A Closer Look - Inside

To access to the interior, loosen the captive thumb screw of each panel to remove the cover. The interior of the Cooler Master MasterBox 500 is mostly generic. It too feels fine, but doesn't exude the same quality we have seen from other similarly priced cases. The metal shroud covering the PSU and HDD cage has a vent for the PSU, so you could install it with the fan facing upward. There are three smaller cutouts for cable-routing, of which one is dedicated to the PCIe power cables for the GPU.


On the backside are the rubber grommets for cable management and many well-placed zip-tie hooks. Cooler Master also embedded a 4-port ARGB and PWM fan controller, which is a nice touch. The lighting elements may be controlled with the reset button of the chassis or a motherboard header, while the fans need that PWM signal from the motherboard header. There are two sets of mounting holes for 2.5" drives underneath the opening for the CPU cooler, but you will have to install the rubber rings before attaching any drives.


The PSU bay underneath the shroud has four foam-covered stands and enough space for mainstream units to fit without issue. While Cooler Master advertises 180 mm of clearance, you have to deduct the space for cables and connectors from that figure. The seven expansion slots above the shroud utilize classic screws to keep the covers in place. In the very top, the rear fan is a simpler unit than the retail-grade SickleFlow in the front. It doesn't have any lighting and uses a 3-pin RPM signal. Including the same fan as in the front in the rear would have been a nice touch.


In the front, below the shroud, is that cage with the removable side wall. It holds two plastic trays which may hold 2.5" or 3.5" drives. Above that is just enough room for cooling. As the default location of the front fan is on the exterior of the steel body, one could easily use the interior for a 360 mm AIO.


Looking at the ceiling, it is one big vent with two sets of fan mounts. You may remove that whole top, which simplifies preparing liquid-cooling systems and gives open access to internal system components.


For all but the USB 3.0 cable, every cable within the Cooler Master MasterBox 500 is of the default variety. The USB cable has Cooler Master's signature purple connector.