CoolerMaster Wave Master Case Review - CoolerMaster Wave Master Case Review cont'd
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CoolerMaster Wave Master Case
The Case
The entire Wave Master case is made of brushed aluminum, including the front bezel. This isn't some cheap, low budget aluminum either. My first impressions could be described in one word. Wow. What we have here today is truly a fine piece of craftsmanship from CoolerMaster. The front bezel has a curvy construction, fitting the name Wave Master. Here are pictures of the case from the left, front, right, and close-ups of the bezel:
The front aluminum door, held down by shipping tape (excellent precaution by CoolerMaster), opens from the left and hinges on the right. It's tough to explain how incredibly smooth it feels, opening and closing... but I'll put it this way; you'll never grow tired of opening it to get to your drives. The door stays closed by means of a very weak magnet on the door, and steel screw on the left side of the case.
Beneath the door is four 5.25" bays with all aluminum covers, as well as one 3.5" bay. Very clean looking, to say the least. If you look closely at the aluminum plates above and below the drive bays, you'll notice that they are thick. These plates definitely make the case look and feel more solid, and are perfect examples of the Wave Master's unique exterior. The top plate is held down in a stylish fashion.
The back of the Wave Master resembles the backs of many other, previous CoolerMaster cases.
The most notable feature is the PSU back plate, which allows installation of the PSU from the back of the case as opposed to from the side. Having worked with many cramped cases in the past, this feature is much appreciated and excellent thinking on CoolerMaster's part. Here are pics of the PSU back plate, cage, and the installation of an Enermax EG365P-VE 350W PSU.
A PS II Redundant PSU back plate is also included with the case. Its screw positions are a little different. Another notable feature of CoolerMaster cases is that they are totally tooless; meaning every screw used (aside from the PSU and drives) is a thumbscrew.
CoolerMaster's new side panel design have handles at the end for easier access.
They are held in place by three thumbscrews each, and come off very easily.
The removable motherboard tray of the Wave Master, another feature common in CoolerMaster cases, is the best I've seen from different manufactures. It's held in place by four thumbscrews, and runs along two rails at the top and bottom of the case.
The embedded fittings on the motherboard tray sometimes restricts the tray from being pulled out when the right side panel is left attached. Here's what I mean:
Easily remedied, but it is still a rare oversight made by CoolerMaster. At the top of the case there are top mount USB, IEEE1394, and audio connections. The cover plate that springs open when pushed down, comes nicely taped down when shipped.
The inside of the Wave Master looks a lot like any other CoolerMaster case.
Drives are installed in an old fashioned style, by screwing them in from both the left and right. People who are used to drive rails will have to adjust to this. Holding a drive in one hand while trying to screw it into place with the other isn't exactly a piece of cake, but can be done. The upside to this design is better cooling. The drive cages act as a heatsinks for the drives installed.
On all three auxiliary fans, CoolerMaster has installed grills on both side of each fan. The intake fans are powered by four pin Molex connectors while the exhaust is powered by a three-pin motherboard connector (w/ RPM monitoring). The fans themselves seem to be identical, and all run very quiet. The exhaust spins at ~2200 RPM. Here's are shots of the dual fan intake and single exhuast:
The PC speaker is placed at the bottom middle of the case.
At the top of the case is a little PCB board for the top mounted USB, Firewire, and audio connections. The cables which extend from the board to the motherboard can be removed if not used.
From the right side of the case there are two power connectors for the blue LEDs hidden at the front of the case. When powered on, they give a very nice "ocean" effect.
The bottom of the Wave Master has four, quality looking rubber feet. CoolerMaster simply delivers 110% with their cases.
You've seen the case. Now lets begin installing some components.
Next: CoolerMaster Wave Master Case Review Cont'd >>
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