Cougar Volant Case Review – Astounding Midi-Tower Chassis At A Modest Price

Modern PC gaming towers come in an endless variety of designs, maybe too many choices. What makes a good gaming tower size?  With microATX cases coming out and being perfect for LAN parties, bigger is not always better for portability’s sake.

But these newer midi-towers take more advantage of space management, airflow, and will not break the bank. Midi cases let you stick in a full ATX motherboard unlike their smaller counterparts. You can cram in multiple full-size GPUs with extra drive bays to spare. You can have yourself a powerhouse system in a very modest form factor. Midi cases are perfect for enthusiast builders who might not have a lot of space for their PC.

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Following that mantra, today we will look at the $50 Cougar Volant, which is a budget midi case targeted for gamers in mind.

PACKAGING AND EXTERIOR

The Cougar Volant comes in a very basic cardboard box with stylish, almost schematic-like illustration work.  It shows of the specifications nicely and the overall design of the unit. Very simple and effective packaging, and it feels rugged to boot.

Protection just like other Cougar products comes enclosed in plastic snugly secured between two styrofoam blocks. The glossy plastic wings of the Volant are also covered with a thin adhesive strip for added protection against scuffs and scratches.

The Volant comes out of the box with an instruction booklet and a bag of screws and bolts. Included as well are rubber grommets for water-cooling tubes.

Just like the Cougar Spike, the Volant features a full black steel body with glossy plastic accents that complement the overall design. The dimensions are 198(W) x 425(H) x 484(D) so a little smaller than some mid towers but it’s definitely not petit. The Volant comes with three screw-less external 5.25″ drive bays. Just below sits one 3.5″ drive bay for a media card reader or fan controller.

A couple negatives include the fact that the case is a fingerprint monster. The second you touch the chassis, it’s marked. The wings are also a small issue as scratches show on glossy plastic very easily. Still overall it’s a nice classic looking design. The front vent gives two options of installing either 2 x 120mm fans or 1 x 140 mm fan. We really wish Cougar would have incorporated the Spike’s intake front grill, as it would look like a certain high performance Italian sports car. Regardless, the black mesh gives the case beautiful tactical contrast, especially the white version, which makes the Volant pop and grabs your attention.