The Cooler Master Cosmos II 25th Anniversary Edition pays tribute to the long history of the brand, but also to one of their most iconic case models. Cooler Master has done well by picking the Cosmos series for a refresh as it does not only show the level of innovation they offered five years ago, which mostly still holds true today, but also their desire to push the envelope in manufacturing materials and processes.

The updated Cosmos II offers the same interior and functionality we were already impressed with half a decade ago, but it has been tweaked for better radiator support. You may install a radiator of up to 360 mm in size in the ceiling, for example. Besides that, the new Cosmos also offers the same eleven drive bays, two hot-swap 3.5" bays, and excellent cable-management options. On top of that, you still get that localized fan controller and the ability to connect separate lighting elements to the chassis.

While it is awesome to see this amazing case on the market again, especially with the impressive bent glass side panels and excellent metal support structure, the case itself shows some age as well. It feels like Cooler Master could have done a bit more to ensure all its features would be considered modern by today's standards. On one hand, it would have been great if the lighting were controllable by the motherboard via an RGB header, with a controlling PCB as backup. Adding RGB would have been a step in the right direction and would have removed the limitation of finding fans or lighting with the two-pin plugs to be able to use the case controls.

The I/O is the other area which could have seen a more complete update. With six USB ports, the Cosmos II was already quite the unique chassis. Five years ago, USB 3.0 was just breaking into the market, so it was normal to still offer USB 2.0 connectivity. Today, however, that standard is everywhere, and it would have been great to see all of the plugs being of the 3rd generation. Also, if you look closely, Cooler Master has naturally done away with the eSATA port; a HDMI or USB-C port here would have emphasized that spirit of innovation the Cosmos stands for.

The Cooler Master Cosmos II 25th Anniversary is a blast from the past with updated materials at the same price tag we have seen the Cosmos II at five years ago. Seeing how all the functional features are still perfectly suited today shows how well engineered these were in the past - even if I feel as though Cooler Master did not take the chance to push the envelope enough here and there.