Final Thoughts
When it comes to the Q500L Cooler Master had two goals in mind. First was to make it affordable. Second was to make it support an ATX system in a very small footprint. I believe that they have accomplished both of those goals. The case retails for $59.99, which one is very affordable, but at the same time you would be hard-pressed to find another ATX case at this price point. To reach this price point Cooler Master had to make some concessions, and I would say the biggest is the side panel. It is acrylic, not tempered glass. This means that it is more prone to scratches, which actually happened to our panel. The other thing is that this case only comes with a single fan. I would have liked to see at least two fans included so the case would have proper airflow.
The fact that you are able to fit an ATX system in this case is very impressive. I thought I would run into some type of installation problem or it would be more complicated than what it should be, but it was actually really simple. I did not run into any clearance issues or anything like that during installation and the installation was pretty straight forward. There was even ample room behind the motherboard tray to route and hide cables.
Since the case is so small it makes it perfect for to take with you to a LAN event or if you have a smaller desk it is not going to take up a considerable amount of space. The removable filters are great too as they are easy to clean and the simple design on them makes the case stand out.
If you are doing a new build and are looking to save some money this is a great case. It is basically a micro-ATX case that fits a full ATX motherboard, power supply, long graphics cards, and up to 4 hard drives. All for only $59.99! Overall ThinkComputers gives the Cooler Master MasterBox Q500L Case a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Price
– Small footprint
– Easy installation
– Removable top and front filters
– Can move the control panel around
Cons:
– Acrylic side panel window
– Only one fan included
