I’ll be honest, there’s not always much to say about a new PC case, I mean, it’s a box to dump your hardware into so that it can all be kept at a nice cool temperature. Of course, you want to show off the hardware inside and perhaps enjoy some clever engineering if you are likely to swop out parts regularly. While there are plenty of options to choose from, we thought this minimalist chassis from FSP deserves a mention.
As an ATX mid-tower chassis, this offering from FSP is, simply put, sexy AF. Seriously.
Called the CMT260, the all-black steel chassis incorporates a gorgeous tempered glass side panel, that detaches easily with two thumbscrews and easily slides out when you need access.
The CMT260 feels like a small form factor chassis, but looks can be deceiving and you will be able to mount your ATX motherboard inside, albeit a bit snug. The space can accommodate the latest CPU cooler and can accommodate a full-size GPU up to a maximum of 325mm. There’s even space for your water cooling set-up.
The potential positions for water cooling are, on the front panel, with space for three 120mm fans, or, two 120mm fans on the top, or your radiator sized at 240mm or less, or a single, 120mm radiator fan, mounted at the back of the chassis. There are seven PCI-E expansion slots, space for two 3.5-inch HDDs and two 2.5-inch SSDs. So, whether you are looking at a gaming desktop or workhorse rig, the CMT260 will be able to house whatever hardware you need.
There is a structural divide between the motherboard area and the space housing the PSU and two drive bays, at the bottom of the chassis, and this adds to the overall clean aesthetic of the chassis while providing additional structural support. The divide does allow airflow and cable management.
My only gripe with this space is that it measures about 180mm from the back of the chassis to the hard drive bays, which means you are going to have to use a PSU with dimensions no bigger than 150mm deep, excluding the cables.
Go larger than 140mm, and you’ll struggle to manage the cables from the back of the PSU into the rest of the chassis, unless you remove the drive bay, which you can do quite easily. This will negate the need for a smallish PSU and is but a small downside to an otherwise perfect chassis. Besides, who still uses 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drives? M.2 bud… M.2 FTW. By the way, on my desk is the HV Pro 550 WATT PSU, also from FSP, and this fits perfectly into the CMT260 chassis, obviously.
The chassis also has two magnetically attached, mesh covers, one on top of the chassis, and one under removable plastic facia to stop your fur baby’s shedding from clogging up your components, (true story, I have Alaskan Malamutes!) and comes equipped with a single, 120mm thermal extraction fan at the back. The total width of the CMT260 is 210mm, so that equates to you being able to use a CPU air cooling solution that does not extend past 180mm in height. The front panel offers 2 x USB3.0, 2 x USB2.0 and an AUX output.