Cooler Master Stacker Case Review

Recently Cooler Master sent us a new case to review, the Cooler Master Stacker case. Let me tell you first off that I didn’t expect what I was being sent in the mail, this thing is a case to end all cases. This is not your run of the mill aluminum mid tower, here are some specifications pulled from the Cooler Master website.

Basics

• 584 mm x 227 mm x 536 mm (D x W x H)
• Supports up to 11 5.25″ drives
• Moveable front control panel with 6 USB 2.0 connections
• Maximum upgradeability; supports E-ATX and the upcoming BTX
• Dual power positioning designCooling
• Supports up to 8 fans
• Front – Full mesh screen provides superior air flow; support up to three 12 cm fans
• Ultra silent 8cm Fan * 1 (exhaust)
• Mesh screen on side panels provides the maximum air ventilation
• Ultra Silent 12cm Fan * 1 + 8 cm Fan * 2 (intake)Assembly
• Tool-free installation; Supports the use of screws for permanent installation
• Maximum flexibility in space utilization for self-assembly

Structural

• Aluminum alloy motherboard tray frame
• Strengthened with 1.00mm steel plates
• Superior mechanical design for greater stability

Exterior

The Cooler Master Stacker arrived in a very large box, too large for my universities mailroom. A friend and I had to pick it up from the mail receiving dock. This is a big heavy case. As you can see, Cooler Master spent a lot of time designing a very nice package for this case. The box was study enough to ship the case in and the sides of the box are clad with pictures and feature lists, so if you see this in a store you know what you’re buying.

Styrofoam packed and wrapped in plastic, the case was secured well inside of the box. You can be sure that if you order this case, it will show up in one piece and in brand new condition.

After unpacking you can really tell how large and solid this case really is. It has some major heft to it and is built like a tank. There is no case flex that I could find anywhere. The profile is very impressive, with stealthy black mesh covers and silver accents in the front that seem to reach to the sky. The look is clean and elegant; the pictures really don’t do this case justice (the mesh covers look like they are dusty under a flash). The top front has a heavy plastic elliptical dome that leads into the Stacker logo above the power/reset switches and front I/O ports. Below you can see the included mesh cover with a cutout to fit a 3 ½ inch drive.

The mesh covers themselves are all black and made in three parts. There is a black plastic frame, a mesh dust filter and a semi gloss black metal screen. The mesh dust filters are removable so they can be cleaned. These are the most complex drive covers that I have seen in a case. The only desire these covers leave is ease of disassembly. There are very small clips on the top and bottom of the metal screens that need to be pried over the plastic frame. You need a bit of patience and strong fingernails or a small flat screwdriver to remove them. If you’re cleaning all the cover at once, this could be a daunting task.

On the left side panel of the case, there is a large circular perforated screen offset from the center of the panel. The screen has a dust filter mounted behind a bracket that can house an 80mm fan to increase airflow through the filter. To remove the filter there are 6 hex screws. The bracket then comes off and the filter can be removed for cleaning. The fan bracket has integrated clips so you can just push the fan into the bracket and the clips bind to edges of the fan, no screws needed. I would have liked to see a larger 92mm or even a 120mm fan utilized here, especially with a filter this large.

On the back of the case there is a 120mm output fan with a mesh screen over it. The screen has small holes perforated throughout, but the screen looks rather restrictive. Ambitious user may want to remove the grill to help increase airflow. Also, one interesting feature of this case is the lower power supply mounting location. Stock, the case comes with a cover for this location where you can mount two 80mm fans if you don’t plan on using two PSU’s. You can just knock out the two circular cutouts to expose the fan holes. One gripe I have is that the fan bracket mounts using only two screws, and leaves gaps on the sides and top/bottom. This could lead to vibrations, noise and inefficient airflow.

Cooler Master included a large batch of accessories with this particular case. The accessories come in a plain white cardboard box and include everything you need to fill this large case with parts. The accessories that come with the case are:

• Rolling Casters
• PSU mounting brackets
• Dual PSU ATX power adapter
• BTX motherboard conversion bar
• Tool-less drive mounting hardware
• Endless supply of nuts, bolts and case screws
• Manuals
• Cooler Master case badge

Interior

Moving on to the interior of the case it is you can see some of the key features of the case including the tool-less drive retention system (the black clips on the drive rails). These black clips in conjunction with the provided tool-less drive adaptors provide slip in installation of hard disk and optical drives. Flip the clips up and the drive slides out, flip them down and push the drive in and it will click into a locked position. In my opinion this is one of the most useful features included in this case.

From the inside you can see the connection cables for the power/reset switches and the I/O connectors in the front of the case. The cables are long enough to reach any part of a motherboard you would wish to mount in this behemoth. The cables are shielded in a beige plastic rubber sheath and are cleanly finished with heat shrink tubing. Notice the screws in the sides of the I/O hub, you can remove them and then remount the hub in any drive bay you wish. In the bottom front of the case you can see the drive rails go all the way to the floor, as well as the mesh bay covers. This case screams for an ambitious case modder to take advantage of all this space. I can see a large heater core and pump fitting very nicely in this space.

The rolling casters are solidly built and lockable. To attach the casters you first need to remove the screw that hold on the low profile stock rubber feet. Then the casters can be screwed in using four screws included in the accessory box. When attached the case moves fluidly and when locked will move minimally on a smooth floor.

One of the more interesting features of this case is what Cooler Master calls their 4-in-3 drive module. This is essentially a hard drive cage that can mount four 3 ½” inch drives in the space of three 5 ¼” drive slots.

The module takes advantage of the tool-less design through adaptor plates that attach to rubber bushings to reduce vibration and noise. In addition, the drive module sports mounting for a 120mm fan to pull air through the mesh drive bay covers and distribute it across the drives.

The included fan is a 1200rpm low flow, low noise unit. You can purchase more of these drive modules, thereby allowing an increase drive capacity and the ability to mount up to three 120mm fans in the front of this case. Upping the case to four 120mm fans, the most I have seen in any case. What would have been nice however would be stock mounting brackets to add the two extra 120mm fans without needing the two more drive modules.

Several other features worth mentioning include the perforated steel mesh venting in the bottom of the case, providing even more ventilation, as well as the 80mm fan mounted as an exhaust in the top of the case. The fan is mounted using a metal bracket that doubles as a fan guard. I must mention again that the guard seems rather restrictive and would have to be modified to increase airflow.

Installing a motherboard into the case should be a pretty strait forward venture. The motherboard tray appears to be removable at first glance as it mounts directly to the frame of the case.

Removing the tray however leads to removing about 15 screws around the edges of the tray. Not quite so convenient, as traditional removable motherboard trays. However, after exploring the BTX conversions manuals I believe the real reason the motherboard tray is removable in this way is just for the sole reason to convert the case to BTX standard.

In addition the case is definitely spacious enough to install just about any motherboard without having to remove the tray. Therefore I can understand why the tray was designed with 15 screws to remove.

One thing I need to mention though is several of the motherboard standoffs are rather close to the angle brackets of the tray making the use of larger screwdrivers almost impossible. Also note the long cutout on the left of the tray. This is for an optional feature Cooler Master calls the Crossflow fan. This is a custom blower fan that blows air across the length of the motherboard.

It seems a neat addition to the case, if I had one. I would have like to see it as a stock feature as it was heavily touted not only on the company website but also on the side of the box.

If you plan on installing a PSU in the standard top mounting position, you will be pleased to find an ample amount of room. This can be put to good use if you need to stow cables you don’t use. Just wrap them up and put them up and out of the way. The bracket’s provided for PSU installation have a lip at the top that prevents pulling out the PSU while the bracket is still attached to the case. I would have preferred a pullout method where the bracket attaches to the PSU and then you can slide the supply in and out.

Installing optical drives are a snap with this case. Using the provided tool-less adaptors, just match the plastic pegs to the screw holes. Drop them in place and slide the drive into a free bay. You will hear a click from the retention clips meaning the drive is locked in place. To remove, just flip the clips on both sides and the drive slides right out again. No screws needed at all.

Overall installation went by without a hitch. It was a breath of fresh air having so much ample room to move around in. All of the exposed metal edges were either rounded or blunt enough to prevent cuts or scrapes and there were plenty of areas to stow excess cabling to clean up cable clutter. It took me roughly 15 minutes to mount the hardware into the case and clean up cabling to a more than acceptable level. You can really see how spacious this case is as it dwarfs the motherboard mounted inside.

Conclusion

Cooler Master has built a very solid and feature rich case with a demanding consumer in mind. This product seems to be well suited for professional seeking a solid case for a network file server or workstation.

Although with a tank-like construction, endless interior space and the ability to mount an impressive array of components, I can see many an ambitious case modder taking advantage of this platform and turning it into a stunning creation.

Weaknesses seemed few and far between. The case could have been a little lighter, the mesh drive bay covers could be easier to disassemble and an easily removable motherboard tray would be welcomed. In addition I also would have liked to see standalone brackets for 120mm fans in the front of the case, without having to use two more 4-in-3 drive modules and the Crossflow fan be a stock feature.

Overall I am recommending this product and am giving it a 9/10 and an OCmodshop Seal of Approval. I would like to thank Cooler Master for sending the Stacker Case to us for review.

Pros

• Solid construction
• Large interior
• ATX and BTX form factors
• Easy Tool-less Installation
• Up to 8 Fans including four 120mm
• Front I/O Panel
• Dual PSU locations
• Lots of accessories

Cons

• Heavy
• Motherboard tray not easily removed
• Front 120mm fans need purchasable drive modules
• Crossflow fan is not stock feature