Update June 1, 2017, 5:00 p.m. PST. We met with Deepcool here in Taipei this week during Computex and got an up close view of the Quadstellar chassis. And yes, it's an impressively large "full tower" case that will speak to a certain type of buyer. There are a couple of changes to the information from CES: There's both a premium and entry level version of the Quadstellar case. The premium version includes extension ribbons for graphics cards (these go in a chamber that is separate from the motherboard). It also has a feature that, based on thermal conditions, will open up the panels in the front of the chambers to allow more air flow. The entry level version excludes these two items.
We also learned that the entry level version will cost $299 and the premium version will cost $350, which is lower than the Tristellar case.
Just for fun, we shot a quick video to give you a closer look.
Now begins the original article.
Deepcool was founded in 1996, but it only started to show its gaming face in the U.S. market a few years ago, and it's steadily improved its products ever since. The Quadstellar and the Ark 90 the company has at CES this year continue this trend and show its commitment to innovation, but that's not all that Deepcool is showing this year.
It's Stellar, The Quadstellar
The Quadstellar takes a page out of Deepcool’s history book. Its design is clearly inspired by the Mini-ITX Tristellar case Deepcool launched back in May 2015. However, where the Tristellar had three distinct compartments joined at the center of the case, the Quadstellar’s compartments flow into each other much more. That's why the device suddenly has room for an ATX motherboard and four dual-slot graphics cards.
The motherboard spans from the core of the chassis into one of the compartments, with the graphics cards all located towards the center of the chassis. The additional three cabins consequently offer room for a 280-mm long ATX PSU and up to nine 3.5” hard drives, or twelve 2.5” units and the cooling hardware.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Despite its extravagant shape, cooling shouldn’t be too shabby either, with room for up to a 360mm radiator up front and a 240mm unit at the bottom. The front air intake also has a neat trick up its sleeve: When the internal case temperature rises, it will open up to allow for more air flow.
One thing to note, though, is that the case measures 485 x 485 x 523mm (HxWxD), so it isn't particularly compact.
Deepcool said that the Quadstellar will be available in the May 2017 but gave no indication for pricing. Considering this case ups the ante notably over the $399 MSRP Tristellar, we can only assume that it won’t come cheap, so you’d better start saving up.
Ark 90
The Ark 90 takes a step back and offers a more traditional layout and has a little something that's suddenly become all the rage: tempered glass panels.
The inside of the chassis has room for an E-ATX motherboard, four dual-slot graphics cards, an ATX PSU–which is all standard fare. On top of that, though, Deepcool integrated a Captain 280EX all-in-one liquid cooling system into the case, which goes as far as having a front-mounted flowmeter that spans all the way from the bottom to the top of the chassis.
In addition to the built-in water cooling system, the Ark 90 also has room for 360mm radiators at the top and front of the chassis, as well as a rear-mounted 120mm unit.
To top it off, Deepcool also fitted an RGB lighting system that allows you to simultaneously change the color of the flowmeter, CPU water block, LED strips, and the PSU shroud.
Availability for the Ark 90 is also slated for May 2017, with no word yet on pricing.
The Earlkase And Baronkase
Additionally, for April, Deepcool is launching the Earlkase AND Baronkase. The Earlkase is the Ark 90's smaller brother, sporting room for an ATX board, and it comes with a Captain 140EX liquid cooler pre-installed. It's also split into two parts inside, has LED strips and a flow indicator, and comes with a neat tempered glass side panel.
The Baronkase takes a different approach with a smaller chassis, but it will still house an ATX board. It comes with a Captain 120EX liquid cooler installed and RGB lighting effects.
Pricing for these cases will sit at $150 and $130 for the Earlkase and Baronkase, respectively.
And Some RGB Goodies
To top it off, Deepcool is also presenting two new RGB fans and an RGB Captain liquid cooler at the show. The MF120 and MF120GT RGB come with aluminum alloy frames, but the MF120 has a "frameless" design. They'll have PWM control support over a range from 500-2,200 RPM, and RGB lighting support through the GS control app.
The Captain EX RGB follows the same design principle of the existing Captain liquid coolers, carrying all the same features, but packing RGB lighting into the already attention-grabbing CPU block. You'll be able to control the lighting with the included controller, or through RGB headers on supporting motherboards.
The fan kits will ship in April for $89 and $99 for three-packs of the MF120 and MF120GT, respectively, whereas the Captain 120EX RGB and Captain 240EX RGB will be available in March for $100 and $130.
