Assembly

Installing the motherboard is done by traditional means, with the included spacers and screws. There is enough room around the CPU to allow for large CPU coolers, but Cooler Master mentions a maximum height of 162 mm without the use of fans on the side. Mounting fans onto the side panel reduces the maximum possible height to 147 mm. Regardless, this means that most 140 mm and some 120 mm-based tower coolers will not fit into the CM Storm Scout 2 Advanced.


Installing the hard drives is quite easy. For the 3.5" drives, simply use the tool-less rails Cooler Master included. Placing a 2.5" drive onto the tray, however, does take screws and a screwdriver to secure the drive properly.


Once ready, simply slide the drives into the bay of your choice until they snap into place. The connectors of each drive point away from the windowed side, allowing you to keep things clean by hiding the cables.


You will need to pry the front panel off the chassis to install an optical drive. This part is interestingly enough attached so firmly to the case that I had to use quite a bit of force to take it off. Once off, free up the 5.25" bay of your choice and slide in the drive. Make sure to flip the lever on the locking mechanism back into place to have the pins hold the drive in place. While the construction quality of this system is quite good, it does not possess enough strength to keep the drive from having a bit of play. You should really use one or two additional screws here to eliminate possible vibrations.


Installing the PSU does not bear any surprises. Simply put the unit into place and use the included black screws to secure it.


Once everything is installed, the CM Storm Scout 2 Advanced makes a very clean impression. The entire cable mess has, as you can see, been hidden away nicely.

Finished Looks

The extrusion on both side panels makes placing them back onto the chassis a breeze. A somewhat dim, red LED lights up on the front of the chassis once the system is turned on. The LED toggle turns the only other element of light, the LEDs of both front fans, on or off.


All the cables and connectors in the rear are where you would expect them to be. Cooler Master has also done a very good job with the window. It is big enough to show all major components, but small enough to hide any cables. The placement of the handle is not random either, as the case stays level when picked up--an improvement over the CM Storm Trooper/Stryker cases; but filling the Scout 2 to the rim with hard drives will also make it front heavy.