Page 4 - Installation and Conclusion
Now, for the fun part: Building my PC. I began by installing my motherboard into the case. The Cooler Master MasterBox MB600L V2 supports ATX, mATX, and mITX-sized motherboards, which was perfect for my MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk in the ATX form factor. My motherboard has an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X CPU, Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB DDR4-4000 2x8GB memory kit, and a Samsung 970 EVO 1TB SSD. I also installed the SilverStone Hydrogon D120 ARGB into my rig. This dual tower CPU cooler had no problem meeting the 161mm cooler size limit.
Installing my power supply at the bottom of the case was a very simple process. I settled with the SilverStone Decathlon DA850 Gold 850W for this build, which has a length of 140mm. I simply slotted the power supply against the drive cage and used a screwdriver to insert the Phillips head screws. Cooler Master recommends a maximum PSU length of 180mm, which mine cleared with ease. After installing my PSU, I routed all the necessary cables via the back of the case.
I found the cable management to be spacious enough when wiring the components. The back itself was mostly clean thanks to the space below the PSU shroud that extraneous cables can fit into. Ultimately, there is a fair amount of space for cables to fit through.
I finished the build by installing my EVGA NVIDIA RTX 3060 TI graphics card onto the top PCIe slot on my motherboard. The maximum GPU clearance length is 400mm as outlined by Cooler Master, which was not a problem for my graphics card. If you choose to go with a liquid cooler, you can fit a 240mm radiator on both the front and the top. If you wish to use a 360mm radiator though, you will have to install it at the front, which will require the removal of the ODD bracket. I proceeded to plug in all necessary cables from the power switch to I/O headers into their appropriate headers. The cable cutouts were large enough to fit multiple cables through, making for a fairly clean setup.
With the installation complete, I put the side panels back on and brought my PC back to life by hitting the power button. Out of the box, the only thing lighting up is the LED on the power switch and the HDD light. The tempered glass allows for all RGB goodness to shine through, which, if you have read certain reviews of mine, will know I quite enjoy it. The black color scheme of the exterior complements this well while also giving the MasterBox MB600L V2 a minimalist look. I took the liberty to install Cooler Master's own Masterfan MF120 Prismatic and Masterfan SF120M ARGB at the front to see how the hexagon logo would look with the RGB lighting. As advertised, the Cooler Master logo shines bright with RGB from any front fans, which I think is a neat visual design choice, even if minor.
How does it hold up with noise though? The standard APH Networks sound scale ranges from 0 to 10, where 0 is silence and 10 is Dooms Night on Halloween. Even though it is not advertised, the Cooler Master MasterBox MB600L V2 is relatively quiet. According to my ears placed on the APH Networks scale, I would rate the Cooler Master MasterBox MB600L V2's sound intensity at 2.5/10 under daily use.
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Does the Cooler Master MasterBox MB600L V2 deliver as an ATX chassis? As with many cases we have reviewed here at APH Networks, the MasterBox MB600L V2 is clean in its design, both on the inside and outside. For starters, the tempered glass is clear and will be able to display any RGB LED lighting you have in your system. The case as a whole is very polished with the gaps being small and even throughout. The brushed metal on the front panel feels very nice and looks great. The ventilation mesh on the sides of the front panel is a smart design choice for improving airflow throughout the case. With this model, the ODD bay bracket at the top of the front side is removable for users who want three 120mm fans or a 360mm radiator at the front. There are models that do not include the ODD bracket, so you have the option to purchase that model if you want to maximize cooling and have no use for a 5.25" bay. The cable management was serviceable for the size of this mid-tower chassis. There are enough 2.5" and 3.5" storage options in this case for those who wish to utilize many internal drives. The dust filters work just fine and are appropriately placed. However, I wish the horizontal expansions slots were held on by screws rather than just being popped off, as this could create issues with dust if users decide they no longer need that expansion slot to be occupied. The two USB 3.2 Type-A ports are nice to see, although the inclusion of a USB Type-C port would have been a welcomed addition. While it is nice they included a rear exhaust fan, I do wish the fan had been a 4-pin PWM model rather than a 3-pin voltage fan. I also wish they included more than one fan. At a retail price of $80, this case is very reasonably priced. The Cooler Master MasterBox MB600L V2 is a perfectly acceptable chassis that has everything you would expect from a case that will not break the bank.
Cooler Master provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 7.0/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The Cooler Master MasterBox MB600L V2 is a solidly built minimalist case for users looking to build without breaking the bank.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
