Cooler Master's CM Media 260 case is designed for a media centre PC. Its brushed aluminium front and hi-fi design look very stylish and it's not too big, standing around twice the thickness of the average DVD player.
There's a clear screen at the front that can be used to house an iMon VFD, which will let you control your PC remotely and display track information on its LCD. Cooler Master also sells a version of this case with a built-in iMon Inside. If you want the LCD and remote control this provides, we'd recommend buying this model; you can buy the iMon Inside separately, but you'll have to remove the screen from its 5" mount to get it to fit inside.
Cooler Master promotes the CM Media 260 as a tool-less case that's easy to build. However, you'll need a screwdriver to remove the many screws used to hold the internal drive cages in place.
Inside, there's plenty of room, but the layout is strange and you have to fit the power supply at the front of the case. This means that you must run the power cable through the case, using a rubber grommit to stop it wearing through on bare metal, and into the power supply, so you can't detach the cable without taking the case apart.
The front of the case has external 5" and 3" drive bays, while the rear of the case has room for two hard disks, so there's enough room to house most of the components you'll need.
The Media 260 will take an ATX or Mini-ATX motherboard, but to use the expansion slots you need riser cards, which aren't provided in the box. The AGP and dual PCI cards are available at www.komplett.co.uk for £12.50 including VAT, but we couldn't find a supplier of the PCI-E version for newer motherboards. Even if you manage to get the correct part you have to be careful, as the risers won't fit all motherboards and depend on the layout of the expansion slots. Check Cooler Master's website for a full compatibility list.
This is a good-looking case and it's well priced, particularly if you don't want the iMon VFD. However, the strange internal layout and the lack of necessary riser cards make it hard for us to recommend.
System Specifications
Takes ATX and Mini-ATX motherboards, one external 5" drive bay, three 3" drive bays (two internal, one external), two USB2 ports, FireWire port
Author: David Ludlow
Computer Shopper Online