A case for the masses from Coolermaster.
There are some cases that are simply a joy to review. Higher end Lian Li models come to mind, as do some of the fancier Thermaltake makes. But sometimes, a user is just going to want something reasonably simple, well-priced, and with enough cooling options that they can dabble in a bit of overclocking without turning their expensive gear into so much burnt silicon.
That describes Coolermaster's Gladiator to a T.
But, man... does it make it hard to review!
The Gladiator is a stolid example of a mid-size, mid-range case, with just enough features and design elements to separate it from the mediocre beige pack. The front fascia is a pleasing array of black mesh hiding a blue LED-lit fan, broken up only by a dark-chrome band that houses the IO ports. It's actually a very attractive look, at least to our eyes.
The left-hand panel features two meshed areas with optional fan mounts, while the top of case has single meshed area and a 140mm fan blowing warm out of the case. It's all plain black metal; nothing exciting, but no poor design decisions, either. The back is similar - bare metal, some drilled out areas for a boost in airflow, and another 120mm fan mount. In fact, the amount of fan mounts is pretty impressive, and with a few Scythe fans (as reviewed this issue on p.44) you could have a pretty thoroughly cooled case.
The interior picture is where the mid-range nature of this case really comes to light. It's all bare metal, with few whizz bang features. However, the edges are all well-finished, there's a nice cutout in the motherboard backing plate which should aide in keeping overcharged CPUs a wee-bit cooler, and some interesting tool-less design options. Well, actually, just one: the 5.25in bays are secured by a rather neat sliding latch that secures its charges nicely, and has a minimum of moving parts. Sadly, the tool-less option for the expansion slots is a riff on Thermaltake's annoying catch system, which is both remarkably insecure (compared to good old fashioned screws) and won't work with fully shrouded video cards, like a GTX280 or similar.
Then again, the size of this case all but precludes the use of larger cards, and don't even think about squeezing something the size of Galaxy's GTX 275. It simply will not fit, given the placing of the 3.5in drive bays, oriented to face out from the case-side.
Overall this is actually a pretty solid case for a simple PC build with some optional overclocking. It's well ventilated, looks pretty schmick for the price, and isn't too heavy. Sure, there are some flaws, but for a cheap and cheerful gaming case, or even something you might want to build for a non-1337 friend, it's a solid choice.
Check out the gallery of pics we shot.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012