Cougar Blazer Essence Open-Frame Case Review

A Closer Look

Cougar’s Blazer Essence is a stacked Skeleton frame with tempered glass on both sides.

The right side is also covered in class. Both tempered glass panels have a rather unique shape that blends seamlessly with the theme, and each features the Cougar logo.

The main side glass is held on with 5 thumbscrews. Each screw into a stack of posts that build the frame of the case. Cougar includes a long set of posts if you need a little more room in your case.

Once you install the longer posts, you get quite a bit more room inside your case, hand for things like water-cooled GPU’s with side terminal connections, or even very tall CPU coolers. If you REALLY want to go off the deep end, you can even stack the side posts for a very wide case, although this configuration isn’t intended.

The rear of the case has a traditional cut out for the motherboard’s rear I/O panel. A typical seven expansions slots provide room for GPU’s and other cards and do not use dividers between the slots. You would be free to use an aftermarket vertical GPU mount here quite easily.

Front-panel I/O consists of a USB 3.0 ports, HD Audio, and standard power/reset buttons and indicators.

The Cougar Essence also supports 2x120mm fans or even a 240mm radiator at the top of the case.

You can install an additional 240mm radiator on the motherboard panel, just forward of the motherboard tray.  Notice there are a few keyhole-shaped areas on this side as well.

Cougar includes vibration damping rubber sleeves that go over special screws. These can be installed on your drives to make mounts.

One set of those keyhole-shaped spots on the rear of the motherboard tray is intended to provide a mounting location for 3.5” drives. Another large spot is partially concealed behind the front panel in the front of the case. We were a bit skeptical about how secure this is since there isn’t a screw or anything to hold the drive, but the rubber mounts kind of snap into the correct position and holds the drive surprisingly well. We wouldn’t roll the case down a hillside, but moving it around for LAN parties or cleaning isn’t going to dislodge the drives. Rest assured.

2.5” drives install similarly on the rear of the case.

However, the front panel holds two drives on the outside of the inner frame, and these screw firmly into place and do not use the rubber mounts.