Outside
We have seen the Elite 120 both in our review of the case, Adam’s LAN rig, and it is also a very popular case for small LAN rigs at our events. So my initial thoughts on the Elite 130 were mostly on how similar the cases are. Really all of the differences are on the front of the case with its mesh front panel where the Elite 120 had a solid panel hiding the front fan. Opinions on what design looks better differ some people are going to prefer the cleaner look that the solid front panel gives. Personally I like them both but would most likely lean towards the additional airflow that the full mesh front could potentially give me. With that said even the front I/O panel connections are the same. You get two USB 3.0 ports on the left side and a single USB 2.0 on the right side along with the power and reset buttons.
Both the left and right side panels have a slot vented design to give the Elite 130 a little extra air flow, something that can be extremely important in a SFF build.
Around on the back things are still the same as the Elite 120. You have the rear I/O down at the bottom with more ventilation between it and the power supply. The power supply mount sticks out of the case about an inch from the back of the case to give room for a longer PSU inside. I’m not a fan of this design choice at all, I would rather them make the case a little longer or limit your PSU options slightly. If nothing else it would be great to have a second optional mount that is flush mounted should you go with a small PSU. Then over on the right we have the two PCI slot covers. There are three thumbscrews holding the case shell on, once removed you can slide the cover back a half inch then pull it off.
On the bottom of the case we can see some of the various drive mounting options that we will see more off inside of the Elite 130. Beyond that the only other thing of importance here are the four feet. Cooler Master went with a plastic foot design that feels and looks a little cheaper than I would prefer. An aluminum foot with a rubber pad on the bottom would look much better on the Elite 130 in my opinion and it would prevent it from sliding around on the plastic tables sometimes seen at LANs.
