CeBIT 2012 - Cooler Master Upcoming Products Preview

👤by Tim Harmer Comments 📅10-03-12
Cooler Master Silencio 650



Vortez had the privilege of reviewing a number of excellent Cooler Master products in 2011 and so were eager to see if the designers and manufacturers of a wide range of PC components had any previews on display at CeBIT this year. On our way round their booth we took a few quick snaps to give you a sneak peak at a sample of what you can expect from them in 2012.



This prototype of the Silencio 650 immediately caught our eye. The 650 is to be Cooler Master's newest low-noise chassis, designed to build on the success of the Silencio 550 released last year. The chassis is a full tower constructed from aluminium, steel and plastic to house ATX and mATX motherboards, weighing in at a fairly hefty 13kg.



Though it's built for quiet operation, the Silencio 650 cooling is still more than capable of supporting high-end components. The front is populated by two 120mm fans drawing in dust-filtered air through the cavity behind the door, the floor of the chassis also allowing the installation of an additional 120mm for more air flow. The rear features a standard 120mm fan exhausting air, and the top of the case also has mounting points for one 120mm fan.

Sadly we weren't able to see inside the chassis, but the listed case specifications indicate a removable HDD cage which could allow the installation of long dual-GPU graphics cards. An additional 120mm fan can also be mounted on the cage, improving airflow over the hard drives and towards the GFX card and CPU which is sometimes a little anaemic in low-noise chassis.



Supporting three 5.25" optical bays, seven 3.5" HDDs and one 3.5" drive via the hot-swap bay, and one 2.5" SSD, the storage options make it ideal for a home server as well as high-end gaming or rendering system. The top I/O panel features two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks and the somewhat unexpected addition of an SD card slot; if you're a photographer, or someone else who finds themselves using SD cards often, the latter will be especially convenient. The upshot is that even opening the door will be a relative rarity for most users, neatly sidestepping the usability issues often associated with having a door in the first place.

Also included on the top I/O panel are two sliding controls, the purpose of which isn't clear: they may be fan controllers or side panel/door locks. Finally, gone is the high-gloss finish seen on the Silencio 550 door - something of a dusting bugbear in some environments - and in comes a matt version which fits in well with the rest of the case.

We'll endeavour to keep you updated with regional release date pricing information as we hear it.

Up Next: Cooler Master TPC 812XS


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