Cooler Master CSX Gargoyle

Earlier this year we had looked at the Cooler Master Cosmos S, which was a very nice EATX chassis and had taken the Cosmos 1000 to the next level. While we were not most fond of the Cosmos S aesthetics, the Cooler Master case we are looking at today is unlike any other we have ever reviewed. The case we are looking at is the CSX Limited Edition Gargoyle.

Cooler Master reserves the CSX (Customize Style Experience) branding for its cases that undergo a custom paint job. Cooler Master sells custom-painted versions of its most popular cases (such as the Cosmos 1000 and Stacker 830) in a variety of different versions -- from an Orange Shag Wagon to a Red Dragon. In fact, they have 18 different CSX Limited Edition cases that are all custom-painted. In addition to these offerings available from the CSX Store, these talented artisans are even able to do completely custom designs of your company's logo, mascot, etc. Cooler Master CSX will even do custom painting on Apple iPods, the Nintendo DS, laptops, and monitors.

A company known as Smooth Creations handles the actual painting process. Smooth Creations has been around since 1999 with a history of experience in the automotive finishing industry. These paint jobs are much more than a modding enthusiast picking up a few cans of spray paint and spending the weekend painting a case, like what we had done with the camouflage cube chassis.

However, this custom painting doesn't come cheap. The CSX Limited Edition Gargoyle Stacker 830 is currently selling for $1,099.99 USD, which is even trimmed down from its original price of $1,400. The cheapest of these CSX Limited Edition cases right now is the CSX Green Flame Stacker 830, which will set you back $699.99 USD for the case alone. A bare CM Stacker 830 Evolution retails for $380 USD. We were first introduced to these custom-painted Cooler Master cases back at the 2008 Consumer Electronic Show.