Cougar Solution Chassis Review

1. Introduction2. Cougar Solution External3. Cougar Solution Internal4. System Installation5. Testing Methodology and Results6. Acoustical Performance7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

The Cougar Solution on paper, looks rather impressive. A Midi Tower chassis that can accommodate 8x 120mm fans certainly sets it apart from most of the competition. The case is well designed and plenty of thought has went into the overall design.

It was a good chassis design to work with. For the size it has a lot of room inside, and plenty of space for cable routing. Installation was mainly a pain free experience.

The locking mechanism for the 5.25″ and 3.5″ bays work well and only took us a matter of seconds to install optical drives and hard drives.

Unfortunately, we have never felt that happy when asked to screw in a 2.5″ SSD into the outer chassis of a case. We do wish Cougar had incorporated a dedicated 2.5″ bay.

Technically we also have some reservations. The thermal performance is sadly lacking in the ‘out of the box' state, with only a single 120mm fan included.

Ultimately, it is the acoustical performance that really lets this case down. While it only had a single fan installed, it was noisier than many which incorporate two, or even three fans.

This is partially due to the huge array of mesh and intake grills, but the design just amplifies any internal sound. It is certainly not a product I would pair up with noisy, low grade components. This case is designed to handle many more fans than it ships with. We wouldn't like to experience the case with a fully loaded array of fans as we would imagine the noise levels would be close to 50dBa. Not something you would want as a main 24/7 system in your room.

On the upside, this case includes a USB 3.0 port and a PCI Card locking bracket, as well as all the other features you would expect, including 2 holes for watercooling pipes. The case doors use a solid hinged system making it extremely easy to remove and install.

We were unable to find the product for sale in the United Kingdom however it is available in America at a very modest $59.99.

Pros

• Can accommodate 8x 120mm fans.
• One USB 3.0 port.
• Screw-less mechanism for 5.25″ and 3.5″.
• PCI lock system.

Cons

• Only 1 space for 2.5″ drives.
• Acoustical performance is lacking.
• Thermal performance is poor ‘out of the box'.

Kitguru says: An inexpensive case, but sadly it just falls short of an award. Even at this modest price point the competition is fierce.

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