Review: Cooler Master Stacker Case (pics, pics, pics)

[SelRahc]

Reviews this post:

• Cooler Master Stacker Case

Last Update: 24 SEP 04 : 0340 AM
Why: New problem added at end of review. And info on how to break your drive bay cover >.<;.

Related Review Links:
CM Cross Flow Fan
CM Side Window Panel

Hi everyone,

This is my first review, so please be kind. It is in 5 parts due to the length and # of images in the review. Feedback is welcome, so please tell me what you think. I will be playing with the format until I have it the way I want it. My goal is to make highly detailed reviews. This review reflects my personal opinions about the item. Please don’t flame me just because you don’t agree with what I say. If I got a technical specification wrong however, please do let me know and it will be corrected.

If you have questions about the item reviewed, feel free to post your questions and I will answer them as best I can.

EDIT: Photo Quality Improved. Linkable high-quality images coming later.

Additional reviews are coming real soon. If they are related ot the review, a link to them will be provided above. This time around, the Cross Flow fan and the Window side panel reviews are coming soon.

You can see the work log this item is being used for by clicking here: Project Stackers

*** All photos are hosted by me. Please do not link to the photos outside this review. Also, due to its length, please do not reply and quote the entire review! Quote specific items you want to discuss, but please don’t do the entire review. It can really make a mess of the thread. >.< ***

Thanks & Enjoy!

~SelRahc

 

[SelRahc]

**************************************
Product Review: CM STACKER

Company: Cooler Master



Product Category: Chassis
Item Number: STC-T01-UW

**************************************

Introduction:

Cooler Master is known for creating some great PC cooling gear. Having used some of their other chassis, I was quiet excited to take a look at their latest addition to the line: The CM Stacker.

Let’s take a peek at the technical details:

Dimension: 584mm Deep x 227mm Wide x 536mm High
Material: Aluminum Bezel with a SECC Chassis
Motherboard Support: ATX, E-ATX, BTX
Drives Supported as Shipped: 7x 5.25” Drives, 4x 3.5” (1 exposed, 3 hidden)
Ventilation Fans Provided: 2x 120mm fans, 1x 80mm fan
Power Supply Support: 2 PSU supported. None included.
Front Panel Controls: 6x USB 2.0, 1x IEEE 1394 Fire Wire, 1x Audio Speaker / Headphone Jack, 1x Mic Jack
Weight: 34 Lbs.

Ok enough of the technical. Let’s see what we got here:

Packaging:

The case was shipped in its original box:

Box Front

Box Back

Box Left

Box Right

Shipping in the original box... Sometimes I like this, and sometimes I don’t. As long as the goodies inside aren’t damage I usually don’t care either way though. The box did have a puncture hole on the left side, but nothing was damaged inside because of it.

Box Inside

The case is wrapped in a plastic bag, and supported by 2 styrofoam end caps. This “floats” the case in the center. I sometimes with they would improve the way cases are shipped. I think A full styrofoam shell and a little bubble wrap around the case would have been a nice touch. We all know how shipping companies love to throw around boxes. Both end cap protectors on one of the cases crumbled when the case was taken out. The other case protectors were also broken in a few places due to shipping. One of the cases did receive alittle damage. See the note on the bottom of the case review for more info on this.

Away with the boxes and let’s take a look at the actual case itself!

 

[SelRahc]

Outside:

Front Left

Back Right

I must say the Stacker is an impressive case. The brushed aluminum shell and front bezel look great. There is no clear coat on the case itself, so you can feel the brushed texture on the case. The black-on-grey does well for the case. In the future, this case will be available in Red and Blue. However, they were not available at the time of this writing. The construction is sturdy.

Bays, Bays, Bays

Holy drive bays batman! There are 11 front panels there! Ten 5.25” and one exposed 3.5” bay. I don’t think I could fill these bays up, but I’m sure some of the hard-core people out there could easily do it lol.

Front Controls

Front controls are seen on the front panel, and are easily accessible. The power button and recessed reset button sit on top of power and hard disk activity LEDs. To the left of them is a 1394 fire wire port, followed by Mic and Speaker jacks. Finally, six USB 2.0 ports complete the setup.

The Back Side

In the back we can see the supported areas for 2 PSUs, the standard 7 expansion card layout, and a nice 120mm fan. The unused PSU bay can support 2 80mm fans as well, so we have nice ventilation options here. I would have liked to have seen support for duel 120mm fans in back, but the layout doesn’t really leave room for 2, so it’s no big deal. The side panels are held on by 2 thumb screws. It would have also been nice to see a side panel latch & lock, like with my Antec case. Again, this is no big deal.

Inside of the left panel. That is seriously asking for window mod there

The right pannel has holes for the Cross Flow fan airflow (more on this later). The left panel has a large mesh opening for ventilation. Behind the mesh is a cleanable filter. Even though they are light, the side panels are quite sturdy. They don't bend as easy as other panels I have seen. At first I thought they would be fairly flimsey, but I was incorrect. They are held onto the case by guide lips on the top and bottom, as well as by the front bezel and thumb screws in teh back.

Topside. Excuse the finger prints.

On the top we can see the 80mm blowhole and fan, as well as the rounded bezel extension. The blowhole has a fine wire mesh protecting the fan.

The bottom

The bottom shows a nice ventilation hole with mesh cover. This opening measures 3.5” by 11.5”. again, a sturdy mesh is protecting the opening. This mesh is not flush. It actually protrudes into the case itself. The feet are round with a gold reflective trim. They hold the case quite well.

Let’s take a look at the insides now.

Inside:

Open for business

This reminds me of the Oklahoma Land Rush. Look at all that internal real estate! It’s nice to see that Cooler Master put effort into securing the extras that cone with the case. You can see the box holding the accessories sitting in the top PSU bay.

The front panel cables are secured nicely in the top drive bay as well. You don’t know how many times I have screamed at case manufacturers for simply placing the accessories in a loose packaging inside the case. It is no fun to open a case and find your parts scattered everywhere. >.< No such problem with the stacker!

The Goodies:

First, lets take out that accessory box and see what we got:

Remove the top PSU cover

PSU cover and screws. *Screwdriver not included.

Remove the 2 screws holding the PSU bay cover on. As you can see, the cover has a punch-out for 2 80mm fans. Both PSU covers are like this. Nice ^_^.

Gemme the goodies!

With a little coaxing the box will slide out. Oh boy, oh boy! I't like christmas all over again. There are a lot of goodies in the box. Take a look see:

The Accessories

What's in the box:
Drive rails, a ton of screws, duel PSU cable, casters and additional mounting brackets can be seen here. They also include a case badge and a hefty looking instruction manual. It's nice to see a manual in here. Thanks CM.

20 Pin Dule PSU

The Dule PSU is a 20 pin adaptor that will turn on the second psu when the system is powered on.

Let’s get back to the case itself though.

 

[SelRahc]

Inside (cont):

Inside again

As you can see in the above pic, there is a lot of room to work with here. This case should be able to house even the most monsterious setup. Notice the room for 2 power supplies. It is also important to note that the motherboard tray is removable. This allows for conversion of the case to the forthcoming BTX format.

Notice the opening to the right side of the motherboard tray. That is for the Cross Flow fan accessory. This is a long fan that blows air over the entire motherboard. However, it is not included with the case. When we spin the case around we can see the same thing.

The other side

A closer look

There is a small plastic “ring” on the back that acts as a duct when the side panel is on. This helps direct cool outside air to the Cross Flow fan. Helps prevent the fan from just recircluating hot air around.

Bottom support bracket and vent mesh

Here is an inside pic of the bottom vent. As you can see, the mesh is actually raised and not flush. Keep that in mind if you are planning on setting anything on it. The good news is the mesh is removable. This still leaves a slight lip, but it's nothing a dremel couldnt make short work of

You can also see the black support bracket. Also notice how the motherboard support holes are actually bolt mounts that are set flush into the mother board panel. This is a nice touch. It makes them alot harder to strip. The expansion card slot covers are held on by massive thumbscrews. The covers also come with a protective blue plastic on the outside to help insure they are shiney when you get them ^_^.

Cross Flow vent

This is where the Cross Flow fan would mount. You can see the holes in the back panel where the air will be pulled in from.

120mm Exhaust Fan

Cooler Master included 3 fans along with the case. In the rear we have a cooler master 120mm fan set as exhaust. This fan is rated at 16.4 dba.

80mm Exhaust Fan & top PSU bay

Up top we find another exhaust fan supported inside a metal mesh. This one is an 80mm rated at 23.8 dba. You can also see the top PSU bay. Please take note that because of the way this bay holds the psu up, some PSU’s with externally mounted fans may not fit correctly. This won't matter to some, while it may to others. Again, a good modder can work around that minor detail.

Drive bay locking clamps

On the side of the drive cage you can see the quick release drive holders. The top ones are in the release position, while the bottom ones are in the hold position. They are used on both sides of the cage, and are of very sturdy construction. If you do not want to use the drive rails, normal mounting screw holes are also provided.

Inside front

Looking inside the drive cage, we see the included 4in3 drive bay accessory. This is used to convert 3 of the 5.25” bays into 4 3.5” bays. This converter is also used to mount an additional 120mm fan to. The stacker includes 1 converter with the case. Additional bays converters are available to purchase as well. On top of that you can see the front control panel wires.

Nice wires

As you can see, they are plenty long. They are also nicely sleeved, which is a nice touch.

 

[SelRahc]

Review Cont:

Inside drive bay covers and mounting clip

Removal of the drive bay covers

The front bay covers are held on by 2 lips on the cover itself. Let me add that they are REALLY held on good. It takes a good deal of effort to remove them. After the first one is removed, a good pull on both sides will remove the cover, I recommend using both hands when doing this. I was quite worried about breaking the clips while I was removing them.

Drive covers front and back

As you can see, however, these clips are QUITE hefty. This is why they hold on so well. It would take a lot of effort to break these. [ EDIT: Damn... I broke one. See the comment and pic at the end of the review >.<. ] Notice that the cover itself is also a removable metal mesh, with a filter behind it. Nice!

Cover closeup

Here we see the clip again. The instructions say you can remove the mesh to clean the filter. However, there are a lot of holding clips. 2 on each side as a matter of fact, for a total of 8. And let me tell you... they hold on good! After a few attempts I gave up trying to remove the cover because I did not want to bend the mesh. This shouldn't pose a problem though. I am quite sure canned air would clean this without removing the mesh itself.

Removal of covers over 4in3 converter

Once you get to where the 4in3 converter is, the covers are a little harder to remove. I found using 2 fingers on the top or bottom sides to be the best way to get a grip. Expect some resistance though lol. At least you know they aren’t going to go anywhere unless you really want them to, right?

All covers removed

Here we can see the front with all of the drive covers removed. The case comes with 10 full bay covers and 1 with an opening for a single 3.5” external drive. It would have been nice if there was an extra 3.5” cover and an extra full cover included, but this is minor. Notice the 120mm intake fan mounted to the 4in3 converter. With the covers off, the converter slides easily out.

Release the locking clamps and pull

4in3 Bay Converter with 120mm Fan

Here is the 4in3 converter bay itself. It also uses drive rails to hold it in place. On the 4in3 is mounted another 120mm fan, this one set as intake. The only thing I question here is how well the 120mm fan would work if all 4 drive bays were full. There is a gap between drives, so you can guarantee a flow over the drives. However, the full impact of the 120mm fan is best seen with fewer drives in the bay.

Note: The stock fan on the 4in3 is a 120mm x 25mm fan. Use of a 38mm fan is possible with a a little change from the installation directions. Please see a reply in the thread below to see how its done.

4in3 Bay floats between the mounting plates

To help eleminate nouse from vibration, the 4in3 bay floats on the 2 mounting plates via these large soft blue rubber gaskets. The plates are simply pull off. It stays together when it is placed inside the drive cage.

Note that you can mount 3 (actually 4 if you move the front control panel, more on that in a sec) of these converters in the front, thus allowing 3 120mm intake fans in the front. That is a lot of air flow! Additional bays must be purchased if you decide to go this route though.

Control Panel Front

Control Panel Back

The actual control panel can be moved around as well. It simply mounts into one of the drive bays via screws. Again, nice sleeving on the cables. If you really want to use the full support of the stacker, you could mod these controls elsewhere in the case and have a total of 12 drive bays! This would also allow you to use 4 4in3 converters, and 4 120mm front fant.... well blow me down!
Just remember you loose 3 5.25" bays for every converter.

****************************************************************************************

Conclusion:

Overall I think this is an Awesome case. There is plenty of room for even the biggest internal water-cooling setup. The ability to use 11 (12) 5.14” drives is impressive. There is plenty of front room for that LCD in the front I have been planning ^_^. Just remember that if you want to mount any 3.5” drives you will need to use the 4in3 bay converter. The case comes with 1, and more may be purchased from your local Cooler Master dealer.

The optional Cross Flow fan is nice as well. Again, it is not included with the case, and much be purchased separately.

The option for 2 active power supplies is nice, especially if you plan on using all 11 bays! The included link cable lets you run 2 PSU’s off of the main power button. No PSU is provided with this case.

The case is big, so this probably wouldn’t make a good LAN party case. Weighing in at 34lbs empty, your computer could get heavy REAL fast. However, I know some of the die hard players can’t wait to show this case off! (myself included) Hauling around 50 lbs worth of computer is a small sacrifice to make to impress the LAN gods. And you can almost be assured no one will be sneaking off with your case without being noticed.

This system would make a great server case.

I give the Cooler Master case 9 out of 10 stars!

Pros:

• Big, roomy case with plenty of expansion possibilities!
• 11(12) front drive bays!
• Good construction, add-on options and accessories. The duel PSU adaptor and casters are a nice touch.
• An instruction booklet, yeay!
• Smart looking case. This sucker just looks good

Cons:

• Packaging could have been a little more protective to help prevent shipping damage. (see problems area below)
• No latch or lock on side panel. I find I miss my antec panel latch lol. Also, there is no way to lock the case. If you are taking this out to a lan party, you may want to invest into some locking thumb screws.
• Price. It's a little more expensive. I don't know if that is because the MSRP is high, or resellers are marking it up alot. When they first appeared they were running close to $200 at some places. At the time of this writing, they price has dropped at some locations to $160 usd. That is better, but still higher than many cases. It may be out of the price range of normal consumers. Honestly speaking though, this isnt a "normal" case intended for "normal consumers". This case is [H].

Additional Notes:

• Including an extra 3.5” front bay cover would have been nice. I know some people have more than 1 3.5” drive (like me). Extra covers can be ordered directly through Cooler Master.
• Heavy. Weighing in at 34 lbs without parts, this is one heavy case. After building the beast I can see this thing easily coming in at near 50 lbs or more? This isn't the idea case for LAN parties. But then again, that is not what it is intended for. I wonder why they didn't make it all aluminum? That would have been very nice indeed. I'll hafta ask.
• Mounting 38mm x 120mm fans is possible on the 4in3 bay converters if you alter the installation process alittle. See the reply below to find out how it is done.

Problem:

~ Dents in Case

It seems that some people have been complaining about their case being dented. This seems to happen for due to 2 reasons: The tight build of the case itself, and the beating it takes during shipping.

The biggest problem people are having has to do with outward dents on the top of the case. They are caused when the drive cage is pressed into the top of the panel due to an impact, probably during shipping.

I have seen various degrees of this problem, from extreme to minor. Thankfully only one of my cases exhibit symptoms of this problem, and it was very minor. Because mine is so minor it is hard to see, but you can make out 2 bumps in the photographs below. The second pic shows the problem in greater detail. The dents on our problem case are minor, and only visible from a back extreme angle.

Even looking dead on, they are hard to see

Looking fron the back at an extreme angle, it s more visible

First, let me say that even though it looks bad in that 2nd pic, it really isnt. That line is from the angles of the brush marks in the cover. You can not see these in normal light unless you have something shining directly on them. From the front, I cannot see these dents at all.

The second case I got in was perfectly fine, with no dents at all.

I feel this could be corrected by Cooler Master by changing the way the case is packed. Using a bubble wrap along with a better styro shell would greatly reduce the instances of this problem occurring.

If you recieve a case with dents that are more than you care to look at, I recommend contacting your place of purchase to see about getting a new one.

I will be contacting CM about this. If you want to read more about it, you can check out this thread.

~ Cross Flow Fan Mounting Point (added 24 SEP 04 )

I turned up another problem with the case. One of the 4 mounting points for the crossflow fan is alittle too close to the airflow duct ring. Take a look at this:

As you can see, the bottom right mounting hole is right against the airflow seal. When you attempt to mount the crossflow fan, the seal prevents the screw from sitting flush against the case. This can cause you to accidently strip the metal if you are not looking at what you are doing.

The mounting point was like this on both cases. The screw holes seemed to be at a very slight angle. This looks like a design possible flaw. If it's at an angle on purouse, CM could be correct this by making a small indentation in the seal itself near the mounting point. I spoke with another stacker owner and his cff mounting holes were fine. I'll guess this may have been a small problem in one of the production runs? I don't know. It was like that on both cases I had though.

The good news is that using only 3 of the 4 screws still holds the fan in place with no vibration or play. Just be careful mounting the CFF.

~ Drive Bay Cover Breakage

I stand corrected. You CAN break the front bay covers. Take a look >.<

Opps....

As you can see, the end literally tore on one side. This was covering the front 3-to-4 converter. The bay covers in front of that converter are hard to get to, and you almost hafta pull at them from the top or bottom to get them off. Hence the rip at the angle. I didn't use excessive force... it just... ripped. Not citing this as a CM flaw, just be careful ^_^;

****************************************************************************************

Thanks for reading! More reviews coming soon!

 

[Main Target]

nice review, hella long... LINK THESE AND.....


just dont llink them god

 

[jinxnate]

great review , making me want to get one cause i need a bigger case for my watercooling

 

[Main Target]

if you link these pics ill FIND YOU.. annd... FIND YOU

 

[Main Target]

why am i still limp??? *tear*

 

[Silverghost]

That is one sexy case.

That case is just begging for a massive RAID array

 

[trust_no1]

is it possible to mount 38mm thick fans anywhere (except the back panel)?
How worth it is the cross flow fan? I assume you haven't tested it yet, I'll wait if you haven't

 

[Silverghost]

25mm max in the front.

 

[SelRahc]

25mm max in the front.

Actually, you can mount a 38mm x 120mm fan in front! ^_^. Take a close look at this pic and I'll tell you how:

The drive bay rides on those black plastic sliders. When you insert the drive bay, you push it all the way back until the stopper catches the slider. (the stopper is a metal lip in the bay that prevents you from sliding it out the back end).

Ok. So, notice that we are looking at the right side of the drive bay. We can tell this from the writing on the sliders. Now, notice how the distance between the screw and the edge of the slider is shorter on the left of the slider than the right of the slider? Want to guess what the difference between the longer and shorter distance is?

13mm ^_^

So, what you do is you reverse the sliders on purpose. Put the left side sliders on the right side, and vice versa. What you end up doing is making the slider hang out over the fan alittle, which is no big deal. Cut it off if it bothers you. More importantly, you make it so you can slide the bay another 13mm into the cage. 25mm + 13mm = 38mm ^_^

You now have the 38mm you need to mount your fan. ^_^ The only thing you need is long enough screws, which probably came with the fan itself anyways. Or you can use a small bolt & nut to secure the fan. I haven't taken the 120mm off yet to be able to tell yet.

One thing you need to realize is that by doing that you loose the use of the quick-lock system. If you aren't going anywhere, this doesn't matter anyways. However, if it makes you feel better, you could use a dremel to make new locking holes (the square holes on the sliders). Or you could drill new pilot holes for mounting screws. The cage itself doesn't move that easily... you are probably quite ok without using the mounts. There is no place for the bay to go. As long as the fan isnt touching the front bay covers, you won't have any problems.

Walaa... instant 25mm to 38mm fan bay conversion.

Did you follow that? ^_^ I'll be sure to take pics of the process when I do it later, and update the review accordingly.

EDIT: The crossflow fan & side window review is up. Click Here!

 

[SelRahc]

Review updated. Another slight problem found with the CFF mounting point. I also managed to TEAR one of the drive bay covers while removing it. >.<

All details are at the end of the review.

 

[Gongo]

hmm why cant i see pics

 

[Secretweapon]

Good review, I'm wondering how wide the 5.25 bays are in this case? If they're just over 6inches I'm set.

 

[I'm the Dude man]

Any casters (wheels) on the case? I'm looking for cases and that is a requirement. I'm not interested in bolting some onto an existing case. Already did that once.

 

[gigantorebirdie]

The Accessories

I think i see casters in the goodie bag

 

[SelRahc]

I think i see casters in the goodie bag

Yup. You can put the case on casters if you like. I probably would if i was setting it on the floor. With it being on my desk I decided to wait on them for now....

 

[CrazyRob]

could you give us a better look at the dual power supply adapter. I'm planning on building a dual opteron system around this with dual power supplies, but my guess is that the adapter is only for 20 pin atx connectors. Thanks in advance

 

[SelRahc]

could you give us a better look at the dual power supply adapter. I'm planning on building a dual opteron system around this with dual power supplies, but my guess is that the adapter is only for 20 pin atx connectors. Thanks in advance

I added a pic in the goodies section above pwe your request. You are correct, it is a 20-pin splitter. You will hafta get a converter for 24pin, or just make your own. If you want to make your own just pm me and i'll shoot you the pin specs for the 24 pin dule adaptor.

 

[8tImER]

Alright, I think I've got some interesting news...


There seems to be a revised edition of the Stacker case.
I just read about it on a German web shop's site, so no guarantees on anything, but they claim that the revision now has the top panel made out of sheet steel (like other parts of the case) and not out of aluminium like before (should help prevent denting, although the problem really is with the packaging and the rough handling of the case while in transit).
Also, they have a picture of the left side panel, showing some rubber mounting bracket or whatever, see for yourself:

So we've got at least one obvious change (picture looks credible enough, I think - haven't seen anything like this on any pictures, yet) and one that can really only be verified by CM themselves or by someone who has a rev. 2 case, because it'd be hard to distinguish between a aluminium top panel or a steel one, just by looking at a picture.

I emailed them, asking if there are any other changes they know of or may have noticed.
Seeing it's early Sunday morning here, I hope for an answer from them on Monday


Dang it, I just ordered myself a Stacker from some other shop (better price), the windowed sidepanel and the crossflow fan as well as a new ccfl are already there, just waiting for the case itself. And now this :\
Might as well ship the case right back or even tell the guy from the parcel service I don't want it so it goes back to where it came from and I can get my money back and order the rev. 2 from that other shop or wait until the one I got mine from has it...

 

[8tImER]

I emailed them, asking if there are any other changes they know of or may have noticed.
Seeing it's early Sunday morning here, I hope for an answer from them on Monday

They answered later that same sunday, and those are the only two changes.

My Stacker just arrived, and I'm happy it's not dented and in good shape

(Alright, I can feel (but not see) two very, VERY minor dents right at the upper end of the drive cage rails (where other ppls are, too). But as they're invisible, I don't mind )

 

[Hulk]

"This is where the Cross Flow fan would mount. You can see the holes in the back panel where the air will be pulled in from"

Question, how big of a fan can you get for the Cross Flow section and will the fan be taking air in (intake) or an exhaust fan?