A Nice ATX Case!

Desktop PC or workstation cases offered from Cooler Master come with such a nice selection. Many of which are at quite a reasonable price and with appealing design, not to mention practicality. The one being reviewed here comes with a 350-Watt power supply unit, which is adequate for a decent desktop system.

Retail Package

The retail package comes complete with everything to help set up the system. It includes

-- Cooler Master Elite RC-330 w/ 120mm rear fan (pre-installed), 350-Watt Power Supply Unit (PSU)
-- PSU 350-Watt has one SATA power cable, five molex 4-pin power cables (three on one power rail and the other two on a separate rail), one floppy power cable, CPU 4-pin and 24-pin (4-pin detachable) main power cable.
-- Power cord
-- Sets of motherboard stand-offs, internal drive screws, cable holder and 4 screws for front optional fan
-- Single sheet with diagram for installation
-- Two USB2.0 front access plugs
-- One Audio front access plug

The motherboard i/o shield was not included in the package... the first I've seen. Whether it was forgotten or intentionally left out, no big deal, since each motherboard comes with its own i/o shield anyway.

The Cooler Master Elite RC-330

The Cooler Master Elite RC-330 is painted black all over. It is a mid-tower system case that can house standard ATX as well as Micro-ATX motherboards. Its 350-Watt power supply sports one SATA power connector, 5 4-pin molex connectors (3 on one rail and the other two with a floppy connector on the other rail), 24-pin (4-pin detachable) main power and 4-pin CPU power.

For external access devices, the case has four 5.25-inch drive bays (for optical drives) and one 3.5-inch floppy drive bay. Cooler Master uses the second floppy drive bay for USB2.0 and audio panel.

As for internal hard drives, there are five drive bays. To help manage temperature, an 80mm, 92mm or 120mm fan can be installed at the front of the drives to help cool them. Unfortunately, the case only comes with a single 120mm rear fan pre-installed. Therefore, the front fan is optional.

To help control the temperature and keep circulating fresh air inside the system, Cooler Master Elite sports a side CPU vent with air duct as well as a side vent for a graphics card.

Its overall design and physical appearance is quite attractive, with a very appealing front panel. Front access is available for power-on button, reset button and HD led. All drive bays are covered with metal grills with soft rubber foam coated on the inside that acts as a filter. Air circulation would be most efficient which can help cool the optical devices, if optical drives are installed alternatively (rather than stacking one on top of another). I am very impressed with this design!

Installation

I acquired this case for a small desktop system that consists of one 200GB hard drive, two optical devices (one DVD-ROM and DVD-RW drives) for front access. For motherboard, I use Biostar NF325-A7, which is a small ATX board, with AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 754-pin and ATI Radeon 9600SE 128MB 8x AGP video card. All of these hardware are well fit for the 350-Watt power supply that comes with this case.

Installation of the motherboard was straightforward. To access the PCI i/o, its shield has to be broken off. There are no refills for these openings. Once each i/o is broken off, that i/o panel is open; thus, one needs to manage this wisely. I only needed to break off one i/o PCI shield for a video graphics card. Cooler Master Elite RC-330 uses a different type of PCI i/o lock mechanism. There is a vertical tap that locks all the PCI cards in place. No screws are necessary.

Installation of external-access optical devices is a tool-less process. I only needed to break off the filler tabs behind the metal grill, remove the metal-grill bay lid; then slide the optical drives and secure each with the lockable mechanism (a twist-and-lock tab); this is done on the access side panel. However, for internal hard drive, its process is not quite tool-less. Each drive is secured by a similar twist-lock mechanism. Each tab has two pins that act like screws to hold the drive in place. For internal hard drives, these lock tabs are on both sides. I had to unscrew and open the other side panel to unlock the tab, then I could slide in the hard drive and lock it with both twist-lock mechanisms.

The accessible side panel features two thumb screws for easy access. Most surprising to me is that this case also sports some security measure. There is a lock tab (hole) at the rear of the accessible side panel which can be secured with a lock. This will help ensure that no one can have access to the inside components.

Performance

Supporting a total of four optical devices with tool-less procedure and a total of five internal hard drives for storage, the Cooler Master Elite RC-330 is one nice desktop chassis. Installation went very smoothly with virtually all components worked as intended. However, the internal hard drive bay may need a slight adjustment to fit and slide in the hard drive. I had to push the bay apart a bit in order to fit the hard drive.

In terms of front connectors and switches, the power-on, reset and power-on LED, HD LED and Speaker connectors have a reasonable length which can reach anywhere on the motherboard; and most importantly, these are of standard type that will work on virtually any motherboard.

The side air duct for the CPU is excellent. For a standard heatsink, the duct reaches to within proximity. This in turn helps provide fresh air to the CPU and at the same time prevent this fresh air from being sucked out by the rear 120mm fan. This air duct cannot be adjusted. I suspect a taller CPU heatsink would not work as both pieces would touch each other.

The rear 120mm fan is also excellent at keeping the inside components in controlled temperature. The fan operates at a very low noise. I was impressed the first time I turned on the system and noticed how quiet it was. I estimated the fan spins at roughly 1600-1800RPM since the system cannot monitor its activity. The fan uses a standard 4-pin power connector and requires connecting to the molex power connector from the power supply.

The power supply itself has one 80mm fan at the rear and is also quiet during operation. With the current load, the unit can handle easily and operates with minimal heat, which I judge to be reasonably cool. Its power distribution is quite good. The following indicates its voltage distribution:

+3.3V at 3.39V
+5.0V at 5.10V
+12.0V at 11.96V
5V (SB) at 4.99V

Only the +3.3V and +5.0V power lines seem to fluctuate a bit, but average out to within their specified voltages.

Since the side vent for add-on cards is too close to the rear 120mm fan, air can just pass from this vent and out through the rear. This in turn allows little air circulation from the front. The most vital component is the hard drive. I noticed that during long operation, the hard drive was getting quite warm—too warm! One solution would be to cover this side vent, if no add-on cards are used that require extra cooling. Another solution would be to put an 80mm, 92mm or 120mm fan at the front. I decided to put a 92mm fan to help suck air from the front to cool the hard drive. This seems to work out nicely.

Its front bezel can be removed for cleaning; it is washable. It was easy to remove the bezel. There are three lockable tabs on each side that hold the bezel in place. To remove it, both side panels must be removed; then I gently push out the tabs and pull the bezel at the same time; it just pops out. Care must be taken to avoid accidentally breaking off the tabs. Reinserting the bezel was a snap.

Warranty/Support/RMA

Cooler Master stands behind this product for two full years, both for defects or damage that result from improper operation. Be sure to keep the receipt. I am not sure how replacement or repair is handled—that is, whether we have to ship back the product at our own expense... and shipping cost is expensive. However, I have not encountered any defects or problems that require the manufacturer's attention. With normal use without abuse, I suspect this case will serve its intended purpose well.

Conclusion

The Cooler Master Elite RC-330 performed very well for a standard desktop system. It is quiet and runs pretty cool. To me, these are the two important characteristics in any desktop system. Its only shortcomings I see are:

1.Its power supply unit may need to be replaced if more hard drives or powerful graphics card are used.
2.The power supply unit is also too basic – no PCI-E power connector and only one SATA.
3.Its overall structure is less sturdy.
4.Its optional front fan is necessary for good cooling. For two hard drives, a 92mm is good; for three to five, a 120mm fan is in order.
5.No refill PCI i/o shields, if the i/o PCI panel is broken off, that slot will remain open, unless you have a replaceable PCI i/o shield to cover the opening.

Considering its reasonably cheap price and its physically attractive style, particularly its front face with metal grill, the Cooler Master Elite RC-330 (despite its less sturdy structure) is really an excellent case. Its tool-less assembly for the most part makes this case an excellent custom build for any standard desktop system.

The best part is its competitive price compared to other system cases. I ordered it from newegg.com when they ran a weekend promotion with a $10 mail-in rebate from $49.99 (plus $14.99 for shipping). A $55 case that comes complete with a decent power supply unit and has excellent design, supports five internal hard drives, excellent cooling system and runs quiet, for me is an excellent buy! I highly recommend this case, even though I only gave it 4 stars (particularly for its structure). I would buy it again.