Coolermaster ATC-201-SX1:

First thing I noticed was the weight of this case. It"s impressive how light this case is! Probably that also because there"s no PSU included. So actually, you pay about 250€ for a couple of shiny aluminum plates put together... In my eyes, this is way too expensive... But maybe there are a couple of things that justify this price, so let"s go out and search them!


As you can see on this picture, even a 12-year old can lift the case with one arm ;)

So, I opened the case and noticed the smooth edges around the case. This is nice but standard for a 200+ case. Few moments later, my eye felt on the included and installed fans, 4 in total (2 in front, 1 rear and 1 top-fan). This is nice, and certainly justifies the price a little bit more... But the question I asked myself was: is it really an advantage to have those fans already installed? Maybe the end-user wants to make his case more silent, using PAPST fans. Or maybe he wants to make it an overclockers case, using high-performance delta fans. In both cases, the already installed fans are useless...
Next thing I saw was the front USB-connector. This is a nice option and the USB ports are also covered and almost invisible when not used, thanks to the little door.
Something that I missed in the Chieftec cases is the possibility to remove the motherboard tray from the case. With the Coolermaster case, it is possible to do that.


Here you can see the 3 fans, the cables of the USB front connectors and the removable mobotray

The panels of the case are well finished. They are very reflective and can almost be used as mirrors.
Another thing that really surprised me was the number of thumbscrews in this case. Even the PCI brackets where screwed tight with thumbscrews. Very nice and very easy!



The mirror effect of the side panels and the thumbscrews at the PCI brackets

The test results:
Fans:
1 in the back 1 on top and 1 PSU fan pulling air OUT
2 in front pulling air IN

Temps:
Room: 22°C
Case: 31°C
CPU: 47°C

The results, as you can see by yourself, are not very impressive. I think the air filters in front of the case keep to much air from flowing into the case. Maybe the fans themselves weren’t that great, or maybe it"s a combination of both.
Anyway, for a 200+€ case, these temps are too high.

So, the question now is: is the case really worth the money? In my opinion, no... I think they shouldn"t include the fans, so the price could get a little lower. I also think that the case should be much cooler because of all the fans. OK, the case is beautiful and the mirror effect is pretty cool. The question I really ask myself is, "do I really need a shining case?" I don"t! But if you do care about the looks and like the mirror effects etc and/or you go to LAN parties often, where you like to show of with your case, then maybe this is the case for you!

Onto our final contender, Imperial style :-)