Cooler Master has enclosures in every range, from low budget to high-end, every potential buyer can be served. The MasterBox MB500 is in the midfield. We’ll take a look at what the case has on it for you.
Design
The MB500 has a nice aggressive front with an otherwise simple construction. The rounded front with the recessed mesh grid makes a good first impression. This one continues like this. The front is made of plastic, but feels high quality. The rest stands on a solid steel scaffold. The weight of the housing is also striking. Despite the steel and glass pane, the case weighs only 6 kilograms. Apropos glass pane, we like the fact that it is only mounted with two screws and is only hooked into the lower area. This is not only good for the appearance, but also facilitates assembly.
The front of the housing can be removed just as easily as the glass pane on the side. It can be removed without much effort and just as easily reattached. The mesh grid has large holes and allows a view of the RGB LED fans. But a dust filter was omitted, unfortunately. Two of the three pre-installed fans are installed behind the front. Cooler Master installs the in-house MasterFan Pro 120 with RGB LEDs. On the back side we find the third fan.
The housing itself offers plenty of room for additional fans or radiators. A total of three 120 mm or two 140 mm fans are possible in the front. In addition, radiators up to 360 millimeters in size can be installed there. The lid can accommodate two 120 mm fans and the rear area has a third fan, which can also be replaced by a radiator. The currently trendy magnetic dust filter is located on the lid. It’s a bit finer than the one in the front, but it won’t be able to stop too much dust.
The I/O panel doesn’t offer much, but is well adapted to the design. The power button has the shape of the Cooler Master logo and is equipped with a white LED. Furthermore, there are two audio connections for headphones and microphone, as well as two USB 3.0 slots. At this price, a Type C connector would be an extra that doesn’t have to be. Moreover, the standard has not yet really established itself.
A total of seven expansion slots can be found on the back. In addition, one of the three MasterFan Pro 120 fans is also mounted there. The power supply unit is attached with an extra holder, so the power supply unit can be simply pulled out at the back at any time. A whole 180 millimetres can also accommodate extra long power supplies.
We don’t find that much on the underside. There are four feet with extra rubber to protect the floor and dampen vibrations. A dust filter is fitted under the power supply unit. Unfortunately, the filter can only be removed if the housing is placed on its side.
Scope of Delivery and Workmanship
Screws, screws and more screws. As always, a lot of screws are included for assembly. In addition, there are a few cable ties and double-sided adhesive tape. Also included is a hexagonal wrench for the hexagonal screws.
The workmanship of the Cooler Masterbox MB500 is excellent. There are no sharp edges and the gap dimensions are also correct. The dust filter in the lid is remarkably well adapted, it closes completely with the housing.
| Housing type | Midi Tower |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 211 x 494 x 475 mm |
| Net Weight | approx. 4.55 kg |
| Color | Exterior & Interior : Black |
| Material | Steel, tempered glass, plastic |
| Drives | 2x 2.5 inch 2x 3.5/2.5 inch |
| Fan, pre-installed | back: 1x 120 mm MasterFan RGB fan Front: 2x 120 mm MasterFan RGB Fan |
| Extension slots | 7 |
| Mainboards | Mini ITX, Micro ATX, ATX |
| I/O connections | 2x USB 3.0, HD Audio |
| Power supply unit | Standard ATX PSU (optional) |
| Fan Support | Front: 3x 120 mm or 2x 140 mm Lid: 2x 120 mm Back side: 1x 120 mm |
| Radiator Support | Front: max. 360 mm |
| Clearance | cooler height CPU: up to 160 mm Graphics card length: up to 400 mm |
Inside Construction of the Cooler MasterBox MB500
There is no room for E-ATX mainboards inside the case, but ATX mainboards can be installed without any problems. Graphics cards with a size of up to 400 mm and the CPU cooler up to a height of 160 mm can be used. For cable management there are many openings and holders for cable ties. The openings are unfortunately not protected, at least some rubber would have done the case good and made it look better.
Unfortunately, the upper side cannot be removed in order to facilitate the installation of the hardware. As already mentioned, the glass pane is only held by two screws and only hooked into the lower area. This facilitates assembly. The other side panel is mounted with normal knurled screws.
Two 2.5-inch drives can be installed in the interior, for which two dismountable mounting surfaces are installed. If you don’t have a lot of hard disks and want to have a tidy interior, it’s a good idea to remove them. You still have the option of using two 3.5″ or 2.5″ hard drives or SSDs. The mounting frame in the area of the power supply unit can accommodate both sizes.
The test system contains a Ryzen 5 1400* and a Gigabyte GTX 1060 with 6GB from Aorus*. The MSI B350 PC Mate Mainboard* has 16 GB RAM from Ballistix* plugged in.
Conclusion on the Cooler MasterBox MB500 Midi-Tower
Cool design with extra features? Provides the MasterBox MB500 in any case. For around 70 euros you can even get adjustable LED fans from Cooler Master on top. A glass pane for a full view into the case is now available in almost every case, but a small special feature is the “easy” mounting, since the underside is simply hooked in.
All in all, the MasterBox MB500 case from Cooler Master is recommended! Cool design, customisable LED fans and a beautiful interior design pay off.
Cooler Master MasterBox MB500
Workmanship
Design
Features
Damping
Cooling
Value for Money
Cooler Master delivers.
Really cool design, nice feature - Cooler Master at it's finest!
