A premium case, but a little impractical
The COSMOS is a noise-reduced chassis, including sound-dampening material on the side panels and directed, ducted air flow.
The air flow runs bottom to top, instead of front to back, with air drawn in from the bottom and exhausted on the top of the case.
There are four USB ports, FireWire, audio and eSATA on the front of the case. Though the COSMOS’s door uses a plastic hinge, it still feels quite tough and sturdy.
The chassis uses a unique method of holding 5.25in drives in, using snap-in buttons to affix them. 3.5in drives are screwed in to removable aluminium trays, which look like server-style hot swap bays but lack any of their functionality. Top- and bottom-mounted aluminium bars keep the chassis off the desk (it has a fan in the bottom) for good air flow.
Cooler Master have an ESA version of this case in the works, which should be one of the first in the market. A minor gripe that quickly became annoying was the lack of visual alignment when putting the side of the case back on. Doing it by feel is horrible — and it took repeated attempts to get it to click in. Though the COSMOS 1000 works as a premium case, compared to the fit and finish of the SilverStone and Zalman offerings, it comes off second best.