COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX 5

This case has great side panels. No really. So many cases, even the premium ones, have side panels that are a pig to get on and off. Here, though, the screws line up properly, and the panels slide effortlessly into and out of position. Elsewhere, this case has plenty else going for it too. The simple angular design with the full ventilated front panel works well, and it’s an impressively compact case. Despite this, you still have room at the front for a 2x120mm radiator and a rear 120mm radiator/fan, though you do miss out on an optical drive and have only two 3.5in/2.5in combi drive bays and one 2.5in bay.

Also, despite the generally modern layout with the PSU and drives at the bottom and the nice looking stuff at the top, CoolerMaster hasn’t fully covered up the bottom. You get a plastic shroud that screws into place over the PSU, but the drives are left exposed. Otherwise you get good cable routing options and two preinstalled fans.

As for cooling, it performed very well. The front fan being directed straight towards the graphics card meant it had the lowest GPU temperature on test while the CPU temp was mid-table.

Overall, the MasterBox 5 is a solid option for a good price.