| CM Storm Sniper Black Edition Gaming Case |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases | |
| Written by Bruce Normann | |
| Sunday, 08 November 2009 | |
CM Storm Sniper Black EditionDéjà vu is a funny thing. At first you're not sure it's real; then you're absolutely convinced; finally, it fades and you're not sure anymore. The CM Storm Sniper, first shown to the public when Cooler Master launched the CM Storm brand in 2008, started out life with a full "Black Ops" paint job. Black on the outside, black on the inside and the first gaming case to feature three massive 200mm cooling fans, it was an instant hit. Somehow, the production version ended up without the black interior, but it was still a rousing success when Benchmark Reviews looked at it in January of this year. Its ten months later, coming up on the holiday season, and what better (and easier) way to kick it up a notch than to bring back the black: The CM Storm Sniper Black Edition SGC-6000-KKN1-GP. The more jaded among us might say that's a little too easy, but Cooler Master include all three fans with the new version, offer a couple additional specialty models to choose from, incorporate 2.5" SSD support, and introduce some running production changes that improve on the original design. Not quite a Sniper II, but much more than just some additional black powder coat sprayed on the interior.
All in all, there are enough changes in this new version, that it's worthwhile taking a second look. This gaming chassis sits right in the sweet spot for price, performance, and value. Especially so, since the price has come down a bit since we reviewed the first production version. Let's see if it really is Deja vu, or something else entirely. CM Storm Sniper Black Edition Features
Strength - undeniable material strength and unprecedented airflow from three huge 200mm fans with LED lights.
Upgraded Features:
Standard Features: Sniper Black Edition Specifications
About the company: CM Storm
Owning the PC trenches for almost two decades, Cooler Master's veterans present their scars from battles past as claims of triumph over the competition. United with a new generation of eSports athletes and engineers, now marching under the flag of CM Storm, the time has come to reveal truly ground-breaking, military grade hardware for the gaming revolution. Through long-standing research programs, CM Storm is co-developed with the world's most prolific enthusiasts and eSport prodigies. Thanks to intensive testing and continuous feedback, the CM Storm division has been able to encompass and improve upon gamers' needs and their tough to handle scenarios. By working directly with the gaming community, CM Storm has injected Storm Tactics into each and every product we make. Storm Tactics, with a heavily dedicated focus on Strength, Security and Control, will keep your most vital gear fortified and well tuned at all times. Marking a new era for Cooler Master, our fierce Storm Gear stands ready at bay to mobilize and back up your gaming skills. For more information, please visit:https://www.cmstorm.com/ Closer Look: ExteriorOne look at the CM Storm Sniper is all it takes to see for yourself that this case is at the top of the gaming pile. The sheer size of the thing is one tip off, as is the nearly full mesh on the left hand side panel. This chassis was built to handle the biggest, baddest graphics cards you can find, and to keep them cool.
It's not uncommon for a modern gaming case to have one or two fans in the front of the case, to pull cool air in, past the hard drives. In fact most of them make this a prominent feature of the visual design. No different here, except for one thing; it's huge, at 200mm by 30mm deep. It's hard to tell all that in a picture, but if you look at the openings for the optical drives above the fan opening, you get a better sense of scale. See how the optical drive bays don't cover anywhere near the whole width of the front panel? This is one wide a$$ chassis.
The massive expanse of mesh on the side panel sits on a raised-up section of sheet metal for a reason. Power bulges on the hoods of muscle cars in the 70's were there because you couldn't close the hood any other way-the motor was as big as, or bigger than the car. The CM Storm Sniper needs that extra bit of space to contain the biggest side fan I've ever seen on a un-modded case. It's the same 200mm x 30mm fan as in the front, and when you buy this special Black Edition of the Sniper, it's included for free. The original editions had all the mounting points available, but the fan itself was an optional component; you had to buy it separately. There are also mounting points for two 120mm fans, one directly above the other, but if you already have the 200mm fan, I see no reason to replace it with two smaller fans.
The right hand side of the case has a solid steel panel, with the same muscular profile. On this side of the case, there's no fan clearance to worry about, but the extra room will make cable routing on the backside of the motherboard tray a breeze. More on that when we look at the interior of the case. In all these photos so far, you can also see a glimpse of the vents on the bottom and top of the case. Their exact locations and functions will be more apparent when we look at the interior. For now, suffice it to say that they are 100% functional, and not a styling exercise.
The rear of the case shows off one of the trademark features of the CM Storm product line, the StormGuard TM security bracket. First introduced on the standard Sniper case, it was also implemented on the CM Storm Scout case, but you had to give up one expansion card slot to use the feature. Because of the extra size of the Sniper chassis, there's room for a dedicated portal on the back panel for the peripheral retention device. The rest of the layout is pretty standard for a high-end chassis: PSU on the bottom, one 120mm exhaust fan with mounting provisions for 92mm and 80mm units, if the user wants to substitute something different for this fan location, slotted expansion card slot covers, and four access holes for water cooling plumbing. Most gaming cases have only two access holes, but the large capacity of the Sniper opens up the distinct possibility for needing two separate cooling loops, and some folks just like to run two loops in order to maximize either CPU or GPU cooling, depending on their intended application.
The top surface of the Sniper features another raised section, where the designers have snuck another massive 200mm fan into place. This one is installed as an exhaust, which seems to be the norm for most airflow arrangements with top-mounted fans. Silverstone bucked the trend successfully with their Fortress case, but it's much easier to get the airflow right with an exhaust on top, rather than an intake. The front and rear of this raised section are open and serve as lifting handles. They are reinforced with steel structural elements inside, and demonstrate no signs of flexing when moving this heavy case around. Given the fact that this case was just made for multiple GPU setups, 1000W power supplies and big CPU coolers, you know it's going to end up being a heavy beast when it's chocked full of hardware. Trust me; you'll be thankful for the two handle openings, spaced far enough apart to provide a stable handhold. Detailed Exterior FeaturesOne of the more obvious features of the CM Storm Sniper is the fan controller mounted on the large control panel at the front edge of the top surface. Sporting a rather large, industrial style knob, it's not a subtle thing... In the center of the knob is a pushbutton switch that controls the lighting of all the fans. There are connectors available for five separate fans and four sets of LED lighting. The rear fan doesn't have any lights installed, but the front, side and top fans do; and they're blue BTW. The "extra" LED connection is primarily there to support the use of two 120mm LED fans on the side panel, but they could be used anywhere you need a spare 12V with low current requirements. The extra 4-pin Molex connector can be used for applications requiring more current. There is a wiring diagram in the manual that covers all this.
Rounding out the rest of the control panel are: a small, recessed RESET button, the much larger ON/OFF switch, one eSATA connector, microphone and headphone jacks, four USB jacks, and one Firewire jack. They are all labeled with large and clear legends, except for the RESET button, which has a capital "R" embossed in its tiny face.
The rear panel is wider than most and offers a separate space for locating the StormGuard TM security bracket. All the expansion card slot covers are well ventilated and are nicely finished in black, of course. The slot covers are inset a bit deeper than normal; looking at it another way, the mounting areas for the PSU and rear fan are actually pushed out further. Once we get inside, we'll see how this benefits the end user. One thing that may look strange in this picture is the plastic locking tabs for the expansion card retainers. When installing a double wide video card (or three
Swinging around to the bottom of the case, you not only see the feet, but also a hint of the extensive ventilation options available on the bottom surface. The feet, are very large and sturdy, as befits a case of this size and weight. They are mounted with a swivel connection, and have detents at 45 and 90 degrees. You might think that these would be set once and then stay that way forever, but if you travel with this case, it helps to rotate them inward for packing and transport.
While this review is based on the mesh window version, CM Storm has also released two other new versions that are a bit more specialized. The mesh window with the 200mm fan offers amazing airflow, right into the region where it's most needed on a typical gaming case; the expansion slot area of the motherboard, where the video cards are located. We all know how hot those little buggers run, and putting tons of fresh, cool air right into the fan intakes of one or more air cooled video cards is sure to help keep the frame rates up. For some, that's not enough. For them, water cooling is the only thing that makes sense, if you're going to go for max performance. We've already seen that the CM Storm Sniper BE has provisions for two separate cooling loops, and one of them is geared towards cooling video cards. Once you've done that, you don't need all that airflow in this area of the case, and the mesh is a bit too dense to show off all your handiwork, so.....you need a side window, instead of mesh.
There also those who will want to take it even further. The fans of AMD are quite dedicated, as most underdog supporters tend to be. For them, there is a special window version that celebrates one of their fearsome mascots. Check out the appropriately themed fan LED color.
Clearly, from the exterior, this is a top-of-the-line case, with many features that will benefit anyone putting together a serious gaming system. If looks could kill...well, it is called the Sniper. Let's pull off the covers and see what the guts of this machine can show us. I'm expecting a few extra tricks inside. Closer Look: InteriorThe first thing to look at is that sizable side fan, and how it's mounted to a frame behind the mesh side panel. This isn't exactly a new feature for this version, what is new is that the 200mm fan is supplied as part of the package, instead of being an item you buy separately. Just above and below the fan, you can see some of the mounting holes for 120mm fans, which are still an option for the builder, although not a desirable one, in my opinion.
Next up is probably the first thing everyone looks at when they take the side cover off for the first time, that drop-dead all black interior. Nice, isn't it? All of the niceties of the original are there; all the cut-outs in all the right places, all the wire tie hold-down points, all the open space between the edge of the motherboard tray and the drive bay for routing cables and hoses. In short, it looks like nothing has changed inside, except for the black powder coat finish. If you read our earlier review, then you know that very little was left to chance inside this case. However, I noticed one small improvement on the motherboard tray, one additional cut-out has been added for the ATX 12V CPU power cable to pass through. On the older unit, the clearance cut for the fan has to be used, on this unit, that clearance hole has been tightened up to a minimum, and a dedicated opening is located right at the upper left-hand corner of the motherboard. I can tell you, the tooling changes required to do this were not cheap. It's obviously something that CM Storm felt offered a worthwhile increase in performance, and it's refreshing to see that they made the change in the middle of production. To me, that shows a real commitment to doing the right thing, even if it costs the company a bit of profit, and even if no one else notices.
Looking at the front of the interior, there are two sets of drive bays, one for the 5.25" devices and one for 3.5" devices. All of the larger bays on top have an opening out the front, or the option of one. They all have tool-less retainer mechanisms; the bays on top use sheet metal guides and pins that pop in and out at the push of a button. If it looks like there is plenty of room in there for those extra-long video cards, there is. I measured a little over 13" between the expansion slot covers and the HDD drive cage. That ought to be enough to contain the new HD5970; we'll have to wait and see what Fermi looks like.
The lower bays are designed for 3.5" HDDs, and they slide in from the side on plastic caddies, with anti-vibration mounts holding them in place. The caddies are a bit of a tight fit, and you have to wrestle some with them in order to get the HDD lined up with the mounting pins on both sides. Once you get the hang of it. It's no problem, and the drives fit very securely once they're in the caddy. The caddy slides in and a lever on the front locks it in place. This is critical for when you go to the back and install the power and signal cables.
The bottom of the CM Storm Sniper is well ventilated, as we saw from the outside. Now, from the inside, we can see what all that ventilation is for. At the rear, where the PSU mounts, there are intake vents to bring fresh, cool air right in to the PSU fan. Most modern, high power PSUs have the cooling fan located on the top, which becomes the bottom, once you flip it over. In the middle, there is a mounting tray that can handle either a 140mm or a standard 120mm case fan. This might seem like a funny place to put a fan, until you install one of the video cards that use a squirrel cage blower wheel located at the far end of the card. This fan blows cool, clean air right straight into the intake of that fan. You couldn't ask for a better cooling set up for an air cooled video card. I can already see some enthusiasts mounting a fan shroud on the case fan, just to get a little boost.
The extra case fan on the bottom might get in the way of some monster power supplies. I measured 195mm between the case wall and the fan holder, and that's enough for 1200 and 1250 watt PSUs from several well known suppliers. If you're dead set on that Turbo-Cool 1200 from PC Power & Cooling, weighing in at 10 pounds and 230mm long, then the bottom fan mount can always be removed. Let's continue looking at some of the detailed features on the inside of the CM Storm Sniper Black Edition. Detailed Interior FeaturesOne of the advantages of a case this size is the ability to be completely unconcerned with the size of your cooling components. The Cooler Master Hyper Z600 is a truly massive heatsink, built with the idea that it could be used without a fan in some applications. From the top view, it's square, instead of rectangular, like almost all other vertical heatpipe style heatsinks, so you can't just turn it 90 degrees to make it fit better. Add a pair of push-pull fans and you are almost guaranteed multiple clearance problems with most motherboard + case combinations.
The CM Storm Sniper Black Edition doesn't offer 100% flexibility with the fan position on the Z600, because the larger-than-life 200mm case fan on the top intrudes just a bit too far down into the motherboard area. Don't be too concerned, as almost every other top-performing CPU cooler will fit, and allow a push-pull fan arrangement if desired. I tested this with the Prolimatech Megahalems, and it fit fine. On the back side of the motherboard, there was perfect clearance for an AMD-sized cooler mounting back plate. Some cases have trouble clearing the longer back plate, but CM Storm has gotten it right 100% of the time, on both the Sniper and Scout gaming chassis.
Folks who have jumped on the SSD bandwagon will be happy that CM Storm includes one set of adapter plates to mount the tiny little things in a standard 3.5" drive bay. Both 2.5" and 1.8" form factors are provided for, including separate sets of mounting screws for each. It seems daft to me, that they need different screws, but apparently they do; so kudos to CM Storm for providing them, instead of relying on the SSD manufacturer. If you're like me, you probably saved them in a safe place, and won't be able to find them when you need them.
I won't spend too much time detailing the tool-less expansion slot cover retainers, but one aspect caught my eye, especially after I had some bad luck with the version supplied on the CM Storm Scout. The Sniper has a single pivot shaft that runs through all the retainers, thereby preventing the problem on the other design, which used two molded bosses on the retainer itself as pivot points. The design on the Sniper Black Edition is carried over from the original Sniper, and is one of the very few bits of hardware that didn't get the full black-out treatment. Take a look at the retaining screw for the StormGuard TM, for example.
One of the aspects of this case I appreciated the most was its flexibility for cable management. I already mentioned the addition of a dedicated pass-through for the 12V ATX cable and connector, but that's only one of the well placed cutouts that make it incredibly easy to eliminate the tangle of wires that usually get in the way of airflow. The generous number of tie-down points in well-chosen locations also helps. What really makes it all possible, though, is the wide-body construction of the chassis and those thick bulges on the side panel. This is the only case I've ever used where I could run every single cable on the back side of the chassis and still have room left over for a ham sandwich.
There was only one part of the CM Storm Sniper Black Edition interior that let me down in any meaningful way. That was not being able to lock down both card retainers on a dual-slot video card. That's an unusual situation, as I am a born critic, and I'm always looking for ways to improve everything I look at. I'm a confirmed air cooler, and the ventilation capabilities are beyond reproach. If you want to go beyond that, there are provisions for mounting a radiator in the top of the case. Maybe if I was a water cooler guy, I'd find something to complain about, but as it stands, I'm very happy with this chassis. CM Storm Sniper Testing & ResultsTesting the cooling performance of a case is not that difficult, but it is time consuming. It takes a long time for component temperatures to reach steady state. They'll get to within a degree or two within 10 minutes, but they continue to climb, almost imperceptibly, for 3-4 times that long. It's not that any one component is getting that much hotter; it's the combined effect of all the components feeding off one another that causes the slow rise to the final maximum temperature. For the load tests, I used a mix of applications that I've used for benchmarking in the past and I'm familiar with how they stress individual components. No one application gives the maximum load for all components, so the load temps reported here are the maximum each piece of hardware reached during the testing. For comparison, I have the results from previous testing of the SilverStone FT01BW and the CM Storm Scout. Both cases were tested with the same hardware and software configuration. Cable management was optimized for each case, based on the internal layout and features available. Note for those looking back in the archives: I used a different set of hardware the first time I tested the SilverStone FT01BW, so the results from that test are not comparable. Test System
Benchmark Applications
Enclosure Test Products
Results Neither of the comparison cases have fan controllers, so their fans were run at 100% speed for all tests. The SilverStone FT01BW did not have the option of adding a side panel fan, the CM Storm Scout did, and I tested it in both configurations. As I mentioned earlier, there was no clearance for a fan in the upper side position on the Scout, but the lower position could be used to feed cool air to the video card(s). All temperatures are reported as measured, in degrees Celsius, and the ambient temperature for all tests was 24C. I had to turn the heat way up to match my summer temps... Let's look at the results:
The idle results for the CM Storm Sniper BE are lower for every subsystem. This is hardly surprising, given the amount of air flowing through the Sniper case with all three 200mm fans blowing.
The load results speak for themselves, but they don't give a true sense of the performance capability of this case. In order to do that, I'd have to load it up with a 65nm QuadCore and three GTX285 video cards, with exposed heat sinks dumping all that GPU power into the case. That would be the true test of this gaming chassis; for now, I tested it with the same configuration I tested the two previous cases with, just to get an even comparison. Unfortunately, there is no comparison. Neither of those cases would be my first choice for a monster gaming rig, while the Sniper would certainly be a top contender. Black Edition Final ThoughtsCooler Master has invested a lot of energy into creating the CM Storm brand. I'm not sure why they thought they couldn't serve the gaming market with their existing corporate structure, but they obviously felt that setting up a dedicated division was beneficial. They haven't entered into this by halves; their web presence at https://www.cmstorm.com/ , their links to several gaming teams, support of KODE5 - Global Gaming Revolution, and various gaming competitions, is solid proof that they are paying a lot of attention to their customer base.
Marketing is not on my top five lists of professions that I admire, but that's just because I've mostly seen it done poorly. I see CM Storm actually trying to create a partnership between the company and its customers. That's called adding value to the brand. I also see the design and manufacturing side implementing product improvements in running production, without making a big deal out of it. That shows real pride and commitment to the product line. Put them together, and you have a very powerful product team that executes well. I look forward to seeing more products from CM Storm. The CM Storm Gaming Chassis product line now consists of two "statement" products, both echoing military themes: Sniper and Scout. These are not just ordinary military themes, these are iconic badges, usually worn quietly by those with the mental toughness to go it alone, get the job done, and get home alive.
I somehow doubt CM Storm will ever launch a product called "Huey"; as iconic as that tough old bird is, it doesn't fit the mold. But "Predator", that's another story? Here's a modern, cyber version of both scout and sniper that has the goods to play in this game, and win. CM Storm Sniper Black ConclusionPerformance in a gaming chassis is mostly about cooling, and the attendant noise that occurs to achieve it. By that measure, the CM Storm Sniper succeeds, because of several, very obvious factors. One, the three 200mm fans push a lot of air at reasonable noise levels. Two, the fan controller allows the user to get the amount of air that's needed at the lowest possible noise level, and it's scalable. Meaning, if you leave the system idling during the day, you can turn the fans down. When you get home and start up Crysis, then turn the fans up. Three, there is a lot of open area for air to pass through on this chassis. This means lower pressure drops, more airflow, and less noise from turbulence. Four, the cable management opportunities makes everything else work better. It's a solid design, and it works. The appearance of the Sniper Black Edition is unique, without being obnoxious. That's actually tougher to do than you might think. It's not subtle, it's built like a muscle car, but it doesn't jar the senses. That is, unless you get the AMD Fusion version, now that one's over the top! I was originally a bit put off by the design of the top section, but its better looking in person than it is in pictures. I haven't tired of the modern military theme yet, and anything that avoids swords and battle-axes gets extra points in my rating system. The only thing I can pick about is the weight of the unit. It's a lot of steel to lug around, especially after you load it up with gaming-class components. Ruggedness always comes at a price, and in this case, it's weight. The functionality that's built into the CM Storm Sniper Black Edition is wholly appropriate for its intended use. Everything is there that you need, and nothing is left out that you might want. Particularly with regard to fans and airflow, this is one of the few times where I wouldn't change a thing about the airflow design. As of early November, Newegg is selling the CM Storm Sniper Black Edition SGC-6000-KXN1-GP for $149.99. With some searching, additional retailers were found using our price comparison tool. Based on the other choices available, the Sniper Black is a real bargain I think, considering all of the hardware you get for the price. Here's where the steel construction pays off. Every pound you gain in weight probably takes $50 off the retail price, compared to an aluminum chassis.
I think it's obvious by now that I like this case a lot. For someone who is constantly making changes to their system, it's a joy to work in such a spacious environment. There's tons of room for cable management, so you don't feel like you're doing laser surgery when pulling an additional cable or two through the cutouts. It looks great, will cool anything I throw in it, and I can dial the fans down when I want to catch some Zs. All for less than a buck fifty. I don't change cases all that often, but this one is tempting me to make it the new standard. I can't imagine a better endorsement. Pros:
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Comments
I've seen them recently on NewEgg for $99.00 on sale, but now it's back up to $139.00.
It's been almost four years since this case came out. I suspect there are updated versions available now. Just Google the name, instead of the part number.....