There are a lot of black cases on the market. Some of them don’t even qualify as such in person (usually a dark charcoal gray). But there’s absolutely no mistaking the Cooler Master ATC-201B-BXT. This case is bathed in the most luxurious, glossy, pitch-black paint I’ve ever seen, the front of the case sporting a contrasting satin-black anodized aluminum finish. My first reaction when I took it out of the box and unwrapped it was “Holy S---!” This is the kind of case that begs to get stuffed full of top-of-the line hardware, and has Bad-Ass written all over it! As it says on the case (quite tastefully too, I might add), ATCS stands for Active Thermal Connective System. Two front mounted, high-quality Cooler Master 80mm fans pulls air into the system through a speaker like grill, which also has a removable and cleanable hi-flow filter inside (a welcome addition to keep out dust). A second 80mm fan at the top of the case (which also has a removable hi-flow filter) and a third in the back on the motherboard tray, pulls hot air out of the case, keeping it cool (unlike the other three plain black fans, the rear one is clear, with Blue LEDs). The case is made of high-grade aluminum to assist in heat transfer and to keep you from paying a visit to your friendly-neighborhood Chiropractor.

The ACT-201B-BXT has a large, bevel-edged clear window secured in place with polished aluminum Allen-head screws, so you can show off all the tier-one goodies you'll want to fill it with. Both side panels are removable, as is the motherboard tray—all held in place by high-quality polished aluminum thumbscrews, as are the expansion slots in the mobo tray. This makes rig-building and upgrading a snap. Flip the case over, and you won't find any el-cheapo plastic feet on this case. The feet are inspired by the ones you see on expensive stereo system cabinets, made of brass protected by thick, rubber rings. The front intake fans and top exhaust fan are hidden behind removable metal grills that resemble automotive speaker grills. Up front, the black power and reset switches are recessed inside of polished aluminum rings, the reset button recessed just enough to prevent accidental reboots, but not so much that it requires you to use a pen or some other similar object to use it. Both buttons engage with a solid click that lacks the cheap, flimsy feel of lesser cases. Two USB ports are tucked away behind a small, spring-mounted door labeled "USB Inside." The power and hard drive activity LEDs are a bright blue that can easily be see across the room, day or night, complimenting the blue LED exhaust fan in the rear. The front panel of the case is easy to remove by unscrewing the six Allen-head screws holding it in place, giving you access to the filter, the two intake fans, switches and LEDs.

Cooler Master provides two removable power supply mounting plates. The one pre-installed works with any ATX power supply. The second one is designed for redundant power supplies. While it's highly unlikely that the majority of people would need redundant power supplies, this option might be useful to someone who wants to build a "mission-critical" high-end workstation that also has some flash (this case has plenty of it), or modders who want to install their own custom-built water-cooling system and could use the additional room that the redundant power supply bracket would allow. As with all Cooler Master cases, this one does not include a power supply. Rather than add to the expense of a cheap, generic "one-size-fits-all" power supply to a case that is not exactly cheap to begin with, Cooler Master like other specialty case manufacturers, are wisely leaving it up to the enthusiasts who typically purchases cases like the ACT-201B-BXT, to buy a high-quality power supply from their favorite vendor (i.e. Enermax, Antec, etc,) based on their needs. Inside the case, the USB cables sport the one-piece connectors that make plugging them into a motherboard quick and easy. The speaker bolted to the bottom near the hard drive cage can be removed if your mobo has an on-board speaker. The power, reset and front panel LED wires come out on the other side of the case, which makes routing them for neatness much easier. Removing the drive bay plates are a simple matter of taking out a single screw on each side. It’s attention to detail like this that makes Cooler Master one of the top case manufacturers in the industry, and one of the most popular among enthusiasts.

Typical of Cooler Master, the overall fit and finish of the case is excellent. The ACT-201B-BXT is aluminum, has a removable mobo tray, front-mounted USB ports, thumbscrews galore for tool-free entry and maintenance, a big honkin’ side window and the most kick-ass black paint job ever to grace a pre-modded PC case. What’s not to like? Well, that question depends a lot on personal preferences and needs. Anyone looking for front-mounted Firewire or audio ports will be disappointed with the ACT-201B-BXT, as it doesn't have any. I personally like removable drive rails and hard drive bays (an acquired taste from my Antec/Chenming days) and this case doesn’t have them, although they wouldn't do much good on a case designed like this anyway. The ACT-201B-BXT's aluminum chassis and luxury car paint job makes it more susceptible to dust, fingerprints, scratches and dents if you aren't careful. This is not the kind of case designed to be casually tossed under a cramped desk and forgotten about except when turning it off, dropping in a CD or DVD or kicking it (either accidentally or deliberately). Save yourself the money and frustration and buy a regular steel tower case if you're going to go that route.

With a case as easy to access and work on as this, I can live without removable drive rails and hard drive bays. The Firewire port on the back of my SoundBlaster Audigy sound card has never seen any use and probably won't in the foreseeable future, and I've never used headphones for gaming. So the lack of front-mounted Firewire and audio ports are not an issue for me. I would have no problem sitting this case on a desk instead of under it, and keeping its spectacular finish looking good. Everyone is different, though, and one man’s convenience is another’s pain-in-the-ass. The only gripes I have about the case, is that the window did not have the clear, removable film used to protect it from any scratches during shipping. The window I received wasn't marred or scratched, but I still would have liked to see it protected anyway, and I would imagine anyone else investing this much money in a case would too. Also, there is no quick disconnect harness for the power, reset and other wires on the motherboard—which means disconnecting them when you want to remove the mobo tray and reconnecting them again—a minor irritation to be sure, but an irritation nonetheless. Ironically, Lian Li, Cooler Master's closest competition has been using quick disconnect harnesses in their cases for some time now. The Cooler Master ATC-201B-BXT is currently on sale at Sundial Micro for $169.00, and should be on anyone's short list that is on the lookout for the ultimate black tower case for their next rig-building project. It is well-worth the premium price and then some.

Summary:
Highs: Fantastic mirror-black paint job. Removable motherboard tray and tool-free entry via thumbscrews and removable side panels. Front-mounted USB ports with one-piece USB internal cables. Large high-quality Plexiglas window pre-installed. Four cooling fans complete with fan grills and removable, washable dust filters. Can support redundant power supplies. Case is made of high-grade aluminum alloy for light weight and heat dissipation. Classic Cooler Master styling and quality throughout.
Lows: No front mounted audio or Firewire ports. No quick disconnect wiring harness to augment the removable mobo tray. Although the case was packed better than most, the removable clear plastic film normally placed on both sides of case windows to protect them from potential marring and scratching during shipping was omitted.

Hilighs:
Cooler Master ATC-201B-BXT
Manufactured by: Cooler Master (www.coolermaster.com)
Available from: Sundial Micro, Inc. (www.sundialmicro.com)
Product Specifications
Dimensions: (WxHxD): 196 x 452 x 497 mm
M/B Type: Standard ATX Mainboard Weight: Case: 5 kg
Expansion Slots: 7
Material: All Aluminum Alloy
5.25" Drive Bay: 4 (Exposed)
USB Port: Dual USB Ports
Drive Bay: 2 (Exposed) ; 4 (Shadow)
I/O Bracket: Standard ATX
P/S: Optional power supply unit 300 / 400 W
Cooling: Dual 80 x 80 x 25 mm fan attached front panel
Cooling: One 80 x 80 x 25 mm fan attached back panel (Exhaust)
Cooling: One 80 x 80 x 25 mm fan attached top panel (Exhaust)