I consider the Cougar Blazer Essence case to be one of the most meaningful products of the company. This is the ideal balance between the invisible, evocative look and the uninterrupted aesthetics. Minimalism, style and thoughts about open-air cases in general.
For starters, let’s talk about the price. Our hero costs around 5,000 hryvnias, or $ 190. This is the price of expensive premium cases ща the traditional format, not open like this. But this is explained quite simply.
Yes, in fact the open stand consists of a chassis, which, according to sensations, needs less metal and materials to build in general. But if metal is used anywhere in this case, it is dense, high quality and beautiful at all places.
It is especially noticeable in Cougar Blazer Essence from any point of view, no matter how you look at it, the metal workmanship and painting are excellent. Black matte plus bright orange, minimum plastics, zero other colors.
The overall structure of the Blazer Essence resembles traditional cases. Like, here’s the front, here’s the front panel, power button, USB. At the bottom, there are rubber legs-stands, visible holes for mounting fans and drives, spacers for the motherboard.
The profile in the case is industrial to the core, with a bunch of diamond-shaped holes that play their role in cable management. And you will have to cable-manage this case very thoroughly.
You won’t be able to hide a tangle of cables in the depths behind the side panel, since the sidewalls are glass on both sides of the case! So you’ll surely be doing some cable twisting. Fortunately, there are enough adhesive clamps in the set.
As well as rubber mounts for drives. The Cougar Blazer Essence can have five of them, two 3.5″ and three 2.5″. We don’t count the motherboard M.2 slots, by the way, the case can house Mini ITX, Micro ATX and plain ATX motherboards.
The maximum length of the power supply, which is fortunately the standard ATX, 140 mm for ATX and 160 mm for other formats. As for the cooling, on top and on the side there are two mounts 240 mm, for radiators or a pair of fans.
The maximum length of the video card is 310 mm, the maximum height of the processor cooler is about 150 mm. But! The latter is solved very simply, if you use full-size spacers for increased height of glass sidewalls.
By the way, the glass is tempered, 4 mm thick, and is fixed in place with the widest screws I ever saw on the cases. And the glass itself is gorgeous.
Now for the obvious information. Be prepared for the fact that the Cougar Blazer Essence does not provide any sound insulation, does not provide any protection against spilled liquid, and there will be fun with blowing the case.
Just like any other open case, the hero of the review relies on the movement of air in the room, and is not essentially a well-designed wind tunnel, like traditional iron boxes.
Yes, the fans will ALWAYS get air, but there will be less of it than in the well-ventilated counterparts like the same Cougar Panzer, and the air will stagnate a little more. Therefore, I recommend not the water cooling, but air cooling for Cougar Blazer Essence.
But here’s the nuance. Yes, horizontal towers, like be quiet! Shadow Rock 2 TF will be more efficient in cooling components of flagship motherboards such as ASUS XXX. Traditional towers, especially two-fan, will provide the conventional blow. That is, from front to back.
There is also the option to set the fans on top for intake, not the outlet, but if you put water cooling fan on top, you will blow the components with hot air.
In general, as you see, managing the Cougar Blazer Essence internal airflow takes some thinking, as well as the cable management. But, you know, it’s worth it. This case is not just beautiful and stylish, it is beautiful on a completely different level.
This case is for enthusiasts who know what they are doing, who assemble the system without guides and already know where to put the fans when buying the case.
I recommend Cougar Blazer Essence to them without any hesitation. For others, it’s best to buy a Cougar Panzer Max.
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