Product: ATCS 210

What ho, every-one! Peace and quiet reigns supreme in the HQ. The reptilian staff are efficient and non-litigious. What more could we ask for, you wonder? Well, the price of...um...nothing, except perhaps a new case to check out.

As if by magic, the courier fell down the steps with another endorphin inducing CoolerMaster cardboard box digging into his neck. Should his legs be at that angle? Who cares, we got a new toy!! Dart out the door, grab the box and try not to slip on any blood and we're safe. Feel the rush, ppl.

These babies come well protected, so there's no chance that a small mishap at the depot will result in you crying for 52 hours non-stop. The unit is film-wrapped and is secured in place with cardboard-covered foam supports.

Enough with the packaging, let's get to the real reason we are here. Cra..erm....the case. We free it from it's polyeurothane prison and behold the wondrous sight. Immediately it's obvious this is not the 201. The look is brushed aluminium and the most noticeable feature is the plexi-glass front. Marvel.

The plexi-glass is frosted, and embossed with the CoolerMaster name. We received the frosted green version but there is a blue and (I think) a clear green option.

The case is 520 mm x 196 mm x 452 mm and weighs 6.5 kg (CoolerMaster's figures). The first big difference with the 201 is there are only 2 Y. S. Tech 80mm x 80mm x 25 mm fans. These act as part of the ATC's "Active Thermal Convective System". The aluminium design of the case, allows the unit to dissipate heat and reduce the system and CPU temperatures. There are 4 x 5.25" Bays (exposed), 2 x 3.5' Bays (exposed) and 4 x 3.5' Bays (hidden). It takes standard ATX motherboards and is large enough to cater to most modern PC users (bar CDphiles). The overall specs are very close to the 201 but the case is slightly longer, thanks to the plexi-glass front.

This will give you an idea of how different the 210 and 201 look. Are you ready?

You can see that it has been totally redesigned. Could it be that the 201 is beginning to look a little dated? Hell no, it is just standing next to a stunner. The plexi-glass door opens to the right, which seems a little odd to me, but it may be an English thing...

The door closes and is held in place by a little magnet.

Once the door is opened we get to see that the power and reset buttons have been re-done. They are no longer metal but either alloy or plastic and are far easier to depress. There is no need for the tip-of-the finger routine to reset and there is a comforting resistance to your pressure. The USB inputs have been moved, from behind the little flip door to the bottom of the fascia.

Keep your eyes peeled for the first power light to glow, it is something to lift the heart!! The sides and top are very similar, except for the colour.

Let's take a tour round the rear to get an eyeful...

Oh. It looks very similar to the 201. The one noticeable change is the grille for the fan. It has been modified so it allows a greater volume of air to flow through. A simple enough difference but one that counts for a lot since it has only two fans, they need to run as efficiently as possible. Always deserving of mention are our friends the thumbscrews. They really make a huge difference when you're tinkering inside the case. This is part of CoolerMaster's "tool-less assembly/disassembly for quick and easy access for maintenance or upgrades". Oh yes.

The top of the 201 is removed to insert the PSU (not supplied) but because the tip of the 210 is riveted down, the supply is inserted through the back and held in place with a plate.

Inside, this beast is a near identical experience to the 201 with a couple of subtle differences that only an eagle-eyed reviewer would be able to notice (honest).

The lack of fans and also the positioning of wires. The frame appears to be the same as the 201, as there is the same gap where the 201's USB is inserted on the 210. Otherwise, mmmshiny.

The lack of a universal USB wiring configuration means that you have to check your motherboard's set-up before attaching the input. Conversely, use Dan's approach of plugging in and then testing it with a disposable piece of equipment! CoolerMaster supply the usual bag of supports, screws etc. which is nice =)

A quick piccie of the supreme feature (IMO) of this case.

Yes, the blue light is astoundingly beautiful. Stop and admire its power.

Installation

This section will be short and sweet. The installation was identical to that of the rig in the 201. The case still has the oh-so-useful thumbscrews (a must in this day and age) which makes any reviewer's life a breeze. I did not encounter the same problem (from the 201) with unscrewing the drive bay protectors and all drives fitted snugly. The slide out mobo tray makes any tinkering, simple. That was easy enough, so check out the result.....

How neat is that? It only took 10 mins.

Noise

We took the sound level from 15 and 150 cm away from the side of the case, going on the assumption that you would be seated to one side of it.

The levels are (nearly) identical to those of the 201 which is no real surprise. The front two fans of the 201 face away from the position where our meter is, so they have little impact. My subjective perception of the noise is that it is low frequency and easily blends into the background. Very unobtrusive...

Performance

We reverted back to our trusty CPU cooler test rig and rigorously tested the cooling ability of the case. We ran the system for 1hr doing loops of 3D Mark 2000. Then we measured the system temp using the hardware monitor. The ambient room temperature was about 1*C higher than the last time we tested the 201.

The difference in ambient temp is the performance gap between both the cases. This is a very good result for the 210 as it has half the amount of fans of the 201. I think there is a point where increased air-flow stops becoming effective and that seems to be above two well placed 80mm fans.

Conclusion

The ATCS 201 was an exceptional case but CoolerMaster have decided to keep evolving. Their newest member of the family is a hybrid of design and functionality. This is the way of the world and CoolerMaster have brought the overclocking market up to the next level. A well-ventilated case is a must, but a system that actively cools the rig is a pre-requisite in these days of high wattage CPUs, video cards and performance RAM.

The overall build quality is very high and we were not able to find anything substantial to moan about. Conversely, the blue power light is THE best thing I have ever seen! My friend has a similar light on his Sony DVD and that too is one of the wonders of the world.

The new incarnation does lose some of the 201's cooling ability but the benefit is a reduced level of noise without noticeably affecting the cooling ability. The brushed aluminium effect is stunning and the touches add to the feeling that this is really in another league.

CoolerMaster are still the benchmark against which all other manufacturers measure their efforts. They have managed to improve on what I considered, near perfection, and in doing so, raised the bar even higher. 

All that can be said is.......STYLISSIMO.

The final Chillblast rating is *********

CoolerMaster's site can be found at www.CoolerMaster.com

BUY ME! £239.99 / $346.79 from our Online Store

Apparently the last dove of thanks we sent to CoolerMaster vanished, shortly before their office party, so this time we send a stripper of integrity to convey our appreciation.

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