Cooler Master's Storm Enforcer: The Not-So-Quiet Storm
by Dustin Sklavos on July 5, 2011 5:39 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Cooler Master
- Storm Enforcer
Noise and Thermal Testing, Overclocked
Our overclocked settings have thus far been absolutely punishing for the cases we've reviewed; cases without sound suppression features get brutalized once the overclocked i7-875K is put under load. Moving into these settings, I was hoping the Enforcer would be able to handle the increased thermal load without having to ramp up as much as the other cases have.
Unfortunately the Enforcer has a hard time keeping pace with the other cases. Antec's Sonata IV is nearly twice as expensive, but its internal design (though largely outdated) is simple and keeps airflow directed squarely at the processor. That single fan in the back is working like mad to remove heat, but it's working.
Unfortunately, the Enforcer is also one of the loudest cases, and the chart doesn't even tell the whole story. With the BIOS fan control settings we've been using, the Enforcer "breathes" at idle which made getting a good acoustic reading somewhat fraught. We can't really fault Cooler Master for settings we do control in the BIOS, but it did have to spin up and back down demonstrating substantial variance in the speeds and corresponding noise of the fans included. Either way, though thermal performance is good, there's a real trade-off with noise.
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tzhu07 - Tuesday, July 5, 2011 - link
I would not buy the case simply because it is so damn tacky looking.These companies need to take a hint from Apple, Fractal Design, and Lian Li on how to make simple aesthetically clean cases.
SunLord - Tuesday, July 5, 2011 - link
This is why I like my Silver stone fortress 2 some much it's stands out with out being tacky plastic crap pileandy5174 - Tuesday, July 5, 2011 - link
What do you expect from such a cheap case? It doesn't make any sense to ask for a Ferrari for the price of a Nissan. BTW, Fotress 2 is also damn ugly imo. I prefer Fotress 1 and 3.Operandi - Thursday, July 7, 2011 - link
Look at InWin's server/workstation and mATX boxes. Not perfect but clean lines, quality plastics, and tool-less features that actually work, almost certainly better than the case featured here in every regard.your Mama asshole 123 - Monday, February 25, 2013 - link
fuck you !! you asshole .... you dont know what coolermaster is ...i am in india ... and is not cheap if you are so rich try buying this shit ( http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Level-VN10001W2N... ) fuck you !! asshole !! bhitch!!
ziggurat512 - Monday, July 8, 2013 - link
nice usernameNataku - Wednesday, July 6, 2011 - link
I would have to disagree with taking hints, imagine a world where everything look nearly the same, that would suckand besides maybe u don't like this design, but someone else might
some ppl like simple/elegant designs and im ok with that, I myself, I like designs like thermaltake, so ya...
san1s - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
I think those cases are too bland and boring. It's like the designers took some pieces of metal, placed them in the form of a rectangular prism, and gave up from there.marc1000 - Tuesday, July 5, 2011 - link
actually, for me this case has the same problem as HAF912: almost 23cm wide. I need a case 21cm wide at most :(epistemological 1 - Tuesday, July 5, 2011 - link
I actually have this case, and have had to remove the central drive bays to fit my GTX580 card in. However the one thing I bought this case for was the 2 front USB 3 & USB 2 drive slots. This alone sold me the case, which, whilst I agree is ugly & loud, has massive functionality as I have had to transfer large amounts of data recently.Besides who really looks at the case after turning the computer on? I have found all my past cases to be invisible after the first couple of weeks.