The CM COSMOS II Ultra Tower is finally here. Can this aluminium XL-ATX computer chassis destroy all competition? Let’s find out!
Product on Review: COSMOS 2 Ultra Tower
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Cooler Master
Street Price: £339.98 inc. VAT (At time of review)
Cooler Master have been producing and designing computer cases for 20 years and with such a long spell in the industry have come to attain plenty of experience. Their products are revered by enthusiasts the world over and we are here once again to look at one of their newest and much anticipated computer cases from the COSMOS series.
The new COSMOS 2 is deemed the flagship of Cooler Master, defined as the ‘ultra tower’ this computer chassis brings style and luxury to a much loved series that hasn’t seen a new addition for many years. It’s fair to say that the community has been eagerly awaiting the COSMOS 2 for some time, so join with us over the series of pages as we check out this new chassis.
VIDEO REVIEW – VORTEZ TV
Cooler Master’s take on COSMOS II
The COSMOS 2 Ultra Tower features a streamlined design accentuated by a pair of distinctive handles like no other. The smooth, brushed aluminum touch of the side panels unlock and swing open like the doors of a luxurious race-car. Hidden behind the front slide cover lies a stack of hot-swappable drive bays. The black interiors provide enough space for oversized XL-ATX System Boards equipped with 4 double width graphics accelerators. A second slide cover on top hides the Advanced Control Panel to manage up to 10 fans and their respective LED lights. The combination of its elegant looks, numerous expansion options and features make the COSMOS 2 a “Dream Case”.
Technical Specifications
Available Color Midnight Black
Material Exterior: Aluminum, Mesh, Synthetics;
Interior: Steel-Alloy, Synthetics, Rubber
Dimensions (W / H / D) 344(W) x 704(H) x 664(D)mm / 13.5 x 27.7 x 26.1 inch
Weight 22kg / 48.5 lb
M/B Type Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX, XL-ATX, SSI CEB, SSI EEB
5.25″ Drive Bay 3
3.5″ Drive Bay 13 (2 from X-dock, Middle cage for 5 HDDs, Bottom cage for 6 HDDs)
2.5″ Drive Bay 11 (converted from 3.5″ bay)
I/O Panel USB 3.0 x 2, USB 2.0 x 4, e-SATA x 1, Audio In and Out
Expansion Slots 10+1
Cooling System
Front: 200mm LED fan x 1, 700 RPM, 19 dBA
(converted from 120/140mm x 1)
Top: 120mm black fan x 1, 1200 RPM, 17 dBA
(converted from 200mm fan x 1/140mm fan x 2/ 120mm fa
Rear: 140mm fan x 1, 1200 RPM, 19 dBA
Side: 120mm fan x 2 (optional)
HDD: Mid.HDD: 120x25mm fan x 1 (optional)
Bottom HDD: 120mm fan x 2, 1200 RPM, 17 dBA
Power Supply ATX PS2 / EPS 12V
Maximum Compatibility
CPU cooler height: 190mm / 7.48 inch
Graphics card length: 385mm / 15.15 inch
Packaging & First Look
Being an extremely large computer chassis COSMOS 2 arrives in an equally large box. The front of the packaging has a depiction of the case. As is typical with computer case packaging the specifications can be found on the side whilst significant features are illustrated and listed on the rear of the box.
Inside, the case is covered in a clear plastic sheet and dual polystyrene pillars keep the COSMOS 2 from moving around.
COSMOS 2 packaging
Upon initial impressions COSMOS 2 is colossal of that there is no doubt. Both side panels are brushed aluminium and feature ventilation cut-outs. These side panels swing open and act as doors rather than removable panels.
As is customary to the COSMOS series there are bars that run from the front to the back of the case at the top and bottom. Whether you like the styling of an enthusiast or gamer type of computer chassis you should be able to appreciate the professional aesthetics.
Sleek, professional aesthetics
Aluminium side doors with ventilation honeycomb mesh
With an initial look complete let’s take a closer look at the outside features of COSMOS 2 over the page.
Exterior
The front of COSMOS 2 features a moveable panel, this can cover the 5.25” drive bay area or the large honeycomb mesh area below by simply sliding it up or down – this panel also features the Cooler Master emblem.
Around the back, beginning at the bottom there is an area marked out for mounting the PSU. Above this there are 10x PCI expansion slot covers, each having ventilation cut-outs for better airflow within the chassis. Next to these covers there is a vertically aligned PCI plate for attaching a device such as a fan controller. At the top of this back panel there is a mesh section for the 140mm rear exhaust fan and finally above this there are 3x circular rubber grommets for water-cooling tubing.
The front and back of COSMOS 2
The lower mesh area on the front panel can be detached quite easily. Upon removal this panel can be cleaned if required as there is a 200mm LED intake fan located at the front here.
Removable front panel – 200mm LED intake fan
The front panel controls are split into two sections. The first section that faces the front features a range of useful ports. These ports include:
• Headphone/Microphone jack
• E-SATA port
• 2x USB 3.0 ports (via motherboard header)
• 4x USB 2.0 ports
Front panel controls include dual USB 3.0 ports
Above these ports is another section of controls. This shiny metallic control hub contains the power/reset buttons and a range of areas to alter the speed of cooling fans within COSMOS 2. The user can control: Front, back, top, HDD, GPU and LED.
Handy fan controller with power/reset buttons
On the next page we will continue looking at the outside of COSMOS 2.
Exterior (Continued)
The top of COSMOS 2 features another sliding panel – this can either conceal the fan controller buttons or expose them. Further back there is a large steel mesh section to aid air cooling; this top panel can actually be removed. Seen in the picture below are the rails that run from the front to the back of COSMOS 2.
Top panel with sliding cover for fan controller buttons
To remove the top panel a thumbscrew must be removed – upon removing this panel a pre-installed 120mm black fan (1200 RPM, 17 dBA) is already attached and positioned as an exhaust. There is also space for another 2x 120mm fans and sufficient space for mounting a standard 240mm water-cooling radiator in the roof.
Top panel removed to reveal cooling options
Finally, the underside of COSMOS 2 again has the rails – these rails do obviously come into contact with the ground/surface so Cooler Master has attached rubber pads to prevent slipping or scratching. The underside of the case has a removable dust filter for the PSU fan. This can be removed and cleaned.
The underside of COSMOS 2
With the external inspection now complete let’s move inside the case for a good look at the internal elements over the page.
Interior
Unlike a vast majority of computer cases currently on the market, COSMOS 2 doesn’t have thumbscrews to attach side panels nor does it even have side panels but rather a pair of solid pivoting doors. To open the doors, a latch simply needs to be pressed in a downwards fashion and 3 pins pop out of the robust locking mechanism. This method of getting into the case presents easy entry into the chassis and without the need for a screwdriver or any effort for that matter.
With the side door of the prominent side open there is an immediate sense of quality and space. The interior is laden with features enabling the enthusiast to furnish COSMOS 2 with their much loved hardware – including XL-ATX. There are tool-less design mechanisms throughout and even a lower chamber for the PSU and dual cooling fans. More on this a little later.
Behind the motherboard tray there are lots of cable management grommets to keep everything tidy as well as numerous accommodation for HDDs in both the upper and lower regions.
Spacious internal layout with a multitude of features
Cable management is high on the list of priorities
Moving inside for a closer look – the PSU area has a projected stand inside a lower chamber (separate from the rest of the system) that features a thin layer of rubber pad to prevent vibrations and scratching. As we have seen in the previous section there is a dust filter on the underside of this section. It may not appear that there is much space here but the area extends out of the case to allow bigger PSUs to fit inside the chassis without a problem.
Padded PSU area
In the main section of COSMOS 2 there are 10x PCI expansion slot covers – each with the ventilation holes and thumbscrews for easy removal. To the side there is a vertically aligned cover for attaching a device such as a fan controller.
Up to 10x PCI expansion slot covers for multi-GPU configurations
On the next page we will continue our tour of the inside of COSMOS 2.
Interior (Continued)
Moving further up there is a 140mm rear exhaust fan 140mm fan (1200 RPM, 19 dBA) and a
120mm top exhaust fan (1200 RPM, 17 dBA). There is also space for attaching another 2x120mm fans at the top. These pre-installed fans can have their speed controlled by the buttons at the front of COSMOS 2.
140/120mm exhaust cooling fans
On the other side of the chassis there are 3x tool-less design mechanisms for getting 5.25” devices into the COSMOS 2. The large button simply needs to be pressed in when the drive is in position. Beneath these 3x 5.25” drive bays are another 2 slots. As you can see from the picture, these slots have SATA cables already attached because you can use this area for hot-swapping 2.5” or 3.5” drives.
Tool-less design mechanisms for optical drives
Beneath this there is a HDD cage that houses 5x HDDs – 2.5” or 3.5”. On the inside of this cage is a 200mm LED intake cooling fan.
HDD cage to accommodate up to 5x 2.5/3.5” drives
In the lower chamber next to the PSU area is a swinging door that has dual 120mm fans attached to it. On the inside of these cooling fans are another 2x HDD cages with a further 6x trays for attaching 2.5” or 3.5” drives. These cages are removable and water-cooling radiators can be installed – more on this later.
Dual 120mm fans on a swinging door
HDD cages on the inside – another 6 slots for 2.5”/3.5” drives
With the full inspection of COSMOS 2 now complete let’s install our system inside the case and report back on this process over the page.
Installation
For the purpose of this review I have switched configurations from AMD to Intel. Since COSMOS 2 is a rather large XL-ATX chassis I wanted to demonstrate how an XL-ATX setup would look like inside the case. As you can see from the picture below, COSMOS 2 has no trouble in accommodating the massive MSI Big Bang Marshal motherboard. It always helps having plenty of space within the case you are installing kit inside both for general installation and making sure cable management is on top form. Cooler Master also included a CPU power extension cable so that this can be directed behind the motherboard tray.
The only negative aspect from first-hand experience of installing kit inside COSMOS 2 is the sheer weight of this case. It weighs 25KG without anything inside it and so, moving the chassis around, flipping it on its side and lifting it is partly a hindrance. Apart from this, I am very pleased with the process of installing kit inside COSMOS 2.
A very tidy installation even for XL-ATX
Cable management is easy to maintain
There are various cages within COSMOS 2 for installing a HDD. Each cage features a series of HDD trays, these trays can accommodate 2.5” or 3.5” drives. Pictured is a 3.5” drive – the drive simply slots into the tray and the pins attach to the sides. To install a 2.5” drive inside the tray screws need to be attached to the bottom.
These trays whilst plastic are in fact very sturdy with steel mesh on the lever.
HDD trays will accommodate both 2.5” and 3.5” drives
On the next page we will look at the clearance CPU cooler, GPU, water-cooling options available in COSMOS 2.
Clearance – CPU, GPU, WC, Cable Management
Clearance inside a chassis is essential to enthusiasts, in this section we will be looking at all areas to reveal just how flexible COSMOS 2 really is.
Beginning at the CPU cooler, Cooler Master state that there is enough clearance for up to 190mm for this particular hardware. Installed within COSMOS 2 is the hugely popular Noctua NH-D14 which is 160mm in total height, as you can see from the picture there is still plenty of space even with this giant cooler inside.
Lots of space for flagship CPU coolers like Noctua NH-D14
It’s the same situation for the graphics card clearance too. Cooler Master claim there is up to 15” of clearance before the card touches the HDD cage. The biggest graphics card currently on the market does not exceed 12” in length – pictured is the NVIDIA GTX480 which is 11” in length, there you can see there is an abundance of clearance.
Up to 15” in clearance for graphics cards
There is space at the top of COSMOS 2 for water-cooling radiators after removing the pre-installed fan. Unfortunately, this only includes the thinner (standard) type of water-cooling radiator and the Phobya G Charger 240 that we use for reviews didn’t fit as pictured – it was simply too thick and overlapped the motherboard.
Only thinner radiators will fit at the top of COSMOS 2
At the bottom of COSMOS 2 you can also fit a 240 radiator. After removing the screws and HDD cages the radiator simply slides into the lower section and mounting screws can be attached on the alternate side.
240 water-cooling radiator fits at the bottom
Behind the motherboard tray there is over 2.5cm of clearance between the door and the tray which gives more than adequate amount of space for ensuring good cable management practises are maintained.
Up to 2.5cm of clearance behind the motherboard tray
On the next page we will investigate the thermal performance of COSMOS 2.
Thermal Performance Testing
Typically we would be using the AMD X6 system for case reviews but since the COSMOS 2 is such a large chassis we thought it would be a better idea to show its full potential by using an XL-ATX system inside. With this being the first time we have done this there is only one other comparable XL-ATX computer chassis to put the COSMOS 2 up against – the NZXT Switch 810.
Inside COSMOS 2 there are 5 pre-installed fans positioned in traditional airflow regions which should create good, positive airflow.
To discover the thermal performance of the COSMOS 2 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. Fan controller will be set to high for all fans.
For the purpose of accurate analysis the idle and load temperatures for CPU and GPU will be recorded and the range between idle and load will be calculated to determine how efficient cooling is.
NOTE: Ambient temperature is 20C
System Components
CPU Intel Core i5 2500K
Motherboard MSI Big Bang Marshal (P67)
Graphics ZOTAC NVIDIA GTX 480 AMP
Memory 8GB Kingston HyperX Genesis 1600MHz CL9
HDD Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA-II
PSU FSP AURUM GOLD 650M
Conclusion
It’s been a long time coming but does the new COSMOS 2 (as its official name suggests) deliver an ultra-tower to the enthusiast?Let me tell you, I was a big fan of the previous COSMOS series and I’ve been eagerly awaiting the COSMOS 2 release. Cooler Master certainly got their marketing gloves on with this launch, teasing the community with pictures on their Facebook pages and creating landing pages with countdown timers.
COSMOS 2 is a colossal case, of that there is no doubt. If you are looking for an extra-large computer chassis with every feature you could ever want then Cooler Master have ticked the box. COSMOS 2 can accommodate big flagship CPU coolers, the biggest graphics cards on the market, XL-ATX motherboards and even cater for water-cooling enthusiasts in a variety of spots.
Unlike almost every case currently on the market that feature removable side panels with thumbscrews COSMOS 2 moves away from this common approach and instead offers an elegant method via thick, aluminium swinging doors. The countless features inside re-assure you that this is indeed a premium product, every avenue has been thought of – including numerous HDD cages for expanding storage options, all tool-less too.
The size, features and materials do unfortunately mean that COSMOS 2 weighs an incredible amount for a computer chassis. Without any components inside, COSMOS 2 weighs 25KG. This does mean that moving the case around does have its limitations.
Priced at £340 inc. VAT COSMOS 2 is indeed a costly investment but we are constantly reminded that this case is the ultimate offering. Those who are on the hunt for something that will literally accommodate anything plus adding style and charisma to the workspace then the COSMOS 2 has it all.
Pros
+ Aesthetically very pleasing
+ Fantastic quality inside and out
+ Very spacious even with XL-ATX
+ Thick swinging side doors
+ Multitude of controls at the front
+ Cable management is easy to uphold
Cons
– Plastic used around edges
– Very heavy – 25KG without components
– A costly investment
+ Aesthetically very pleasing
+ Fantastic quality inside and out
+ Very spacious even with XL-ATX
+ Thick swinging side doors
+ Multitude of controls at the front
+ Cable management is easy to uphold
Cons
– Plastic used around edges
– Very heavy – 25KG without components
– A costly investment
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to Cooler Master for providing today’s review sample.
