Cougar Challenger Case Review: Is Competitive Performance Enough?
by Dustin Sklavos on October 29, 2012 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Cougar
- ATX
Conclusion: Entering a Crowded Marketplace
Undoubtedly you've detected a certain tone of ambivalence through the course of this review. That's because I'm placed in an uncomfortable position with the Cougar Challenger. The Challenger is by no means a bad case, but the problem is that it's not a great case, either. Let's break things down.
The upsides are pretty obvious with the Challenger. The included hotswap SATA tray is a welcome feature, thermal performance is excellent, and the case is easy to build in. Easier than most, in fact. Noise is fairly middle of the road, but coupled with the thermals, it's certainly tolerable. Build quality is solid, too, if unexceptional. Cougar has managed to deliver all of these things at a reasonably competitive price point, and I actually think it's positioned right where it should be.
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So what's the problem? Unfortunately, the Challenger does very little to distinguish itself in a crowded market. They're not offering anything new, and in some places they seem to actually have regressed a bit. The placement of the screws on the removable drive cage is baffling, and while the magnetic filter on the side panel is secure enough, it feels unnecessary. The fascia and its glossy plastic seem to be relics of a bygone era, too.
Cougar needed to offer some kind of killer feature or something distinctive to make their mark on the mainstream case market, but the Challenger is an amalgam of things we've seen before arranged in a very conventional way. Case design is something that's progressing at a fairly regular rate, and there's still a lot of room for innovation and improvement. Neither of these things are present here; this is a "me too" product that lands squarely in the middle of the road.
If the Cougar Challenger appeals to you I wouldn't dissuade you from buying it. The price is appropriate and the performance is there. My only issue is that it's serving customers who have already been taken care of by established products like Corsair's Carbide 300R and the BitFenix Shinobi. If Cougar wants to start grabbing that kind of mindshare, they need to produce something more aggressive and more distinctive or risk being an "also ran."
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C'DaleRider - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
From the article-- "...these smaller companies are often very hungry for your business and are typically willing to take risks. The result is that oftentimes you can find diamonds in the rough and bring to light a product that people might otherwise miss."I don't think this hideous monstrosity is anything close to a diamond, in the rough or not, and certainly wouldn't be missed by anyone.
Hideous.
j thomas - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
The mobo area and rear panel look like the exact same parts as a 300R. They should have copied the rest too.ajemm - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
This thing beyond hideous.Bonesdad - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
REALLY?How does a case like this even find it's way to getting a review on Anandtech? Someone needs to preview these reviews and just say "Ah, no....we aren't running with this."
This thing is an embarrassment to Transformers everywhere.
Just stop doing reviews on crap like this, you should know it when you see it by now.
Wellsoul2 - Tuesday, October 30, 2012 - link
I like this case. It looks different and retro.buzznut - Tuesday, October 30, 2012 - link
I was actually waiting to see what the reviewer said about the aesthetics. There's being politically correct, and then there's simply stating the obvious. Most of us would not want this anywhere near our desk.I happen to like flashy gaming cases, I'm a modder and I really dig a unique look. I fail to see what they were going for here though, even the different parts don't really seem to go together.
Its sorta like someone came along a stack of disparate parts and told his R&D team, "See if you can make something out of this stuff. You got two hours."
WT - Thursday, November 1, 2012 - link
And they said my Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow was ugly ?? C'mon man, this redefines fugly.bauper - Thursday, March 14, 2013 - link
1. Orange is my favorite color. This case looks cool. Like a hot Euro-Trash Babe. Almost full tower size this casi is BIG for a mid tower. Takes the new 280mm Liquid coolers in push pull and plenty of room. takes up to 400 mm video card and still hold hd drives and 5.25 bays. I love it. Comment. A. As the song says, "Make an ugly womean your wife". B- whats ugly to one is sexy to another.SKZdman - Saturday, April 26, 2014 - link
I have this case, and I think it's fantastic. Yes, it's a little 'aggressive' shall we say(!), but it's quiet, cool and really easy to keep tidy.I also cannot believe that you've not mentioned the most salient point - The three possible configurations of the central drive bay to fit 3.5", 2.5" or no drives whatsoever (and thereby allow more space for a longer graphics card). This is a feature I cannot fault.
SKZdman - Saturday, April 26, 2014 - link
Like this:http://www.cougar-world.com/uploads/pics/case_deta...