Introduction

A few years ago I was in the market for a performance car - I had a desire to own something bright red with a prancing horse on the bonnet emblem. Why? I guess that it had something to do with the racing heritage, the way that the name Ferrari conjured up mental images of chequered flags and the pure exhilaration of speed. I wanted a gleaming Ferrari Dino 328 GTS Targa-roof, and I was prepared to pay whatever the price. Then, one Saturday morning, the dream died ... I took one for a test-drive. I thought that it was the most bad-tempered, uncomfortable and unforgiving car that I have ever driven. It just didn't suit me physically, but what's more, the disappointment I felt made it's shortcomings seem even worse. The 10 year-old car that I owned had more features, was easier to drive and, even more importantly, it had a better sound system! What a let-down :-(

So, what does that have to do with a computer case? Is the CoolerMaster ATC-210 really that bad? No, not at all - in fact, it is one of the highest quality cases I have ever had the chance to get my hands on. My point is this. If you are going to buy a CoolerMaster case purely because it costs more than double the price of any other similar case on the market, and therefore expect twice the features, you will be disappointed! Put simply, the CoolerMaster doesn't have a dozen fans, a tricky sliding front bezel or a built-in force field (!) What the CoolerMaster does have is sophisticated design principals, attention to detail, and a quality of build that is better than any other case I have seen.

Sure, other manufacturers have produced similar cases for lower prices, but when you have a good look at them they aren't even in the same ball-park when it comes to that one elusive attribute - Style :-)

After that boring annecdote, lets get back to the job at hand ... putting the CoolerMaster ATC-210VX1 under the microscope!

First Impressions

Once I got the carton open - man, they didn't hold back on the packing tape! - the first view inside was the one above. As you can see, there was little chance of it getting dented-up during transit - in fact, the carton was better constructed than some modern houses!

A little more unwrapping, and what we have is:

wOOt!
As always, seeing pictures on websites and brochures is never the same as being 'up close and personal'. Like meeting Pamela Anderson 'face to face' - if you know what I mean. The first impression was how light the case is - but then I remembered that there isn't a PSU supplied. Even so, the case is still very trim at only 6.5kg / 14.3lbs. An average PSU will add another 2kg / 4.5lbs straight away.

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