Product Reviews

Whether you are building a new PC from scratch or you just want a new case for your existing components, you should consider the Cosmos 1000. The price may seem high considering it doesn't come with a power supply, but this is one of the highest-quality cases around.

If you don't believe us, consider the weight. The thick aluminium and steel panels weigh 17kg with nothing inside. Its sheer size contributes to the weight, and that's good news if you want to install a wider than average motherboard and dual graphics cards.

Behind the aluminium

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door at the front are five 5¼in drive bays, and there's an adaptor to convert one to a 3½in bay. There are buttons to lock and release the drives, so no tools are needed. Below are six aluminium slide-out hard disk trays.

At the rear is a 120mm fan, and there are two more at the top to ensure hot air is expelled. A power supply can be mounted at the bottom, and in front of it is a fourth 120mm fan, which has an adjustable vent so you can direct the airflow where you like. Oddly, there's no fan for the hard disks; it's an optional extra that takes up the lower two 5¼in bays when fitted, so it's not a great design. Unlike the Antec cases we've seen, the Cosmos 1000 relies on your motherboard to control fan speed.

Most modern motherboards can adjust speed based on temperature, and all the fans ran quietly at 35°C. The side panels are double-skinned and have dense foam padding, which further deadens sound and vibrations.

With a good range of ports at the front, including four USB2 and an eSATA interface, this is a great case. With better thought-out hard disk cooling, it would be almost perfect.