Cooler Master Cosmos C700M Review: A Colossal Success

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Benchmark Results & Conclusion
be quiet! Dark Base 700
Cougar Panzer EVO RGB
NZXT H700i

We tested the Cosmos C700M with our new Intel i9-7900X test platform. For comparison, we brought in the Cougar Panzer EVO RGB, the NZXT H700i and the be quiet! Dark Base 700 to give you a solid idea where this case stands against other cases that are of similar size and feature sets.

Given that this chassis is equipped with three 140mm intake fans feeding a single 140mm exhaust fan, it should come as no surprise that its thermal performance easily bested the rest. At just 57 degrees Celsius under load and 47 degrees Celsius at idle, the C700M is in a league of its own. Even with the fans set to low speed (600 rpm), our overclocked Intel i9-7900X processor running at 4.0GHz peaked at 58 degrees Celsius over the ambient temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, putting it neck-and-neck with the Panzer EVO RGB. GPU temperatures maxed out at 48 degrees Celsius over the ambient room temperature, on par with the other cases we tested against.

For audio testing, we recorded sound level readings with two off-the-shelf dB meters from two different angles. For our first round of testing, we set the case fans to their maximum speed of 1,200 rpm. Our second audio test was run with the case fans on their lowest setting, 600 rpm. The tempered glass side panel and the solid case construction kept sound output to a minimum, even on the highest setting. The C700M generated noise levels on par with the Dark Base 700 and the Panzer EVO RGB. Both of those are also extremely quiet chassis.

Cooling efficiency and noise levels are both ways to measure performance. Determining acoustic efficiency, also referred to as cooling-to-noise ratio, is a matter of averaging all five of our tests to determine a base value. The results in this graph are a bit skewed due to the C700M’s higher-than-average pricing.

Note that our Performance Value chart above doesn’t take features into account. Even though this chassis has great thermal and acoustic performance, it is hard to justify the $440 price tag based on performance alone. This is where the Cosmos C700M's impressive list of features, unparalleled configurability and unique modular design should be factored into the equation.

Bottom Line

We are the first to admit that this chassis' price tag might be too high for some people's taste, but we also realize that this is a specialized, high-end chassis specifically built for enthusiasts willing to spend their hard earned money to have the best. And make no mistake about it, the Cooler Master Cosmos C700M is one of the best.

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Steven Lynch
9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • SockPuppet
    I'm still rocking the OG Cosmos case. Very few items in the PC world actually last as long as you think they will. I'm proud to report this case is one of them.
    Reply
  • modusoperandi00
    Had me at "bottom filter removable from the front". Lost me at "$440 and big as a house".
    Reply
  • cryoburner
    You couldn't ask for a more full-featured, future-proof chassis than the Cooler Master Cosmos C700M.
    Future-proof, unless you decide in the future that you don't want your PC to be similar in size and weight to a mini fridge. : P

    It's nice to see an external drive bay included, though the means of accessing it behind the front panel looks a bit janky. I would rather see a small portion of the panel flip open rather than the entire thing, and perhaps have it so that the bay portion could optionally be exposed at all times. That front panel also seems to contain more plastic than I would like to see in a $400+ case, particularly for a part of the case that might get interacted with on a regular basis.
    Reply
  • mlee 2500
    hmmm. While it has some additional features it's difficult to reconcile the cost versus a Define R6, NZT, or BeQuiet! chassis costing 1/3rd as much.

    Also I think it's hideous looking, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in this case I suspect the stylistic appeal is geared toward younger enthusiasts who want their box to scream "I play games!".
    Reply
  • janneman666
    @SOCKPUPPET

    Same here. Been "rocking" the Cosmos for almost 7 years, but this is probably it's last week. It's dusty in every orifice (and it has loads of those), dirty and scratched, and I'm not happy with the front port layout anymore. It's time to move on.

    I've been thinking about getting the Cosmos II. It's also a fantastic looking monster of a case, but like with the original Cosmos, it's age is showing in it's front panel. So I'm just going to take the leap, and go for the C700M. I like the look, love the features and layout. The glass panel combined with a nice layout (with lights!!!) will make it look like it's already 2019.

    Going to order it in one hour. I'm both happy and sad...
    Reply
  • jbeck25691
    hi I own this case as of yesterday got everything installed in it but have one problem I don't know how to set up the rbg for the strips on outside of case and underneath I see theres 2 3 pin connectors when I connect them only part of the rbg is coming on any help plz someone
    Reply
  • Deadtroopers
    jbeck25691 said:
    hi I own this case as of yesterday got everything installed in it but have one problem I don't know how to set up the rbg for the strips on outside of case and underneath I see theres 2 3 pin connectors when I connect them only part of the rbg is coming on any help plz someone
    Check you have connected the controller correctly (p24 of Manual).
    Reply
  • jbeck25691
    thanks for the reply but have u seen the manual :eek: its hard to understand lol
    Reply
  • marnes
    This is an amazing case and I bought it several months ago. I like that it's huge, I like the aesthetics of it -- it literally looks like it came out of a Tron movie. Very high quality parts, and incredibly modular. In this situation, I got what I paid for, even from a build quality only perspective.

    The reason I like big full sized cases is a valid one. I generally don't move my computer, and I like having options for installing things. It is definitely big and heavy, but the aluminum handles allow for easy pickup.

    Rewind to 1997 -- I built my first water-cooled case. Got the distilled water, put in the powder, overclocked my Celeron significantly and all was fine. 1-2 years later, my computer started overheating. The pump was fine, but upon closer inspection discovered the entire circuit had algae growth in it. Then I meticulously disassembled it, and attempted to clean it. There was no cleaning that out. It was done. So I decided I'd never do that again.

    But as a result, I found that sizeable aluminum cases act as great passive cooling, so the inside of your computer can dissipate far better than a smaller case. Get some quality fans, and you end up with a quiet rig. In the early 2000s I bought a nice all aluminum silverstone case, and that lasted me until I bought this one. The case predated 2.5" drives, didn't have the fancy rubber vibration dampening, and had headers for USB1.0 probably. I had additional problems where my Intel 4790K with a nice big coolermaster heatsink on it, was too big for the pull out tray, so I had to install it the old fashioned way.
    Reply