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Clash of the Titans - TT Tai Chi vs. CM Stacker 830

 by Joshua Buss on February 23, 2006 12:05 AM EST
55 Comments | Add A Comment
55 Comments
Cooler Master Stacker 830 (cont’d)

Speaking of the hard drive cage, here is the 830's with a side plate removed to expose the rubber shock-mounts.


Click to enlarge.

All in the all, this hard drive cage is superior to the Tai Chi's in almost every way. It can hold four drives as opposed to the Thermaltake's three, it has rubber mounts to minimize transferred vibrations, and it is not as difficult to get screws into the drives with this cage.

The fan on the drive cage is quite different cosmetically from the other two fans included with the case, but it can be used interchangeably with them.


Click to enlarge.

Once the drive(s) are in the cage, the assembly can be secured in the case, which is easy if a single black plastic clip is on each side already in the bottom position.


Click to enlarge.

Here are the black clips in more detail. The outside has a plastic stub to grip, which when moved towards the lock position, it forces the metal prongs outward.


Click to enlarge.

The larger plastic tabs at the bottom of the clip serve to align drives properly in a vertical fashion, which helps in some ways, but is not completely needed either.


Click to enlarge.

To accommodate a floppy drive or fifth hard drive, a 5¼” to 3½” adapter set is included, as well as a front bezel piece with a 3½” sized opening.

Cooler Master Stacker 830 (cont’d) Cooler Master Stacker 830 (cont’d)
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  • chynn - Thursday, March 2, 2006 - link

    Yes, you can. I'm surprised AnandTech missed that option in their review. I like mounting inverted (BTX-style) ATX motherboards because that points the HSFs on my graphics cards (I run SLI) up to help dissipate heat.

  • Googer - Thursday, February 23, 2006 - link

    let me rephrase that.

    Is it possible invert the motherboard on the CM Stacker by installing the tray on the left side in place of the usual right side


    By inverting the motherboard (insalling on the BTX side) it may allow for better CPU cooling sine the processor would be sitting on the bottome getting plenty of cool air and allowing hot exhaust to escape upwards.

  • kextyn - Friday, February 24, 2006 - link

    I believe it would depend on which CM Stacker you get. I have the original and I run my ATX motherboard inverted on the opposite side just for this reason (cooling.) Also because I have an XP-120 on the CPU and don't have to worry about clearance issues with the PSU.

    If you're going to buy a Stacker I suggest looking at the specs on all of them before deciding. If I was going to buy another one I'd get the original again. It offers the full 12 5.25" bays in the front, dual PSU's, ATX/BTX/Inverted ATX/Inverted BTX, and I think more mod potential than this new one. The reason is because it's so basic that you can just cut and add stuff wherever you want. The only thing I like about this new one is that 4x120mm fan array on the side. But if I really wanted to I could mod the side of my case for that.

  • Googer - Thursday, February 23, 2006 - link

    Also will a PC Power and Cooling Turbo Cool 850 or any other oversized PSU fit in to either the Thermaltake or Cooler Master?

  • chynn - Thursday, March 2, 2006 - link

    Yes, the PCP&C 850W PSU should fit in the Stacker. You might have to orient the PSU so the cables exit from the bottom side to clear the 120mm fan in the top center, but the Stacker will let you do that.

  • Matthews316 - Thursday, February 23, 2006 - link

    I own the Thai-Chi, and my PC Power and Cooling 1 KW (same size as the 850) fits just fine. I heard a rumor that oversized PSU's, such as the PCP&C 850/1KW, won't fit in the CM Stacker 830. Can anyone comment on this?

  • JoshuaBuss - Thursday, February 23, 2006 - link

    I would say that as long as there's nothing protruding from the sides, top, or bottom of the PSU, it'll fit in the stacker fine... length isn't the issue, it's the sides, top, and bottom you'd have to watch carefully.

  • Googer - Thursday, February 23, 2006 - link

    What a tough decision it would be to choose between those two cases, both are feature rich and well though out and designed. (if price was not a concern)

  • yanquii - Thursday, February 23, 2006 - link

    I love seeing case reviews on this site, especially considering how sparsely they are reviewed. What I would like to see are some reviews done on some cases that don't look like they came off they toy isle from the nearest Dollar General store. It would be sweet if you guys could do some reviews on the higher end offerings from Silverstone; especially the TJ07.

  • yanquii - Thursday, February 23, 2006 - link

    oh, and Lian-Li. I remember when Coolermaster was pumping out the sweetest cases you could buy. I love simplicity and elegance, and it seems that most companies are all about gaudy flash.
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