Test System

Assembly

Installing the motherboard is done by traditional means, with included screws and spacers. There is plenty of space on the top, right, and bottom edge to work with, but even though I have directly connected the I/O and case cables to the board, you will see that I re-routed them through the opening in the shroud for a cleaner look.


You do not even need to take the bracket out to install any 2.5'' drives, but we have done so to give you a better look at the assembly process. Simply slide the drive into place and let the plastic clip snap down. The only downside is the fact that the brackets are meant to be able to take thick, old-fashioned drives too, so you may want to use a single screw or so to hold thin and light SSDs in place properly. Once filled, simply place the bracket back into its original position and use the thumbscrew to secure the whole contraption.


The 3.5" trays are actually completely tool-less by default. Simply pluck them from the chassis wall, snap a drive into place, and put it back. Gravity and friction hold things in place well enough, but a drop will probably be enough to shake it loose. But if that happens, you probably need to worry about your heavy GPU or CPU cooler more.


Installing an optical drive holds no surprises either. Simply free the bay and slide the drive in until the tool-less mechanism locks it in place. It works fairly well, but I always suggest using a single screw to really pin it down properly.


There is plenty of space for a power supply, and you are to use normal screws to secure it in place as well. Thanks to the dimensions of the Cougar Panzer Max, any PSU will fit just fine - even the longest ones.


With the shroud back in place, the interior of the Panzer Max looks really clean, while the backside of the motherboard tray holds all the cable mess. I did not spend too much time trying to tie down the cables because - quite frankly - you don't have to. There is so much space that you will be able to close the side panel without issue.

Finished Looks

With everything installed, the fairly intricate design elements of the Cougar Panzer Max take over again. You can see the glow of the hardware LEDs within, and the light of the embedded white power LED underneath the button itself.


In the front, the drive looks like it belongs, and only very little light from the interior bleeds through. When viewed from the rear, things look quite traditional as everything is where you would expect it to be.


Last but not least, the little plastic bit found inside the box of extras is intended as a hook for your headset. You may install it to either the left or right edge of the front, meaning that you can choose whatever works best for you.