Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
The tempered glass panels are ridiculously reflective. I struggled to take a nice photo without something being reflected in one of the panels, so you get a nice view of a drawer and a cupboard in our shot above. Anyway, the color of the case is described as Galaxy Black by FSP, and I must say the entirety of the chassis looks really clean. The side panel you will be viewing your components through is more transparent than the other two. The front and right side panels are quite dark, and it is quite difficult to see anything through them. Apart from the tempered glass, the CMT510 uses a traditional box design. What makes this case unique are the RGB fans and all the tempered glass. The dimensions for the CMT510 come in pretty much average for a mid sized tower with the depth measuring in at 491 mm, height at 448 mm, and width at 208 mm. When it comes to weight, the FSP CMT510 is fairly heavy compared to other cases of this size. This is mostly due to the tempered glass panels. Unfortunately, I could not find any specifics on weight from the manufacturer's website or the manual. It is a case made to just sit and look pretty without having to be moved around.
I/O panel connectors are found on top of the CMT510 with a matte black color covering the rest of it. Starting on the left side, we have two USB 3.0 connectors. The USB 3.0 connectors are good, but at least one USB Type-C would have been an improvement. Next to the USB connectors are the standard 3.5 mm audio and microphone jacks, which have helpful little indicators below them. There are two red LED indicators as well, which I found strange considering how much emphasis is placed on the RGB factor of the CMT510. Luckily, these two red LEDs are not very bright. The button at the top is really big, but in reality it is two buttons. One side is the power button, but the other is either the reset button or the RGB controller. You either plug the reset connector into the motherboard like usual or into the fan hub, which would then control the RGB. However, I find this to be a nice use of the reset switch, as I do not ever use the reset button on a chassis. Many case manufacturers are even doing away with the button completely. At the far right, we have FSP's logo printed. The buttons on the front here have nice tactile feedback and has a satisfying clicky sound.
The back of the case is just as standard as the rest of the CMT510. The motherboard and power supply are in their usual positions with seven expansion slots found between them. The Galaxy Black color with a matte texture is continued on the back of the case. As I have mentioned before, the tempered glass panel on the back is much darker than the front, so it makes it a bit more difficult to see the cables. However, it does mean that you have to put in considerably more work on cable management to make the back area look good -- no more hiding and stuffing cables in the back. With how the hard drive mounts function in the back, the tempered glass allows one to show off any what they look like, but most drives do not look that cool anyway.
The bottom of the FSP CMT510 has four large feet. The feet actually keep the two tempered glass panels in place so that you can screw them in. They have a little lip that will keep the glass from falling out if no screws are attached. The feet are 30 mm tall; helping the case draw in enough air for the power supply. It has a cheap dust filter down here and another closer to the front that is meant for a fan. These dust filters seem fine enough to keep most of the dust out, but at this price range it would be nice to have a dust filter with a frame that sits on a track. The manufacturer's website says that the CMT510 can house an ATX sized power supply, which means it could probably house anything equal to or smaller than 200 mm in depth. With my power supply installed, there was still plenty of room left for cables. For reference, my power supply is about 165 mm long, and even a bit longer with the cables plugged in.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
