Cooler Master ATCS 840 Aluminium ATX Case

Introduction & Specification

Published: 26th November 2008 | Source: Cooler Master | Price: £225.94 | Author: James Napier

Introduction & Specs

As enthusiasts we have a lot to thank Cooler Master for. OK that may sound quite a bold statement, especially right at the start of the review, but unless you're sitting reading this review with your high-end PC sitting inside a beige plastic and steel box, it's true. Over the past ten years Cooler Master have been responsible for some of the biggest innovations in PC enclosure design and probably one of the best (for me at least) was the release of their ATCS range of aluminium cases. With models such as the ATCS-201, Black Widow and ATCS-4000, the ATCS name was about much more than an Advanced Thermal Cooling Solution, it was about understated styling, high quality materials and a total disregard for the budget.

However looks can only get you so far, and while the ATCS name certainly also suggested high-performance in the cooling department, many of the original ATCS cases featured little more than a few 80mm fans. With times changing and many manufacturers moving on to designs based around 120mm or larger fans, Cooler Master retired the ATCS brand and introduced a new beast to the market - the STC-T01 (or Stacker). Standing 21" tall with 11 fully vented drive bays and more space for fans than Wembely Stadium, the Stacker still to this day inspires the design of many cases by other manufacturers.

But even with great cases such as the Stacker and more recently Cosmos in their line-up, there have always been cries from the die-hard enthusiasts to bring back the ATCS range. For quite some time Cooler Master resisted, but today we're going to be rubbing our eyes in disbelief as we take a look at the first case to be born under the ATCS banner in over 5 years - the 840 'Full Tower Classic'. Let's hand it over to Cooler Master:

ATCS 840 constitutes a classic all-aluminum design that builds on the legacy of the original ATCS design. The aluminum construction not only allows for a lighter weight but complements the thermal design seamlessly with three 230mm fans, dedicated air duct for graphics card cooling and HDD cooling module for superb cooling.

Extra attention to make sure this elegantly design chassis is easy to install and maintain, which includes: slide-out motherboard tray along with easy CPU cooler-remove slot, tool-free HDD casing, patented finger pressing 5.25" drive to dust filter.

Lastly, it gives users the freedom to choose any components they desire, as it supports the latest standards such as E-ATX and dual PSUs.

Available Color	Black / Silver
Dimension (W / H / D)	(W) 243 x (H) 580 x (D) 630 mm (W) 9.57 x (H) 22.83 x (D) 24.80 inch
Weight	Net Weight: 13.25 kg (29.21 lb); Gross Weight: 15.75 (34.72 lb)
Motherboards	Micro-ATX / ATX / E-ATX
5.25" Drive Bay	6 Exposed (without the use of exposed 3.5" drive bay)
3.5" Drive Bay	6 Hidden 1 Exposed (converted from one 5.25" drive bay)
I/O Panel	USB x 4, IEEE 1394a x 1, eSATA x 1, Mic x 1, Audio x 1
Cooling System	Front : 230 x 30mm standard fan x 1, 700 RPM, 19 dBA (included) Top: 230 x 30mm standard fan x 2,700 RPM, 19 dBA (included) (can be swapped for three 120mm fans) Rear: 120 x 25mm standard fan x 1, 1200 RPM, 17 dBA (included) Bottom: 120mm (optional) HDD Module: 120mm fan x 2 (optional) External Air Duct: 120mm fan x 1 (optional)
Expansion Slots	7
Power Supply	Dual Standard ATX PS2 / EPS 12V (optional)

Without wanting to spoil some of the surprises over the next few pages the ATCS 840 features three 230mm fans, a 120mm fan and further space for an additional two 120mm fans. This is a complete U-turn on the ATCS cases of yesteryear and positions the 840 as possibly the most well equipped (fan-wise) case on the market at the moment. Other features include a removable motherboard tray, tool-free hard disk insertion and dust filters. Cooler Master haven't at this stage mentioned how thick the aluminium used on the 840 is, but we'll find out for sure over the next page...

Most Recent Comments

27-11-2008, 17:55:36

SuB

ok seriously? a price and a place to buy and a date?

28-11-2008, 09:17:59

Jim

ok seriously? a price and a place to buy and a date?

The only confirmed stockist I've got at the moment is YOYOTech and it should be available early December. The RRP i was given + 15% Tax adds up to around £202, but it could be £210 tops I've been told.

28-11-2008, 10:15:38

SuB

hrm that's steep... but tbh reasonable :) cheers Jim i'll be keeping an eye out for them... this review really has made a decision for me tbh lol

28-11-2008, 16:21:42

Bungral

Ooo it is a lot but it is also very nice :yumyum:

*wants*

08-08-2009, 02:51:28

mushikun

hi guys, i'm new to this site. I know its and old thread but Id like to add something to the article. I was looking around the net to check the compatibility between the atcs 840 and the swiftech cmr 320.
first I find a thread from a guy who was planning to build the same computer as me : i7 920 atcs swiftech mcr 320... that guy also found a thread from a guy who built that computer (sorry i cannot post the link...)

but he decided not to use the swiftech cmr320 because of qc3d's article about the atcs 840 saying there s no compatibility between the 2.

do you follow me guys, I'm sorry english is not my language...
well, I was surprised and disappointed as I was planning to buy the atcs to watercool my cpu. i decided to check and sent a message to coolermaster asking about the compatibility between atcs 840 and swiftec mcr320
this is the answer from coolermaster :

Dear customer,

You will not have a trouble doing that in that case, you will have plenty of room for that radiator.

Respectfully,
coolermaster

I'm really happy I did that because I'm going to order that case and do the watercool i planned...
I m sure many people read this article and changed their plans... maybe it would be a good idea from the author to check, edit and change the wrong informations, even in 2009, they stay on the net...

08-08-2009, 08:56:13

VonBlade

The review does state that CM said it supports the same radiators as the Cosmos which from the previous test were..

So it was only taken on the information that Coolermaster provided at the time.

Although I can't see why any 15mm spacing rad shouldn't fit.

08-08-2009, 09:12:26

mushikun

I understand but still, when you're new to watercooling, and you dont know the case if u read this article you may change your initial plan like the guy I was talking about. I just added that comment for the people who like me want that case and the same watercooling system and who want to know about compatibility.

08-08-2009, 10:13:46

Jim

Hi Mushikun,

The list of radiators posted in the review were actually tested by our friends over at WaterCoolingUK. I can only assume that either the Swiftech radiator used was damaged, or that since the review Swiftech have updated their radiators to follow the 15mm spacing that other manufacturers use.

Either way i'll update the review.

Jim :)

08-08-2009, 15:02:41

mushikun

thank you, I hope you didn't get me wrong, my purpose was just to help.
I mean, when I found this article I was very disapointed, because I was planning to get these parts. so no compatibility implied looking for another shop... maybe more expensive... it took me a long time to check on the net and I finally decided to contact coolermaster directly.
still, your article was very helpful and the people here know a lot. I learnt many things about watercooling and I feel more confortable now with the new parts I'm going to get soon.
thank you guys
mushi

08-08-2009, 18:45:02

ScottALot

Sleek, shiny look. Looks durable, too!