NZXT Source 210 Elite White Mid Tower Case Review

Introduction

Just last week we took a look at the Tempest 210 which at that time I had remarked about how it resembled a Source 210 that NZXT had already been selling. Well, this time I actually, without really paying attention to the names of each case, have sort of put the cart a little ahead of the horse with this one. After looking at the Tempest 210 and what it had to offer in a very user friendly price range, I now am going to be taking a look at the latest version of the Source 210 NZXT has added to the Classic Series. For those who just read the Tempest review, most of this will be more of a recap, as the cases are very similar once the varying front bezels are removed. In fact, the main frame of the chassis is exactly the same, but with the latest submission, aesthetics are what makes the key difference in this release.

NZXT makes two statements about the market of buyers they believe would consider a chassis like this. First, they say this chassis "is here to provide the basic chassis to house your rig and just a little more to meet your needs". In simple terms, they deliver a basic design with comforts like wire management and native USB 3.0. The second part of the description covers that this chassis is designed as a "starting block" or a "stepping stone" design. By this they mean that they offer enough to get you by, but it is a case to figure things out, customize with fans and lights and it has enough room to tackle all of the possibilities. However, with its relatively low asking price, there are things you may want in a case, but this will still deliver considering the price you aren't paying for options that may not make any real difference to you.

The case we are going to be taking a look at today is the Source 210 Elite, and as the title says, we've got the white version. There is also a black version of this chassis available, but with the black on black design, a lot of the styling and lines get lost without shadows or contrasting colors. With the white version of the 210 Elite, you not only get a black on white exterior and interior color scheme, the way they placed the black panels allows you to see the angles of each piece and the shapes that lead the front bezels overall appeal. I hope by the time I am done, you can see this case is actually a little more than a "starting block" and could even make many experienced buyers choice as an appealing and effective solution to their next build.

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Cooler Master Storm Trooper (SGC-5000-KKN1) Full Tower Case Review

Introduction

It seems like it has been quite some time since I had the opportunity to bring you a new chassis from Cooler Master, but today changes all of that. Let me start by clearing up some confusion. All of the Storm series cases we have seen up to this point were spin-off's of the Storm Sniper, which itself was a CM 690 II in new clothes. Gone is the misconception that the Storm series is only for mid-towers, as this chassis is most definitely a full tower, and then some!

With it already in mind that we have left the basic design of the Sniper and 690 II moving to a full tower, my initial guess was that this was some new form of the HAF-X. As you will soon see, the new chassis to hit the scene is a much better thought out concept both inside and out than even what the HAF 932 or HAF-X brought to the table.

What seems to have happened is that Cooler Master has taken hints from other case offerings we have seen from time to time. Two things that come to mind is that this new chassis offers a non-marking rubber coating on the plastic components of the chassis, much like what we see from BitFenix with the SofTouch. The second bit that really stands out is the hard drive cages and the way they are designed. If you remember back to the Antec Lanboy Air, you'd remember they had a hard drive system that will allow you to install the drives in either front to back, or even side to side. With the Cooler Master version of this idea, it is more solid and very well thought out to offer every user the option to make it exactly the way they want it to work. There is plenty more going on both inside and outside of this chassis, these are just points to get your mind wondering what else might be offered in this new release.

Today we are going to be getting up close and personal with every little aspect of the Cooler Master Storm Trooper full tower chassis. I don't want to spill all the beans, but it seems Cooler Master is offering anything and everything in this chassis feature set. Things like push button fan and LED lighting controls, internal USB 3.0, aggressive styling and even a hard drive dock are all included with the Trooper along with many, many other hidden secrets and customizable options. Cooler Master says this is a perfect case for enthusiasts, LAN gamers, or even an encoder or folder with many GPU's, but I think they really cut themselves a little short. In my honest up front opinion, if you have the money to obtain one, this case is for you!

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IN WIN BUC Mid Tower Chassis Review

Introduction

Typically what I get from IN WIN has great designs and innovative ways of cooling their chassis, and both the color and concepts of their tool-free systems make these cases easy to use and I can tell them apart from most others from over 100 foot away with attributes such as the bright yellowish-green of all the fans and tool-free mechanisms. Setting yourself apart from the crowd is the name of the game, especially in a market so flooded with options. While you may not appreciate the coloring personally, I can think of another company, Noctua, that you know from as far as your eye can see that the tan and burgundy fan is indeed only from one maker. The same applies to IN WIN with almost every chassis I have seen to date.

While the Interiors tend to share most of the key features, as with any case designer, it's much cheaper to keep all the colors the same and re-use some of the components that are tried and true for the previous cases in the line-up. The old adage of, if it isn't broke don't fix it, applies everywhere, it's just in this type of market it can set a theme that becomes easily recognizable when the exterior of the chassis can go from completely artsy and has colors and structures with no real use but to look a certain way. I have also had a few chassis' that while still not my exact cup of tea, are cases I would recommend to other buyers because they offer a solid coloration, and while the design concept may be unique, they are a bit more sleek and less "ricer" than what I was originally seeing from IN WIN.

Today we are looking at a chassis that may be a mid tower, but takes traits from a couple of the later cases I just looked at; the Dragon Rider, and Dragon Slayer chassis exteriors. You will soon see the similarity in the exterior, along with a cool little lockable door on the side to give access to your hard drives; something that I have seen done, but not exactly like this. If this was a video review I might take 20 seconds to make fun of the name, as would Tosh.0 with anything this unusual, but I will simply stay away from the odd naming which I assume is pronounced "buck". Let's jump right in and see what specifications the BUC offers and how much it is going to set you back to get one and see if IN WIN has what it takes to draw your money in this competitive mid tower market.

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