Cooler Master CM Storm’s full tower gaming chassis named Trooper offering more features than you can shake a stick at. Fan control, SSD docking and much more!
Product on Review: CM Storm Trooper
Manufacturer and Sponsor: CM Storm (Cooler Master)
Street Price: Approx. £139.99inc. VAT (at time of review)
CM Storm is Cooler Master’s gaming division and have so far introduced some noteworthy products to a market saturated with gaming orientated products. Releases from them that have left a mark include Enforcer and Scout but it’s been a while since we saw anything new from them in regards to gaming cases. At the very end of September saw the unveiling of a new gaming chassis by Cooler Master named CM Storm Trooper.
Today we will be taking a look at Trooper – a full tower gaming chassis with a wide array of storage options and features. Some of its features even set it apart to deliver a unique experience for both the enthusiast and gamer, so without further ado let’s begin our examination of this new release from CM Storm.
CM Storm’s take on Trooper
Continuing with its tradition of revolutionary design and cutting edge technology, CM Storm surpasses the competition with the Trooper chassis. The CM Storm Trooper contains a wealth of features coveted by most gaming enthusiasts, including USB 3.0, external 2.5” and two 90 degree rotatable HDD cages for easier hard-drive installation. The CM Storm Trooper is the first full tower with a carrying handle for easy transport.
Features & Specifications
• The first full tower chassis with two 90 degrees rotatable 4-in-3 HDD modules
• The first with an easy-to-carry handle, and hidden tool box for storing private goods
• Removable dust filters on bottom and top intakes
• A built in fan controller for cool or quit operation
• Supports up to 14 hard-drives for future upgrades
• Convenient external 2.5” HDD/SSD X-dock
• Supports high-end hardware, includes XL-ATX board, multiple GPUs in SLI or Crossfire
Technical Specifications
Model Number SGC-5000-KKN1
Available Color All Black
Material Steel body, Front Mesh / Plastic bezel
Dimensions (W) 250 x (H) 605.6 x (D) 578.5 mm
(W) 9.8 x (H) 23.8 x (D) 22.8 inch
Net Weight 13.7 KG / 30.2 lbs
M/B Type Micro-ATX, ATX, XL-ATX
5.25″ Drive Bay 9
3.5” Drive Bay 8 (converted from 5.25” bay by two 4-in 3 HDD modules)
2.5” Drive Bay 13 (converted from 5.25” bay by two 4-in 3 HDD modules)
Cooling System
Front: 120 mm LED fan x2 (1200 RPM, 17dBA)
Top: 200 mm fan x 1 (1000 RPM, 23 dBA)
Rear: 140 mm fan x1 (1200 RPM, 19 dBA)
Bottom: 120 mm fan x 2 (optional)
Side: 120 mm fan x 2 (optional)
Expansion Slots 9+1
I/O Panel USB 3.0 x 2 (internal), USB 2.0 x 2, e-SATA x 1, Audio In and Out ( Supports HD audio)
Power Supply Type Standard ATX PS2 / EPS 12V
Maximum Compatibility
CPU cooler height: 186 mm / 7.3 in
GPU card length: 322 mm / 12.7 in
Packaging & First Look
Trooper is presented in a large box – being the gaming division of Cooler Master, CM Storm have designed the packaging with soldiers in the background and a depiction of the Trooper case. The sides have some of the features whilst the rear identifies the most significant of features with diagrams of the case. Inside, the Trooper is covered in a soft synthetic sheet and held in place via dual polystyrene pillars.
CM Storm Trooper packaging
With Trooper out of its packaging we can get our first glimpse of this bold full tower chassis. If you are looking for something to make a statement then this could well be it. Trooper adopts characteristics from the discreet minimalist but also the rugged gamer styling of cases. Aspects that will initially stand out are the convex side panels, both featuring mesh sections and the carry handle at the top of the case for easy transportation. Overall, I really like the look of Trooper. It has distinct looks and oozes style.
Ventilation mesh and unique design
Convex on both sides with carry handle at the top
Over the page we will take a further look at the external aspects of Trooper.
Exterior
At the front of Trooper there are 9x 5.25” bay covers. Though we do have 9, there are just 3 that can be used for optical drive usage. The rest will remove to reveal HDD storage options. At the bottom is a section with the CM Storm branding – this plate is removable, once removed we have access to a small box containing important items for building within Trooper. More on this a little later when we inspect the internals.
Around the back of Trooper there is an opening at the bottom of the case for mounting a PSU. Above this are 9x PCI expansion slot covers each with ventilation holes for better airflow, to the side is “Storm Guard” to prevent peripheral theft. Above this is a 140mm rear exhaust fan and 3x rubber grommets for water-cooling tubes.
The front and back of Trooper
The underside of Trooper features 4x rubberised feet and 2 separate sections of air filter that are easy removed from the outside of the chassis.
Air filters on the underside
At the top of Trooper towards the front is the front panel connectivity. Here we have a plethora of controls to use. The options we have available are:
• Power button with LED
• Fan Control with LED on/off button
• Power/HDD activity LEDs
• Headphone and Microphone jacks
• 2x USB 3.0 ports (motherboard header connector)
• 2x USB 2.0 ports
• 1x E-SATA port
• Reset button
Beneath these controls, hidden away is a section labelled X-Dock. Here a 2.5” SSD hot-swapped for quick and easy access to data. Simply slot the SSD beyond the cover until it clicks into place.
Front panel controls with many options
Over the page we will look at the top section of Trooper.
Exterior (Continued)
At the top of Trooper there is a fascia that consists of metal and plastic. Gamers will be drawn to the rubber handle towards the front – this will allow easy transportation to LAN events and the like.
The top of Trooper with rubberised handle
Towards the back of the case there is a plastic handle, pulling at this handle reveals a large removable fan filter that covers the entire top section of the case.
Removable fan filter at the top of Trooper
The top fascia on Trooper can actually be completely removed. With this panel removed the rubber handle is exposed, as you can see from the picture below – the handle is reinforced with metal brackets. The handle is actually very sturdy and will support the entire weight of an installed rig inside. Furthermore, the top mounted 200mm fan at the top can be removed by unscrewing the 4 screws seen below.
Top fascia removed
Interior
Trooper has 2x thumbscrews fixing each side panel onto the chassis; once the side panels are removed we are presented with an overview of the internals of the case. From just a brief look at the inside, we can instantly see that the Trooper has plenty of space for accommodating high-end hardware and even supports XL-ATX. There are rubber grommets surround the motherboard tray for keeping the cable management tidy and there are 2x HDD chambers with 2x 120mm LED fans for cooling drives, furthermore these chambers can be rotated – in their default state airflow blows across the width of the case and out through the side panel but we can set this up to follow traditional airflow protocol and blow across the motherboard from the front of the chassis. Trooper looks like a very inviting case, installing kit inside should be hassle-free, in the installation section of this review we will discover just what to expect in this regard.
An overview of the internals with spacious interior
Behind the motherboard tray
Earlier we saw the section at the bottom of Trooper with the CM Storm emblem. This panel can be removed – upon removal we have a small tray that is removable and contains all of the necessary screws, cable ties, brackets and an E-ATX extension cable for CPU power – a very handy addition that all case manufacturers should be including.
Accessories bundle inside a tray at the bottom of Trooper
Over the page we will continue our tour of the internal features within Trooper.
Interior (Continued)
At the bottom of Trooper is a space for mounting the PSU. Pleasingly, CM Storm have equipped the Trooper with anti-vibration strips to prevent vibration and scratching. Next to the PSU seating area is another mesh section with a bracket allowing up to 3x 2.5” SSDs to be attached. This can be removed and cooling fans can be installing instead – dual 120mm. Both of the mesh sections on the bottom of Trooper have removable fan filters.
Rubber anti-vibration pads for PSU and SSD bracket
Moving up, there are 9x PCI expansion slot covers, each with ventilation holes for better airflow and thumbscrews for easy removal. To the side, is CM Storm Guard preventing the theft of peripheral devices.
9x PCI expansion slot covers for multi-GPU configurations
In terms of cooling there is a 140mm rear exhaust fan (1200RPM, 19dBA) and a top mounted 200mm fan (1000RPM, 23dBA). Later we will see if there is space for mounting water-cooling radiators inside Trooper.
140mm rear exhaust fan and 200mm top mounted fan
Whilst moving to the side of Trooper there are dual 120mm LED fans. These are attached to the HDD cages. In the default configuration they are positioned to blow across the width of the case and out through the side panel and HDDs are installed from around the other side. The HDD cages/fans can be altered to a 90⁰ orientation to follow the traditional airflow layout. In the next section we will take a look at how this HDD configuration can be altered.
120mm cooling fans for HDD cages
Changing HDD/cooling configuration
After removing various thumbscrews we can completely remove the HDD cages within Trooper. Each of the fans incidentally are connected to the fan controller located on the front panel controls.
HDD cages removed after taking out thumbscrews
To alter the orientation of the HDD cages the plates are actually removable. In order to get the HDD cages into the 90 degree position with the cooling fans at the front of Trooper blowing air across the motherboard tray these plates must be placed parallel to the side panels. As you can see from the picture below, these plates have rubber nipples in each corner – these nipples slot into holes within HDD area.
Removable plates for altering the orientation of HDD cages
With the plates positioned parallel to the side panels the cage will then just slot perfectly into place and we can ensure airflow is kept traditional. CM Storm have done a great job with Trooper in this particular aspect, they have given the consumer total control and as a result Trooper offers lot of versatility.
HDD cage rotated to 90 degrees position with cooling fan at front of case
Over the page we will install kit inside CM Storm Trooper and explore the entire process.
Installation
Installing a standard ATX motherboard within Trooper reveals just how big this case really is, it almost makes it look like an mATX motherboard.
Getting kit inside Trooper and making sure the entire setup is clean and tidy is without any problems at all. There is generous clearance behind the motherboard tray and an E-ATX CPU power extension cable to guarantee this cable can be routed behind the motherboard tray.
Installation complete – clean and tidy
Behind the motherboard tray – bags of space
We’ve looked at the HDD cage orientation and how to set it up but to actually get the HDDs inside those cages the drive has to be attached to a tray – these supplied trays will accommodate 2.5” and 3.5” drives. To attach a 3.5” drive the pins on the tray will slot into the screw holes on the side of the drive whilst a 2.5” drive will fit onto the tray and have screws fitted to the underside of the tray.
HDD installation – 2.5” or 3.5”
Over the page we will discover the clearance possibilities inside CM Storm Trooper.
Clearance – CPU, GPU, WC, Cable Management
In terms of clearance – on all levels there is a generous helping. First of all the CPU cooler clearance is there space for high-end coolers like Noctua NH-D14 and Thermalright Silver Arrow (160mm in height). Installed inside Trooper is Noctua NH-U12P which is 158mm in height. Thanks to the width of the case and convex side panel we have up to 186mm for the CPU cooler height.
Clearance for big CPU coolers
Moving to the graphics card clearance there is up to 12.7” of total space, so we can install anything current – HD6990 included. Installed inside Trooper is the GTX 480 which is 11” in length and you can see below that there is plenty of space left.
Trooper will accommodate up to 12.7” for GPU
Many enthusiasts are exploring alternative methods to cooling their rigs and moving to water-cooling so in a bid to give our readers a more complete examination of each case we review we will be examined for its water-cooling compatibility.
Trooper has space to install a 240 water-cooling radiator into the roof and floor areas of the case. Pictured below is the Phobya G-Charger 240 Radiator in both of these locations. To mount at the bottom the HDD cage must be removed and for the top spot the top fan must be removed.
240 Radiator can be installed at the bottom of Trooper
240 Radiator cane be installed into the roof of Trooper
Behind the motherboard tray is 1.3cm of clearance but we also have additional clearance thanks to the convex on the side panel. So expect around 1.5cm of total clearance for cable management behind the motherboard tray.
Clearance behind the motherboard tray
Thermal Performance Testing
Inside Trooper there are 4 pre-installed fans – 1x 200mm fan (top), 1x 140mm rear exhaust fan and dual 120mm fans on the HDD cages. In its default configuration Trooper has no intake flowing across the motherboard and out through the exhaust so air pressure isn’t positive sadly. We can alter this but for the purpose of testing we will leave it in its default position – as the typical user would find it. Fan speed will be kept to the “low” setting.
To discover the thermal performance of the Trooper I will record idle temperatures after 20 minutes from a cold boot. I will then stress the system and temperatures will again be monitored after 30 minutes have elapsed.
System Components
CPU AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8GHz
Motherboard ASUS M4A89TD PRO
Graphics ZOTAC NVIDIA GTX 480 AMP
Memory 4GB Mushkin EM3-10666 DDR3
HDD Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA-II
PSU Enermax Revolution 85+ 850W
Conclusion
Creating a case that has all the ingredients both enthusiast and gamer are seeking is quite a difficult task – people have their own tastes and what they would deem to be their favourite features and of course the manufacturer has a set budget, as does the consumer so it’s rare to find a case that ticks all the right boxes and Trooper certainly does just that.
If any case manufacturer is seeking to construct the ideal enclosure – then they ought to take note of what Trooper offers. It’s visual appearance places it right in between gamer and enthusiast by offering a flavoursome exterior that has subtle and gaudy tones. Inside, is a configuration that allows the consumer to customise how they would like their cooling. HDD cages can be taken apart, removed, rotated – as can the cooling fans attached and we can even drop in water-cooling radiators to a number of different locations giving versatility other cases don’t.
Clearance presents us with the space for any current CPU cooler including popular flagships like Noctua’s NH-D14 and Thermalright’s Silver Arrow. Graphics card clearance is again a similar matter, offering up to 12.7” of space for pretty much anything currently on the market. Behind the motherboard tray there is adequate space for keeping those thicker cables hidden and out of sight and thanks to the E-ATX CPU power extension cable this can also be routed around the back too.
So where does it fall short? Well, it’s hard to pick fault with Trooper because it has just about every feature you could want, has all the space and provides great build quality. All this means that the case even without any components inside is just shy of 14KG. With kit inside its going to weigh approximately 18KG.
Priced at £139.99 inc. VAT (GBP) the Trooper is poised to take on Antec’s DF-85, BitFenix Colossus, Corsair’s 650D and 600T and even Cooler Master’s HAF-X. Some stiff competition indeed, and many of these cases offer individual features and characteristics. Trooper should be at the top of the pick though.
The bottom line is Trooper breaks all the boundaries in terms of what a case can offer both enthusiast and gamer. It will accommodate just about everyone’s needs in terms of options and styling. A top of the pick full-tower gaming chassis.
Pros
+ Unique visual appearance and styling
+ Versatile storage/cooling options
+ Multiple water-cooling accommodation spots
+ Clearance for high-end components
+ Great cable management
Cons
– Heavy
+ Unique visual appearance and styling
+ Versatile storage/cooling options
+ Multiple water-cooling accommodation spots
+ Clearance for high-end components
+ Great cable management
Cons
– Heavy
