CM Storm Scout Case Review

**Hardware Secrets Team** · 04-09-2009, 05:34 PM

There has been a new article posted.

Title: CM Storm Scout Case Review
URL: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/706

Here is a snippet:
"CM Storm is a brand from Cooler Master targeted to high-end gamers and today we are going to take a look on their latest mid-tower case, Scout, which features an impeccable paint job and a sturdy top ..."

Comments on this article are welcome.

Best regards,
Hardware Secrets Team
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com

damian · 04-09-2009, 09:39 PM

Just wondering, why doesn't the article have any testing done on the case (temperatures)?

Anyways, nice review.

Olle P · 04-10-2009, 03:50 AM

Damian, that's in line with all other case reviews on this site.
They're all visual inspection only...

Cheers
Olle

damian · 04-10-2009, 09:43 AM

Yes but i was wondering as to why they don't do any sort of testing.
Is it more of a "first impressions" article?

**Gabriel Torres** · 04-10-2009, 11:36 AM

Hello,

I am looking for a while for someone that can do this kind of review for us. If you are interested in the job please let us know.

Thanks,
Gabriel.

damian · 04-10-2009, 12:54 PM

Heh, that would be a treat but right now I am already a reviewer for another hardware site.

Olle P · 04-10-2009, 02:05 PM

Commenting on the case and your review of it:

Page 1:
"This unit has five 5 ¼” external bays, all using meshed covers featuring dust filters. This is great to improve the case internal airflow. Scout has a 140-mm fan with red LEDs on its front."
One problem here is that the mesh, which is pretty tight, also covers the fan, impeding the air flow.
Another problem is that the slot opening at the bottom of the bezel, as well as the openings in the side window, aren't filtered, which leaves the filter at the front pretty meaningless.

"The front panel can be easily removed from the case: just pull it."
This case is supposed to be hauled around quite a bit. Then it's bad if any pointed object hooking on to the front mesh can easily rip the entire front off.

Page 3:
"... all fans use regular peripheral power plugs, so you can’t monitor their speeds. Also no fan speed controller is available."
Yes, it would have been better to have regular three pin fan connectors for the fans, preferably with an adapter for use with Molex connector as well.
Fan speed controller seems like less of a problem, since I expect the target audience to provide their own anyway.

"The mechanism for holding daughter boards looks very sturdy, even though it is manufactured in plastic."
There are also holes for using regular screws. Benchmark Reviews have had some problem with this type of lock in the past and recommend regular screws if you're about to haul the case around much.

"The reviewed case comes also with a dust filter for the power supply fan,..."
... provided the PSU is mounted with the fan down, in which case it will have a hard time "breathing" at all. There should be more ground clearance to make it worth while sucking air from below.
__________________________________________________ _____________

Returning to Damian's question about cooling.

Benchmark Reviews have pitted this case against SilverStone FT01BW and Antec P183.
The verdict is that Scout is fairly noisy and pretty much requires an additional fan in the lower side mounting. (The upper side mount can't be used with a tower type CPU cooler.)
Out of the box all three cases are okay coolers, and Scout gets in the middle with P183 on top.

Cheers
Olle

04-09-2009, 05:34 PM	#1
Hardware Secrets Team Administrator Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 2,952	CM Storm Scout Case Review There has been a new article posted. Title: CM Storm Scout Case Review URL: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/706 Here is a snippet: "CM Storm is a brand from Cooler Master targeted to high-end gamers and today we are going to take a look on their latest mid-tower case, Scout, which features an impeccable paint job and a sturdy top ..." Comments on this article are welcome. Best regards, Hardware Secrets Team http://www.hardwaresecrets.com

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04-09-2009, 09:39 PM	#2
damian Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 4	Just wondering, why doesn't the article have any testing done on the case (temperatures)? Anyways, nice review.

04-10-2009, 03:50 AM	#3
Olle P Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Sweden Posts: 576	Damian, that's in line with all other case reviews on this site. They're all visual inspection only... Cheers Olle

04-10-2009, 09:43 AM	#4
damian Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 4	Yes but i was wondering as to why they don't do any sort of testing. Is it more of a "first impressions" article?

04-10-2009, 11:36 AM	#5
Gabriel Torres Administrator Join Date: Oct 2004 USA Posts: 2,553	Hello, I am looking for a while for someone that can do this kind of review for us. If you are interested in the job please let us know. Thanks, Gabriel.

04-10-2009, 12:54 PM	#6
damian Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 4	Heh, that would be a treat but right now I am already a reviewer for another hardware site.

04-10-2009, 02:05 PM	#7
Olle P Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Sweden Posts: 576	Commenting on the case and your review of it: Page 1: "This unit has five 5 ¼” external bays, all using meshed covers featuring dust filters. This is great to improve the case internal airflow. Scout has a 140-mm fan with red LEDs on its front." One problem here is that the mesh, which is pretty tight, also covers the fan, impeding the air flow. Another problem is that the slot opening at the bottom of the bezel, as well as the openings in the side window, aren't filtered, which leaves the filter at the front pretty meaningless. "The front panel can be easily removed from the case: just pull it." This case is supposed to be hauled around quite a bit. Then it's bad if any pointed object hooking on to the front mesh can easily rip the entire front off. Page 3: "... all fans use regular peripheral power plugs, so you can’t monitor their speeds. Also no fan speed controller is available." Yes, it would have been better to have regular three pin fan connectors for the fans, preferably with an adapter for use with Molex connector as well. Fan speed controller seems like less of a problem, since I expect the target audience to provide their own anyway. "The mechanism for holding daughter boards looks very sturdy, even though it is manufactured in plastic." There are also holes for using regular screws. Benchmark Reviews have had some problem with this type of lock in the past and recommend regular screws if you're about to haul the case around much. "The reviewed case comes also with a dust filter for the power supply fan,..." ... provided the PSU is mounted with the fan down, in which case it will have a hard time "breathing" at all. There should be more ground clearance to make it worth while sucking air from below. __________________________________________________ _____________ Returning to Damian's question about cooling. Benchmark Reviews have pitted this case against SilverStone FT01BW and Antec P183. The verdict is that Scout is fairly noisy and pretty much requires an additional fan in the lower side mounting. (The upper side mount can't be used with a tower type CPU cooler.) Out of the box all three cases are okay coolers, and Scout gets in the middle with P183 on top. Cheers Olle