chut03
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CoolerMaster Elite 120 Advanced
Introduction
With mini-itx systems becoming more and more popular in today’s market, manufacturers have to weigh the pros and cons of keeping such a small footprint while still keeping functionality of a gaming computer system. CoolerMaster brings the Elite 120 Advanced, which promises to bring superior cooling performance and support for full sized power supplies and graphics cards, while still maintaining the compactness of a mini-itx system.
Specifications
Type Mini-itx tower
Material Aluminum and plastic front, steel alloy case body
Dimensions 240 x 207.4 x 401.4mm (w,h,d)
Weight 3.3 kg
Motherboard support Mini-itx
5.25” Drive Bay 1
3.5” Drive Bay 3 internal
2.5” Drive Bay 4 internal (converted from two 3.5” bays)
I/O panel USB 3.0 x 1 (internal), USB 2.0 x 2, Mic x 1, Audio x 1 (supports AC97 / HD Audio)
Expansion slots 2
Case Fans Front 120mm fan x 1, 1200 RPM, 19dBA
Side: 80x15mm fan x 1, 2000 RPM, 20dBA
HDD: 120x25mm fan x 1 (optional)
Power Supply Standard ATX
Maximum Compatibility Graphics card length: 343.0 mm
CPU cooler height: 65.0 mm
Front
The Coolermaster Elite 120 Advanced is a relatively basic looking case that is mostly all black with a gunmetal colored aluminum front face. The brushed aluminum finish gives the case nice contrast, as the rest of the case is all black. Although the front face looks makes the case look clean and professional, it could cause problems with airflow. The only ventilation seen at the front is along the two recesses on the sides and at the bottom of the case. After pulling at the bottom of the front of the case, the 120mm fan is revealed. The fan blades have a distinctive curve and styling, which is similar to that of the Coolermaster Blade Master series. Two USB 2.0 ports, as well as the mic and headphone ports are found on the left. On the right are the power indicator led, power button, hdd activity led, reset button, and the single USB 3.0 port. Both of these I/O panels can be completely removed from case simply by pushing at the sides and pulling. This an extremely useful feature as it allows for the interior to be completely free of cables when you install your hardware.
Sides and Top
The sides have plenty ventilation holes to allow the heat to escape the case. At the top there is ventilation to allow the power supply to breathe, as well as a dust filter. When I removed the filter it was more like a generic plastic sheet filled with rather large holes, which in my opinion, won’t keep out much of the dust. I ended up using mosquito netting that had smaller holes than the included dust filter, while still allowing the power supply to breathe.
Bottom
It has four plastic feet without any kind of rubber padding. I found that this allowed the case to slide around on hard surfaces and potentially cause scratches. The cable tie down points could also be seen from the bottom of the case. Areas of the bottom of the case were simply punched in to create the tie down points. While cable tie down points are good, I don’t believe it should leave holes that can be seen from the exterior bottom of the case. They also come rather close to the mounting points of the motherboard tray.
Rear
The power supply area has a removable mount that sticks out of the rear of the case. This simplifies the power supply installation by allowing you to attach the mount to the power supply out of the case. Then, you slide the mount into the case, and screw it in. Two rear expansion slots allow for a standard two-slot height graphics card to be installed. A single rubber grommet is above them to allow for cables to be passed through from the interior of the case.
Interior
It has a rather simple interior with two bars at the top of the case, which runs the length of the case. These bars have holes, which allow for more cable to be tied down or to move the support bar above the optical drive bay. Multiple cable tie points are placed around the floor of the case around the motherboard area, as well as behind the hard drive cage. On the right side, the 80mm fan is revealed. This is a slim line 15mm thick fan, which is mounted to its own tray at the side of the case. I tried a standard 25mm thick fan; only a few more mm of room was needed to completely mount it. The hard drive cage comes with two trays, which are mounted in on tool less sleds. The trays have mounting points to allow for an ssd to be mounted on either side with screws. Only a total of 3 standard 3.5” devices can be installed into the cage. The extra sets of sleds are in the accessories package, and are to be used with your standard mechanical hard drive.
Installation
In my system build I used the following: Core i3 3220, 8GB DDR3 1600mhz Gskill Ripjaws X ram, ASUS P8H77-I motherboard, Noctua NH-L9i cpu cooler, ASUS Xonar DGX 5.1 sound card, Antec Earthwatts 380 watt psu, 64GB Samsung 830 ssd, (2) 1TB WD Caviar Black hdds, the stock fans as well as a Cougar 120mm fan.
Installation went relatively smoothly after I removed the front I/O panels to give my self more room on the inside to work. Due to where the power supply is mounted the choice of cpu coolers is restricted, so overclocking in a system like this is more restricted. Then I found I had a problem, I couldn’t mount the rear 120mm fan behind the hdd cage. That was due to the mounting holes being below the level where the motherboard was installed. In such tight space, I had no choice but to remove the motherboard, and mount the hdd cage fan first. CoolerMaster provides a couple of plastic push pins to mount the fan. Although they’re a little flimsy, it is certainly better than to shove a screwdriver in such a small area to install a fan. Another issue I spotted was that depending on the layout of the motherboard, cables would obstruct the airflow of the side 80mm fan. In my setup, the sata cables obstructed the airflow of the side fan. Overall, cable management with a non-modular power supply was a pain but it’s to be expected. A modular power supply is highly recommended to eliminate the cable mess in the case. Fortunately, for unsleeved, low wattage power supplies, such as the Antec Earthwatts ea 380d, the cables are manageable and can be stuffed to the right side of the case. If you aren’t using an optical drive, the cables can also be hidden there as well.
Conclusions
The cooling performance often suffers in such a small compact case, but in the CoolerMaster Elite 120 Advanced, the temperatures were more than acceptable. This case houses my home server, which runs in a non air-conditioned environment. The ssd stayed at about 35 C, and the hdds stayed at about 38 C. The cpu stayed at around 38-40 C on idle, and goes up to about 50 C on full load. Unfortunately, due to the aluminum front face, the front fan was unable to intake as much air as it could have. In a push pull configuration, the storage devices in the cage are kept optimal. Both 120mm fans ran at 12volt, and stayed very quiet, you would’ve had to put your ear next to the front of the case to hear them. The side fan was a completely different story. Not only did it not move much air, it made a very annoying variable whining sound. Even when put at lower voltage to run at lower speeds it was still noticeable. I feel that CoolerMaster should’ve allowed for standard 80mm fans to be installed, or at least provide a quieter stock one. Another issue I think should be addressed is the cable tie down points at the bottom of the case. I don’t think that you should be able to see through to the inside of your case to the edges of the motherboard from the bottom of the case. Especially in a carpeted environment, it could cause some static problems. There are no dust filters, at the front of the case or for the side fan. Since all the fans are positioned as intake, this case has positive airflow that should keep the majority of dust from accumulating too quickly inside the case, although decent fan filters would’ve been a welcome addition. I would’ve also have liked to see an additional USB 3.0 port at the front of the case, especially as USB 3.0 devices are becoming more popular. Stacked against competing Mini-itx cases, the CoolerMaster Elite 120 Advanced is high on the list of recommended cases due to its extremely attractive price point. It’s listed for $49.99 US Dollars, but is often put on sale for $39.99. This is very attractive for builders who are on a tight budget, but don’t wish to lose features that might be found in higher end cases such at the BitFenix Prodigy.
I know this case has been out a while, hopefully it’s still helpful for the people who are planning a mini-itx build.
Introduction
With mini-itx systems becoming more and more popular in today’s market, manufacturers have to weigh the pros and cons of keeping such a small footprint while still keeping functionality of a gaming computer system. CoolerMaster brings the Elite 120 Advanced, which promises to bring superior cooling performance and support for full sized power supplies and graphics cards, while still maintaining the compactness of a mini-itx system.
Specifications
Type Mini-itx tower
Material Aluminum and plastic front, steel alloy case body
Dimensions 240 x 207.4 x 401.4mm (w,h,d)
Weight 3.3 kg
Motherboard support Mini-itx
5.25” Drive Bay 1
3.5” Drive Bay 3 internal
2.5” Drive Bay 4 internal (converted from two 3.5” bays)
I/O panel USB 3.0 x 1 (internal), USB 2.0 x 2, Mic x 1, Audio x 1 (supports AC97 / HD Audio)
Expansion slots 2
Case Fans Front 120mm fan x 1, 1200 RPM, 19dBA
Side: 80x15mm fan x 1, 2000 RPM, 20dBA
HDD: 120x25mm fan x 1 (optional)
Power Supply Standard ATX
Maximum Compatibility Graphics card length: 343.0 mm
CPU cooler height: 65.0 mm
Front
The Coolermaster Elite 120 Advanced is a relatively basic looking case that is mostly all black with a gunmetal colored aluminum front face. The brushed aluminum finish gives the case nice contrast, as the rest of the case is all black. Although the front face looks makes the case look clean and professional, it could cause problems with airflow. The only ventilation seen at the front is along the two recesses on the sides and at the bottom of the case. After pulling at the bottom of the front of the case, the 120mm fan is revealed. The fan blades have a distinctive curve and styling, which is similar to that of the Coolermaster Blade Master series. Two USB 2.0 ports, as well as the mic and headphone ports are found on the left. On the right are the power indicator led, power button, hdd activity led, reset button, and the single USB 3.0 port. Both of these I/O panels can be completely removed from case simply by pushing at the sides and pulling. This an extremely useful feature as it allows for the interior to be completely free of cables when you install your hardware.
Sides and Top
The sides have plenty ventilation holes to allow the heat to escape the case. At the top there is ventilation to allow the power supply to breathe, as well as a dust filter. When I removed the filter it was more like a generic plastic sheet filled with rather large holes, which in my opinion, won’t keep out much of the dust. I ended up using mosquito netting that had smaller holes than the included dust filter, while still allowing the power supply to breathe.
Bottom
It has four plastic feet without any kind of rubber padding. I found that this allowed the case to slide around on hard surfaces and potentially cause scratches. The cable tie down points could also be seen from the bottom of the case. Areas of the bottom of the case were simply punched in to create the tie down points. While cable tie down points are good, I don’t believe it should leave holes that can be seen from the exterior bottom of the case. They also come rather close to the mounting points of the motherboard tray.
Rear
The power supply area has a removable mount that sticks out of the rear of the case. This simplifies the power supply installation by allowing you to attach the mount to the power supply out of the case. Then, you slide the mount into the case, and screw it in. Two rear expansion slots allow for a standard two-slot height graphics card to be installed. A single rubber grommet is above them to allow for cables to be passed through from the interior of the case.
Interior
It has a rather simple interior with two bars at the top of the case, which runs the length of the case. These bars have holes, which allow for more cable to be tied down or to move the support bar above the optical drive bay. Multiple cable tie points are placed around the floor of the case around the motherboard area, as well as behind the hard drive cage. On the right side, the 80mm fan is revealed. This is a slim line 15mm thick fan, which is mounted to its own tray at the side of the case. I tried a standard 25mm thick fan; only a few more mm of room was needed to completely mount it. The hard drive cage comes with two trays, which are mounted in on tool less sleds. The trays have mounting points to allow for an ssd to be mounted on either side with screws. Only a total of 3 standard 3.5” devices can be installed into the cage. The extra sets of sleds are in the accessories package, and are to be used with your standard mechanical hard drive.
Installation
In my system build I used the following: Core i3 3220, 8GB DDR3 1600mhz Gskill Ripjaws X ram, ASUS P8H77-I motherboard, Noctua NH-L9i cpu cooler, ASUS Xonar DGX 5.1 sound card, Antec Earthwatts 380 watt psu, 64GB Samsung 830 ssd, (2) 1TB WD Caviar Black hdds, the stock fans as well as a Cougar 120mm fan.
Installation went relatively smoothly after I removed the front I/O panels to give my self more room on the inside to work. Due to where the power supply is mounted the choice of cpu coolers is restricted, so overclocking in a system like this is more restricted. Then I found I had a problem, I couldn’t mount the rear 120mm fan behind the hdd cage. That was due to the mounting holes being below the level where the motherboard was installed. In such tight space, I had no choice but to remove the motherboard, and mount the hdd cage fan first. CoolerMaster provides a couple of plastic push pins to mount the fan. Although they’re a little flimsy, it is certainly better than to shove a screwdriver in such a small area to install a fan. Another issue I spotted was that depending on the layout of the motherboard, cables would obstruct the airflow of the side 80mm fan. In my setup, the sata cables obstructed the airflow of the side fan. Overall, cable management with a non-modular power supply was a pain but it’s to be expected. A modular power supply is highly recommended to eliminate the cable mess in the case. Fortunately, for unsleeved, low wattage power supplies, such as the Antec Earthwatts ea 380d, the cables are manageable and can be stuffed to the right side of the case. If you aren’t using an optical drive, the cables can also be hidden there as well.
Conclusions
The cooling performance often suffers in such a small compact case, but in the CoolerMaster Elite 120 Advanced, the temperatures were more than acceptable. This case houses my home server, which runs in a non air-conditioned environment. The ssd stayed at about 35 C, and the hdds stayed at about 38 C. The cpu stayed at around 38-40 C on idle, and goes up to about 50 C on full load. Unfortunately, due to the aluminum front face, the front fan was unable to intake as much air as it could have. In a push pull configuration, the storage devices in the cage are kept optimal. Both 120mm fans ran at 12volt, and stayed very quiet, you would’ve had to put your ear next to the front of the case to hear them. The side fan was a completely different story. Not only did it not move much air, it made a very annoying variable whining sound. Even when put at lower voltage to run at lower speeds it was still noticeable. I feel that CoolerMaster should’ve allowed for standard 80mm fans to be installed, or at least provide a quieter stock one. Another issue I think should be addressed is the cable tie down points at the bottom of the case. I don’t think that you should be able to see through to the inside of your case to the edges of the motherboard from the bottom of the case. Especially in a carpeted environment, it could cause some static problems. There are no dust filters, at the front of the case or for the side fan. Since all the fans are positioned as intake, this case has positive airflow that should keep the majority of dust from accumulating too quickly inside the case, although decent fan filters would’ve been a welcome addition. I would’ve also have liked to see an additional USB 3.0 port at the front of the case, especially as USB 3.0 devices are becoming more popular. Stacked against competing Mini-itx cases, the CoolerMaster Elite 120 Advanced is high on the list of recommended cases due to its extremely attractive price point. It’s listed for $49.99 US Dollars, but is often put on sale for $39.99. This is very attractive for builders who are on a tight budget, but don’t wish to lose features that might be found in higher end cases such at the BitFenix Prodigy.
I know this case has been out a while, hopefully it’s still helpful for the people who are planning a mini-itx build.
