A Closer Look - Inside

To access the interior, simply remove the screws holding the cover in place. The insides of each air vent are actually lined with a metal-mesh dust filter that is held in place by magnets—a very nice touch. You may also remove the front to reveal a spot for a 2.5" HDD, which is perfect for your OS drive. In the top is a mounting frame for a 280, 240, 140 or 120 mm radiator. However, both radiator and fan can only be 100 mm thick combined. 240 and 280 mm radiators also require you to remove the ODD bay, and a 280 mm radiator can be up to 325 mm long.


You may access both sides of the interior to assemble the system. Fractal Design placed an HDD panel onto which you may install two 3.5" and two 2.5" drives on one side.


You may install a third 3.5" drive into the bay for an external drive at the front, but it lacks an appropriate opening there. Above that is the 5.25" drive bay; it uses thumbscrews to securely fasten any installed device in place. Below it is a simple frame that acts as a PSU bay. The unit has to be installed sideways, which leaves enough room for unit of up to 170 mm in length if it is non-modular or of up to 160 mm in length if its cables are detachable.


The two reusable expansion-slot covers in the rear are held in place by screws. The fan comes with Fractal Design's signature white blades and a 3-pin connector at the end of an all-black cable.


All the wiring within the Core 500 is black and comes with the connectivity we are used to. You should run into no problems whatsoever while attaching these to a modern motherboard.