Today we wrap up a series of reviews on products that were used to build our new Sandy Bridge-E test system. If you aren’t familiar with the series, the idea to upgrade my 2nd generation Core i5 test system started during our trip to CES earlier this year where we got to check out some really slick components from multiple companies for 2012. We’ve covered pretty much every part in the system thus far save for today’s product, the colossus Cooler Master Cosmos II.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past several months, you’ve no doubt seen this chassis online or perhaps even at your local hardware retailer or LAN party (although I pity the person responsible for lugging this heavyweight anywhere outside of their house). Cooler Master showcased what they call the Ultra Tower at CES and it goes without saying that it was the most impressive computer case I saw during my week in Las Vegas. We've been anxious to get this chassis on the test bench to see if it lives up to the hype.


Before we dive in, let's have a look at the specifications list borrowed from Cooler Master's website.

Color:

- Midnight Black

Materials:

- Exterior: Aluminum, Mesh, Synthetics. Interior: Steel-alloy, Synthetics, Rubber

Dimensions:

- 344(W) x 704(H) x 664(D)mm / 13.5 x 27.7 x 26.1 inch

Weight:

- 22 kg / 48.5 lb

M/B Type:

- Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX, XL-ATX, SSI CEB, SSI EEB

5.25" Drive Bay:

- 3

3.5" Drive Bay:

- 13 (2 x-docking with Key lock, 5 HDDs in the Mid. Cage 6 HDDs in the bottom)

2.5" Drive Bay:

- 11 (converted from 3.5" cages)

I/O Panel:

- USB 3.0 x 2, USB 2.0 x 4, E-SATA x 1, Audio In and Out

Expansion Slots:

- 10+1

Advanced Control Panel:

- Power, Reset, Fan Controller (10 fans in 4 groups), Fan LED control

Water Cooling Support:

- 1 x 240mm Radiator on top, 1 x 240mm Radiator at the bottom

Cooling System:

- Front: 200mm LED fan x 1, 700 RPM, 19 dBA (converted from 140mm fan x 1)
- Top: 120mm black fan x 1, 1200 RPM, 17 dBA (200mm fan x 1 / 140mm fan x 2 / 120mm fan x 3)
- Rear: 140mm fan x 1, 1200 RPM, 19 dBA (converted from 120mm fan x 1)
- Side: 120mm fan x 2 (optional)
- HDD: Mid. HDD: 120 x 25mm fan x 1 (optional)
- Bottom HDD: 120mm fan x 2, 1200 RPM, 17 dBA

Power Supply:

- ATX PS2 / EPS 12V (optional)

Maximum Compatibility:

- CPU cooler height: 190mm / 7.48 inch
- Graphics card length: 385mm / 15.15 inch
With support for up to 13 hard drives and a total weight of nearly 50 pounds without any hardware installed, this is probably the largest case I have ever worked with. That's saying a lot since I've been reviewing hardware for over 10 years now. Anyway, let's move ahead and see what all the fuss is about.