By: Aaron Lai
July 1, 2016
Happy Canada Day! One hundred and forty nine years ago, the Constitution Act, also known as The British North America Act, was signed, creating the nation of Canada. This Act established Canada as a self-governing country, and at the time joined the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the province of Canada, which was Ontario and Quebec combined. Being born and raised in Canada, I can honestly say I am quite fortunate to reside in this country, and there are a lot of things I take for granted. Since I am a second-generation Canadian, I asked my parents why their parents wanted to immigrate to Canada. Both of them responded with the fact Canada, when they moved, was a very accepting nation. The idea of being a Canadian still meant residents could keep their own culture and heritage. I can say this is true to today, as observed in many households. Despite being away from the "origin" country, everyone accepts and embraces these sort of differences too. We still have our own culture and way of living, but in the end, we can identify as Canadians too. This sort of thinking is quite similar in today's review of our Cooler Master MasterBox 5. We have seen customization approaches in the past from Cooler Master, including more recently the MasterCase 5. Falling in line with Cooler Master's "Make It Yours" campaign, the MasterBox 5 is now available for less than the MasterCase 5, while still boasting the same modularity. You might have already read our first look at this unit, but today we have our full review. What kind of internal layout and features will we see today? Read on to find out!
As you probably know already by the first look article, the Cooler Master MasterBox 5 did not arrive from Cooler Master's USA offices, but rather from one of the Canadian retailers, from Richmond, British Columbia. Otherwise, this package traveled with a relatively unknown shipper called Loomis Express. Thankfully, everything arrived in a good condition, and there were no issues on the box exterior itself. The retail container itself is a standard cardboard box, with a pretty basic layout. Cooler Master's logo and slogan are both shown on the top corner, with the product's name in larger font. The product is also shown in black on the front, but this is only an outline of it, rather than a true picture. Otherwise, let us take a look at the product itself.
Grabbing a pair of scissors, I hacked open the box and slid out the Cooler Master MasterBox 5. The chassis itself is wrapped in a plastic bag to prevent any surface scratches in transit, while held in two large foam brackets for protection from larger damage. Other things inside the box is a small bag holding additional accessories, including mounting screws, motherboard standoffs, and quite a few black zip ties. There are also two pamphlets, with installation instructions and warranty information. Just for your information, two years of warranty is included with the Cooler Master MasterBox 5.
Before moving to the physical inspection, let us take a look at the specifications, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
Specifications
- Product Number: MCY-B5S1-KKYN-06
- Available Color : Black
- Materials: Steel body, Plastic mesh bezel
- Dimensions (LxWxH): 500 x 220 x 475mm, Internal Structures - 450 x 220 x 440mm
- Motherboard Support: E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
- Expansion Slots: 7
- Drive Bays: 5.25" - 2, Combo 3.5" / 2.5" - 2, SSD - 1
- I/O Port: USB 3.0 x 2, Audio in / out
- Pre-installed Fan(s): 120mm x 1
- Fan Support: Front - 120mm / 140mm x2, Top - 120mm / 140mm x1, Rear - 120mm x1
- Liquid Cooling Support: Front - 240mm / 280mm radiator, up to 50mm thickness without fan, Rear - 120mm x1
- Clearances: CPU - 167mm / 6.5", PSU - 180mm / 7.1", GPU - 285mm / 11.7" (w/ 3.5" HDD cage), 410mm / 16.1" (w/o 3.5" HDD cage)
- Cable Routing: Behind Motherboard Tray - 25mm - 35mm
- Dust Filters: Front, bottom
- Power Supply Support: Bottom mount, ATX
- Product Weight: 7.64kg, 16.8 lbs
- Warranty: 2 Years
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
