Cougar Panzer Review: A Review of a Wild Animal

The Cougar Panzer is the Panzer Max chassis younger brother. They look similar and are built using the same principles. With the original design and unusual mix of materials, this chassis can become a perfect choice for the gamer or enthusiast, but let’s make hustle and see what it can offer!

Specifications
Cougar Panzer
Case Type — Mid-Tower
Material — Steel & plastic
Weight — N/A
Slots — 7
Drive Bays — 2x Internal 2.5/3.5"
4x Internal 2.5"
Motherboard Form Factors — Mini ITX / Micro ATX / ATX / CEB
Dimensions — 208 x 565 x 520 mm
Front Door/Cover — N/A
Front Fans — 140 mm x 2 / 120 mm x 3 (optional)
Rear Fans — 120 mm x 1 (pre-installed)
Top Fans — 140 mm x 2 / 120 mm x 3 (optional)
Bottom Fans — 120 mm x 1
Side Fans — N/A
I/O — 2x USB 3.0
2x USB 2.0
1x Headphone
1x Microphone
FAN/LED Controller — N/A
Compatibility — CPU Cooler: 160 mm
GPU: 425 mm (400 mm with front fans)
PSU: No restrictions

Packaging
Cougar sends the Panzer in a simple carton box with the photo of the chassis, its name and some advertisement on the front. On the rear, you can see more images of the case and the peculiarities of the product. Both sides feature additional angles and specifications.
The case is kept in place with the help of two big blocks of foam, and a plastic bag has been applied to protect the chassis from dirt and damage.
The buyer will also get some extra things as zip ties and a package of black screws. There is also a PSU frame, which is a unique feature of the Cougar Panzer interior. Of course, no packaging can be good without a manual, which is quite comprehensive.

Closer View
Looking at the Cougar Panzer it seems crude and sophisticates at the same time. Two side panels are defended by a foil made from plastic. Under the foil the user will find a sticker that informs how to get rid of it.

The Panzer doesn’t have external drive bays. Instead of that, Cougar has placed a metal holes in the cell shape all around the front panel. The given design is very pleasant for the eye, and accentuates the attention much more if comparing with average solid chassis surfaces. Vice versa, the PSU bay looks simply and there is nothing special. You may also notice that the top and bottom covers put some more millimeters to the general height of the chassis.
Both side panels are made out of tempered, tinted glass and are set in place by four large thumbscrews.
On the bottom of the front metal cover you will find the original Cougar emblem. Turning on the system a huge LED lighting will work at once and lit the chassis.
Cougar put a very good metal mesh dust filter that stays in place with the help of special magnetic strips. If you wish you can install three 120 mm or two 140 mm fans behind the filter, or even a 360 mm or 280 mm radiator.
In the rear, the PSU bay is just a big hole of square shape as Cougar tends to ship the cover separately. Other manufacturers usually pre-mount such frames onto the chassis, but here, that step is skipped, which has reasons as you will have to remove it anyway for a power supply installation.

There are the seven motherboard expansion slots, which are protected by individual metal mesh covers. In the very top is a 120 mm exhaust fan set to push hot air out the back of the chassis.
Cougar has equipped the Panzer with a well-rounded set of I/O consisting of two USB 3.0, a pair of USB 2.0, and the usual two audio plugs. The power button is big enough and centered, interesting that the reset button is quite small and obscure.
Looking at the underside, there are two spaces – one is for the PSU and another is for an additional floor-mounted 120 mm fan. Both of them are covered from bigger pieces of dirt with the help of plain metal mesh covers.

For reaching the interior you are to remove the screws from the side panels first. The interior design is totally black, with the only colorful logo – it is orange.
It can be said that layout is usual as there are no traditional drive bays. Instead of this, Cougar made a choice in favor of more space for air or liquid cooling.

The motherboard tray itself allows for 16 mm of space – and that is not much, but enough to route more compact cables — while the front part of the chassis clocks in at 35 mm.

Cougar has basically left enough room in those areas for the correct type of drives to be installed there.
Looking at the front, you can see that the entire space there is devoted to cooling. There is a large opening in the cases, so you can use the full height of the chassis here for the biggest radiators. While this “hole” is useful, it is a bit too big. Maybe, Cougar might have made it smaller and supplemented an additional 2.5" hard-drive plate here, or put cutouts to mount a pump onto the regained surface area. Considering hard drives: you will find two mounting trays for SSDs on the top of the case. The exhaust fan in the very top is usual, of totally black color and has seven blades and OEM-colored cables.

Conclusion
So let’s sum up some of the points of the Cougar Panzer chassis.

Advantages
+The Cougar Panzer goes for $90, what is not so expensive
+It looks stylish and reliable.
+It has solid build quality and excellent cable-management possibilities.
+It supports great liquid-cooling compatibility.
+There are loads of space for thick radiators in the front part.
+It can hold four 2.5" drives
+Well-fitting glass side panels look good to the eye.
+Magnetic dust filter in the front does its job properly.
+Cool white LED-illuminated strip in the front makes the case looking sophisticated.

Disadvantages
-There is only one generic fan.
-Only two 3.5" drives can fit the given chassis.
-Very simple interior — no mounting holes for reservoirs or pumps
-Stickers on glass panels may seem irritating
-Dust filters should be further developed.