FSP CMT340 Overview
With the CMT340 out of it’s packaging, we can see that the overall size of the case is quite small. Even though it is billed as a mid-tower design, the case is quite shallow, with a depth of just 14.49 inches. The width and height of the case are pretty typical, at 8.11 inches and 18.54 inches, respectively. With this smaller stature, the case seems a bit more high-end, with a tempered glass panel at the front and left sides. Available in a black colorway, the steel body of the CMT340 features a semi-matte paint job both inside and out, which the slightly-tinted glass panels reveal.
Taking a look at the left side of the case, we see a full-sized tempered glass side panel, with no surface mounted screws or latches present. This gives a nice, clean look to the panel, which also features a black border to hide the internal frame of the case. In order to remove this side panel, two thumbscrews are located at the back of the case, and once removed, the panel simply slides back and off of the case.
The right side of the CMT340 sports a standard, plain side panel that is also held in with two thumbscrews.
Moving to the front of the case, we can see the next tempered glass panel, which reveals three of the included 120mm addressable RGB fans. There is no form of dust filtering to be found up front, which really lets the three fans shine through without any obstruction or dimming of their light.
Unfortunately, airflow isn’t at the forefront of the CMT340’s front panel design, as there is just a very small gap between the front glass panel and the rest of the case, forcing incoming air to make a hard turn to flow into the case body. An easy fix would have been to provide some more spacing, or even incorporate a more standard front panel with traditional surrounding intake vents, which could still facilitate the use of a full tempered glass panel.
The front panel is removable via four internal thumbscrews, and the option for two 140mm fans to be placed up front is available.
The top of the CMT340 is where you will find a pretty standard array of I/O ports, including two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, microphone and headphone jacks, Power and HDD indicators, and a dual-function Power and lighting control rocker switch. A small bit of FSP branding is also found up top, just to the side of the port layout. Unfortunately, there is no USB Type-C port to be found here, though that trend hasn’t quite caught on as fast as we had wished.
The remainder of the top panel is dedicated to fan mounts, along with a removable magnetic dust filter. There is room up top two 120mm or 140mm fans, or associated radiators. These fan mounts are a bit off-center to allow for motherboard clearances, which we really appreciate when building a system.
Moving to the back of the case, we find a pretty standard mid-tower case layout, with a 120mm fan opening, which is pre-populated with the fourth included addressable RGB fan. Below the motherboard I/O panel are seven expansion card slots. At the bottom of the case is a large, rectangular cutout, which is where the power supply mounting bracket comes into play. As you will see later, the internal design of this case does not allow for a power supply to be installed from the sides of the case, due to the small nature of the build. Instead, the included power supply bracket must be attached to the power supply first, which can then slide in to the back opening of the case, and then be secured. While we have seen this design before, it is not our favorite, but we understand its necessity due to the CMT340’s small stature.
Regarding the bottom of the case, we really wish FSP would have used case feet with rubber pads. Instead, four plastic feet lift the case up off your surface of choice, and while this usually isn’t an issue, they don’t go a good job of keeping the case in place, or protecting nice desk surfaces.