Front: First impressions
The '280 and '281 are basically identical with the exception of the latter shipping with a VFD and remote control as standard. Due to the speed at which Cooler Master managed to provide us with a retail sample for review, we were seeded the cheaper of the two, the '280.
Measuring in at a respectable 480mm (L) 177mm (W) x 403mm (H) the 280-series chassis features a steel-based internal structure with removable steel panels, both left and right.
It’s no supermodel, that’s for sure, but first impressions are of a slick all-black chassis with minimal branding and little in the way of ugly exterior ports on show. Good, good.