at the expense of your ears, as the stock fans, though noticable, are not deafening. Anyone used to 3-4 case fans probably won't notice a thing.
You do pay a fair penny for a quality case, but it is cheaper than past models, and you get exactly what you pay for. I have seen nice aluminum cases, and I have seen ugly ones, but Cooler Master cases always catch my eye whenever they are on display. No doubt, it'll draw a remark or two if it's sitting on your desk.
Pros: Beautiful, cool, removable motherboard tray, thumbscrews, quality construction and Air Guide.
Cons: USB Door needs work, cleaning the air filters inconvenient, expensive (but worth it).
Bottom line: Make no mistake... is a lot to spend on something that sits under your desk, but a case like this deserves to sit on top of it. It's roomy, and acts like a heatsink for those $3000 PC parts inside. In terms of quality and R&D, it's pretty tough to top Cooler Master. If you got any comments, be sure to hit us up in our forums.
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