Review: Cooler Master Elite 330 Mid Tower PC Case

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[drupal=566]Review: Cooler Master Elite 330 Mid Tower PC Case[/drupal]

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By Colin M. Ormsby (Slaveofconvention)

In the past we at TBCS have brought you detailed reviews of some of the very highest specification cases Cooler Master has to offer. The thing is, not everyone wants, needs, or can afford to buy them, which leaves a question. Does Cooler Master have anything to offer the customer on the smaller budget, or with less exotic requirements? Today we go right to the other end of the scale and take a good look at the Elite 330, a case with a price tag below $40. Read on...

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I've been using this exact case and power supply in my gaming PC for some time.

It houses and powers a full length graphics card (9800GTX+) with ease, as well as several hard disks.

I only have a few minor additional criticisms that you didn't mention, none of which are unreasonable at this price:

• The paintwork is very easily scratched.
• The clips that attach the front panel to the case are flimsy and awkward.
• There is not sufficient room at the rear 120m fan mount for a radiator, such as that used on self contained water cooling setups (e.g. Corsair's).

Maybe I've been overwhelmed by the sheer value for money the case provides, but in my experience, people who shop for $40 cases aren't as likely to be going down the watercooling route - of course, there's an exception to every rule. As for the scratching, I can't agree or disagree. I'm not going to go take a screwdriver to one of them just to see either lol - the ones I have bought are all still in good condition.

I haven't used the case real-world for any length of time - I have had zero complaints from either of the customers I set up with a system in this case, not from my son, but then none of them are what you would consider a power-user - they are all of the "Press the button, if it comes on and doesn't deafen me, I'm happy" type of computer user...

Thanks for the comments though :)

nice review! looks like a pretty nice case for the price

I'm current building my first desktop and this Coolermaster Elite 330 case review
was a major reason I choose it, that and the price :).

It was on special offer in the UK for £50 (US$75) and came with a Coolermaster 500W PSU rather than the 450W in the reviewed version.

Not having used let alone put together a desktop before I have no comparison against which to judge this case but it seems to be everything I wanted. The general quality and design features I'm in full agreement with the reviewer.

The criticism of the PCI expansion card tool-less retainer system is well justified and what I'm interested to discuss.

Quite frankly it is crude with the spring clip bar supposedly meant to hold the cards firmly in position barely fit for purpose. A light-ish graphics card (Radeon HD 7770) slips down against the spring clips with very little pressure. That's before you've even plugged in any cables.

But all is not lost because it seems that since the review the manufacturer now has included standard 6/32 screw holes behind the tool-less retainer bar. The unused 6/32 MB/HDD screws supplied with the case with their flat heads are actually ideal for this purpose. They allow the retainer clip to lock back in place without obvious interference. If you try to use the more common hex head type screws you can still lock it back in place but it will have a definite bend.

Quite why they still bother to include this particularly unsatisfactory tool-less option I can't imagine. I think you can remove it quite easily anyway.

With this issue now effectively dealt with the only significant criticism of the Coolermaster Elite 330 is gone and so must keep it as one of the best cheap PC cases available.

How has the Coolermaster Elite 330 case's tool-less PCI expansion card retainer system improved since the review, and do the standard 6/32 screw holes adequately address the initial criticism?