Budget PC cases are something that is really hard to pull off. So many case companies come out with a budget PC case that might look good on the outside, but on the inside it is not that functional at all. Cooler Master wants to change that with their MasterBox 5. This case comes in at $69.99 and is made to be very functional accepting motherboards up to E-ATX, graphics cards up to 410 mm, full water cooling support and much more! Last year with the MasterCase 5 Cooler Master showed us they could really create a case for builders, will the MasterBox 5 be the same? Read on to find out!
Special thanks to Cooler Master for providing us with the MasterBox 5 Case to review.
Packaging
The MasterBox 5 comes in a typical case box. On the front there is an outline of the case and it lets us know that it indeed is the MasterBox 5 case.
Flipping around to the back there is more information about the case. The full specifications of the case are listed on the side of the box.
Opening the box up the case inside is nicely protected with Styrofoam and a plastic bag.
The case accessories actually are packaged on top of the case. They include a user’s guide, mounting hardware, a 3-pin to molex power adapter, cable ties, and warranty information.
Cooler Master MasterBox 5 Overview
The MasterBox 5 has a pretty straightforward design that is not all that flashy at all. We saw this with the MasterCase 5 and really like the subtle, yet solid look of the case. We received the black version of the case, but it also comes in a white version as well. The case has official dimensions of 500 x 220 x 475mm (LxWxH), is primary made of SECC steel with a plastic front, and given its size we consider the MasterBox 5 a mid tower.
Taking a look at the front of the case the entire front bezel is made of plastic mesh. This will allow for proper airflow into the case. This mesh section can be completely removed from the case. Once removed it reveals an included 120 mm intake fan. The front of the case has support for two 120 mm or 140 mm fans. Cooler Master also sells an optional bracket that will allow you to install three 120 mm fans in the front. Since the entire front bezel can be removed it makes it quite easy to install and clean your fans.
At the top of the case you will find all of your buttons and connections. These include two USB 3.0 ports, HD audio connections, a large power button, smaller reset button, and a hard drive activity LED.
The side of the case has a nice large side panel window that will let you show off your case. You will also notice thumbscrews on the side panel. They are on both side panels for easy access to your hardware.
Moving around to the back of the case we have a second included fan which is a 120 mm fan. That is the only size fan you can fit in the rear of the case. As we go down we have our expansion slots, power supply mounting, and a removable filter at the bottom of the case.
The bottom of the case has two large feet that will lift it off the ground to get proper airflow under the case.
A Look Inside
Getting inside the MasterBox 5 we have a very nice and clean interior layout. Even though this is a mid tower the case actually supports motherboards up to extended ATX. You will loose your SSD mounts towards the front of the case, but still that is very impressive.
If we start at the front of the case we have our single SSD mount bracket. It is installed at the top mounting spot, but it can be moved down to either of the two spots below. If you need extra SSD space you can buy additional brackets. The front of the case also supports watercooling, by default you can install a radiator up to 280 mm, but with the optional bracket the front of the case case support a 360 mm radiator.
Moving down to the bottom of the case we have our hard drive cage. This cage has two trays, each of which support 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives. You can also install an SSD on the top of this cage. One thing that is really neat is that you can actually move the cage over to the left to make room for thick fans and watercooling. Also on the bottom of the case is a plastic power supply cover. It can be removed if you don’t want to use it. It has an opening for you to route your PCI-Express power cables.
The expansion slot covers on the case are the ones that are held in place with screws, not the ones that you have to bend off the case frame. I hate those, you end up bending the frame of your case when you remove them. It should have been nice to have thumbscrews on the slot covers though. The bottom expansion slot cover is Cooler Master’s StormGuard system which allows you to thread your keyboard and mouse cables through it so no one can steal them at a LAN party or event. The case also has a very large CPU cutout on the motherboard tray.
Taking the opposite side panel off the case we can see that there is a very basic, yet functional design back here. One thing that is very evident is that there is quite a lot of tie-down points for the included zip ties.
Taking out our handy tape measure we can see that there is just about an inch a space between the back of the motherboard tray and the rear side panel. This should give us ample room to route all of our cables.
Installation
With Cooler Master’s new cases they want to make installation extremely easy and the upgrade process straightforward. Let’s see if that is true with the MasterBox 5. Check out our time-lapse of our hardware installation below.
The first thing we are going to be installing is our motherboard. Cooler Master does have standoffs installed for mini-ITX motherboards, but you will need to install the rest of the standoffs if you want to install a motherboard larger than that. Cooler Master does include a standoff screw so installing the standoffs is really easy. Our motherboard went in no problem at all.
Next I wanted to install an AiO in the front of the case. This can actually easily be done. Take off the front bezel of the case and install the AiO inside the case and secure it with screws in the front. Now you will likely need to move the hard drive cage over, but that is as simple as removing the thumbscrew and sliding it over.
Our hard drives are next. The hard drive trays in the cage easily come out so you can install your drives. While 3.5-inch hard drive installation is tool-less it is a bit tricky. It took me a few tries to get my drive in there. The SSD bracket is also completely removable from the case, just loosen the thumbscrews and pull it out. You will need to screw your SSD on to the bracket. Once you have your hard drives in their brackets / trays you can install them back in your case.
To install your power supply you will need to remove the plastic power supply cover. All you have to do is remove a single thumbscrew on the rear on the case and slide it out. Then you can place your power supply and secure it inside with four screws.
Now it is time to route all of our cables and connect everything. As I mentioned earlier there is ample room on the backside of the case to hide all of your cables. There are also plenty of tie-down points so you can organize everything nicely.
We still need to install our graphics card. There is no worries there as this case supports long graphics cards up to 410 mm! Also the expansion slot area is completely cut out so you don’t have the spacers between the slots getting in the way of anything.
Here is a final shot with all of our hardware installed. As you can see we have a very clean build.
Final Thoughts
The MasterBox 5 just like the MasterCase 5 we took a look at last year is a very well thought out case. It is a case for builders, and that is really the important thing. As great as a case looks if it is not functional and easy to build in it is not going to be fun for anyone. The MasterBox 5 is extremely easy to build in and on top of that if down the line you are going to upgrade your hardware it is going to be easy as well. One thing I really like about this case is that it can fit some pretty large hardware inside like E-ATX motherboards, graphics cards up to 410 mm and CPU coolers up to 167 mm!
One of Cooler Master’s taglines with this case is “You Decide The Inside” and that is really true. You can move the SSD and hard drive positions around, add 5.25-inch drive bays, add a bracket to increase cooling capacity at the front of the case, add water cooling and more. You can really design the inside the case how you want and you really do not feel limited.
Cooler Master has also added some very convenient things with this case. The front part of the case is completely removable, which means you can install fans without having to remove the actual entire front bezel. This also makes installing watercooling up front quite easy. The expansion slots are completely cut out, so you don’t have spacers in the way of anything. They have also included their StormGuard expansion slot cover which keeps your gaming peripherals safe.
There really is not much to not like about this case. There is no top cooling support though, and the expansion slot covers do not have thumbscrews, but those are far from deal breakers here.
At the end of the day you have a solid and very functional case in the MasterBox 5. It is currently selling for $69.99 at our favorite online retailer, in both black and white versions. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Cooler Master MasterBox 5 a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Easy installation & extremely functional
– Supports motherboards up to E-ATX
– Supports graphics cards up to 410 mm and CPU cooler up to 167 mm
– Price
– Lots of room behind the motherboard tray
Cons:
– No top cooling
– No thumbscrews on the expansion slots