A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the case follows the same general design pattern as the original MasterBox MB500 since the top half of the front is solid and the bottom employs a fan to pull cool air in through the metal mesh. That said, the overall design is quite different with round, flowing edges and a vertically brushed surface structure on the plastic making it look slimmer than it is.


The front is mostly made out of plastic that feels sturdy enough, but doesn't ooze a sense of quality. That metal mesh element is nice, and fine, which will keep dust away from the pre-installed fan in the front. You may pull this cover off for a clear view of the 120 mm ARGB intake unit. There is room for up to three 120 or two 140 mm fans in the front, but installing any into the top two positions will not yield the best-possible results since that part of the front cover is solid. As the front has built-in lighting, Cooler Master incorporated a push-pin connector that has the cover completely separate when detached.


Looking at the MasterBox 500 from the rear, it looks pretty straightforward with the bottom-mounted PSU and upright ATX layout.


The main side panel of the MasterBox 500 is a nicely framed clear and clean glass panel that is held in place by a single thumb screw in the rear of the chassis. The opposite side is secured the same way, but solid steel.


In the rear, the PSU bay has two set of mounting holes for added flexibility. That said, ensure the power supply fan is facing down. Above that are the seven expansion slots, each protected by a reusable cover. In the very top is another 120 mm fan on elongated cutouts, so you may adjust its vertical position to best suit your needs.


The top of the case is where Cooler Master has spent resources to develop some new tooling. As a result of that, you get a big magnetic metal-mesh cover underneath of which are mounting possibilities for three 120 mm or two 140 mm fans. It can also hold a radiator of up to 280 or 360 mm instead. In terms of I/O, the MasterBox 500 provides the traditional dual USB 3.0 ports and audio combo jack. There is also the styled power button and an unlabeled square button that may act as either reset of ARGB control.


Tipping the Cooler Master MasterBox 500 over, we see a generic metal mesh filter. Looking closely, two screws hold the HDD cage wall in place, which you may remove to fit an extra-long PSU. Doing so means you will no longer be able to install hard drives here.