Value -
Value is another very subjective topic. What is expensive to some might be a deal to others. You can look at this topic in multiple ways. One is raw price and the other is what you get for the money. Each is accurate and both are correct ways to look at price/value. We tend to look at features, performance and real-property when we discuss value. However, we also take into account the raw cash cost of the item. At $160 plus shipping the Stryker is not a cheap case. You are getting considerably more than many other cases in this price range and also getting a pretty attractive looking case. The addition of the fan and LED controls at this price point and case size are a nice touch as is the ability to drop in up to 13 drives (as long as you are using 2.5-inch drives.). You would be hard pressed to find another case with the flexibility that the Stryker has (support for Quad-SLI/Crossfire etc.) for the price that you can get it for.
Conclusion -
Cooler Master has a hit with the Stryker even with the hit pictures we have dropped before the publication of this review we have had a large amount of interesting in the product. The interest is well deserved as the Stryker is certainly one of the better enclosures that we have worked with and has a price tag that is sure to attract many looking for style, room and good airflow.
There are a few things that we feel Cooler Master might have done better though. The X-DRIVE, while a nice concept needs a little work. Once a drive has been in for a while it can become difficult to pull out as there is only a small amount of the drive sticking out to grip. An eject button here would have been nice as would making a statement on the type of drive support for this port. We found nothing that indicated support for SATA 3.0 as the port is only described as eSATA in all of the documentation we saw at the time of this review. Cooler Master could also have included mounting hardware for the 5.25-inch bays instead of the thumbscrews to make the build a little easier just as they should have made the bottom filters easier to pull out for cleaning.
Still even with these issues we find it hard not to like the CMStorm Stryker. It truly is a nice combination of performance, style, flexibility and price. If you are looking for your next enclosure then this one might be it. It certainly has replaced the case we were using for our main system and look mighty good under our desk.
For its combination of performance, flexibility, style and price we are happy to award the Cooler Master CM Storm Stryker with our Gold Key Award.
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