Conclusion
It’s little things like the use of thumbscrews and drive covers, the placing of the cable routing holes and tie off points, the rubber pads for the power supply. Many of these features are present in other cases and they are nothing new but it’s worth noting that they have been well implemented here.
What would we do differently now that we have used it? The fan controller beeps as you adjust it – this could be annoying for some people. Also, the stock fans are ok but it would have been nice to have a rear 140mm with white LEDs in it to showcase the interior through that nice big window. We understand that the drive cages can be used in 2 different configurations, perhaps having the default as straight through from the front would be better.
The X-Dock is a nifty feature but we can’t see ourselves using it any time soon, there is a rack in the floor of the case for SSDs and most removable storage is going to be USB these days rather than swapping out 2.5″ drives. The HDD Dock on the Cooler Master 690-II Advanced was much more practical as it was useful for both 3.5″ and 2.5″ drives – and we have heaps of 3.5″ hard drives lying around without a single 2.5″ drive in sight.
These are all minor gripes and not deal breakers.
In our opinion this the best case that Cooler Master has released. Whilst the black and white design is an aesthetic factor that will appeal to some people and not to others, it can hardly be considered offensive. We really liked the Cooler Master Storm Trooper case which is all black and very close to the Stryker in terms of it’s design. As we built our gaming rig inside this case, we appreciated the thought and planning of the design team.
PROS |
CONS |
Quality build construction | This thing is heavy. It might have a handle or two but you won’t want to carry it far unless you’re also into protein shakes |
Integrated fan controller | Beeping fan controller could be annoying |
Quality grills and dust covers | |
Orientation of the drive cages can be changed | |
Carry handle is built into the chassis | |
The roof comes off cleanly, without any cables attached | |
Easy to build in | |
Nice space behind motherboard tray for cables | |
Big window if that’s your thing | |
Price – at around the $200 mark, its well priced. | |