Cooler Master K-280 Computer Case 'ATX, microATX, USB 3.0, Mesh Side Panel' RC-K280-KKN1

My review of this case.I like the style of the case, I had trouble with the case swoping everything into this case because it was very awkward, Had trouble putting my SSD at the bottom of the case, It was a pain in the butt, You know what i mean :P, Had trouble fitting my HDD in the case, Was a pain, Alittle tip, Put in your SSD and HDD before fitting your mobo and everything else.Pros..Looks really good by looking at it.Great quality.Brilliant value for money.Has the space you need for high end gear, There is no need to spend so much on a gaming case.Comes with screws and everything you need for the case(Not a screwdriver)Solid buildCons..Could of been bigger inside of the case because it was awkward when putting everything in.Back panels cant be replaced when you snap it off.The cooling upto now seems mehh but only had it a few days.Hard to build with it to be honestMy build right now ...AMD FX 4130 3.8Ghz with stock fan -.-Sapphire R7 260x OCMSI 970A-G43 AMD 970 ATX Motherboard(PCI-E, Socket AM3+)EVGA 500W PC Power SupplyWD 500GB Desktop SATA Hard Drive OEM - BlackSamsung 840 EVO 250GBCooler Master K-Series K280 Case(Used to have a old case and terrible power supply)My new build very soon ...AMD FX 6300Sapphire HD 7950 boost 3GBMSI 970A-G43 AMD 970 ATX Motherboard(PCI-E, Socket AM3+)EVGA 500W PC Power SupplyWD 500GB Desktop SATA Hard Drive OEM - BlackSamsung 840 EVO 250GBCooler Master Hyper 212 EVOCooler Master K-Series K280 CaseThe only reason i gave it 4 star because i had trouble fitting everything in because it was awkward, It was a pain.

Pros:- Great price- Mid range features including USB 3 port, plenty of dust flters, and side panel- Relatively compact- Tool-less drive mounts- Black painted interior looks niceCons:- Build quality less than expected- Little room for cable management- Very narrow, limiting cooling optionsIn more detail:The case is light, however on closer inspection, this is due to thinner guage steel being used, resulting in flimsier than expected build quality. Individual panels will flex and bend under their own weight during a build, but the case is relatively rigid once re-assembled.Comes with a single 120mm 3-pin fan in the front, also by Cooler Master. This is quiet but has an audiable, high frequency clicking sound which can be distracting. According to the literature it is rated at 1500rpm, however I never saw speeds above ~450rpm being reported in the BIOS, regardless of how the fan was connected (via motherboard or directly to the PSU) controlling the speed in the BIOS also had no impact.The side window is a great feature and allows installation of an extra 120mm fan. However, given that the case is very narrow, this fan can interfere with power cables on the graphics card (confirmed with Zotac nVidia GTX 660ti, using 2 6pin connectors) longer cards may not experience this as the Zotac is very compact.Because the case is narrow, you are limited to the size of after market CPU coolers available. Something like the TX3 EVO by Cooler Master would be appropriately small.The biggest drawback of this case, in my opinion, is the lack of space available for cable management. There is little to no space behind the motherboard tray, causing the side panel to possibly bulge or be unable to be re-fitted. Most cables will be tidied to the sides, or actually in the empty drive bays. Using a modular power supply will be beneficial in this instance to keep the cable count down.A large cutout is included on the motherboard tray if you wish to upgrade your CPU heatsink. Unfortunately the edge of the cutout obscures part of the holes on the motherboard used for mounting, possibly creating difficulty with installation.The case also comes with one front panel USB 3.0 port and dust filters in the front bezel, PSU intake, over the fan mounting point in the bottom, and the top exhaust, which are nice touches to an entry level case.

A nice case but if you plan on putting a big heat sink & fan in it then look elsewhere as it won`t accommodate Cooler Master`s own Hyper 212 Evo heast sink & fan. What were Cooler Master thinking of?You may also need to buy a rear case fan as the CPU sits quite close to the top of the case, not a lot of room at the top. Though it is well ventilated.Some people will like the compact size for an ATX case, not too big for the type of case, just about as small as they can get away with but at a sacrifice of space.If you are building a budget gaming system say for the kids and aren`t putting in too high an end components (it will take bigger graphics cards though) then OK but if you are a serious gamer save up and get the bigger brother Cooler Master HAF range.Overall great for a budget system, choose CPU cooler carefully & make sure it fits. Great for teenager`s bedroom. If the 212 EVO CPU cooler fitted I`d have given it 5 stars for the price.

This case is amazing value for money and you get a lot for £30. It has all the basics that you need for a mid-high range pc build.+ Great internal layout - black painted inside and easy to access all mounting points+ Can fit full size board and power supply despite its compact size+ 3x 5.25 bays and neat looking, good quality finish with sound-dampening foam inside+ Bottom mounted psu- most cases this price don't allow this+ Can fit tall coolers, long GPUs and has ample space at back to route cables- thanks to clever bulge in side panel+ Dust filter at bottom, for PSU fan+ Overall, very aesthetically pleasing- Could have added another 2 USB ports on front, without the need for extra connectors- the connectors are not being utilised fully- Could have had extra fan mounting holes at top- this would have even allowed for a small radiator to be intalledIf there were 2 more USB ports, I would have given 5 starts; but anyway, very happy with this case- highly recommend!!