Cooler Master Cavalier PC Enclosure

PC enclosures have come a long way from the plain and boring "beige box" that once was. Now the market is filled with a mix of vibrant colors plus an even wider selection of pre-mod accessories like side panel windows and LED case fans. All these choices can be overwhelming for someone looking to build a stylish, yet simple, computer system. Some of the enclosures that fit in the pre-mod category are down right ugly, but looking at those drab colors in a square and flat case just doesn't' seem appealing for very many people either. Cooler Master solved this problem once with the Wave Master, arguably one of the best enclosures that is still available today. However, the Wave master comes with a pretty hefty price tag and still leaves the buyer looking for a power supply. Cooler Master went to work once again and has brought us The Cavalier which shares many of the stylish lines and curves that made the Wave Master so popular, though there are some striking differences once we start digging in.

Dimension
500 mm x 202 mm x 435 mm (D x W x H)

Material
Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis

M/B Type
ATX ; 12"x 9.6"(30.5cm x 24.5cm)

Power Supply
Standard ATX PS2

Expansion Slots 7
5.25" Drive Bay 5 (Exposed)
3.5" Drive Bay 1 (Exposed), 4 (Hidden)

Ventilation
One 80 x 80 x 25 mm Front Fan ( intake )
One 120 x 120 x 25 mm Rear Fan ( exhaust )

Additional
USB 2.0 x 2;
IEEE 1394 (FireWire) x 1;
MIC x 1;
SPK X 1;
VR x 1

The Cavalier is offered in two models; the Cavalier 1 (TC-01) pictured here, and the Cavalier 3 (TC-03). The Cavalier is constructed on a heavy-duty steel (SECC) chassis and measures 500mm long x 202mm wide by 435mm high. Both models share the same basic expandability features. There are six drive bays with external access, spread across five 5¼" bays and one 3½" bay. There are an additional four 3½" bays inside for mounting hard drives. The enclosure will provide for ATX motherboard mounting and even includes a 350 Watt power supply. Internal cooling will be handled by one 80mm intake fan (front) and one 120mm exhaust fan (rear) which also come included in the retail package.

Having USB, Firewire, and Audio controls on the front of the case is a standard feature and more or less expected on today's hardware. Cooler Master chose to depart from the top-mounted hidden compartment they used with the Wave Master and put all of these accessories out in plain view. What they have done however, is put them on the very bottom corners of the front edge. The USB and Firewire connectors are on the left and the audio input/output (along with a volume slider) is on the right side.

The extent of any preinstalled modifications to The Cavalier is this audio line level Vu meter. Modeled after the Cooler Master Musketeer "Audio Sound Pressure" device, the Cavalier 1 (TC-01) will come with this analog style Vu meter installed, while the Cavalier 3 (TC-03) will not. When connected into the loop of your existing audio hardware, the Vu meter will swing to indicate the line level present on your audio-out (speaker) jack. The meter is also backlit with a blue light to allow viewing in the dark and to enhance the modification. I feel this is a very stylish accent and is quite a break from the norm in what has become a very gaudy habit of most PC enclosure manufacturers.

As an added bonus, the door that covers all of the 5¼" drive bays is reversible so you can have it open from either the left OR the right side. This also means that you can take it off completely if you don't want a door at all. From the "installation" viewpoint, you can clearly see the support tabs put in place to hold the 5¼" devices in place until you get them locked in.