Coolermaster ATCS 200 Version 2

Coolermaster have been around in the case world for some time now and the ATCS 200 was one of the first cases they released, so why are we reviewing this case again? Well Coolermaster have recently announced major price drops on the ATCS 200 and 201 and the new models are slightly different from the old ones. I am going to see what changes have been made and whether they improve the case or not.

What are the specs of the case?

• 5.25' Bays (exposed) x 3
• 3.5' Bays (Exposed) x 2
• 3.5' Bays (Shadow) x 6
• Form Factor: - ATX Mid-Tower, 
• Material: - Aluminium 
• Weight : 5.5Kg
• Dimensions 497 mm(L) x 196 mm(W) x 452 mm(H)
 
• Dual 80 mm x 8 mm x 25 mm Fan attached front panel.(in)
• One 80 mm x 80 mm x 25 mm Fan attached back panel.(out)
• One 80 mm x 80 mm x 25 mm Fan attached top panel.(out)
• Removable Motherboard tray

Lets have a look at the case

As you can see the ATCS 200 front the front hasn't changed much. The only obvious change is the front grill/mesh , now this no longer goes down to the bottom like in the previous version. The same black/dark grey border round the drives has been kept, as has the layout of drive bays. One dissapointing change is the changing of the switch gear from aluminium buttons to silver plastic. Also I was hoping that the LED's would be blue this time round, but this was not to be.
A major change is in the bay plates they have a new more substantional feel to them with raised buttons on the top to aid drive alignment (well I don't whether that was the intend use for them, but they do the job).

Round the back

The back of the case is where some of the big changes in the case have been made. The rear fan has a simple blowhole protected by a fan grill, which I much prefer over the old cut out grill. Also the ATX panel for ps2, usb sockets now has a plastic sheet over the top with quick reference icons for pluging in your mouse etc, this is a nice touch.

Getting inside

As with all coolermaster cases this is a breeze to get into , and has been made even easier with the new version. The side panels now have handles to help you pull them off. This is again something good to see. The sidepanels are now held in place by an extra thumbscrew to make it three. This holds the sidepanel in super tight to stop any vibration or air leaking. As with all the coolermaster cases the motherboard tray is removable , this again is held in with thumbscrews so its really simple to remove.

PSU Fitting

Now one of the major problems with the last version of the ATCS 200 was the way in which you fitted your psu, frankly it was a pain. You had to first remove the top panel then slide it in from above. It was a tight fit and some psu's didnt like it. To further compound this with dual fan PSU's some of the airflow was blocked by the PSU cage. Thankfully all this has now gone, PSU fitment is now much like the ATCS 210 , first a plate is removed from the back then you slide in the psu and replace the plate attaching the psu to it. This is much less painless, and now there is no blocking of the bottom fan, another big improvement.

Cooling

Now the cooling on this case is very very good it has been perfectly setup with the dual front intake fans. The rear fan now has been changed with better airflow due to less blockage. The top fan has been altered now from the previous version it is much more similar to the way the front fan is implemented. It has a mesh square in which the fans is placed and then this mesh is attached to the case. This improves the look of the top of the case no end.

All the fans are YS-tech's as with most Coolermaster cases, one change is that now the rear fan is a three pin version which means you can plug it into the motherboard and not have wires running all over the case. All the other fans a four pin molex connections as normal. The fans provide a good amount of airflow while not being too noisy. Overall the cooling is a tiny bit better than the previous version I noticed about a 1-2 degree drop, but its difficult to be precise due to changing abient temperatures

Pro's

• PRICE!
• New sidepanel handles
• Rear fan airflow improved
• Top fan looks and airflow improved
• PSU fitment improved
• ATX plate colour coding
• Bay plates more substantional
• PRICE!

Con's

• Cheap looking switches
• Still no blue led's
• Front grill change is love or hate

Conclusion

So is it better than the old version, yes! At the price that they are now at, a lot more people can afford to splash out on a Coolermaster. This case is still high quality and Coolermaster have not skimped to give the price drop. Those who have owned the old version will not be dissapointed if they get this new version.