CM Storm Trooper - Gaming Full Tower Computer Case with Handle and External 2.5" Drive Dock with Side Panel Window

Pros: Great tower Good wire management. Good fan placement. Mostly a pleasure to build. I needed something besides Black and since I like the way Cool Master makes towers. I transferred a build from my HAF cast to this one. Everything fit fine and was I had very few problems so far.

Cons: The only two things I ran into is the Power led wiring was unclear to me since I didn't see the front header wire. After not seeing anything in the manual I assumed it was the Molex plug. Also now that I have it running tone of the USB 3 front ports don't work I will have to pull off the top and see what's going on.

Overall Review: Even with the few little things I still love this case. And I'm sure The USB thing is just a loose wire. I HOPE...

Pros: Excellent build quality. Exactly what I've come to expect from Cooler Master. None of the metal is flimsy, all the plastic is matte black and very tough. The carrying handle is covered in a soft rubber and is tied into the frame of the case making it very secure. The old version of this case wasn't very aesthetically pleasing to me. It sort of had a rounded square look to it. This new version has gone more round and less square giving it an easier to digest look. The side panel window is tasteful and all the front ports can be hidden away with a little sliding door. The front panel is very easy to remove and doesn't bring any electronics with it, making it particularly easy to clean. The old case had mounting points for a mixture of 140/120mm fans. This new version has simplified everything by only including mounting points for 120mm fans. Uses a sliding and locking rail system for 3.5" drives, a system I find much more convenient than screws, and much cleaner to look at than other static mounting/locking methods. Secondary drive cage can be partially dismantled to make more room inside the case. Has true front USB3.0, not annoying USB3.0 pass-through. Not particularly impressive today, but a year ago, at this price point, it was a very nice feature. Cable management has been greatly improved from the old version of this case. The right side panel features a much more prominent pop out to give you more space to hide your cables. It also has holes to allow you to run your CPU power behind the motherboard tray and out near the top of the case.

Cons: I suppose the storm guard feature is kind of useless for me? I can see why Cooler Master included it. This case after all does have a carrying handle, it's built for LAN parties, but for me, it's just a hole I had to plug up. My solution was to take one of the expansion slot guards and install it where the storm guard was. Even that didn't fit too well, so in addition to being held in place by a screw, it's also being held down with some tastefully placed black electric tape.

Overall Review: For the time I've owned this case it's been a pleasure to work with. It doesn't have the insane interior space of a full tower case, but it has excellent wire management, which allows me to keep my build looking super clean, but super tight. I can't speak on how good the standard cooling is because it was installed for less than a day before I replaced every fan and added an additional three, not to mention I'm running a five channel fan controller in this build.

Pros: This case was very easy to work with. It has a ton of room in it for whatever you might need. It looks great. It has the best cable management I have ever worked with. The fan controller is easy to use and set up. Comes with everything you could possibly need to get your rig set up (meaning screws, extension cable for an 8 pin CPU power cable, and that sort of thing).

Cons: The only con I can think of is that i wish it had at least 2 of the front 5.25" bay covers with the cutout for the 3.5" devices. It only comes with one and I had a multi-card reader and a set of 2 USB 3.0 that I wanted on the front, I couldn't get them both without it looking wrong or ordering an additional converter.

Overall Review: Just amazing. I love this case, it is the best case I have ever worked with by a decent margin. OT be fair though, I have generally kept my cases to $80 and below, so this is also one of the most expensive cases I have worked with.

Pros: Roomy, quiet, Classic, Timeless, Well Made, More room for Wire Management. well thought out, Well engineered.

Cons: No E-Sata Port. As big and the front of your dishwasher. No 360 Radiator room without Modification. only 240 sizes only. Sells too fast.

Overall Review: This case was engineered by CM but more than that it was engineered by the Modders and the Fans of the CM Storm Fans. Its a beautiful mix of form and Function and getting one will be tough.. Get them while you can. They sell fast.

Pros: I truly believe that the CM Storm Stryker is the greatest case that has ever graced the planet Earth. The array of features is endless, and the amount packed into this case is impressive, so I feel that a list will necessary: -This thing is huge. The amount of room you have is obscene, you can fit everything in this case with tons of room to spare, liquid cooling is not an issue with this case. -The system panel on the front is fantastic. Every time I click that beefy power button, I feel I just pressed the button to set off a nuclear bomb. It's impressive, it comes with USB 3.0 and 2.0, it has a reset button, it has a wonderful fan controller along with LED controller, and it has LEDs that are sleek and sexy and emblazoned with the Storm Stryker logo. It is absolutely perfect, and it even has a hot swap bay seamlessly implemented into the design. -The rotatable drive bays are absolutely stunning and one of the most convenient features I have seen in a long time. The shear customization that they provide is wonderful, making cable management and fan orientation a breeze. -So. Many. PCI Slots. You can fit your quad SLI or Crossfire system into this case without a doubt. -The case comes with full 140mm and 280mm radiator/fan compatibility, a huge plus for anyone looking into the NZXY Kraken coolers, or just 140mm setups of their own. -This case has cable management options galore. There are spaces for zip ties EVERYWHERE behind the motherboard and the holes have rubber grommets, making things look gorgeous. -The designs on the side panels make cable management even easier, as they push outward, giving you more room to hide everything. -A huge side panel window that looks fantastic (even though it should be tinted in my opinion). -The front panel has a small storage space for any screws or extra hardware. -The case handles are seamless and flow into the design, and yet retain full functionality and make moving the case a breeze. -The case has fan filters that are on slides so they just pop out and slide back in for extremely easy customization. -The case has rubber pieces GALORE. The PSU sits on rubber, the case feet are rubber, the rubber grommets, the hard drive bays have rubber silencers. This thing is crazy quiet thanks to this amazing feature. I could go on and on, but I suppose I will end with the looks. This case is gorgeous. It's beautiful. There is nothing out of place, and no space wasted. I can't imagine something any better than this. I have looked far and wide, and this seems to be the solution to a perfect case, and not a $300+ price tag.

Cons: Now while the case is nearly perfect, there are a few subtle flaws: -The paint. All of the holes have paint in them, meaning that getting screws in the first time is a pain. Also, most of the screws coming out are the same way, any screws that come pre in place are very difficult to remove, and are not "tool less" by any means, you will need a screw driver. -The window panel is not tinted, and it looks slightly...odd. A clear case panel is just unusual looking in my opinion, I did end up tinting mine and it looks great now. -The control panel plugs in via 4 pin molex instead of...well, anything would have been better. A minor annoyance, but something nonetheless.

Overall Review: I have half a mind to call this the best case ever made. In my experience, nothing I have used or seen has come close. I know I must sound like a fanboy, but the features that come packed into this case are endless and every one of them is a joy. Buy this case, you will not be disappointed.

Pros: I had the previous model, CM STORM SCOUT 1. It was a very popular case but had some very glaring problems. I can tell CM paid attention to the complaints for the SC1 and consciously addressed them in the the CM STORM SCOUT 2. -Better side panel placement. The original CM SS1 had VERY bad issue where if you install 2 120mm fans in to the side panels, the top fan would restrict the size of your heatsink to 152mm max. This effectively stopped you from buying a high performance cooler as very few good coolers were under 152mm. I had a Zalman CNPS9900 which was literally pressed up on the side fan and made a grinding noise if the case flexed to the slightest degree. The CM SS2 moved the fans to the bottom and frees up approx 25mm more for your large CPU cooler. -Better side panel fan grills. The fan grill on the side panels on the SS1 were horizontal lines that were a design flaw. When you installed two 120mm fans in PULL (sucking air INTO the case) it would create a whining noise. I tested this and discovered as soon as you placed the fan flush on the side panel there would be a whining noise created by the turbulence of air moving over these horizontal grills. If you had a few mm gap between the grill and the fan the noise would disappear. The new SS2 has metallic hole grill that makes no noise. -MUCH better space management.The CM SS2 is MUCH roomier than the SS1. The overall external dimensions of the SS2 isn't that much bigger than the SS1 but the insides feel MUCH roomier. I previously had a Radeon 7950 that was 275mm long and the end of the card would press against the side of the HDD cage causing the card to bend and flex downward to fit. The SS2 fits my 7950 easily with enough of a gap at the end to accommodate an even larger card. Additionally the space between the top of the motherboard and the top of the case has also increased so that heat sink removal is less of a pain. -More, and better placement of motherboard tray cable gaps. I.E. those holes in the motherboard tray that allows you to thread power cables, CPU cables, and SATA cables for better cable management. -Removal of flimsy PCI, PCIE card retaining clips for screws. Previously the SC1 used plastic retaining clips for PCI and PCIE cards. They were a novel ideal except they were extremely flimsy and cheap. I've broken two and they simply didn't work because they were not tight kept the cards very loose. If I tried to attach a DVI cable to my video card or plug an audio cable into my sound card, the force of it would push my card out of the PCI/E port. Ergo whenever plugging anything I had to do it gingerly. Using regular screws was a much simpler and effective choice. -Overall construction feels better. The side panels fit and slide into the case with much greater ease. Also the top handle which I originally thought was a gimmick but was completely sold on, became rubberized for a better feel. -Air filters on most of the mesh areas -USB 3.0 slots on

Cons: Overall I this case was a big improvement over the SS1 however it is not without its flaws. Ergo, I took off one egg. The main issue was that it was very evident that Coolermaster skimped out on a few areas with materials and esign in order to fit the original Coolermaster Storm Scout 1's $100 price envelope. -The most glaring example of CM skimping out is the LACK OF FANS. The original Coolermaster Storm Scout 1 came with THREE FANS: 1 rear 120mm LED fan, 1 front 140MM LED fan, and 1 top 140mm fan. The Coolermaster Storm Scout 2 however, came with ONLY 1 rear 120mm LED fan. I think for $100 it should have come with the very least, ONE MORE FAN. It doesn't seem right that a newer version of a product comes with less features. -Use of the new redesigned CD/DVD drive locking system were flimsy and a poor choice. The previous Storm Scout 1 had a great locking system for CD/DVD drives were very effective. They locked the drive down firmly without the need for screws. The new locking system is essentially useless. When I flipped the tab from "open" to "lock" it secured my DVD drive into the case but VERY LOOSELY. The drive wiggled as if were not locked in at all. If I moved the case it would wiggle and rattle. I had to use a screw on the far(motherboard) side to properly keep the drive from bouncing around. There's really no point in having a screw-less "locking" system if you have to use screws anyways. -Plastic 2.5" tray for SSD's and laptop drives. The previous Cooler Master Storm Scout had a metal dual-directional tray for 2.5" SSD and laptop drives. Compared to the old tray this new one is pretty cheap. The metal trays were great because they helped conduct heat from the drives into the case chassis for passive cooling. Plastic trays, however, have none of these benefits. The CM SS1 also came with adhesive rubber rings to stick onto your drive mounting brackets to dampen sound and for a better fit. These however, were missing from the SS2.

Overall Review: Overall a big improvement over the Storm Scout 1. I would not recommend anyone buying the Storm 1 over the Storm Scout 2. The biggest improvement is added interior space for larger heatsinks and larger video cards - a staple of custom systems today. However Coolermaster definitely cheapened areas of the case in order to make it price competitive namely the glaring lack of included fans.

Pros: Big, plenty of space for whatever. Plenty of hardware.

Cons: Self-destructed, fans look kinda flimsy next to a Noctua fan.

Overall Review: The first time I powered the case, the power cable to the front fans shorted because one of the pins was not attached correctly at the factory and melted the coating on the cable. Then I found out that it would cost $50 to send it back to newegg. So this is now a $190 case to me. It's not worth $190. It's really dumb I have to pay return shipping on an item that arrived defective. In addition to that, I now have to wait another 2-3 weeks to put my system together. Be careful who you buy heavy items from, if you have to pay return shipping you might have to pay much more than you should.

Pros: -Large and easy to build in. -A clean and sleek overall design. -Vary Modular on the inside. -Water cooling friendly. -Integrated Fan and LED controller. -Easy to reach cable management cut outs. -Plenty of dust filters. -All the 5 1/4 inch drive bay you could need. -Large side panel window to view you PCMR greatness. -Overall premium look feel and finish. -Sturdy, I feel like I could drop kick this thing and it would be fine. -Tons of extra screws and standoffs in case you are bad with them.

Cons: -Water cooling your system with a radiator in the top mount of case will block the dustfilter from going back in. This is a gross oversight on coolermasters side.... -Though the case comes with a integrated fan/led controller it is somewhat dated now and most LED fans that come out will not work properly with the older interface it has. this is most notable with the bitfenix specter pro fans i bought. The LED's will strobe if you adjust the fan speeds down from max. and the other headers for the LED's just don't fit. not a big deal since the fans at max rpm do not make any noise at all. -Cannot place fans on front of case if drive bays are mounted in the sideways configuration. seems like and odd choice not to just have mounting points on both side of the cages. -More of a personal complaint than a can, but the front panel audio is pretty meh. I always just use the back of the motherboard but the front does still work fine. just wish it sounded better.

Overall Review: To sum this all up, If you were looking to buy this case 2-3 years ago, This is one of the best ones out there. But sadly at this price and in this day it will stand up as a solid case but it's minor shortcomings prevent me from wanting other people to buy it now, I have been using it for a little over a year now. it has served me well and will do so for a few years to come. But it is clear that this is no longer the best choice case. I would love to see a refresh of this model some time. i would buy it up as soon as it is available. granted if you buy this case and do not intend to watercool with an AIO or a custom loop you will have no issue with it. and the dust filter issue could be fixed by just buying some flat headed screws. the front panel audio being avg. isn't so bad since you could just use the back panel or buy a DaC. It might seem like i'm picking at the case a bit too much, but it is because i enjoy the case so much i must be hard on it. and at the older price I paid for it at $200.00 (not counting shipping and taxes). it had some issues i could not just forgive and forget. But at the end of the day, this is a surprisingly good case with minor flaws. If you get it at the current price of $159.00 you should not be disappointed at all.