A behemoth that redefines 'overkill'.
Let’s make one thing clear -- the Cosmos II is aimed at a very specific market and is not at all suitable for the average gamer. At 22kg unladen, it’s incredibly heavy and will not fit on or under most desks. For those who need a roomy, feature-rich case, however, the Cosmos II has a lot to offer.
The design and style is amazing, with a brushed aluminium exterior and huge chunky side rails. Up front there are four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, audio I/O and eSATA. There are also a bunch of flush buttons for power, reset, fans (up to seven) and lights handled by an inbuilt controller. The huge side doors hinge outwards and can be easily lifted off, giving unparalleled access to the interior.
The motherboard tray has a large cut-out, cable management options include rubber grommets and you can fit up to 13 3.5in drives. The Cosmos II can handle an XL-ATX motherboard and has 11 PCI expansion ports on the back. By default it comes with five quiet fans, though you can add in more if you need, or you can even add water cooling.
Thanks to the roomy layout, installing hardware and routing cables is very easy. That said, it’s worth taking your time as the Cooler Master has many different possible configurations. You'll need to shop around just to buy the Cosmos II for the $369 RRP, but it’s oh so worth it.
Available from Cooler Master, retailing for $369.
APC rating: 9/10 (Editor's Choice)