Cooler Master Storm Scout Mid-Tower Case Review

Conclusion

So there you have it! Let’s recap. From an aesthetics perspective, we believe that Cooler Master hit the nail right on the head. Obviously beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we think that they were able to strike a good balance between a “higher-end, classy” appearance and the appearance of an aggressive looking “gamer” case. The Scout’s black powder coat finish and simple front panel give it that bit of class, while its large carrying handle, tinted side window and angled edges make more of a bold statement. Even the LED lighting can cater to either side of the fence thanks to the handy LED power switch on the top panel.

Looks aside, the absolute best aspect of the Storm Scout is its portability and LAN friendly features. This is – without a doubt – the most practical and LAN gamer friendly case we’ve seen to date. Cooler Master has basically taken all of the great aspects of the Storm Sniper – like the steel reinforced handle and the “Storm Guard” system - and rolled them into an even more practical and portable enclosure. Let’s face it; not everyone wants to cart around a case as large as the Sniper.

Build quality is another major ace up the Scout’s sleeve. Given its relatively modest price tag, we were very pleased with the sturdy steel construction and overall “solid” feel of the case. The plastic components of the case are also nice and thick and share that same sturdy feel.

From a performance standpoint, the Scout does very well given its compact nature. In many of our tests, the Scout faired almost as well as the gigantic Thermaltake Spedo, and wasn’t too far behind its big brother, the Storm Sniper. Installing an optional side panel fan can improve GPU and CPU temperatures even more. Not only does the Scout perform well, but it does so almost silently. This is one quiet case.

About the only negative thing we can say about the Scout is that it can present some cable management challenges. Cooler Master did include some important features that make a difficult job easier, but we still feel that a bit of additional space behind the motherboard tray could have further improved things in this regard. We also found the 5.25 inch optical drive difficult to insert due to a very tight opening. Removing the punch-out bay covers remedied the issue, so this is a pretty minor gripe.

We quite literally had to keep reminding ourselves that this case is not a $200 model, but only $125 Canadian. Given its price, you get an incredible little case for your hard earned loonie. Overall, we think the Storm Scout is an excellent case and as such, we’re pleased to award it with Hardware Canuck’s “DAM GOOD VALUE” award.


Pros:

- Very solid build quality
- Nice aesthetic touches like a painted black interior and black screws and cable ties
- Intelligent layout and good use of available space
- Very quiet
- Sturdy handle and security features for LAN events
- Lots of I/O connectors on the top panel
- Good cooling performance considering its size
- An excellent value at $125


Cons:

- Packaging a bit inadequate
- A little cramped making cable management tough
- Not much in the way of water cooling potential