Exterior
The Elite 120 has an aluminum and polymer plastic face, while the chassis body is crafted of steel. At an empty weight of a little over seven pounds, it’s about average of what we’ve seen with similar designs. The front panel design is important to me since it will be most visible, I appreciate the simple design Cooler Master has gone with. On the left side we have two USB 2.0 ports with audio and microphone input in between. The right side houses the power and reset buttons, as well as a USB 3.0 port.

Behind the aluminum faceplate is a 120mm 1200RPM, rated at 19dBA, the same noise level as Cooler Master’s silent operation rated fans, such as the SickleFlow 120. Since the front is solid, this intake fan will take advantage of the openings underneath and beside to pull air into the flow.

The side panels and top are once piece held in place via thumbscrews from the back. The shell slides into and secures into a rail system similar to single-sided panels. Both side panels have matching vent designs to help with airflow, while the top venting is elevated slightly and positioned to for the PSU intake.

The back of the Elite 120 is unique, and one of the reasons it can support high-end components. The power supply is top mounted above the motherboard tray, and has a bracket draws back a few centimeters past the rear wall. This bracket can be removed to insert larger power supplies from the back, as you will see in the installation process. In between the PSU and the motherboard I/O cutout is another line of vents to improve airflow. The dual-PCI slot is covered with a placeholder and thumbscrew underneath a grommet for external cabling, such as USB 3.0. Note that without modification, this case doesn't support external watercooling.

The bottom of the case is fairly straight forward with four riser feet, and also shows that the motherboard and power supply mounting areas are slightly elevated as well.