External Overview
From Cooler Master:
Re-Introducing an old friend:
ATCS 840 constitutes a classic all-aluminum design that builds on the legacy of the original ATCS design. The aluminum construction not only allows for a lighter weight but complements the thermal design seamlessly with three 230mm fans, dedicated air duct for graphics card cooling and HDD cooling module for superb cooling.
What’s New:
Extra attention was paid to make sure this elegantly designed chassis is not only easy to install but easy to maintain. This includes: slide-out motherboard tray along with cut out CPU access for easy removal, tool-free HDD casing, and patented finger pressing 5.25″ drive.
Simplicity:
Lastly, it gives users the freedom to choose any components they desire, as it supports the latest standards such as E-ATX and dual PSUs.
The ATCS 840 is pretty plain in its design. A simple brushed aluminum finish, available in black or silver, resides around the entire case. The only thing around the sides of the case that stands out is the extended panel on the front bezel. An extra piece of aluminum with a small Cooler Master logo centered on it gives the front internal 230mm fan some room for cooling. Six external 5.25″ drive bays also reside on the front bezel.
You’ll find the biggest change of style along the top of the case. The power, reset, HDD and power LEDs all blend in with the top of the case, but a small box with the words “PUSH” on it seems to catch the eye. Pushing the box will reveal the external ports of which include: four USB, eSATA, FireWire ports and audio and microphone jacks. The mechanism that supplies the push power for this pop-up device does have quite the power and seems like it would last a long time.
Also along the top is one large black wire mesh which covers the two 230mm fans inside of the case. These two fans can be removed and replaced by three 120mm fans or even a liquid cooling radiator. This mesh can be easily removed by removing the two thumb screws found along the top of the back of the case; just simply slide it out the back.
The back of the case does have the standard layout that most cases have, but it also has some additional details to it. For starters it has two power supply holes. The default one to be used is the bottom mounted one while the top slot, which is covered by an aluminum plate, can be used for tubing to run in/out of the case.
The seven expansion slots are each a single piece of black mesh, the same mesh found on top of the case, giving optimal airflow. However the expansion slots to stick out away from the case and could give internal installations a problem trying to finagle cards in the small space allotted. A small handle also resides towards the left side of the case which is really used for removing the motherboard tray inside, but I suppose it could be used for easier transport of the case.
While the bottom of the cases are often ignored for other cases, the Cooler Master ATCS 840 has four large plastic padded feet to allow enough space for the two fan grills built into the bottom of the case, of for the power supply and one for an additional 120mm fan that can be installed. A removable plastic filter covers the fan grill for an optional fan installation.
