I've had a Stacker 830 for a few weeks now and have grown rather used to it. Would I recommend it to a friend? Probably not. It's over priced and less well constructed than other Coolermaster and Lian Li that I've owned. It's also a little noisier than I would like.
The side panels on this case are a bit of an unsuccessful bodge on the part of Coolermaster. They can be a bit of a bugger to fit until one learns the knack. At this price I would expect things to click into place smoothly and with a minimum of effort on the part of the user. The 4 in 3 hard disk with a front fan is a good idea imperfectly executed. I still have four screws left over from re-fitting mine. But it works fine.
As far as cooling goes the Stacker 830 is very good for an air cooled system. Given that the front and side panels are mesh I had anticipated that my internals would soon be covered in dust but remarkabley this isn't the case. The dust tends to get collected by the panels themselves. Thus, every few weeks or so it is easy to brush or vacuum the accumulated dust off from the outside of the case.
As for the aesthetics of the Stacker 830, it looks rather like the air conditioning unit that it actually is. But I didn't buy this case for its good looks. To be perfectly honest it was an impulse buy on my part. The main reason I chose this case over its closely priced competitors was the fact that the power and reset buttons are on the top of the case and thus fall easily to my lazy reach.
Do I regret my purchase of this expensive case? I did when I first received it and began transferring my system. I somehow managed to badly cut my index fingure on an as yet undiscovered sharp edge inside the case. The first time I tried to re-fit the side panels it took no less than 72 minutes of effort and cursing on my part to achieve closure. My family were treated to the sounds of my agonies and rage accompanied by noises like those made by a drunk fitting an ill fitting dustbin in the dark. However, with time, my cut finger and hurt feelings have healed and I've grown quite fond of this huge alumunium lump that sits under my desk.
Would I recommend this case? Certainly not to users who regularly tinker with the internals of their system. Neither would I recommend it to compulsive upgraders or bling enthusiasts. There's no side window available to display all those energy wasting neons, multiple fans and case jewellery. The Stacker 830 is far from my ideal case but on balance it probably comes as close to it as any other in its price range. The ideal case for others will depend on their tastes, or lack of tastes and their particular needs. I'm not an overclocker. I spend most of my time at my computer staring into a couple of screens rather than gazing at my components. My ideal case would be silent, easily accessible and minimalist in its aesthetics.
The Stacker 830 falls far short of my ideal chassis but with all its disappointments, I've grown rather comfortable with it. It does "what it says on the tin" moderately well.
Hope this helps.
