Gadgetory

lynda.com is an excellent online learning platform with over 3,000 video courses covering business technology and vast creative fields I've been exploring the Adobe CC section just to cover my bases for new workflow and new tools to help with our productions for a free 10-day trial visit lynda.com slash HWC and turn your curiosity into making things happen hello everyone this is Dmitry with hardware canucks and it's been quite a while since Coolermaster has been under such a bright spotlight what they're trying to do now with a master case concept that lends itself perfectly by the way for the PC master case hashtag is a fantastic new way to let the end user customize the case with adding options coolermaster is taking the modular approach mainstream and I think it's at everyone's interest to see this idea fully evolved into something massive this is the master case five priced at $109 and it is vital for the interior layout and modular elements to make this case competitive as a defined S from fractal design the enthu Pro em from fantex and even the S 340 from NZXT sort of dominate the mid tower sub $100 option and so let's see what makes the mastercase 5 so unique in the marketplace and first let's start with the materials and build quality the only plastic pieces here are the front panel and the optional top panel mesh that are covered by this slightly glittering texture that also feels kind of course to the touch you will notice these handles at the top are also covered in plastic but the metal handles underneath are attached to the frame itself feels really solid and I gotta say that I've missed the ability to easily carry a case and I really like this approach that fits in well with the design the i/o is at the top with audio jacks dual USB 3 ports that are dark not blue a reset button activity LED and an illuminated power button the front filter is removable but I was hoping for a denser mesh than that but this way it lends itself nicely for interior illumination something that I've taken advantage of with the a few magnetic LED strips and for front airflow a 140 mm fan is included and you can add the second 140 or 120 mm fan there and for those not interested in the dual 5 in the quarter inch drive bay above you can remove that and can install this bracket at the top that would grant you triple 120 or 140 mm nerd fan support and the front taking a quick look at the back we find 7 PCI slots with one safe guard at the bottom that would let you pass one of the peripheral cables through there so there's no way to take the peripheral unless you remove the PCI slot could be handy for land events a second 140 mm er fan is included for exhaust with flexible mounting strips to maneuver the fan based on top cooling configuration and the mastercase 5 is elevated with awesome case feet that are stable and slightly rubberized that allows the power supply to breathe and access to that removable power supply dust filter and by this point I was questioning the uniqueness factor of the mastercase 5 until I checked out the side panels so first the thumb screws stay with the panel and I've said this many times before that I want this to become the standard for all side panels so you don't misplace them second the panel does not sit on some annoying hinge that's difficult to remove instead it slides back and opens a little and stays this way until lifting off not only does this make the panel attachment hassle-free but it eliminates any chance of it falling off during the removal process it seems like a minor improvement but it is by far one of the best side panel designs on the case moving to the top on this stock configuration we get dual 140 and 120 mm outs that are centered which means internal radiator clears without the radiator bracket is non-existent because the height of the case would not allow a top radiator to be installed inside the stock mastercase 5 there is a filter installed but it is behind four screws not easily accessible at all and here's the caveat in order for this case to support a top water cooling unit you'll need to purchase the top cover that comes with the metal support and the plastic panel to cover it and overall I like the design direction and simplicity of installation plus the handlers are not affected and here's that modular approach colormaster decided to take with availability of the following master accessories hopefully with this list growing as the master case involves the top mesh cover is $12.99 the three bit cage is $14.99 and $12.99 for the dual Bay the SSD pocket is $4.99 and to finish off this accessory list for now is a side window kit that is $24.99 so it actually makes more sense to buy the mastercase pro 5-4 139 if you're using it 240 millimeter all-in-one cooler at the top instead of individually purchasing these parts to make your build complete the mastercase 5 has a solid panel but I really love what they've done with the window that is revealing the panel is still sturdy but notice the tinted portion for the basement is just tiny bit see-through it could be a cool way to inscribe something into it and light it from behind plus it is removable to turn it into a full clear side panel and for my build I actually kept it to hide the bottom chamber and so finally let's get inside the immediate reaction is I love the layout 2 main chambers open and non-restrictive front intake three excellent rubber grommets on the side of the motherboard with two cutouts above and the bottom chamber that makes cable work so much easier the floor of the main chamber has a couple of rubber grommets to pass your cables or tubing through and besides our dual SSD pockets as the cooler master calls them and these are actually versatile and how you use them the intent here is to stash the SSD so no branding is visible but if you really wanted to you could populate each pocket with two drives like I've done here this way you get extra storage options plus you get to show off one of your drives and if clearance allows because the SSD on the top takes up the bottom PCI slot you could just leave it like this for showcase and these brackets can be moved behind the motherboard where the SSD has to be inside the pocket for the main hard drive cage the drive caddies are plastic and flexible enough and here using thumb screws to remove the cage and reposition them anywhere along the height of the front of the case using these circular mounting joints the execution of this modular system is excellent as you can almost fine-tune the position of a drive cage for least interference with the airflow and in the event of a front radiator mount you can offset the tube a drive cage closer to the power supply in the bottom chamber opening up this clearance for a radiator to fit with fans on the other side of the frame and here's what the case might look like if you prioritize on storage we have 29 centimeters or 11.5 inches for the GPU until you hit the drive cage and I would say it's fine for a mid Tower and taking a look behind the motherboard what do we see velcro straps for cable management which are nice but there are no staple cable tie hoops which limits your routing options for all the cables and while the basement is hidden by the tent anyway I would have liked to see some type of shroud to fit in front of the power supply just to make a job easier and for that basement to look cleaner and so the assembly process was a breeze I like the inclusion of this motherboard standoff tool and while piecing the system together I really enjoyed that removable top frame so I could pass the 8 pin CPU cable and the rest of the fan cables behind radiator no problem and here is the master case pro 5 is complete I've added some magnetic LED strips you know I really like the roomy interior despite the mid tower foam factor there are no cutouts directly underneath the micro ATX board but cabling still looks clean and my main point of this content is the centered top radiator mount leaving you zero flexibility for mounting thick and wide radiators as I said earlier cable management is fine but with no extra spots to secure cables on that entire tray and at the end of the day I was happy with the entire process and the potential of where this modular design could go because right now let's face it it's still extremely limited for what it is I mean the optional side panels and the drive cages have been around for ages and the top mesh to support the radiator is unique but we'll need to see many more modular panels for the master case to fully satisfy the slogan of make it yours in an extremely competitive marketplace Coolermaster is making a bold move and I love that but where the sound dampening panels inclusions of a fan hub and how about color options to make it mine to make a truly mine I think the most important factor coolermaster has to reconsider is the price because the upgrade options are a little pricey on the individual level so how about price bundles to incentivize the future upgrade also only dual fan support the top is limiting so there's that lost water cooling potential and so first what do you think of this modular concept of starting with the bare-bones frame and finalizing it based on your needs and second how do you like what Coolermaster has done here with the upgrade options on the mastercase 5 itself leave your thoughts in the comments below make sure to subscribe because we'll make sure to update you on when new parts become available thank you so much for watching and we'll see you in Oh