Introduction and Case Exterior

Glass and RGB fans are front and center with FSP’s latest case offering

FSP is a familiar name in power supplies, and in the last year we have also seen the company branch out with CPU coolers (with the excellent Windale series reviewed last year) and cases. The latest of these enclosures is the CMT520, the second in their CMT series and featuring front and side tempered glass panels to showcase no fewer than four included RGB fans.

Glass can of course present some obstacles to cooling performance, particularly when the front intake is covered (as the gap between glass and fans becomes crucial), so we will see if the case's performance is equal to the elegance of its looks in this review.

The CMT520 pictured sporting very colorful fans (image via FSP)

First a look at specifications from FSP:


  • Type: ATX Mid Tower
  • Color: Black
  • Materials: SPCC, Tempered glass x2
  • M/B Type: E-ATX, ATX, Micro ATX, ITX
  • Expansion Slots: 8
  • 3.5-inch Drive Bays: 2
  • 2.5-inch Drive Bays: 4
  • Power Supply Type: ATX
  • Component Clearance:
    • Maximum CPU Cooler Height: 163mm
    • Maximum VGA Card Length: 423mm
  • Cooling System
    • Front: 120mm RGB Fan x3 (included)
    • Rear: 120mm RGB Fan x1 (included)
  • Fan & Water Cooler Support:
    • Front: 120mm/140mm x3, or 360mm Radiator x1 
    • Top: 120mm x 3/140mm x2 or 360mm Radiator x1
    • Rear: 120mm x1
  • I/O Panel: USB 3.0 x2, USB 2.0 x2, Audio
  • Dimension LxWxH: 495 x 215 x 510 mm (19.49 x 8.46 x 20.08 inches)
  • Weight: 8.5 kg

Pricing and availability:

Continue reading our review of the FSP CMT520 RGB tempered glass case!

Case Exterior

The CMT520 is a mid-tower case that nonetheless supports up to an EATX motherboard, and it stands just a bit larger than many recent mid-towers at about 20 inches high, 8.5 inches wide, and 19.5 inches deep.

The tempered glass panels adorning the side and front have a dark tint, and the ventilated top of the case offers a magnetically-attached filter for any top-mounted fans. While mainly a peice of solid glass, the front panel offers some accommodation for airflow from the beveled space leading to the sides of the glass, as well as slots in the plastic on each side of the surround.

The top I/O is is flanked on each side with USB ports (both 2.0 and 3.0), and the center is occupied with standard audio jacks, the central power button, and a reset button and lighting control (more on RGB lighting effects later).

Around back we have a pretty standard mid-tower design, with 8 expansion slots and the occupied 120 mm rear exhaust fan mount. There is also a sliding retention bracket to help secure expansion cards during installation which is secured with a single thumbscrew.

The base of the CMT520 offers rubber tipped feet and a pull-out screen filter for the bottom-mounted power supply.

Finally a quick look at the included hardware, which includes the needed screws as well as power and RGB header cables.

This plastic-covered panel was also included – and its purpose will be revealed during the build process!

Next we will take a look inside the CMT520 and cover a build using our standard enclosure testbed components.

Review Terms and Disclosure
All Information as of the Date of Publication
How product was obtained: The product is on loan from FSP for the purpose of this review.
What happens to the product after review: The product remains the property of FSP but is on extended loan for future testing and product comparisons.
Company involvement: FSP had no control over the content of the review and was not consulted prior to publication.
PC Perspective Compensation: Neither PC Perspective nor any of its staff were paid or compensated in any way by FSP for this review.
Advertising Disclosure: FSP has purchased advertising at PC Perspective during the past twelve months.
Affiliate links: This article contains affiliate links to online retailers. PC Perspective may receive compensation for purchases through those links.
Consulting Disclosure: FSP is not a current client of Shrout Research for products or services related to this review. 
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