Customer Reviews

Cooler Master SGC-6000-KXN1-GP Storm Sniper ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case (Black)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Let me keep this simple since my last attempt to write this review was ahem compromised by my stupidity :).

Pros:
* QUIET!!!!!!! Even on high Fan settings its barely audible. Even with an addition 140mm Noctua 140mm Fan NF-P14 FLX on the bottom its nice and quiet.
* Spacious design and nice cabling options behind the motherboard tray - fit a Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler in there but had to ditch the 120mm 2nd fan on the cooler... my memory required me to shift up the fan which is a nice feature on that cooler BTW but that made it hit the side.
* Tool-less drive bays
* QUIET!!!!!!!!!!
* Nice look and input panel on top.
* DID I SAY ITS QUIET?!?! Disclaimer: my last case while spacious only had 80mms and it was like a leaf blower in a wind tunnel... was hard to watch TV low with the old case running. Hence why I REALLY appreciate the quietness of the case.

Cons:
* Wiring could be a tiny bit neater but its really quite adequate. Besides you can always reroute it yourself.
* You can shut off the LED lighting on the fans which is slick but the power and HD LEDs are ridiculously bright.. I mean like Batman-busting-through-by-window-thinking-I'm-shining-the-BatSignal bright... but you can cover with black tape if need be.

Very nice case. Holds everything that you could want in a case this size, while looking sleek in doing so.

Specs
- Motherboard = Asus P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366
- CPU = Intel Core i7-920
- Heatsink = Zalman CNP9900
- PSU = Kingwin Mach 1 ABT 1000W
- Memory = OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
- V Card = Asus Radeon 5850
- Optical drive = Samsung Combo Blu-ray drive
- Fan Controller = NZXT SEN-001LX Sentry LX

Pros
- Holds my full length Radeon 5850 with lots of room to spare
- Holds my Zalman CNPS9900 oversized heat sink with lots of extra room.
- Black interior paint gives it a really nice clean/sleek look with LED's inside. (Not enough Cases have this done, why?)
- Removable and easy to clean dust filters
- Toolless drive bays and rubber hard drive mounts that are also toolless work great.
- Handles make it easy for carrying and are very sturdy/solid.
- The motherboard tray has lots of slots to run/manage your cables and it comes with zip ties. I found this amazing on this case and a must for any future cases I buy. I will always compare their cable management abilities to this one from now on. Easy to do and lots of room behind the tray to hide extra wiring.
- Water block mounting hole on motherboard tray will appeal to some.
- Very nice and ultimately a great looking design. It definitely does some storm sniping :)

Cons
- Wish it had a dust filter under the bottom mount PSU spot, since most PSU's are going to suck are up from the bottom and blow it out the back. Sure it may be a pain to clean all the filters, but it keeps them running much longer and more efficient. Heat is the enemy, and nothing creates heat like a dirty clogged up case, or PSU. I personally took the bottom off and cut out my own filter to put over the PSU air slots, so this problem is solved on mine, but still wish it was sold with a removable one, especially since all other spots on the case have this.

- Pretty heavy case, could definitely be lighter weight, but the handles really do help out a lot.
- Removable motherboard tray wasn't not at all a problem for me, but I could see how some may not like that fact. I was nervous about it at first when I bought it, but once I began working on it I never experienced any issues with it besides when I was inserting the motherboard. Thank god I put the heatsink on outside the case or I could see how this would have been a real pain.
- More customizable fan inserts would be nice, but I can see why they didn't do so with the room inside. If you are wanting to go crazy with fans I would recommend a bigger case, but this one will hold its fair share.
- The front looks slightly plain at first look in its picture, although I still really liked its look. This is easily made better when you add things to the front drive bays.
- No side window, just grating with mesh filter wasn't for me. I replaced the side panel with the window side panel they make for this case for
25$ and it was well worth it. I took the 200mm fan and installed it onto the hard drive bays side, so that it pulls air from the front intake fan and blows it even more to the rest of the case. No Slots for this to be done, but its not at all hard to do and looks nice with the window.

Many of those cons are nit picky and just my personal preference. I don't believe most of those will effect most buyers and for the most part should not sway your decision away from buying this case. I fixed many of them without buying anything I didn't plan on buying in the first place. So its definitely a 5 out of 5 for me.

First off, this is a HUGE case. Double-check the dimensions before you buy because it's a lot bigger than the typical mid-tower case. If you had planned to put it on a desktop, forget it. The size is put to good use, though, with 3 giant 200mm (8 inch) fans while still having the width to accommodate a 7.25 inch high CPU cooler. The beauty of these big fans is they move a lot of air while turning very slowly, making very little noise. I keep mine set at about 20% and the only thing I hear is the fan on the video card.
It manages a high tech look while still keeping it tasteful. The fans have blue LEDs that look good lit up, and you can turn them off if you choose. The audio and USB connections are up on top where they're easy to reach. I found the power LED so intensely bright that I had to disconnect it from the motherboard. I'm not sure I get the "military weapon" styling they refer to, beyond the fact that the top of the case has a vague resemblance to a "Picatinny rail" rifle accessory mount. That top incorporates carry handles to haul this beast around with, and the handle area is steel reinforced.
It is nearly completely tool-less, with swing open latches for hard drives and the most secure tool free optical bays I've seen. The latches for accessory cards could use some revision as they don't want to close over fully enclosed video cards as the top of the card enclosure blocks the latch from closing. They can be removed and replaced with a screw if required. The side panels are the same old slide forward and screw on style - boring, but they fit together well and move smoothly. Construction is solid with no buzzing. Paint finish is excellent and so far has been quite durable.
It's well worth the price, give this one a look.

Pros:
1. Plenty of ventilation and fans
2. LOVE the external fan control knob (Be sweet to have separate knobs to control the cpu cooler and graphics card!)
3. The handles on the top are very convenient when it comes to moving the case (however I do wish that the handles had more indentations so that my fingers can get a better grip).
4. Installing hard drives and disk drives require no tools
5. I like how the feet can be rotated. This helps increase the sturdiness of the case.
6. Looks good inside and out with the black finish

Cons:
1. Oddly there is not a dust filter at the bottom of the case where the PSU intakes air. This is odd because Coolermaster did a very thorough job of placing filters elsewhere.
2. Motherboard tray is not removable.
3. I think there is a little too much plastic on this case (but then again it does make the case a little lighter).

Other comments:
- Although it says that the side panel is optional...my case came with a 200mm side panel LED fan already installed (so I had 3 200mm LED fans already in the case!)...So if you are ordering online, I suggest purchasing the case first before purchasing any additional fans to save the trouble of having to return any extras.
- I don't know why people complain about cases being dusk magnets. Isn't it logical that an intake fan will have the tendency to draw in airborne dust? The dust filters are there to prevent the dust from getting in. They are not dust repellents, they are dust FILTERS. Just do a simple brush off every once in a while and it's all good.
- Turning the fan control knob up all the way up makes a difference of only a couple of degrees Celsius compared to turning the fan knob down all the way...however the noise lever is significantly different. Therefore, generally I prefer to keep my knob all the way down unless I'm planning on some intense gaming for long periods of time.

I love this case...and I think it is the best mid tower case in the market...definitely worth the price!

I have spent a lot of time looking at PC cases for new builds. After a long time, this was my choice. I've now got 2 builds done, and expect to do 3 more over the summer. They will all be with this case. Without any doubt this is the best case I've ever used.

First and foremost, it is quiet. While it has fans just about everywhere, they are amazingly quiet. As a quiet PC is a very important concern of mine, this case met my need without any compromise. Next, airflow, it has mesh on just about every side, and a fan on all but one side. Even the bottom has a power supply pushing air out, plus an option 80mm fan mount already installed. Keeping this case cool is no problem.

It can handle large power supplies (bottom mount only), and has alternate feet. You can decide what sort of feet you want. Aesthetically the blue lighting is soothing, and the mesh allows you to look in and see what is happening. Overall it's got an awesome presence.

The only tools you'll need are to open the case initially (as the thumb screws are a bit tight). After that, most case management can be done by hand. Both sides of this case remove with ease. The 5" exposed DVD / CD bays and the 3.5" internal bays all allow mounting without tools. A single 2.5" mounting kit is included.

All wires are clearly labeled. The motherboard mounting holes are clearly labeled for micro-ATX and ATX. This case only supports micro-ATX and ATX sizes, but has about 14" is room for a video card (depending on your motherboard design, my Asus motherboard has nothing in the way and there is 14" of internal room for PCI-E cards inside this case).

There are some nice touches, the secure feature to wrap the mouse and keyboard USB cables snugly to the case is good, however anyone with a screwdriver could just pop open the case and release them.

There are a few downsides. This case has no speaker. The LED / Fan in is about half way up the case and is molex (it only uses 2 pins). The front USB ports tend to have cables hanging down the front of the device, and can block or interfere with the DVD drive. The handles really aren't handles per say, they allow you to more easily lift it, but aren't as helpful as I'd like.

The large 200 mm fan on the side tends to create a dust in the mesh that makes it appear a slightly different color than the rest of the unit. Which may be a positive as it indicates cleaning is necessary to secure appropriate airflow.

Personally I like a manual fan control, though my motherboard has an automatic control. I prefer to keep my PC quiet, I set the motherboard to turn off if it gets too hot in the BIOS.

If you want a wonderful, quiet, large (for a mid-tower) case that is very open and has great air flow, this is your case. It is well made, and a bit light for it's size.

This case is a monster! I was not at all ready for the size of the thing when it showed up. Everybody covered the pro's well but after having this case for a year I can think of a few cons.

-The fans that come with it are not the best quality. I have replaced them all to improve airflow.
-The front panel is not at all accessible from the inside. I have 2 USB ports that are not working and have no way to get to the back of the front panel to find out what's going on.
-Using the handle once the tower was fully loaded caused one of the rivits to rip out. Use this with caution if at all once its filled up.
-The front panel air filter is seated behind a mesh panel (seen on the lower section of the face of the tower). This panel is held in place by 4 plastic brads. One of them broke the first time I took it off to clean it.
-The "Sniper" name plate looks kind of cheap, quickly removed that.
-The activity LEDS are WAY too bright. If you look at them in the dark you will lose your night vision. Seriously... they are really bright.

Upgraded to this case from an Antec 900 and it was the perfect upgrade! Lots of room in this case, nice airflow, and it just looks cool

Also - This case has a bottom fan option as well as holes in the bottom so you can reverse your power supply (usually with the power supply fan facing up) you can face it either way! Nice Option

Note - this Case is WIDER then any other case Ive seen, but that actually works out great, plenty of room for multiple large video cards.

This is my second Cooler Master Case. My first was a Centurion 5. I got this because I planned to overclock and I needed a case with great airflow.

Things I love

Sturdy - This case is well built. I love the tooless design. I was concerned a bit about the plastic retaining clips for the PCI E cards but so far they are holding steady.

Roomy - This case has lots of room under the MB tray. I was also able to fit a GTS 250 and Thermalright Venomous X no problem.

Air Flow - This case quiet moves lots of air. Keeps my i7 920 under idling under 40C at 3.9Ghz

Cons
It is a bit heavy once everything is in it but that not really a problem for me. It's not like I'm gonna be moving the thing around everyday.
The HDD activity light is really bright.

Bottom Line: If you're a gamer or overclocker and you want a solid case with good airflow. Get it!

Great case i love it keeps every thing icey cold well other than the covered graphics card but i cant do anything about that if you want more on the case go view my second picture it shows all the stuff i cramed into this case now if you don't have the money start saving and nerdy drooling... wait for it...now.

but over all this case is amazing i did strip out a tread for the bottom right side plate but it holds the screw so i'm still happy.
And i love that anywhere i have a fan on intake theres a dust cover X3.
I also love the built in fan controller yay for advancement innovation.
I want to liquid cool it if i do ill update the review.

One must wonder where these companies test these cases at before being approved for mass production. As everyone has mentioned, the LEDs on the main panel which show power on and HDD activity are beyond bright. So bright I think they'd blind you if you looked into them for too long. I kid you not. Cover them with tape after you get it, your eyes will thank you.

The quality of the rest of the case is superb. I originally was in the market for something in the sub $100 range. The CM 690 II Advanced had my eye. But why I went for this one was simple. The side panel fan. When I calculated the total for the stock Advanced + the optional case window with fan hole, the price put me within range of the Storm Sniper. Then it was just a matter of considering the features of each. While this doesn't have a window, I like the extra airflow which is good for my dual 460s.

Do I regret not going with the Advanced at all? No. Despite the light, the case is wonderful. I've done Antec builds for friends but I tend to go with CM for myself due to the tooless features. Because I am more likely to mess with my machine, I find unscrewing to be a huge pain. The Sniper is wonderful for this. My old case was a CM Cavalier tower. It had tooless but nothing like this. If that was version 1.0 of CM's tooless tech, then Sniper is like version 5.0. Much more advanced and easier. Installing 5.25in drives is a dream. The HDD trays are also quite a marvel, but they aren't pop on pop off like they look in the picture. Actually takes a little effort to remove a tray off an HDD.

Never seen such an easy to use case. Antecs have real nice build quality just like this, but are full of screws. The last major one I worked on was the Antec 1200. If you are building a tower that you never plan to really get into and want fans up the wazoo, go the 1200. Both cases have good airflow but I'd give the Antec the slight edge due to the number of fans and just the massive amount of interior space. You also can turn them up a little higher in speed than on the Sniper.

But the downside of the 1200 besides the screws, is that it is taller than this. Some cables will not reach all the way around the back from the PSU. This is using an Antec 750W PSU too. The PSU has very long power cables but even then it could not reach the motherboard connector in the 1200. The Sniper does just fine.

On the subject of cable management, the Sniper is better. At first I was impressed with the 1200. Most of the cables in the build I did, fit behind just fine but some were just too thick and then there was the main power cable which wouldn't reach. The Sniper, is quite opposite. There is lots of space behind the board to fit things thanks in part to the design of the door rising out in the middle. Only issue I found was minor and that was the tie down points in the Sniper are not as numerous as the 1200.

Overall the Sniper is a wonderful case. If you have dust problems like I do, you'll love it. The fan controls are easy to use and work well. Build itself is solid and it keeps my dual 460s nice n chilly. It is also a bit more user friendly than builds like Antec. The power button is large and easy to recognize by touch, whereas the 1200's is not much larger than it's reset button. But you will need to get inventive to fix the bright light problem. Other than that, good deal if you can pick this up on a sale. Looking forward to many years with this great case just like my last CM case.