Final Thoughts
The original MasterBox NR200P was a extremely popular case for Cooler Master, so I am really glad they came out with a MAX version that simplifies installation and choosing the correct hardware. The case comes with a 280mm all-in-one (AiO) liquid CPU cooler, 850W gold certified PSU, and a riser cable for your graphics card. This makes it so all you really have to worry about is your CPU, motherboard, graphics card, and storage. No worrying if a specific CPU cooler or power supply will fit in the case. Not to mention the power supply and AiO are already installed in the case and pre-wired.
If you are doing a first-time mini-ITX build I would highly recommend you going this route. Installation in this case definitely has to be one of the easiest I’ve ever done with an mini-ITX system. In smaller cases space is at a premium and that means you’ll have less room to get things installed, but Cooler Master has really streamlined to process for you. They even make it so you can essentially install your graphics card outside of the case. I really did not run into a single issue when it came to installation.
As far as the case goes Cooler Master has gone with the sort of mini-PC look that was made very popular by Shuttle back in the day. The case is extremely small with official dimensions of 377 x 185 x 292mm and is only 18L in volume. So this is for sure a case that can easily be picked up and taken to a LAN party or friends house. I was quite surprised by the quality of the case too. All of the panels feel extremely sturdy and it was nice that Cooler Master does include the optional tempered glass side panel. It is also nice that all of the panels are screwless and essentially pop right off. This makes getting into the system very easy.
The included 280mm all-in-one (AiO) liquid CPU cooler does a pretty good job a cooling. Obviously with a case like this 280mm is the max for a liquid cooling system and even though you can fit two fans on the bottom of the case they have to be 15mm thick (typical case fans are 25mm). I think the cooling is more than adequate, but if you want the best performance be sure to use the ventilated side panel, not the tempered glass one.
Looking at prices currently on Amazon the NR200P Max is $436.95. If we price things out the normal NR200P is $144.30, the V850 SFX power supply is $159.99, the 280mm AiO is $101.46, and a PCIe 4.0 riser cable is anywhere from $40 to $60. So you are saving a bit of money by just buying the NR200P Max. But you have to remember on top of just the money savings you are saving time as Cooler Master has pre-installed and run the cabling for the power supply and AiO.
I think if you are thinking about building a mini-ITX system the MasterBox NR200P MAX is an excellent choice. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P MAX a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Comes with AiO, 805W power supply, and PCIe 4.0 riser
– Quality built
– Easy installation
– Graphics card can be installed outside of the case
– Good overall cooling
– Supports up to 4 hard drives out of the box
– Power cable routed to the back of the case
– Saves time and money vs buying the parts separately
– Tempered glass side panel included
Cons:
– Bottom of the case only supports 15 mm fans
