Introduction and Specifications
Cooler Master’s Stacker 830 is one of the more popular mod cases around, and this article will show you why with some custom changes to its appearance and cooling performance!
Introduction
In the January 2006 issue of MaximumPC (page 72) they rated the Cooler Master Stacker 830 a ‘9’ and awarded it their famous KICKASS award. They noted as a big plus and I quote their Josh Norem, ‘Huge and highly customizable, abundant cooling’. Did you ever think it would take this long for someone to take them literally? Enter Hank Baron of Performance-Pcs.com., the master of nylon mesh sleeving and one of the foremost modders of new cases on the planet.
Now, realizing that the Stacker 830 is darn near perfect (well almost) out of the shipping carton, we really didn’t want to play around too much with its overall looks and we realized ( in our estimation) that the removable panel that can hold four 120 mm fans, was overkill, unless you intended to have the case levitate off the floor. When populated it made it literally impossible to see all the goodies we packed inside this Macedon (without the hair) of cases. So, as you’ll see during this review, we were quite conservative, therefore the meaning of “Slightly Modified” in our title, and we will of course, do a complete review of the Cooler Master Stacker 830 for your reading pleasure.
Specifications
A couple of specs that Cooler Master doesn’t give you is that the 4 in 3 device module and the BTX conversion plate are manufactured from steel, and that kind of rubs me the wrong way.
When a company states a product’s material as “aluminum” as you can see in the specs, then I would take it that all the metal used (except standoffs and screws) would naturally be aluminum and when you pay a premium for an “aluminum case” such as this one, then you should know up front if there is anything other than what is expected and I expected all aluminum and didn’t get it!
Next Page – External Examination
