Cooler Master Praetorian 730

Posted 06/17/2005 at 10:46am | by

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The vaunted Wave Master gets a face-lift

You know you’re a hardcore geek when you begin reminiscing about the good-ole days you spent with an ATX enclosure, but it happened this month when the Praetorian 730, aka the Wave Master 2, arrived in the Lab. As successor to the beloved Wave Master, the silly-named Praetorian has big shoes to fill, but it largely succeeds in improving the formula.

Although the front bezel has undergone some cosmetic change, the interior of the case remains basically the same as the previous design. A thick aluminum door now spans the front of the case from top to bottom. Its winged design allows ample airflow, an improvement over the original Wave Master. Behind the door are four 5.25-inch bays, two external 3.25-inch bays, and a 120mm intake fan covered by an easily removable mesh grille with an air filter.

The Praetorian 730 also features a revamped exhaust scheme. Instead of relying on just a single 80mm exhaust fan, two of these suckers now blow hot air out the back of the case. Cooler Master also added a small plastic shroud over the CPU area, but if you’re using a tall aftermarket heatsink/fan combo, the shroud might prohibit the case door from closing. Top-mounted USB, FireWire, and audio jacks are unchanged from the previous version, and the power, reset, and activity lights have fortunately been relocated to the top of the case as well, allowing easy access to all.

Sadly, Cooler Master didn’t add a tool-less drive-mounting system to its newest offering. The Praetorian’s internal drive bays require screws for mounting. Sure, screws provide the most secure mounting option for optical and hard drives, but we’d rather have the convenience that a tool-less mounting mechanism provides.

We dig the newly redesigned Wave Master. Its improved airflow scheme is a big plus, and while we’d prefer a more modern tool-less design for the drive bays, it’s still a mid-tower any of us would be proud to own. —Josh Norem

+ Bezel: All-aluminum construction, removable mobo tray, and superb cooling.
- Beelzebub: Screws required to mount drives, and interior can get a little cramped.

Month Reviewed: June 2005
Verdict: 9
kickass=yes
URL: www.coolermaster.com