Wednesday, April 19th 2023
Cougar Unveils MX330-G PRO Mid-tower Case with Provision for 5.25-inch Drive Bays
Cougar today unveiled the MX330-G PRO, an ATX mid-tower case with provision for up to two 5.25-inch drives, and an airy mesh front panel. The 5.25-inch bays are designed to offer minimal intrusion into the case, with just a stub for the front screws of 5.25-inch drives on their left side, and with the right side integrated with the motherboard tray for the entire row of screws. This metal stub can be removed to enable installation of large 360 mm radiators along the front panel, where the 5.25-inch bay covers retain the mesh surface of the rest of the front panel.
The MX330-G PRO features a conventional horizontally-partitioned layout, with the motherboard tray serving up room for graphics cards up to 38.5 cm in length, and CPU coolers up to 16 cm in height. Fan mounts include three 140/120 mm front intakes, either three 120 mm or two 140 mm top exhausts, and a 120 mm rear exhaust. Radiator mounting options include up to 360 mm along the front, up to 360 mm along the top, and a 120 mm along the rear panel. Besides the two 5.25-inch drive bays, you get two 3.5-inch trays, and up to three 2.5-inch drive mounts. Front panel connectivity includes a USB 3.2 type-C with 20 Gbps capability (20-pin key-A header), two USB 3.1 type-A, one USB 2.0 type-A, and a 4-pole headset jack. The case measures 209 mm x 495 mm x 475 mm (WxHxD). The company didn't reveal pricing.
The MX330-G PRO features a conventional horizontally-partitioned layout, with the motherboard tray serving up room for graphics cards up to 38.5 cm in length, and CPU coolers up to 16 cm in height. Fan mounts include three 140/120 mm front intakes, either three 120 mm or two 140 mm top exhausts, and a 120 mm rear exhaust. Radiator mounting options include up to 360 mm along the front, up to 360 mm along the top, and a 120 mm along the rear panel. Besides the two 5.25-inch drive bays, you get two 3.5-inch trays, and up to three 2.5-inch drive mounts. Front panel connectivity includes a USB 3.2 type-C with 20 Gbps capability (20-pin key-A header), two USB 3.1 type-A, one USB 2.0 type-A, and a 4-pole headset jack. The case measures 209 mm x 495 mm x 475 mm (WxHxD). The company didn't reveal pricing.
13 Comments on Cougar Unveils MX330-G PRO Mid-tower Case with Provision for 5.25-inch Drive Bays
Or you can utilize the bay for other functionality such as getting a fan controller or you can buy mounting brackets for 5.25" bays to put HDDs/SSDs. I actually did that in my last tower (Fractal Design Arc XL). I was able to completely remove the HDD cages, mount the HDDs in the 5.25" bay - thus completely opening up the case without the cages restricting airflow.
It's just nice to have options. Removal of the 5.25" bays doesn't bother some people, but there are still some of us that like making use of them.
Even Level1Tech mentioned how he loved older cases with multiple 5.25 bays for the ability to either create a disc cloner, or retrofit with hot-swap bays for a starter home server, and recommends them as an option if one can get them reasonably cheap for an upgradeable home server/storage solution.
Ultimately though, it's a niche thing for a niche purpose.