FSP announced two new mid-tower cases: the CMT330 and the CMT520. Both are cleanly styled, but the latter trades some practicality for a more premium aesthetic, while the former is more functionality-focused.
The new CMT330 and CMT520 share an identical layout within, but are styled differently on the outside. This approach allows OEMs to target one product to multiple audiences. We’ve seen Cooler Master take the same approach with its MasterBox and MasterCase line of chassis. Starting with the more premium CMT520, it has the same glass-slab-front-panel design that we’ve seen on somanycasesbefore. As is usual with such designs, the glass front is matched by a glass left-side panel, which gives a full view of the case’s interior. FSP anticipates that all this transparency will be matched with RGB lighting, so it has included an LED and fan controller that is compatible with lighting ecosystems from major motherboard OEMs.
The glass-front design is so ubiquitous that, between these two new chassis, the more utilitarian CMT330 might actually be the more interesting one. It trades glass for a plain-faced front panel with dual 5.25” cutouts, a rarity in today’s case market. This is paired with a steel side panel that features a plexiglass window. The CMT330 lacks RGB lighting and instead has a glowing blue element at the foot of its front panel.
Moving on to the internals, as mentioned earlier, both chassis are exactly the same in this regard. Probably the most interesting feature here is the magnetically attached mirror floor-plate that sits on top of the power supply tunnel. FSP calls this the “halo cover,” and it’s there only for aesthetic reasons. As for hardware support, the cases have four 2.5” SDD mounts, a cage for two 3.5” drives, eight PCI expansion slots, clearance for graphics cards up to 423mm in length, and clearance for coolers up to 163mm in height. For cooling, the cases can accommodate three 120mm fans with a radiator at the front, three 120mm fans with a radiator on top, and one 120mm fan in the back. In the CMT330’s case, however, installing optical drives will limit the number of accommodated frontal cooling fans to two.
The FSP CMT330 and CMT520 are available now at $80 and $100.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | CMT330 | CMT520 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Mid Tower | Mid Tower |
| Motherboard Support | ATX up to 297mm, mATX, Mini-ITX | ATX up to 297mm, mATX, Mini-ITX |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 215 x 495 x 510mm | 215 x 495 x 510mm |
| Space Above Motherboard | Unknown | Unknown |
| Card Length | 423mm | 423mm |
| Power Supply Format | PS/2 | PS/2 |
| Weight | 6.7kg | 8.5kg |
| External Bays | 2 x 5.25” | X |
| Internal Bays | 2 x 3.5”, 4x 2.5” | 2 x 3.5”, 4 x 2.5” |
| Card Slots | 8 | 8 |
| Port/Jacks | 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, Mic In, Audio Out | 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, Mic In, Audio Out |
| Other | X | LED and fan controller |
| Front Fans | 3 x 120/140mm (2 x 120mm fans included) | 3 x 120/140mm (3 x 120mm RGB fans included) |
| Rear Fans | 1 x 120mm (included, blue LED) | 1 x 120mm (included, RGB) |
| Top Fans | 3 x 120/140mm | 3 x 120/140mm |
| Side Fans | X | X |
| Dampening | X | X |
