Page 4 - Installation and Conclusion
As with all the installations I do, the first thing on my list is to take the power supply and slot it into place. In this build, it is the FSP Hydro G 850W. As I have already mentioned, a maximum length of 170mm is stated by Cooler Master for the power supply. Thankfully the plastic cover does an excellent job in hiding the entire unit, as well as the cables protruding out. The FSP Hydro G had zero issues fitting into the case. The next thing I did was send the necessary power cables out the back of the shroud and through the routing holes. With the large number of routing holes, saying hello to the other side is a cinch in the Cooler Master MasterBox 5. Thankfully, with the rounded edges, I never worried about cables getting too bent or even broken around the openings.
Next, I mounted my SSD, a Patriot Ignite 480GB, into one of the 3.5" sliding bays. I could have chosen to use the 2.5" drive bay, but doing so would mean a few more cables being visible on the front. The sliding 3.5" drawer directs cables to the backside of the case without needing to use any routing holes, hiding more of the cable mess. I would have wished this mounting installation to be tool-free, but alas this was not the case. Thankfully Cooler Master provides quite a few screws to mount my SSD into place without any issues. The SSD also sits nicely off the back, so connecting the daisy chained SATA power connectors is not an issue here either.
The next step I took was to install the motherboard. I placed the I/O shield in place, and mounted the Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5. On the motherboard, I have the Patriot Viper Elite PC4-24000 2x8GB DDR4 RAM modules installed, along with the Cryorig C7. While this is a small cooler, the Cooler Master MasterBox 5 has the width to fit larger heatsinks up to a height of 167mm. My next step would have been to install a graphics card, but I did not have one for this build. A maximum clearance of 410mm in length is available for the video card in my configuration. However, if I had mounted my sliding bay directly opposing the graphics card, this would reduce the clearance to 285mm. Lastly, I connected the rest of the power, data, and front I/O connectors. This was made easy with the clearly labeled positive and negative symbols on the plugs. I also plugged in the single fan at the back to the motherboard. Overall installation was quite simple and straightforward. With the excess room at the back, I was able to cable everything neatly without any cable bulge to deal with. The many cable tie points also made it easy to reroute the cables, and I used some of the included cable ties to do so. Even so, I think the rubber grommets would have made for a cleaner final look.
Plugging my monitor and peripherals into the back ports, I powered my system to life, and the system booted up to my login screen. You can also spot the size difference between the Cooler Master MasterBox 5 and my current case, the Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ATX, which is only slightly larger in all dimensions. According to the subjectively-objective APH Networks sound scale, where 0 is silence and 10 is loud, the Cooler Master MasterBox 5 is a decent 3.5/10 in my personal opinion. Despite having zero sound dampening, the components inside run relatively quiet. It should be noted this case only has one fan running, which does help it in terms of lower sound output, however, you probably will want to install at least one more front mounted fan to draw more air in.
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Whenever my dad goes for fast food burgers, there is really only one place he will ever want to go, and this is Harvey's. This Canadian fast food chain is my dad's favorite for several reasons. He loves the beef in the patties, and he also prefers the fries there over other fast food restaurants. However, one of the big reasons he enjoys their burgers is the fact you can choose your own toppings. Whether it is the sauces or condiments, if there is any specific ingredient he wants, he can have it. Being the true Asian we are, we often just ask for all the toppings. Joking aside, however, I think this is the major point about the Cooler Master MasterBox 5. Starting from the beginning, we have a pretty simplistic and conservative design. Its steel frame and plastic front panel may not be anything to show off, but it is functionally sound and feels solid. Internally, we have the wide accommodation for different motherboards, CPU air or liquid coolers, graphics cards, and power supplies. Furthermore, we have a lot of choices for optical and storage options. On top of all this is the ability to move and remove all of these to fit what you want in your computer. Making the final build was a pretty easy process, and overall I was quite pleased with the final product. Customization usually comes at a price, and in other circumstances, the question would come down to how much you are willing to pay for it, but even the pricing is pretty competitive. The model we reviewed today is specific to Canada, with an MSRP of $90 CAD. However, the American model is available soon in black and white with a side window for a price of $70 USD. This being said, there are still some things Cooler Master could address. Despite having rounded edges for the routing holes, I still would have liked some rubber grommets here, even if it was just for aesthetics. I would have liked to see an additional front intake fan included with the MasterBox 5, since most users would want one. Finally, it would be nice to see some additional filters, especially for the top mounted vent. With all this in mind, I think Cooler Master has done a commendable job in making the MasterBox 5 a wallet-friendly but still customizable case. And to make something wallet friendly and customizable, there are sacrifices that needs to be made.
Cooler Master provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks; but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Numeric Rating is 7.3/10
Please note that the APH Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other sites.
The Cooler Master MasterBox 5 may not be the flashiest of cases, but it does a lot of things right in letting you Make It Yours.
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Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
