CoolerMaster Sniper Black Edition Review :: Interior

Opening the case is pretty easy. There are four thumb screws holding the sides of the case to the case. Unscrewing the screws and sliding off the side panels reveals the interior of the case. The left side door is a mesh design with a 200mm fan on the side. The pattern of the mesh is broken up by metal bars, reinforcing the military look.

Side panel

Side fan

Motherboard tray

Rear fan

The motherboard area is fitted to install an m-ATX or full-sized ATX motherboard. There is a paper inlay that shows the user the positions to install the stand-offs. The tray is not removable, but there is a large hole for removing the CPU Bracket and cooler without removing the motherboard from the case beforehand.

There are five 5.25” bays and five 3.5” drive bays on this case. One change from the previous Sniper case is the addition of support for SSD 2.5” drives. The bottom 5.25” drive bay has an adapter for FDDs if you want, but the use of FDDs is extremely limited as everything a FDD can do a Flash USB drive can do. The drive bays are tool-less with no need for screws. .

5.25” drive bays

3.5” drive bays

Top 200mm fan

Rear I/O

The system has a 200mm top fan, a 200mm front fan and a 200mm fan on the side panel. There is also a 120mm fan on the rear of the case for cooling the motherboard area. This is identical to the Sniper Storm in configuration, and there is also a 140mm bottom fan. Three 200mm fans are excellent for ventilation of the system.

PSU Fan filter

Bottom fan mount

Water-cooling holes

Water-cooling holes

The Rear I/O area of the case has room for 7 PCI slots for expansion cards. The slots use a plastic clip to hold the card into place. Alternatively, you can also screw them into place if you wish. Cooler Master decided to include their StormGuard PCI slot cover. The way it works is you thread your mouse or keyboard wire through the holes and screw it into the PCI slot. Short of opening the case and removing the StormGuard, would-be thieves are deterred. The PSU area is on the bottom of the case.