CM Storm Sniper Black Edition
Introduction
Published: 15th October 2009 | Source: CM Storm | Price: £124.97 |
Introduction
Cooler Master realised some time ago that gaming was becoming big business, so it recruited a hoard of hardcore enthusiasts and gaming specialists to help them research and design a range of components specifically aimed at gamers - CM Storm was born. The original CM Storm Sniper was a raging success, the technology and gaming press were falling over themselves to grace the CM Storm mantle piece with with over 60 awards. The CM boffins have continued working harder than ever lately with even more products for us fraggers, the first being the new and improved CM Storm Sniper Black Edition. The new version inherits all the features of the previous version plus many others that we will look at today to bring it bang up to date with the latest technologies. The new Sniper is available in 3 different versions, AMD Dragon, Windowed and the one we have here today the Mesh version. We were lucky enough to review the original Storm Sniper, so the review today is an overview of the Black Editions new features.Here is some information on the trio from the CM Storm website
Available Colour Interior/Exterior: Black
Material Steel, ABS Plastic, Mesh bezel
Dimensions (D)566.6 x (W)254.6 X (H)551 mm
(D)22.3 x (W)10 x (H)21.7 inches
Net Weight 12 kg / 26.46 lbs
M/B Type Micro-ATX/ATX
5.25" Drive Bay 5 Exposed (without the use of exposed 3.5" Drive Bay)
3.5" Drive Bay 5 Hidden
1 Exposed (converted from one 5.25" Drive Bay)
2.5" Drive Bay 1 Hidden (Converted from one 3.5" Drive Bay)
Cooling System Front: 200x30mm Blue LED Fan x 1 (500 - 1000rpm, 17 - 23 dBA)
Top: 200x30mm Blue LED Fan x 1 (500 - 1000rpm, 17 - 23 dBA)
(can be swapped for two 120mm fans or 120x240mm Radiator)
Side: 200x30mm Blue LED Fan x 1 (500 - 1000rpm, 17 - 23 dBA)
120x25mm Fan x 2 (optional)
Rear: 120x25mm Standard Fan x 1 (1200rpm, 17 dBA)
(can be swapped for 92mm fan or 80mm fan)
Bottom: Supports 140mm Fan x 1 or 120mm Fan x 1 w/ Dust Filter (optional)
Expansion Slots Standard x 7, Special x 1
I/O Panel USB2.0 x 4; IEEE1394 x 1; eSATA x 1; Mic x 1; HD Audio+AC’97 x 1
Power Supply Standard ATX PS2 / EPS 12V (optional)
Included Accessories StormGuard™ - groundbreaking security system for safeguarding your gaming peripherals.
Solid Bridge - 1.8" or 2.5" to 3.5" mounting bracket for SSD or HDD.
Material Steel, ABS Plastic, Mesh bezel
Dimensions (D)566.6 x (W)254.6 X (H)551 mm
(D)22.3 x (W)10 x (H)21.7 inches
Net Weight 12 kg / 26.46 lbs
M/B Type Micro-ATX/ATX
5.25" Drive Bay 5 Exposed (without the use of exposed 3.5" Drive Bay)
3.5" Drive Bay 5 Hidden
1 Exposed (converted from one 5.25" Drive Bay)
2.5" Drive Bay 1 Hidden (Converted from one 3.5" Drive Bay)
Cooling System Front: 200x30mm Blue LED Fan x 1 (500 - 1000rpm, 17 - 23 dBA)
Top: 200x30mm Blue LED Fan x 1 (500 - 1000rpm, 17 - 23 dBA)
(can be swapped for two 120mm fans or 120x240mm Radiator)
Side: 200x30mm Blue LED Fan x 1 (500 - 1000rpm, 17 - 23 dBA)
120x25mm Fan x 2 (optional)
Rear: 120x25mm Standard Fan x 1 (1200rpm, 17 dBA)
(can be swapped for 92mm fan or 80mm fan)
Bottom: Supports 140mm Fan x 1 or 120mm Fan x 1 w/ Dust Filter (optional)
Expansion Slots Standard x 7, Special x 1
I/O Panel USB2.0 x 4; IEEE1394 x 1; eSATA x 1; Mic x 1; HD Audio+AC’97 x 1
Power Supply Standard ATX PS2 / EPS 12V (optional)
Included Accessories StormGuard™ - groundbreaking security system for safeguarding your gaming peripherals.
Solid Bridge - 1.8" or 2.5" to 3.5" mounting bracket for SSD or HDD.
Move over the page to see the packaging and our first look at the case.
Most Recent Comments
Great review mate, always a nice touch to see a video of the cases in the flesh, always give a better showing of the cases size than the static pictures.Quote
At the moment Id still say the 840 is the daddy, but then then its much more expensive than the Sniper. Ill be filming all the case reviews now boys so its going to be a regular feature.Quote
Top job Tom, thorough as always, any idea's wot cases we got to look forward to yet?
Or is that still need to know
Quote
Or is that still need to know
QuoteFirstly to say that the ATCS is not a great gaming case as it does not have a window. Although that sounds dim, we gamers love looking at our expensive systems, especially when you add some cold cathode lights into the sniper.
I did not care about the mesh addition as I wanted a great window. However I could not find a retailer in the UK that sells it, so I imported it from Germany at this awesome site:
*edited*
Postage was cheap too, however I am based in Ireland, so the Euro could knock the value up for you if you are in Blighty.
I look a lot of time with the wires and managed to get a very clean system, with all the wires around the back. Did not find this such a chore as you may seem.
Also I added a 140mm fan to the bottom, but due to my Coolermaster 1000W power supply there is not a lot of room for the cables, therefore I would recommend getting a 120mm fan here. The reason: Well you don't have a side window and if you want to mimick the ATCS then this is a great idea to bring in air for your graphics card from the amble room at the bottom.
I am a big gamer and have had my rig running over 2 weeks now and no problems on low fans. My [email protected] is never over 50C, although it does have a prolimatech megahalems on it, coupled with a noiseblocker MF12-P. That truly is the ultimate cooling for air cooled systems.
Finally I would just like to add that I lover my Window version of the Black edition, so make sure you think about add lighting to show off your rig!Quote
I did not care about the mesh addition as I wanted a great window. However I could not find a retailer in the UK that sells it, so I imported it from Germany at this awesome site:
*edited*
Postage was cheap too, however I am based in Ireland, so the Euro could knock the value up for you if you are in Blighty.
I look a lot of time with the wires and managed to get a very clean system, with all the wires around the back. Did not find this such a chore as you may seem.
Also I added a 140mm fan to the bottom, but due to my Coolermaster 1000W power supply there is not a lot of room for the cables, therefore I would recommend getting a 120mm fan here. The reason: Well you don't have a side window and if you want to mimick the ATCS then this is a great idea to bring in air for your graphics card from the amble room at the bottom.
I am a big gamer and have had my rig running over 2 weeks now and no problems on low fans. My [email protected] is never over 50C, although it does have a prolimatech megahalems on it, coupled with a noiseblocker MF12-P. That truly is the ultimate cooling for air cooled systems.
Finally I would just like to add that I lover my Window version of the Black edition, so make sure you think about add lighting to show off your rig!Quote
CSS Valid
Good review too Tom. Would you still say the ATCS has the crown? (I've yet to watch the video review).Quote