Cooler Master MasterCase 5 Chassis Review

Personalization and innovation, this is the vision of Cooler Master by bringing you the MasterCase 5. This ATX mid-tower is appealing from the box in. The concept brought to us in the MasterCase is Cooler Master wants your case to look and function under your complete control. In our opinion it’s a big step in the right direction.

PACKAGING

The MasterCase 5 comes in a fairly large package; it quite surprised us when we came home to it actually. The box is primarily black, showing the case and showcasing statements like “Make It Yours” and “Customize. Adjust. Upgrade”, it’s easy to tell that the packaging is drawing you in and it works. The chassis looks beautiful showing its sleek front with a top to bottom dust cover and a quick peak at the inside or chassis. As you work around the side you’ll see the Specifications of the MasterCase. The majority of what you’ll see is pretty standard, with some unique or stand-out specifications. The chassis runs strictly USB 3.0 with no 2.0 options, which isn’t a big deal but will limit your I/O panel to two USB ports where most chassis I/O panels run four (2 x 2.0 & 2x 3.0). Also, Cooler Master is claiming a dark metallic grey exterior and black interior but from what we see, it’s safe to say the case is full black.

Around the back is where you will get your first look at the MasterCase 5’s ability to be modular. Showing all the removable parts floating off their home-stand positions, you’ll wonder why some parts such as a handle are modular and it may seem just silly. Well, this is where the Free form modular claim Cooler Master makes starts to take form. The MasterCase isn’t all that is packaged here. There is an upgrade known as the MasterCase 5 Pro. The difference between the 5 and 5 Pro is briefly shown on the final side. Doesn’t look like much of a difference, but you can tell the top panel has an addition a larger cover which houses a radiator allowing a top cooling system. The other components that make up the Pro version are replacing the side panel for a window panel, an addition front fan and three extra 2.5”/3.5” drive-bays.