Introduction

As many dual processor enthusiasts know, finding a PC case large enough to handle extended ATX motherboards can be a real pain. There are only a few vendors that manufacture cases large enough to accommodate the sizes of the extended ATX form factor and quite frankly many of these cases are just not very good looking. You will usually find extended ATX cases in the form of rack mounted designs since extended ATX motherboards are usually targeted for server environments. Thus, I've always looked to the likes of Cooler Master to provide system chassis that are attractive, durable, and easy to use. The ATC-110B-SX1 is one such case that is ideal for anyone looking to house a large motherboard in a tower form factor. Come on in and check out what the case has to offer.

Packaging

The following are pictures of the packaging used for the Cooler Master ATC-110B-SX1. Cooler Master has always put a great deal of attention in packaging their system chassis.

One of the first things you'll notice when you receive a box housing a Cooler Master case is how light the overall package is. The box is huge but the contents are light. Why? It all boils down to the aluminum chassis.

The packaging comes with the case and the screws necessary for installing a motherboard and various components into the chassis.

Specifications

Physical Overview

The Cooler Master ATC-110B-SX1 is best summarized as a clean cut looking PC case. If there ever was a case that showcased elegance via simplicity, this would be one of them.

Looking at the front of the case, you'll initially notice there isn't anything of interest except for the front grill. The upper portion of the case is covered by an aluminum door. This door covers the four 5.25 inch and 2 3.5 inch visible drive bays. The door itself isn't held in place very securely so it's easy for it to swing open if you are moving the case around. Keep this mind if you happen to be shipping your system to another location. It's best to tape the door shut during transport.

The lower half of the front of the case has the large grill covering the two front case fans. This is a common design for Cooler Master cases of this type. To the right of the grill is the power button, LEDs for Power and Hard Drive activity and the Reset button.

The 110B-SX1 has a large window on the left hand side of the case. The window is held firmly into place along the aluminum panel so there's no real worry about the window piece coming loose from the PC.

You won't find anything of interest along the right side of the case.

The back of the case has one vent for a case fan and the usual assortment of openings for I/O brackets and PCI cards.

Here's a snapshot of the underside of the case. You'll notice the round case feet which are reminiscent of audio equipment feet. It's a very nice touch to a case this large..

There is a case fan vent on the top side of the case allowing output of air from the inside of the system.

The ATC-110B-SX1 is an easy case to take apart. Unscrew the rear thumbscrews and then slide the side panels off.

There is a motherboard tray on the 110B-SX1 which greatly simplifies motherboard installations. Once you work with a case that houses a motherboard tray - you'll never want to use a case that doesn't have one. Slide the tray out, screw on the motherboard and then slide the tray back into the case. Simple!

This is a shot of the case with the sides and the motherboard tray removed.

There is plenty of room on the inside of the case to work with - especially if you have a lot of hard drives or devices to install internally. Cooler Master bundles case fans for all the vents shown on the case. There are two case fans bringing in air from the front of the case. These fans can also cool any 3.5 inch drives that you install internally. This case is great if you want to stack a large number of drives in a RAID configuration.

Usage

The Cooler Master ATC-110B-SX1 was a joy to work with. As mentioned during the physical overview section, it's an easy case to take apart and to work with. The motherboard tray makes installing a motherboard a simple task of just removing the tray and screwing in the board. The only difficult part is connecting the case cables to the motherboard but that's a normally painful process no matter how you look at it.

The case is machined very nicely with no sharp corners to be found at all. You can easily install a large number of drives into the system in a matter of no time. The hardest part of using this case will be figuring out how to route the cables from all of your drives and devices.

The ATC-110B-SX1 is a very light case from a weight perspective. You'll notice that things will get noticeably heavier once all of your components are installed. However, the case will still feel very rigid even with everything installed - a testament to the design and construction of the ATC-110B-SX1.

If there is a downside to the 110B-SX1 - it would be the pricing. It's not a cheap case by any means especially when you consider most ATX cases are sub 100 dollars. However, you do get what you pay for with the Cooler Master 110B-SX1. This case is sturdy, light, extremely easy to work with and use, and houses extended ATX motherboards.

Cooler Master no longer shows the ATC-110B-SX1 on their website but you should still be able to find this case on the internet.

Summary

The Cooler Master ATC-110B-SX1 is a good choice for anyone in the market for an extended ATX chassis. Though steeply priced, the quality of the design and construction of the ATC-110B-SX1 easily shows through upon the first few moments of working with this case. The ATC-110B-SX1 is easy to set up, offers a great deal of expansion capabilities, and is cleanly designed. When looking at extended ATX cases, consider the ATC-110B-SX1.

If you have any comments or questions, please post them in our forums.

Pros:

• Easy to setup
• Removeable Motherboard Tray
• Clean, well machined case
• No Sharp Edges
• Comes with 4 case fans

Cons:

• Expensive
• Loose front door panel

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