By: Jonah Chow
October 29, 2021
Over the past two years, I have realized I really enjoy hiking. Now, this might not be surprising considering I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, home to the great Canadian Rockies. Nonetheless, I find it to be a lot of fun just going up a mountain and admiring the view with friends. Having gone hiking with a lot of different individuals, I have found people tend to go hiking for three different reasons: Exercise, the view, hang out with friends, or a combination of them. I personally go for all three of the listed reasons, but I have also been hiking with people who just care about the view at the end, which unfortunately has been ruined on a few occasions by smokey weather. Other people I know do not actually enjoy hiking, but they like the company of friends and doing activities with them, so they push through to make the most of their time. Other friends I know simply enjoy the exercise and adventure, especially since we often do not feel bad about going overboard with the meals afterward, haha. Despite people having different reasons for enjoying hiking, I have also found that everyone ends up having a good time throughout the whole adventure. Somewhat similarly, I find people usually have different reasons for buying certain PC cases: It has a tempered glass side window with RGB LEDs to show off, it is silent, or it is relatively cheap and great for those on a budget. There are many other reasons, of course, for what influences someone to buy a certain case, and today, we have the Cooler Master MasterBox MB600L V2, a budget case that has tempered glass for all the RGB LED craze of today. While a budget case with tempered glass is always a treat, does the MasterBox MB600L V2 have the build quality and features to back it up? Let us read on to find out!
The Cooler Master MasterBox MB600L V2 arrived via UPS Standard from Cooler Master's offices in Brea, California. This box served its purpose of being both the shipping and retail package. While the box itself was not in terrible condition, it was not exactly clean either. Some dents are seen on the top edges of the box. Another dent can be seen going diagonally on the box. Luckily, this did not cause any issues when carrying it. I think UPS Standard could have done a better job, but overall, the case made it here in one piece. The front of the box contains an image of the case, showing the left and front sides. The Cooler Master logo is printed on the top-left side of the box, while the MasterBox MB600L V2 label can be seen on the bottom, just below the case image with the text "Sensible by Design".
Here are the manufacturer specifications of the MasterBox MB600L V2 from Cooler Master's website:
MODEL NUMBER: MB600L2-KGNN-S00 (w/o ODD TG), MB600L2-KNNN-S00 (w/o ODD Steel), MB600L2-KG5N-S00 (w/ ODD TG), MB600L2-KN5N-S00 (w/ ODD Steel)
SERIES: MasterBox Series
SIZE: Mid Tower
AVAILABLE COLOR(S): Black
MATERIALS: Steel, Plastic, Tempered Glass
DIMENSIONS (L X W X H): 405.5x204x455.3mm (incl. Protrusions) (MB600L2-K*NN-S00), 400x204x455.3mm (excl. Protrusions) (MB600L2-K*NN-S00), 460.5x204x455.3mm (incl. Protrusions) (MB600L2-K*5N-S00), 455x204x455.3mm (excl. Protrusions) (MB600L2-K*5N-S00)
VOLUME (EXLC. PROTRUSIONS): 37.15L (MB600L2-K*NN-S00), 42.26L (MB600L2-K*5N-S00)
MOTHERBOARD SUPPORT: Mini ITX, Micro ATX, ATX
EXPANSION SLOTS: 7
5.25" DRIVE BAYS: 0 (MB600L2-K*NN-S00), 1 (MB600L2-K*5N-S00)
2.5" / 3.5" DRIVE BAYS (COMBO): 2
2.5" DRIVE BAYS: 2
I/O PANEL: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x 3.5mm Headset Jack (Audio+Mic)
PRE-INSTALLED FANS - TOP: N/A
PRE-INSTALLED FANS - FRONT: N/A
PRE-INSTALLED FANS - REAR: 1x 120mm
FAN SUPPORT - TOP: 2x 120/140mm
FAN SUPPORT - FRONT: 3x 120mm, 2x 140mm, 3x 120mm (remove ODD bracket) (MB600L2-K*5NS00)
FAN SUPPORT - REAR: 1x 120mm
RADIATOR SUPPORT - TOP: 120mm, 240mm, (RAM height limit 32mm; install RAM first, then install radiator)
RADIATOR SUPPORT - FRONT: 120mm, 140mm, 240mm, 280mm, 360mm (remove & reinstall ODD bracket to mount 360mm radiator (MB600L2-K*5N-S00)
RADIATOR SUPPORT - REAR: 120mm
CLEARANCE - CPU COOLER: 161mm
CLEARANCE - PSU: 160mm (MB600L2-K*NN-S00), 180mm (MB600L2-K*5N-S00)
CLEARANCE - GFX: 350mm (w/o front fans & radiator) (MB600L2-K*NN-S00), 400mm (w/o front fans & radiator) (MB600L2-K*5N-S00)
CABLE ROUTING: 18.5mm
DUST FILTERS: Front, Top, Bottom
POWER SUPPLY SUPPORT: Bottom mount, ATX
WARRANTY: 2 years
For context, there are multiple versions of this case, some that do and some that do not have tempered glass, some that do or do not have an ODD bracket, and some that are not steel. The version we are working with today is the steel case with tempered glass and an ODD bracket. The corresponding model number is MB600L2-KG5N-S00.
Two Styrofoam blocks are used to pad the case inside the packaging, which I think is always very good practice. Along with the Styrofoam blocks, the case itself is wrapped in a plastic cover to prevent it from experiencing any scratches during shipment. The Cooler Master MasterBox MB600L V2 arrived in very good condition when I eventually unwrapped it, showing no signs of physical damage anywhere. The case comes with various screws for mounting all the necessary components along with zip ties for cable management. Documentation can also be found inside the case for the user's convenience.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
