No need to shell out an arm and a leg for a decent case to build your next system around. That's the thought behind the Cooler Master Elite 371, and it's $50 price tag puts it among the least expensive mid-tower ATX cases on the market today. Let's see how well it performs.
Design
When I first saw the Cooler Master Elite 371, it made me think of the Antec Nine Hundred. This is a case that is known by many PC hobbyists for it's excellent ventilation. The Cooler Master Elite 371 is a mid sized tower designed for ventilation. Cooler Master takes this one step further by providing dust filters as well. With a bottom mounted power supply, steel mesh bezel, and plenty of fan mounting options, this case should be able to keep any system running cool.
The Cooler Master Elite 371 is a very clean and simple design. There is no flashy window or lights, instead going for a simple and clean black and silver design. With both sides of the case removed, access to components is easy. The case is pretty solid. I did not experience any noticeable flexing or warping, even with both sides removed and lifting a fully assembled case by the top rail.
The filters are really just a fine mesh like would be found in a window screen. These will surely help keep out the dust bunnies, but I was a little disappointed to find these were only provided for some of the intakes. Filters exist for the bottom intake under the power supply, the front intake, and the two top exhaust locations. The side intakes and the second bottom intake have no filters. I would expect the bottom to be the most susceptible to dust, as it is either on the floor or a shelf that rarely gets dusted. In addition, I'm not sure the point of the filters at the top, since these will usually be exhaust fans and are indicated as such by Cooler Master.
The motherboard tray is not removable, however I'm sure this contributes to some solidity in the case. I believe the largest need for this is also offset by the hole that allows for easy access to the CPU cooler backplate. In reality, even a removable motherboard tray requires mostly disassembling a system, removing all expansion cards and cables. The accessible backplate makes it easy to replace a cooler without disassembling any additional parts of your system.
Front
Rear view
Features and Specifications
Accepts extra long graphics cards, including the Radeon 5970.
Maximum Compatibility VGA Card Length: 12.4 inches CPU Cooler Height: 6.41 inches
Installation
When I first sat down to move my components into the new case, I was expecting a relatively quick job. I was disappointed to find that motherboard tray was not pre-threaded for mounting motherboard stand offs. However, with a little effort I was able to thread these using a normal case screw and a hex driver, and got the system set up. The next day, Cooler Master was contacted about the issue and agreed that this was a defect in the case. They offered a replacement, but since I already crossed this hurdle I had no reason to send back an otherwise perfectly good case. This case was a pre-production review sample, and we were assured the issue is planned to be fixed in the final production units.
Front panel
Top view
After that hiccup, the remainder of the installation went smoothly. A feature that was new to me was labeled motherboard mounting holes. This made it quite clear which holes needed standoffs installed for my form factor, rather than having to figure that out myself. This isn't a major ordeal, but it is a convenience that was appreciated. The quick release latches for the drives were also appreciated. There are two for 5.25” bays, two for internal 3.5” bays, and one for the external 3.5” bay. Since I have 3 hard drives, I did have to install one drive with screws. It would be nice to just have these for every bay. These mounts were more secure than the drive rails my old case used. In addition, they required no screws at all, and don't have to be stored separately from the case if you don't use them. After punching out a few tabs for my expansion cards and external drives, everything was installed and running.
