Cooler Master Storm Enforcer - A Mid-tower Refresh
We check out the Cooler Master Storm Enforcer, a mid-tower refresh that packs new features such as USB 3.0 compatibility and special 2.5-inch drive bays for today's gamers.
Meet the Enforcer
As one of the leading names in computer chassis and peripherals, Cooler Master recently expanded their businesses by introducing their "CM Storm" line of products.
CM Storm represents Cooler Master’s line of specialized products designed for gamers and enthusiasts. To ensure that the products meet the needs of demanding gamers, CM Storm products are co-developed with the input of the world’s top cyber-athletes.
The CM Storm Sniper casing was the first casing from this series and we reviewed it back in the early parts of 2010. And although it didn’t break grounds in terms of chassis design, we found it to be a solid casing that meets and exceeds most gamers’ needs.
The latest member of the CM Storm family is the Enforcer, a mid-tower casing designed for gamers and enthusiasts.
Now, CM Storm has announced a new casing and it is called the Enforcer. The mid-tower casing refreshes the older Scout casing with newer features such as a removable and adjuster HDD cage and USB 3.0 ports that befits an "enthusiast" casing. Read on to find out more about the casing design philosophy, both externally and internally.
Exterior Design
Unlike other computer chassis manufacturers, Cooler Master casings tend to be more conservative in design and the new Enforcer is no different. That is not to say that it is an unattractive casing, but compared to some of the more outlandish gaming casings we’ve seen, the Enforcer, in comparison, looks markedly restrained and muted.
The old Sniper had plastics that felt a little cheap, but the new Enforcer exhibits none of that. On a whole, the Enforcer, which is made out of a combination of 0.7mm thick SECC steel and ABS plastics, feels well made and solidly constructed.
Looking a little more closely, the thing that grabbed our attention was the presence of two USB 3.0 ports, which we think is very fitting for a casing that is targeted at enthusiasts. Also, we are glad to learn that these USB 3.0 ports are supported via proper USB 3.0 headers, so there’s no need to mess about with unnecessary adapters which add clutter inside the casing.
The CM Storm Enforcer has a restrained but strong looking front profile. Behind the front cover hides four external 5.25-inch drive bays, of which one can be converted for use with 3.5-inch floppy disk drives.
The Enforcer has four USB ports, two of which are USB 3.0 compatible. There are also jacks for headphones and microphones. The reset button, if you are wondering, is hidden behind the front cover.
Around the top, we can see that there's space to install an additional 200mm fan. Also, the area just behind the ports is handy for resting external hard drives.
On the right, a transparent plastic panel lets users peek inside to admire their components. The 'gills' complement the front chassis design to ensure the entire casing's design has a good follow through - something that's not often seen.
Pretty standard fare round the back as we find grommets for liquid cooling setups and a large 120mm rear exhaust fan.
Logical Layout
Inside the CM Storm Enforcer, things are pretty standard. The motherboard tray dominates the internals, whereas to the right are the various bays for 5.25-inch, 3.5-inch, and as is the norm these days, 2.5-inch drives.
The interesting thing, however, is that the 3.5-inch drive bays are divided into two parts, with the top part being removable and rotatable. By default, the drive bays lie perpendicular to the motherboard, and if you fancy, you can rotate it such that it lies parallel. You could also remove the top part of the drive cage completely and fit it instead with a smaller one meant for 2.5-inch drives. This is especially handy if you intend to run your system off SSDs.
This is also helpful if you intend to install a large 12-inch graphics cards (like the massive Radeon HD 6990) because as it is, the casing isn’t quite big enough for cards longer than 10.5 inches. To make space, the top part of the 3.5-inch drive bay needs to be removed. Be warned though, removing the top half of the drive bays is a rather tedious affair because you’ll need to remove quite a bit of screws.
Fortunately, if you are happy with the default orientation of the drive cage, the rest of the installation is a straightforward affair. Cooler Master casings have always been logical and easy to install and the Enforcer is no different.
Peeling open the front cover we can see the massive 200mm fan. Note also that the front meshes have air filters to help keep out dust.
The interior layout is standard fare and note also the cut-outs for easy installation of aftermarket CPU coolers and cable management.
Installing optical drives is dead simple. Just slot them into the drive bay and lock them in place using the switch.
The top part of the 3.5-inch hard disk cage is removable and rotatable. One could also remove it completely and fit the smaller 2.5-inch hard disk cage instead.
Installing hard drives is a simple affair, just latch on these racks and slide them in. Also provided is a special 2.5-inch adapter for installing smaller SSDs.
The PSU bay is large enough to accommodate most PSUs and has rubber bits to dampen vibrations.
The casing is large enough to comfortably accomodate a large Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics card and a 750W PSU.
Mid-tower Refresh
In our earlier Budget Casing Shootout, we found that budget, entry-level mid-tower casings have improved tremendously. In the past, features like cut outs for easy CPU cooler installation and tool-less HDD installation racks could only be found on the high tier casings, but this is no longer the case. So how does the CM Storm Enforcer cut it in today’s highly competitive arena?
Fortunately, despite its premium pricing, the CM Storm Enforcer easily held its own when compared to the budget casings we reviewed earlier. No doubt entry-level casings are feature-packed these days, but the Enforcer clearly differentiates itself from the competition with some nice touches. USB 3.0 compatibility is much welcomed, as are the dedicated drive bays for 2.5-inch drives, which will make it easier for users to install faster SSDs.
Furthermore, the overall build quality of the Enforcer easily surpasses that of the budget casings. The Enforcer looks and feels solidly put together and successfully conveys a sense that it is a premium product, which is nothing less than we would expect from a product from Cooler Master’s CM Storm series.
The only main disappointment is that the casing is unable to accommodate larger cards like the new Radeon HD 6990 and GeForce GTX 590 without making modifications to the hard drive cage. But we are nitpicking really, because this is to be expected from a mid-tower casing, since none we have tested so far can accommodate these super-huge cards anyway.
A mid-tower of power, the CM Storm Enforcer is solidly put together and has nearly everything a gamer / enthusiast could ask for.
Locally, the new CM Storm Enforcer will retail for S$169, which is just about the same as the older CM Storm Sniper, and is a reasonable price for a casing of this caliber. Build quality is top notch and it has a host of useful features that are both useful and enticing, especially if you are embarking on building a new system with the latest AMD and Intel chipsets.
To sum up, the CM Storm Enforcer is a decent refresh from Cooler Master. It adds new features such as USB 3.0 ports and dedicated 2.5-inch drive bays, which should please new system builders, and the overall construction and user-friendliness of the casing is excellent. If you are willing to splash the cash on a top notch mid-tower, the Enforcer should be high on your shopping list.
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