Taking a look at a new brand brings in an air of unexpectedness, with no previous experience of build quality, performance and other attributes you are left with a lack of anticipation. Thankfully though the COUGAR Evolution is an impressive chassis and should it be more widely available at retail stores it will no doubt have much success.

Aesthetically the Evolution slots right in the middle of enthusiast and gamer styling. It has some aspects that are rugged and some that are smooth and discreet but in general the overall appearance is great.

In terms of functionality Evolution can house 2.5” and 3.5” drives and all devices within are installed using tool-less/quick release systems meaning the entire installation process is achieved in a much shorter time span. The front panel features fan control that is easy to use and we even have the useful addition of a HDD docking station for 2.5” and 3.5” drives.

Cable management inside is easy to configure within Evolution thanks to the space, clearance and cut-outs on the motherboard tray. Though the case is rather tall, it was great to see that COUGAR have included a gap for the E-ATX CPU power. The only thing I would have liked to see with this feature is the addition of rubber to further improve the tidiness within.


Although I was pleased with the Evolution it does have its shortcomings. Having a single fan inside the case means that cooling isn’t really its forte. For a case to be considered good for thermal performance we need positive air pressure – intake at the front and a rear exhaust or top mounted fan. Sadly we are missing any case type of case fan at the front. The PSU area is absent of any anti-vibration resulting in metal on metal – as a consequence will lead to scratching.

In terms of pricing the Evolution is available for £80 Inc. VAT in the UK – this comes with 2x 120mm fans pre-installed. So as you will imagine, cooling will be better and for the cost the Evolution is a good buy.

The bottom line is COUGAR have impressed us with their Evolution, it looks great has all the features you could want and is affordable to most. The only thing letting it down is mediocre air cooling.