Cooler Master Storm Sniper Case Review

Installation pg.2


As with the SilverStone Fortress FT01, the push-button mounting system made optical drive installation a piece of cake and we had our DVD-RW drive installed in about three seconds. It should also be noted that a filter mesh can be found behind each of the bay covers to help keep dust out of the case.


Once we had the system completely assembled, we were pleased with the spaciousness and accessibility of the components in the Storm Sniper. This is a very practical and easy to work with case while maintaining a certain exterior style that is sure to appeal to its intended market.


Although great in theory, the tray opening definitely won’t work with all scenarios. With our Biostar TA770+ board, the AM2 backplate was a few millimetres too long and was not accessible via the opening in the tray. We’d wager a guess that the vast majority of LGA 775 backplates will be accessible with the Storm Sniper thanks to their symmetrical shape.


With the side panel attached, the interior of the case is visible to some extent, but the mesh is nothing like an acrylic window. With the LED fans turned on and low ambient lighting, the interior of the case can be seen much more easily.


Acoustic and Initial Running Impressions


The two 200mm fans are both LED models that have a soft blue glow when activated via the top panel and none of the LEDs are overly bright. With the LEDs on, the front intake grille reveals a crosshair that was not previously visible—how clever!

We were very pleased with the acoustical properties of the case. We found the oversize 200mm fans to be almost dead silent at lower rotational speed and very quiet at full speed. Although case noise tolerance is definitely in the ear of the beholder, we would have no reservation leaving the fans at full-bore to maximize the cooling performance of the case while enjoying relatively quiet operation. And speaking of cooling performance, these massive fans flow a great deal of air. The front fan is unfortunately not being put to the best use though, as the drive cage is a bit too restrictive and can block airflow to the video card or cards.

The 120mm exhaust fan is also fairly quiet and feels strong given its rated output.