Page 3 - Assembly and Installation, Part II
The next two things to install on the Cooler Master QUBE 500 Flatpack are the front and bottom panels. Using the same screws, you can fix everything in place and easily mount the exterior walls together. This front has a large-holed exterior. It is actually made up of two parts with an outer panel that attaches to an inner frame. In between the panel and frame is a magnetic mesh filter to prevent dust from entering at this point. As this is where the power supply is situated, I made sure the power supply could get fresh air by pointing outward and exhausting the air out the top. At the front, there are also rails to allow for cooling options. You can still install a single 120mm or 140mm fan or radiator with the power supply in place here. This would increase to two fans or a single 240/280mm radiator if you install the power supply at the bottom of the case. It is nice to see the options, but I personally would not be installing any fans here, especially with the amount of my cables at the front.
The other thing to keep in mind when installing the front panel are the front I/O cables. They are all matching with the white color and are nicely wrapped in zip ties. This includes headers for USB 3.0, USB Type-C, HD audio, and the front panel I/O. As we have seen on other Cooler Master cases, the front panel I/O are all grouped into a single header rather than individual pins, which makes it easier to plug into the motherboard. By default, these cables lead down the panel and interfere with the power supply. I had to immediately route these cables up and over the power supply, through the routing hole at the top, and down the back side.
The bottom panel can finally be attached to the bottom with the two silver screws. The underside has another set of rails for users to install more cooling options. With the default orientation, there is room to install two 120mm or 140mm fans or a single radiator up to 280mm in length. Once again, this area is only available if you do not have a power supply mounted at the bottom and your installed graphics card is not installed vertically. Otherwise, on the flip side, you can see a mesh filter here that is held on magnetically. It does not have any sort of frame for easy removal, but this can be slightly forgiven when you consider the more flexible or modular nature of the QUBE 500 Flatpack. The only thing not pictured here is the four feet that clip into the corners. These feet are plastic with rubber padding on the bottom to prevent vibrations and keep the case in place while upright. The feet also lift the bottom up off the surface and provide approximately 1.7cm of space for air movement at the bottom. The bottom has a place for a 3.5" drive mounted near the rails.
You might notice an open hinge near the graphics card. This supports an additional bracket that rotates to the side. With this swinging bracket attached, users can put a side mounted 240mm or 280mm radiator, or place two 120mm or 140mm fans. Doing so will affect the height clearance of any CPU cooler, so do keep this in mind. If you do choose to use this swinging bracket for cooling, you will also likely want to swap the side panels around so we have a perforated side here instead of the tempered glass. Another set of holes for mounting a 3.5" storage option can be found on the rails. Of course, if you do not end up needing this, you can remove it as you see here.
The top panel was the last frame panel I installed, again using screws to attach in place. It is nice to build without this panel in place, especially if you need access to the headers at the top of the motherboard. For me, I have the CPU fan header and the power connector at the top, which again was easier to plug in prior to installing the panel. Otherwise, you can see the perforations and black mesh filter underneath. The top panel can separate from the rest frame in the same way as all of the other panels, with rubber-lined metal pegs that hold it in place. Once again, the top panel has even more rails so users can install another set of two 120mm or 140mm fans, or a single radiator up to 280mm in size. If you do use a 280mm radiator, Cooler Master does not recommend anything thicker than 53mm for both the fan and radiator. Otherwise, there are also mounting holes at the top to install a 3.5" hard drive here using rubber mounting points. At the back, we also have an attached handle to help with transporting your build easily. A rubber holder is attached to help with potential cable management. It can also be removed and put on one of the circle holes on any of the panels.
With everything organized, I did some cable management at the back. Despite the small volume of the Cooler Master QUBE 500 Flatpack, we have ample spacing here. By measurement, we have approximately 28mm of space between the side panel and the back plate of the motherboard. This gives more than enough space for even routing your thicker cables. On the other hand, I left a lot of my excess cabling hanging at the front due to my slightly larger power supply. I think if I used an SFX power supply, I would be able to take advantage of more of the space back here. There are also two routing channels with many cabling anchor points. This makes it easy to align and keep the cables in these valleys. I would have liked to see some Velcro straps included here to make management easier.
The other thing I installed here were my two 2.5" drives. Using the rubber grommets and friction pin points, my Patriot P200 512GB and OCZ ARC 100 240GB stayed in place very well. There is one more space for a third 2.5" drive, closer to the front of the case. As well, if you have a 3.5" drive, you can put it in the place where I have my two SSDs. In total, we have capacity for up to four 3.5" drives or up to three 2.5" drives.
For some, it is a taboo to attach all of the side panels before powering on the machine, but this is a risk I took with the Cooler Master QUBE 500 Flatpack. From this view, you can see the right-side panel, which has the same hole pattern throughout. This panel attaches with notches on the bottom and pegs at the top. Users can also lock both side panels in place with screws on the top frame. It is a handy option to have, although something I would likely never touch. Otherwise, this side panel is perforated for airflow. It is also the exact same frame as the tempered glass panel, making both sides interchangeable with each other, depending on what you prefer.
Overall, I really enjoyed the building process. Any points I may have found difficulty with was really more about working in a case of this size rather than a problem with the Cooler Master QUBE 500 Flatpack itself. As the side panels were added after most of the components, it meant I had a lot of space for my hands and arms to maneuver with the case. In addition, I thought the process was guided well via the paper manual and the QR codes for step-by-step help. When you consider the fact Cooler Master was able to cut down on a lot of packing material while also providing more than enough help for users to build their case, the result is quite impressive.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Assembly and Installation, Part I
3. Assembly and Installation, Part II
4. Physical Look - Outside and Conclusion
