Verdict: The Delorian of the PC case world

The original Stacker made quite an impression with its imposing dimensions, stacks of 5.25in drive bays, twin PSU bays and enormous cooling potential. However, unlike the Stacker 810, which was nothing more than a slightly tweaked Stacker, the Stacker 830 is all-new.

Arguably, the biggest improvement of the Stacker 830 over the Stacker is the case's looks. While the front of the Stacker comprised a huge, black metal grille, the front of the Stacker 830 is a curvaceous door, behind which lurks the grille. This not only makes the Stacker 830 the only good-looking full-tower case in existence, but it also adds an air filter, so, unlike its predecessor, the insides of the Stacker 830 shouldn't look like a woolly mammoth after spending a few months underneath a desk.

The side panels have also been improved and resemble the wings of a monster supercar, although the latches that hold them to the main body of the case are quite flimsy. In fact, poor build quality is the Stacker 830's biggest weakness. Most of the components are clipped together rather than screwed, welded or riveted, so the whole case rattles like a biscuit tin full of screws.

Building a PC inside the Stacker 830 is easy, thanks to its huge dimensions and handy removable motherboard tray. The ample space inside also makes it very easy to route cables out of the way, so they don't restrict airflow. The front grille hides nine 5.25in drive bays, although three are used by an adaptor that provides three 3.5in internal drive bays and a 120mm intake fan.

Further cooling is supplied by a 120mm exhaust fan, while another 120mm fan can be mounted in the roof, along with four 120mm fans on the left side panel. If you bought a further two drive bay adaptors then you could potentially fit nine 120mm fans to your Stacker 830!

We tested the Stacker 830 with its two bundled fans, and in this configuration, it provided excellent cooling for our test components. The CPU at full load cruised along at 73ûC, second only to the Akasa Mirage, which helped to cool the CPU to 70ûC. The Northbridge warmed up to 59ûC, the hard disk to 43ûC and the GPUs to 101ûC. Obviously, these temperatures could be further improved by adding more fans, although this would also increase the noise level. The impressive temperature results are backed up by the infrared photograph, which shows no nasty hotspots or areas of particular concern. The huge vented front and side panels, coupled with the two 120mm fans, are quite clearly capable of moving air through the interior of the Stacker 830 with ease.

Unfortunately, Cooler Master has spent so much time and money designing the Stacker 830 that it's one of the most expensive cases in existence. It's very easy to build a high-end PC inside the Stacker 830, and it provides excellent cooling, particularly for hard disks, but this still doesn't justify the £175 price tag, particularly when the build quality is so poor.

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