Conclusion
With
its cavernous dimensions and high build quality, coupled with an
appealing anodised aluminium finish, presented in black, the ATCS 840, at first
glance,
looks
like pretty good value, priced at around £188.
The removable motherboard tray
along with the tool-less drive bays make
installation a breeze, and there are enough low-speed
fans pre-fitted to
offer reasonable airflow. In addition, the intake fans are also
supplied with
removable
dust-filters, which should help keep things dust-free
inside.
On closer inspection though,
one or two niggles start to show through and it
becomes obvious where corners have been cut.
Although fitted with a filter, the front fan is very hard to access due to the over-secure attachment mechanism for the aluminium front panel which sits in front of it. Also, no anti-vibration mounts have been used on the fans or 5.25in drive-bays, thus mechanical noise is higher than it should be at this price-point.
The lack of sound-deadening material pre-applied to
the
side-panels is also disappointing to see (or should that be hear, eh?
Ed.). As
such, the loud, whining produced by the 780i SLI MCP fan (even when on
auto-fan-control), is clearly audible even with all the side-panels
attached.
These
minor niggles coupled with the occasional mechanical annoyances such as
the motherboard
tray-slides not working smoothly and the fiddly fitting of optical
drives in
the 5.25in drive-bays serve to detract from an otherwise decent chassis.
Overall then, despite its niggles, the ATCS 840 acquits itself quite well even if it doesn't quite live up to its illustrious past.
So if you're in the market for a high-end, full-tower, all-aluminium chassis, and aren't so fussed about having a silent PC, the Cooler Master ATCS 840 is worth considering.
Pros
Removable motherboard tray which makes installing the
motherboard expansion cards a breeze
Quick-release tool-less 3.5in drive bays
Tool-less 5.25in drive bays
Cut-out on the motherboard tray which allows fitting and removal of
through-the-motherboard-fitting CPU coolers
Choice of PSU mounting location and even the possibility of installing
two PSUs
All intake fans have removable dust filters.
All 3-pin fans fitted are also supplied with 3-4 pin Molex adapters.
Cons
The fans that are supplied as standard aren't fitted on
anti-vibration mounts
5.25in drive-bay mounting mechanisms not fitted with anti-vibration
mounts
No sound-deadening material has been pre-applied any part of the
chassis.
Front fan filter very difficult to access due to difficult to remove
front panel
No fan supplied for use with the supplied external air duct
HEXUS Rating
HEXUS.net scores products out of 100%, taking into account technology, implementation, stability, performance, value, customer care and desirability. A score for an average-rated product is a meaningful ‘50%’, and not ‘90%’, which is common practice for a great many other publications.
We consider any product score above '50%' as a safe buy. The higher the score, the higher the recommendation from HEXUS to buy. Simple, straightforward buying advice.
HEXUS Where2Buy
The Cooler Master ATCS 840 price remains at £240 at
most etailers, but this is due to drop to £188 very soon,
we're reliably informed.
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.
