I know a lot of computer enthusiasts that are passionate about electronics, but just don’t have a wad of cash to spend on their hobby. They still take pride in their rigs, which is what partly fuels the dying modding community. Still, good computer cases can be found that anyone would be proud to have, regardless of their monetary means.
One of these great cases is the Cooler Master Gladiator 600. Not only does this PC chassis look great, but has a lot of features that aren’t found even on more expensive products.
Features
Specifications
| Model | RC-600-KWN1-GP (with side window); RC-600-KKN1-GP (without side window) |
| Color | Black |
| Dimension | 7.95 in (w) x 17.12in (h) x 18.89in (d) 202mm (w) x 435mm (h) x 480mm (d) |
| Weight | 21.3lbs 9.7kg |
| Material | SECC Body ; Mesh Front bezel |
| Motherboards | M-ATX, ATX |
| 5.25″ Drive Bay | x 5 (with out using a 5.25” drive bay) |
| 3.5″ Drive Bay | Exposed x 1 (converted from one 5.25” drive bay) Hidden x 5 (HDD) |
| I/O Panel | USB 2.0 x 2, eSATA x 1, MIC x 1 and Audio x1 (Support HD Audio) |
| Cooling System | Front: 120mm Blue LED on/off fan x 1, 1200 rpm, 19 dBA Support 140mm fan Rear: 120mm Standard fan x 1 (optional) Top: 140mm Standard fan x 1 Side: 120 or 140mm Standard fan x 2 (optional) |
| Expansion Slots | x 7 |
| UPC Code | 884102004445 |
On the next page we take a look at what you get.
The case is all black, save for a portion of the front panel, which is lined with shiny silver plastic. The case is made entirely from SECC steel, save for the front panel, which is a mix of plastic and metal.
There are exhaust and intake vents at several strategic locations, which allow one to modify their cooling and airflow needs. There are three 140mm fan vents: one on the top (which has a fan pre-installed), and two on the left side panel, and all of them can accomodate both 140mm and 120mm fans. Of course, there are standard 120mm fan vents at the lower bottom of the front panel, and top of the rear panel, and an intake fan has been pre-installed. The exhaust area can handle 80mm, 92mm, or 120mm fans.
The front panel is made of shiny plastic, which has a thin covering of black metal mesh. There are five drive bay covers which have been given the same metal mesh treatment. Below the bezels is an I/O and button area, which is surrounded by shiny silver-colored plastic. This panel has two USB 2.0 ports, a microphone and headphone jack, an eSATA port, and of course HDD activity and power LEDs, a small reset button and larger power button.
The bottom of the case has standard rubber case feet, and an intake vent that has been punched out to allow airflow to any bottom-mounted power supply of your choice.
The important part is the inside. Let’s take a look at that on the next page…
The inside of the case has a lot of thoughtful features that appear in more expensive cases. For one, the motherboard mounting plate has a huge cut-out area that allows one to access the underside of their motherboard’s CPU, which is extremely helpful when using heavy heatsinks that require underside mounts. The case has been designed so that the power supply is located at the bottom. Rubber spacers have been applied to this area to prevent scratching your PSU, and a generous intake vent allows airflow to newer units that have large fans. With this method your PSU will get fresh outside air rather than pre-warmed air inside the case.
The drive column has room for five 5.25″ external-facing devices, and below that is a column for five internal 3.5″ devices. No screws are required for the larger devices as you just slip them in and slide a plastic lever forward, locking the unit in place. The DVD-ROMs we installed were extremely secure for a toolless method, as there was no drive wiggling at all.
Devices can be installed in the lower bay using included plastic drive rais, which also do not require screws. Just slip them on a hard drive’s screw holes (which are satisfyingly snug) and slip into the drive cage. The drives are rather secure once the rails pop into place. This does require a little slack on the SATA cables, as it is easier to attach devices and then slip them in. The back of the drives can still be accessed by removing the rear panel, however.
The expansion card area has handy plastic mounting clips, so no screws are necessary when securing your PC cards. The cards aren’t completely secure using this method, as the installed video card wiggled as I was plugging up cables. You can still secure your cards with screws, which is what I recommend.
The case comes pre-installed with a 140mm fan at the top, and a 120mm blue LED fan at the drive intake area. Both of these fans have standard 3-pin plugs, which have 4-pin molex adapters attached, You don’t know how glad I am to see case manufacturers finally understanding that everyone (not just PC enthusiasts) absolutely hates fans that require bulky molex plugs from the power supply.
The wires from the front panel are thoughtfully routed behind the 3.5″ drive cage, and emerge into the motherboard area through a hole. There aren’t really a lot of other cable management features beyond this, however, and it’s up to you to tie your extra cables down using cable ties. I would also highly recommend a modular power supply to prevent extra cable clutter.
On the next page we render our verdict.
This case is clearly aimed at the enthusiast on a budget, who probably don’t have an array of drives and multiple video cards. I would recommend a larger case for those who need lots of accessories. or other special features.
All-in-all there is a decent amount of room for an average PC build… I would almost call it “cozy”. The mainboard area can acoomodate full-size video cards, but make sure that the power adapters can be plugged into the top of the card. Although the case can accomodate 10 internal devices, all of the cable clutter to these devices would be extremely cramped, even with proper cable management.
The case looks great and has allows you to install many different types of fans depending on your cooling needs. Access to the underside of the CPU is a godsend, and is a feature I expect to see in every modern case. This case isn’t meant for watercooling or multiple video cards, as there just isn’t a comfortable amount of room for these things. While metal mesh looks great, it requires more frequent cleaning as it tends to attract more dust.
There is a lot to like about this case. It has a great sense of style for a budget case and uses modern installation methods that PC enthusiasts will greatly appreciate. The bottom line is this case is very inexpensive and looks fantastic.
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1 Comment
It's a pretty plain case, and kinda boxy, but it's good. You could do worse for $50… and I have…