A Closer Look - Outside

When first unpacking the chassis, I was very impressed by the overall weight of the case. It is constructed of steel and plastic, but was still very light. One of the most impressive features of the Sniper is the applied paint job. It is very rough and virtually unscratchable. I do not know exactly what system was applied, but it does not only look and feel great, but fits perfectly into the overall design of the Sniper. Cooler Master has shown with the HAF 932 that they are able to create unique and good looking cases while delivering on a single theme. The Sniper is no exception to that.


The front of the chassis allows for a lot of air to pass through the chassis. The top area is intended for the external drive bays, while the bottom is taken by a large 200 mm fan. The rear reveals a PSU bay on the bottom of the chassis and a few other surpises, which we will go into in just a second. The rear is unpainted silver, which is too bad in my humble opinion. It would have been great to see at least a black paint job for this part. Such a color would go great with the rest of the chassis.


The sides of the Sniper feature a simple design, but are still very unique. Cooler Master has extruded them, which translates into more interior space and is a vital part of the overall design. The left side of the chassis has a metal mesh, which lets air pass through and gives you a peek into the belly of the beast. The other side panel is solid and does not feature any air vents or fans.


All the I/O is located on top of the chassis. There are four USB 2.0, one Firewire, one eSATA and the usual audio plugs. In addition to those, the panel also holds the reset and very large power button. Then there is a dial to control the fan speed of any cooling unit connected to it. It simply adjusts the power output to the fans, so you may use any fan even if it does not sport an RPM sensor. The button within the dial turns the lighting of the two 200 mm fans on or off.


Taking a closer look at the front of the chassis, one of the afore mentioned 200 mm case fans is covered by a high quality metal mesh. You may remove this cover with a firm pull to clean it or the fan blades. Above that are the five external drive bays. One of the 5.25 inch covers may also be used as an adapter to install a 3.5 inch device within the bay.


Turning the Sniper over, let us start at the bottom of the chassis. The power supply bay has two sets of screw holes, giving you the choice in how to mount it. There are two small, circular cutouts on the right of the bay. These are intended for secondary water cooling tubes. The Sniper has seven standard expansion slots for the mainboard, but there is an eighth one to the side of them. You may use that to install additional brackets to route mainboard connectivity to the rear. The top features a 120 mm fan and the two main water cooling holes to pass any tubing through.


The feet of the Sniper are quite large and may be turned outward to offer even greater stability. Another small bit I want to point out is the small CM Storm logo on the solid side panel of the case. This is a perfect example of how an understated logo can go a long way for the overall design of the chassis.