Installation Impressions
We installed our standard hardware configuration for a full tower case, including an OCZ ZX PSU, Asrock 890FX Deluxe4 motherboard, 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston RAM, AMD Phenom II X6 1100T CPU with the Prolimatech Megahalems and Inno3D GeForce GTX 580 OC GPU. We also crammed in half a dozen Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB HDDs and a Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 1TB.
We began by installing the heatsink's CPU bracket to the back of the Asrock 890FX Deluxe4. Given the massive hole in the motherboard tray, forgetting this step wouldn't be a big deal. The motherboard slotted into place without any fuss and connecting everything else was as easy as can be.
The DVD-RW slipped in effortlessly and although the Trooper doesn't have a tool-less design, Cooler Master still managed to keep things simple. Installing the 500GB hard drives was just as easy, but we do have one small complaint: the 3.5" bays are not hot-swappable. We believe this would've made the Trooper unbeatable at $190 and it's not a particularly expensive feature to add.
However, Cooler Master redeemed itself with the cable management setup, which provides plenty of space behind the motherboard tray for excess wires. The large bulge in the right hand door also helps with this and we have no trouble getting the door back on despite the mass of cables behind it.
Securing the OCZ ZX 850w PSU in its bottom mounted position was easy and there is a ton of extra space to accommodate a bigger power supply, such as the Thermaltake Toughpower 1500w. Extra-long graphics cards will fit with surprising ease, as there's slightly less than 13" of clearance. As shown in the photo, there is plenty of room behind the GTX 580 to work with power and data cables.
The Storm Trooper is a real pleasure to work with, offering the necessary features and space required to build the ultimate performance PC. Some might complain about the lack of dividers separating individual sections, but given the design and airflow structure of this case, they aren't necessary and we have no qualms with their absence.