Portable monster PC: Cooler Master CM Storm Trooper review

Lindsay Handmer
17 February 2012, 6:00 AM


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Named for its ability to carry an entire battalion of troops, how does the Cooler Master CM Storm Trooper perform in the field?


Carrying a hardcore gaming rig from LAN to LAN is not for the faint-hearted, and we have seen entire PCI-E ports ripped from the motherboard thanks to an accidental drop. A rig with a built-in carry handle is the mark of a dedicated gamer willing to travel, but these are relegated to mid-size cases.



That was until what must be the buffest Cooler Master boffin ever decided to integrate a carry handle into their latest full size case, the Trooper. This monster weighs in at 14.4kg empty and with a full water-cooled build could easily tip the scales at over 30kg. Fortunately the handle is rated up to 43kg and the entire case has a rubberised coating to stave off bumps and scratches. Keep in mind carrying this case is no walk in the park, but the handle does make it significantly easier than a normal full tower case. It’s also a convenient attachment point if you want to get it airlifted in or need to fashion an impromptu boat anchor.

Inside you get oodles of room to work, mounting options for motherboards up to the rarely seen XL-ATX size, copious cable management options and up to 14 HDDs in funky rotatable bays. Cooling is catered for with five fans, though you can add more if need be or install a water cooling radiator in the front or top. The Trooper comes with a full complement of removable dust filters, as well as a secret hidden storage area inside the case. The front panel has dual USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, audio I/O, eSATA, LED and fan speed controls plus a 2.5in hot swap bay.

The Trooper is easily found for slightly less than the RRP, making it an excellent buy for any LAN enthusiast.

Available from Cooler Master, retailing for $189.
APC rating: 8/10 (Highly Recommended)



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FostWare (New user):

Let's be realistic. This needs wheels (with brakes) and a VESA mount on the side to be useful.

We can't lift 35Kg without our lives passing before us...

18 February 2012, 2:55 AM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

John in Brisbane (Cornerstone member):

Yeah for a LAN case, it wouldn't be my pick. A good LAN case will have the handle and enough size for adequate cooling and a multi GPU setup but doesn't need 17 3.5" slots etc! I like the VESA mount idea but I'd take your idea sideways - an adjustable set of brackets that holds a (say) 22" screen face-in to the box when travelling then allows you to flip it around and angle as required when setting up to play. So the case should have the design hardpoints of:
1. Full size mobo
2. 2 x full-size graphics cards
3. Side profile slightly larger than a generic 22" monitor.
4. Integrated cable management for said monitor.
5. Space/overall design adequate for cooling and slots for 1 x 2.5", 1 x 3.5" and 1 x 5.25".

To aid portability by slimming the case, I'd also look at a bracket that mounts over the mobo to lay the graphics cards down with PCI-E riser cables and a long flexible SLI/Xfire cable. That would allow the PSU to lie sideways but would make good air management plus low profile air coolers or H2O essential.

Hell, guess I better build one myself!

19 February 2012, 4:22 AM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

ss-rotel (User):

john - some of the things you have asked for are mutally exclusive. you can' have a small case that cools well, and takes a full length video card + full size ATX.

Why does a LAN box need full sized ATX? There are a lot of mATX Z68 boards that fit the bill, right?

I guess the other question is, is you LAN box your main or alt comp? mine is, (or will be once i put it back together), my alt, and is an i3 2100, z68m-ud3 4gb ram, GTX275. My main setup is very hard to move, and quite heavy, hence the alt LAN box. (built out of leftovers really).

the silverstone SG-03 and 04 case are the the ultimate LAN gear, (i have an SG-03), but the only thing with them is the thin Aluminium used, and after some use, the thread wears out, (not a great case for someon that likes to play and upgrade alot, like me).

these things weigh nothing, but the difference between the 03 and 04 is the handle on the 04. i recon it spoil's a good looking case, personally :)
To keep weight down, you run a single HDD, single decent video card,

20 February 2012, 2:01 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

John in Brisbane (Cornerstone member):

Hmmm ok good points. I'm dragging my main rig around atm but I'm going to put an old overclocked e8400 with an overclocked 8800gt in a decent case one of these days ... or hang out till I can afford a 2nd 2500k lol. BTW don't those GTX200 series cards still rock - I just put two 260s together and they score 28800 on 3dMark06 (with a 2500k @ 4.8ghz). They're probably the reason I would want room for 2 cards in the LAN rig - they'll be relegated sooner or later.

Just had a look at those Silverstones. They've always been impressive but I tend to pox out on cheap cases and put up with the frustration during install etc. I've made rope handles before ... and I scored a mid-tower from Gamedude the other day for $19 lol.

Given that the LAN box isn't (probably) used every day, keeping dust etc out isn't as important so my concept for a while has been to build a box/frame arrangement in which the components are protected but aren't in a sealed, air-movement-managed enclosure. Think steampunk but without being cool, just functional.

Like I said, it's probably time for me to build this mutant and stop talking about it!

21 February 2012, 5:12 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

ss-rotel (User):

damn it... dbl post

20 February 2012, 2:02 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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