Cosmos 1000 External
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There are two immediate impressions given by the Cosmos 1000, firstly it is heavy (17Kg) and secondly it is huge (266x598x628mm - WxHxD). This product dwarfs even the Thermaltake Kandalf which measures 220x530x560mm!
The front of the chassis has a black plastic panel (aluminium backed) with Cooler Master logo. Two strips of aluminium run down the sides and are curved on the outer edge so that this front panel can be opened by hand. Behind the door, which is reversible, there are five 5.25inch drive bays. One of these converts to a 3.5inch bay if required.
On some cases the removal of the drive bay covers is troublesome but on this product it is very simple. Push the clip on the side of the cover slightly and it pops out. Each cover is easily placed back in its bay if required and due to the design of the case front there is no need to remove the whole panel in order to install drives. At the bottom of the tower there is an air vent which is covered by the same mesh used on the drive bay covers. There is no fan behind this vent as the main intake fan is located in another position.
The two side panels on this case are solid with no fan or window available. The material is brushed aluminium and it is easy to see the two handles on top of the case as well as feet with a similar design. These feet lift the chassis about 2cm above the floor. To remove the side panel there is a grey latch at either edge of the case back. The latch is pulled up and a small mechanism inside the case pops the side out for easy removal. Replacement of the panel requires lining up the edges and pushing back into place.
As well as the side panel latches, on the back of the case is the location for the standard I/O bracket, PCI slots and PSU hole. In the past most cases stored the PSU at the top but like many new designs the Cosmos holds the power supply at the base of the chassis.
In-between the PSU and I/O locations are the PCI/PCIe/AGP slots, there are seven slots on this model and each is secured by thumbscrew. Towards the top of the case, above the two sets of vent holes, it is possible to see a pair of circular cut-outs with rubber inserts. These are pre-cut holes through which water-cooling tubes can be passed. This makes the installation of enthusiast cooling much easier than many other chassis.
The expansion ports, power/reset buttons and activity LED’s are found on the top. There are four USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out, a single firewire port and an eSATA socket. The location of these components is ideal when the case is placed on the floor beside the operators chair as they are at a perfect level and angle for easy access. At the back of the top side there is a removable vent covering a dust filter.
