Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
The external view of the FSP CMT350 is an interesting case, though it follows a pretty typical layout. At the front, we have a protruding plastic shell with an angular front design, followed by a flat glass and steel enclosure. The whole thing is kept quite conservative, especially as style accents or markings are kept to a minimum. The whole case is mostly black, including the tinted tempered glass panel. Otherwise, the front panel is attached to the steel frame with some plastic vents down the side and at the top for air to flow through to the front fans. It is not necessarily the biggest gap here for front ventilation, so this may inhibit front intake airflow. There is also a translucent bar at the top that we will take a closer look at later. An FSP badge in gray can be found at the front panel as well. All in all, it is an understated case with a clean, mostly black exterior.
The FSP CMT350 is a mid-tower ATX case with dimensions of 368mm in depth, 206mm in width, and 471mm in height. Materials used in this case include plastic for the front panel and some internal elements, steel for the case frame, and tempered glass for the windowed side panel. Altogether, the case weighs in just over 6kg. This is not too surprising considering the heft of tempered glass. Without this left side panel, the case becomes a lot lighter. With this mixture of materials, the case feels mostly solid, though there is a bit of flex in the flat parts of the steel panel. This should still be sturdy enough to hold your build, but I would like to see a bit more robust of a frame.
At the top of the FSP CMT350, we can take a closer look at the front I/O options. An additional FSP logo can be found here, followed by two USB 3.0 ports. Next, we have two 3.5mm audio jacks for microphone and headphone. Two LEDs follow for hard drive activity and power status. Finally, we have three buttons, each with their own purpose. The first is an RGB button, which helps with controlling the lighting in this case, as we will see later on. A similarly sized square button is next to it and used to reset the case. Finally, a larger power button is spotted. It does seem a bit strange to see both the RGB and reset button placed right beside each other, as users may accidentally press the wrong button. I also think FSP could have refined a few things in this area. I personally would push the USB ports a bit lower to hide the metal surrounding the port, which would make it look cleaner. I also do not really understand why we do not see any USB Type-C ports, especially on a case in 2019. This should be standard as we have cheaper offerings with the newest USB interface.
As for ventilation at the top, we have the aforementioned grille at the top of the front panel to allow for more air movement. We also have a huge opening at the top for users to mount their cooling fans or radiators here. I appreciate the magnetic mesh included at the top for easy removal and cleaning for the future, while also filtering out dust or other particles from dropping in here. There is also a translucent strip here which hides some front facing addressable RGB lighting.
The back of the FSP CMT350 is pretty standard for a mid-tower ATX chassis. The motherboard opening can be found at the top with a rear exhaust area. FSP has attached a single 120mm RGB fan here, but we will take a closer look at this later. Underneath, we have seven expansion slots, which is pretty typical for a case of this size. At the bottom, we have the opening for a power supply, which fits the standard ATX size power supply. There is also a sticker that shows this case was made in China. From this angle, you can see the right-side panel, which is a standard steel affair. There is not much else to it, other than the fact there is a lip to use as a handle on this panel. It is a bit strange they did not include one for the glass panel side.
Finally, at the bottom, we have some ventilation and other things to speak about. In terms of ventilation, we have holes at the back for the power supply. This is filtered with a plastic mesh, but for some reason, it is not attached to any plastic frame. It is a bit of a shame, as this is just something that is expected for a case of this price range. There is another set of holes at the front with some extra screws here too. Interestingly enough, the screws here are to hold a drive cage inside. There is also one more large opening at the front for intake. As for feet, the FSP CMT350 is raised up with four plastic feet. It is strange to see the omission of any rubber on the bottom to dampen between the case and the surface it sits upon. All in all, there have been a few corners cut around the outside, but let us see what is inside as we continue on.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
