Article: www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3081-cooler-master-master-case-h500p-review-poor-quality-and-airflow You might also like our C700P review, which is a bit more positive: ua-cam.com/video/WH_0ckF3mlQ/v-deo.html FWIW, Cooler Master recently changed the embargo to 5AM PST from its original 8AM PST lift time, so you'll likely see scattered reviews postings, as we did not get memo of this change until last night.
I feel they should have gone with better mounting on the panels and tempered glass sides, used anodised aluminium for the front and top panels to improve rigidity and gone with a pattern in the front so they could add holes to it. That would make this case pretty decent overall although it would be quite a bit more expensive.
Preach it, Steve! Great review. Had exactly the same experience with the top and front panels. Sad to see such a hyped (and expensive) case fall short with the basics. I think your kitty knew before us both XD
If we are lucky someone will offer modded front panels, either that or go to a local makerspace and laser cut a bunch of holes in the front clear plastic.
oh, great idea ! I was thinking the same ^^ (unfortunately, in my country, makerplace don't exist :/ or they are rare as hell) I have to admit that for a modder, this case is cool, but if you're not that handy, it's not really worth the price :/
Preordered this case and it shipped so I am stuck with it (most likely). Guess I'll report back, because I plan on hard modding this case if I can't return it (shipping return might not be worth it). Or I'll see if I can get another sucker in the chain to buy it off of me on craigslist (I'm the first sucker in the chain). Fuck me man, I can't win :\.
it's not THAT bad, just not as great as we were hoping. OC3D loved the case. I think it would be amazing if the front glass was replaced with a metal mesh of some kind.
I agree, the front should be black mesh (I think the whole case should be black), so the light can radiate through, giving it an ominous/imposing presence. Also, there should be an option for a black mesh side panel or a HAF X style side panel with a fan and window.
Well done Steve. The haf 932 was pretty badass back on the day. Dropping 10 degrees by taking the front panel off is insane. A proper front intake with easy to clean filters would be much better.
Justin Craig the haf 912 at least in my experience though didn't like the g2 24 pin cables, they were bulky and had to do some serious cable management but it worked out
I really wanted to thank you for getting this review out early in the morning. I was looking forward to this case immensely, and I'm happy that you tore it apart, as i would have bought it without a second thought. Your hard work and objective, in-depth analysis is always appreciated, in a market where so much 'review' material is loosely subjective opinion lauded as fact. And now, time to find a new case...!
He's absolutely NOT ALONE! I expect this kind of trash from Rosewill or Apevia case makers....never the once vaunted Cooler Master. I'm not so indignant about the cheap materials, but the atrocious asking price shows how little CM thinks of their market.
wow I was so close to buying this case yesterday, this review saved me, seems all other reviewers get blinded by the looks without actually testing thermals etc, brought a meshify c instead and love it such a joy to build.
Birki gts My case has a door latch instead of a screw latch. Waiting for a sale on CableMod White LEDs and a larger M.2 to complete the progress, but that is a different story.
Glad I wasn't the only one who noticed. So Steve, was that noise from your screwdriver or added in post? If in post, is that GN mocking LTT for adding odd SFX into mundane things?
Other tech youtubers either haven't talked about this case, or just built a system in it from what I've seen. Obviously I haven't seen every single tech youtuber, but point being I appreciate how in-depth you guys go and how you explain all the pros and cons, not just with this product but most products you talk about. It's not always the most riveting videos, but always informative.
Severely appreciative of your testing methodology and your honesty, Steve. Sevevrely disappointed in this PC case, however. I actaully wasn't a huge fan of the original HAF aesthetics, but this one is beautiful. Too bad there are so many asinine letdowns. I would love to see a Rev. 2 of this case with all the things you called out fixed. I would gladly buy it then, but not like this.
Steve, Patrick, Eric and the rest of the gamers nexus team, thank you for the quality content every week. Gamers nexus is by far my favorite tech channel. I just ordered a shirt so I can rep GN out on the trails. Keep up the good work :)
Yeah, my birthday present I bought for myself is coming tomorrow. That I don't want. Also can't deny the shipment cause it's non refundable so... I guess fuck me for being a sucker and not checking the return policy. But fuck cooler master too, they made this PoS. #FuckCoolerMaster #FuckKonami
I was getting ready to break down my loop in my primo to swap to this case, thank you for saving me the time and money. Side note, if anyone is actually going to buy this now, do a bit of modding, move the fans back into the case a bit, that will help with airflow.
It looks and feels cheap and flimsy! Cooler Master had a chance to do something special here! The Phanteks Evolv mATX sure does have airflow problems, but man that case is beautiful and built like a tank!
Oh man am I glad I didn't preorder this from Newegg. This was the only case I had my eye on, but thus far (11:00 in) has gotten me to change my mind. Edit: Can the front fans be relocated to the inside if we slide the PSU cover back a bit?
Looks like they cant, at least not without any modding. You could use a long screw to mount it from the inside but i am pretty sure you cant remove the fan brackets for the 120/140mm fans so it will be kinda pointless. imagescdn.tweaktown.com/content/8/3/8366_18_cooler-master-mastercase-h500p-mid-tower-chassis-review.jpg
Feel like i am in the same boat. Its always a good idea to watch GN reviews before all others...Noone else mentioned the front panel limitation,just focused on visuals and called it great.
I always love your case reviews. Thanks for being so through with all of the thermal testing, I always think about potential thermals now when I look at cases thanks to your case reviews
I got click-baited and are glad I did. I have higher expectations for CM, I look at them as one of the top brands and should compete with the quality of for example Corsair. This review confirmed to me that the plastic panels are as cheap as they look from the pictures. Sure it looks pretty cool, but I prefer quality and performance over RGB and acrylic panels.
Just coming back to see the review that "killed Cooler Master's relationhip with GN" as mentioned in Best Airflow Cases of 2020. I love how Steve is holds no punches with his reviews and will thoroughly roast a product while still being professional
got the case for 70 Euros, with lots of problems solved stated in this video like the top panel has a screw, the power supply is easier to access like in h500m and the side glass panel is firm :D I am happy with it :)
Excellent review and its amazing in this day that a Utube reviewer of cases is showing all the actual faults and shortcomings of an extremely overhyped case. Needless to say Gamers Nexus is not going to be on CM's list of supporters, Meaning I doubt they will get timely review units now and is a brave step for these guys to show the actual truth of substandard build quality.
I like the look of the case a lot. However, a good looking case has low dust collection. This will be a dust smear in a few weeks. It needs more filtering unless there are filters i did not notice? Also, sealed up cases with positive pressure are what is needed. I guess the two big fans keep that part going
The hype train has been derailed! Thanks Steve, you're great at this. Seriously though, I was going to buy this. Not so much anymore. I'll just modify my existing case.
Thank you Gamers Nexus. Well done. Been subscribing for a long time, so glad you are growing and continuing to share great content. I thought this case looked attractive and I was very intrigued by the 200mm front fans, even though I knew they would struggle with static pressure.
This is unfortunate. In today's age of higher quality cases, this a real let down. It looks to me like they focused way to much on style over substance. Aesthetically it's beautiful but functionality it look like it dropped the ball.
Agreed. When they first showed it at Computex (I believe) I thought it was made of Aluminum construction with tempered glass. It definitely is a major let down they decided to cheap out with the acrylic and plastic - especially for that price. I'd much rather go for the Phanteks Evolve TG (all aluminum and tempered glass for the same price).
And it's not like they HAFn't made good HAF cases before. XB is all kinds of wonderful (although it could be an inch deeper, found this out when installing a 240 mm rad).
So... Let's list the stuff most ppl notice the 1st time they see this thing anywhere that may be 1. 20mm front fan (with minimum air flow because no mesh front panel and the distance is too close) 2. RGB glow (this one delivers) 3. The deceptive name that didn't say HAF (this is cunning but they kinda pulled it off) 4. Strong look with gunmetal grey color and "glass" look (flimsy plastic build with only one tempered glass) 5. Great modular mid tower case (the only modular thing is the GPU mount position) So out of the first 5 thing people notice, at least 3 fails and 1 is a bit misguided... Wtf??? This is the real definition of real life "click bait"! All look minimum substance... Thank you very much for the review! You woke ppl up!
I totally agree with your criticisms and it's sad to see the quality issues. I don't like the idea that hype/expectation factors into a review at all (as it takes away from your usual fact driven/objective reviews), but your critical analysis of temps and sound condemn this case regardless. Thank you for being one of the few channels that would rather gather data under defined methodologies which inform conclusions, than sell a review with flashy b-role and essentially make a useless advertisement.
This case feels like a cheap toy. Back in a day I bought Antec Nine Hundred Two. That was one heavy and sturdy case. I haven't changed it yet, still using and loving it.
Why is it a disadvantage to not have a pointless RGB controller in the case? Am I the only one that appreciates Cooler Masters approach at using the RGB headers found on any modern motherboard instead of forcing people to use a propietary controller like any other brand of RGB stuff does (I am looking at you Corsair)?
I agree. RGB shoulda been standardized a while ago and the motherboard makes the most sense. It's powered already, it has software integration already, etc.
that's fine,but there should be a controller on the case. Phanteks does both. their cases have a controller built in AND they connect to those motherboard standard rgb headers. this is like Antec having those stupid individual fan speed controllers dangling around a case instead of centralized control in a front panel. not every motherboard has an rgb header.
+ikjadoon I know, I'd like to include some RGB in my next build but there's all these different options/ecosystems. Asus Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, Hue+, etc. Aura Sync seems the best, but it sucks to be locked into Asus just to get your lights synchronized.
I agree, rgb is trash. Had to go into bios and turn that shit off on my rog maximus x hero, damn thing would even keep changing colors while the system was powered down.
The honesty here is *_extremely valuable_* because it's *_extremely uncommon_* in the world of UA-cam reviews. Glad to see they fixed a lot of the issues with the h500p mesh, I think that's what I'm going to be building in.
Comparing this to my enthoo luxe which is similarly priced the difference is pretty damn huge. I must admit that I am using the non tempered glass version which has some differences to their tempered glass version.
But i have a question: In case like the P300, P400 for example, for improve airflow will be more better remove the two little dust filter on top and bottom? or remove also this two dust filter and take a only single 240 mm dust filter directly on fan like S340?
Disgusting how everybody else is praising the shit out of this case... A front panel that adds 13° of cpu temp alone should be enough to give this case an F regardless of all the other flaws
My favorite case for "modularity" or just versatility in general is probably TT's Core P3. Gives you a lot of design and layout options for each motherboard layout and you can put together the case according to how you want your system to look. It's not a perfect case, but for the $100 price point I love the looks and I love the modularity
Yes. ATX cases are oversized these days, but still can't fit shit? We literally killed 5.25" bays. How did this not give case manufacturers more creative room? What's the point of an ATX case if 1) it doesn't have better thermals and 2) can't fit high-end GPUs? Are we crazy? Just buy an mATX or mITX case. You'll probably get better thermals and a bigger GPU, ffs.
Yeah I know lol, I love seeing these shit cases that are huge but you can only fit 2-4 3.5" hard drives in them AND they don't have any 5.25" bays. RGB up the ass and stupid window side panels. I guess I don't understand the RGB and window panels because I'm not a narcissist that likes to stare at the computer parts I've bought and jack off over the pretty lights all over them lol.
BrianCrowe And also, if the full ATX case can't have clearance for Hyper 212 EVO, there is a problem. I still need 5.25 bays to hold the CD drive and SD slots at minimum. USB connected devices take up the already limited USB slots, as in "What kind of engineers do you have that design really sparse front panel without the bays to expand USB slots? This is not Rocket Science, imbeciles, this is Material Science!" levels of facedesking.
I bought my phantek enthoo lux for 150 Euro. I was looking forward to this case and wanted to replace my enthoo lux with this. Definitely, this piece of plastic is not going to replace my current case. In a year, there will be an anniversary edition of this with improvement and a 300 to 400 $ price tag. I am really disappointed.
Only just bought a Define R5 (2 weeks ago) as a temporary case for my new rig until this case came out but don't think I'll bother now. Define R5 was a joy to build in
I can't believe it. My old HAF case was made of metal and rigid plastic on the panels. The panels had ventilation for days. It was honestly the best case I ever bought. But now CM decides to shit on this case and just ride the hype train. I've been holding out on getting a new case ever since I saw this one announced. Guess it's time I give Fractal Design my money. You disappointed me bad, Cooler Master.
I still have a HAF case that I run and have loved it since day 1. It’s to bad CoolerMastet didn’t take the best of both cases and come out with something REALLY GREAT!
The one thing I also saw as it moved around on the turntable is you could see daylight inside of the case in the crevice of the glass panel. I guess that lets more air flow in though. Cheap crappy case
ThermalTake just steals their designs though. Cooler Master designed this with their engineers, and put their name on it. It's theirs, not a stolen design like TT products. I really hope whatever engineers made this case get their limbs chopped off by an industrial accident by Cooler Master's lax standards and get sued to shit. The shithead engineers lose limbs, cooler master gets sued, consumer still loses. This is why I am far more hesitant to recommend building a PC nowadays. It's just not consumer friendly. If you have to watch Gamersnexus or a hardcore overclocker to realize that say, the B350 VRMs overheat if the processor is slightly OC'd... This info isn't reaching many people.
I watch YT things about computers because it interests me Mitochondriac and to get ideas about what I want in my own builds. As for TT, I did buy one of their cases but it was before they "stole" the case designs fiasco. I don't use it right now due to having a newer rig with a different case.
mine comes in on thursday and i plan to watercool dual gpus and am looking for something with good air flow. now i would not mind tilting the front panel out when gaming
Omg the begining + the introduction. Like thats how the case is presented lol. Started laughing when i thought about that and how it's played off like it's not a joke. Especialy when he brings attention to it with "plastic cover on the front, plastic cover on the top". I love the sarcasm.
Article: www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3081-cooler-master-master-case-h500p-review-poor-quality-and-airflow
You might also like our C700P review, which is a bit more positive: ua-cam.com/video/WH_0ckF3mlQ/v-deo.html
FWIW, Cooler Master recently changed the embargo to 5AM PST from its original 8AM PST lift time, so you'll likely see scattered reviews postings, as we did not get memo of this change until last night.
185$ actually.
Cooler Master's future plan for this case= it will take off with those 200mm fans. Thats why the outside of the chasis is made so light(cheap).
I feel they should have gone with better mounting on the panels and tempered glass sides, used anodised aluminium for the front and top panels to improve rigidity and gone with a pattern in the front so they could add holes to it. That would make this case pretty decent overall although it would be quite a bit more expensive.
I am terrified how rickety this case is !
wow, this case is garbage
Your cat looks seriously unimpressed about the case.
Jarrod'sTech Yeah because it is overpriced plastic
Lol
Preach it, Steve! Great review. Had exactly the same experience with the top and front panels. Sad to see such a hyped (and expensive) case fall short with the basics. I think your kitty knew before us both XD
"XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD"
exactly what i was thinking
They're just gonna release quality airflow panels for it later as premium add-ons under the mastercase branding.
you're a fucking moron Kyle
TT core v71 cost way less and has 4x 200mmm for ages. Not to speak of incredible airflow cuz of the full mesh construcktion
I've never seen a case get fucked in a review as much as this case, thanks for the honesty Steve. ;)
honesty lmao ok
It's a idiot because didn't get any money from cooler master that way had done a shit review for this case but its great case
a catbait thumbnail, so i clicked.
tokekkk cat is adorable.
That's a majestic cat.
YA Snowflake's in this video!!!
At least we got almost 10 seconds of moew moew posing next to case
tokekkk but can the cat play crysis?
Ouch, you wound me, Steve. I thought this case was going to be something special. I guess we can hope for a revision or something.
At least, it's special, but not the way we expect !
If we are lucky someone will offer modded front panels, either that or go to a local makerspace and laser cut a bunch of holes in the front clear plastic.
oh, great idea ! I was thinking the same ^^ (unfortunately, in my country, makerplace don't exist :/ or they are rare as hell) I have to admit that for a modder, this case is cool, but if you're not that handy, it's not really worth the price :/
Preordered this case and it shipped so I am stuck with it (most likely).
Guess I'll report back, because I plan on hard modding this case if I can't return it (shipping return might not be worth it). Or I'll see if I can get another sucker in the chain to buy it off of me on craigslist (I'm the first sucker in the chain).
Fuck me man, I can't win :\.
it's not THAT bad, just not as great as we were hoping. OC3D loved the case. I think it would be amazing if the front glass was replaced with a metal mesh of some kind.
just put mesh in the front, it's not that hard CM
tommihommi1 if they were focused on airflow yeah, but this is a case for good looks.
Nour El-Deen Ayman i personally think mesh would still look really cool.
I agree, the front should be black mesh (I think the whole case should be black), so the light can radiate through, giving it an ominous/imposing presence.
Also, there should be an option for a black mesh side panel or a HAF X style side panel with a fan and window.
agree, atleast front is modular.
Sadly design is what matters today
I was going to get this case, now I’m looking elsewhere.
Dovetale same here.
same here, I was so hype for it.
same here
Likewise, I'll stick with my Define R5 and NZXT 440
Same.
love these brutally honest reviews. You guys are by far the most thorough and smartest tech channel. keep up thw good work
Steve i watched all channel with this case review u r the best to point out all negative things.Thx for u r honest review.
Well done Steve. The haf 932 was pretty badass back on the day. Dropping 10 degrees by taking the front panel off is insane. A proper front intake with easy to clean filters would be much better.
rajesh koothrappali oh my god it's fucking raj
The HAF 912 was great too . In my case it still is . I love my old HAF case.
Justin Craig the haf 912 at least in my experience though didn't like the g2 24 pin cables, they were bulky and had to do some serious cable management but it worked out
DClover I kinda want to buy a haf 932 today, but they are way too expensive
whitemale only like 130 dollars on newegg
Wait so does every case also come with a cat for superior air flow and overclocking?
Death addict yes
And this is why I watch GN before I buy anything. Good work.
I wasn't going to watch this video right now until I saw the cat. 10/10 clickbait
SaladPants Came for the cat. Stayed for the double disappointment
I feel you guys
But the cat was in the video
Hahahahahaahah that intro
gold
Yeah I had to replay..
Thought I was watching a Linus video
He's gotta keep pace with the rest of the tech tubing community!
I really wanted to thank you for getting this review out early in the morning. I was looking forward to this case immensely, and I'm happy that you tore it apart, as i would have bought it without a second thought. Your hard work and objective, in-depth analysis is always appreciated, in a market where so much 'review' material is loosely subjective opinion lauded as fact.
And now, time to find a new case...!
Guys..Steve is not happy, Steve is dissapointed!
He's absolutely NOT ALONE! I expect this kind of trash from Rosewill or Apevia case makers....never the once vaunted Cooler Master. I'm not so indignant about the cheap materials, but the atrocious asking price shows how little CM thinks of their market.
wow I was so close to buying this case yesterday, this review saved me, seems all other reviewers get blinded by the looks without actually testing thermals etc, brought a meshify c instead and love it such a joy to build.
Not even my 40$ case has creaky plastic panels...
Birki gts My case has a door latch instead of a screw latch. Waiting for a sale on CableMod White LEDs and a larger M.2 to complete the progress, but that is a different story.
Literally bought the cheapest case I could find. It's majority metal, and the plastic parts don't feel bad at all.
Because your 40$ case doesn't even have a front panel
Great review! I like the honesty in pointing out the flaws of the case, some of the reviewers completely ignored them. Keep up the good work!
Great review!! I was going to buy this case but I changed my mind!!
That intro made me laugh quite a bit. Thanks for that!
Also, it's surprisingly fun to watch you being slightly "pissed" at a product.
This is why you don't pre-order. So glad I waited for the review....
Great work with this review. I really appreciate the overlay shots with a transparent front/top panel view while rotating the case.
Did you put a shotgun reload sound effect with the screwdriver?
Glad I wasn't the only one who noticed. So Steve, was that noise from your screwdriver or added in post? If in post, is that GN mocking LTT for adding odd SFX into mundane things?
Thanks for showing all this stuff I really liked the 500 and was ready to pull the trigger but this review is changing my mind !
Eek $150! It looked good but your thoughts on this brings the price down to $80. Thanks for giving this a proper look.
Thank you. This is like a Rosewill or Apevia case from 2010. $150...man, I could buy a lot of case for $150 these days.
Other tech youtubers either haven't talked about this case, or just built a system in it from what I've seen. Obviously I haven't seen every single tech youtuber, but point being I appreciate how in-depth you guys go and how you explain all the pros and cons, not just with this product but most products you talk about. It's not always the most riveting videos, but always informative.
Cat looked proud of the case
Nah it just feels superior sat next to such a lowly case
This review is so savage, I love it! Keep up the honesty!
Majestic.
The cat, of course.
The savage criticism was glorious. Thank you for being an honest, informative and overall ace reviewer. People like you keep the industry in check.
Severely appreciative of your testing methodology and your honesty, Steve. Sevevrely disappointed in this PC case, however. I actaully wasn't a huge fan of the original HAF aesthetics, but this one is beautiful. Too bad there are so many asinine letdowns.
I would love to see a Rev. 2 of this case with all the things you called out fixed. I would gladly buy it then, but not like this.
Steve, Patrick, Eric and the rest of the gamers nexus team, thank you for the quality content every week. Gamers nexus is by far my favorite tech channel. I just ordered a shirt so I can rep GN out on the trails. Keep up the good work :)
Hahahahaha! You've made my day with that intro.. MOAR please
Thanks gamer nexus. Seriously your reviews are the best when it comes to everything lol.
Anyone else disappointed? I thought this was a cool looking case.
CM took form over function feels bad man
It's really a good looking case, but lack of actual functionality.
Function > Looks
Carl Estrada didnt even get that right.
Yeah, my birthday present I bought for myself is coming tomorrow. That I don't want. Also can't deny the shipment cause it's non refundable so... I guess fuck me for being a sucker and not checking the return policy. But fuck cooler master too, they made this PoS.
#FuckCoolerMaster #FuckKonami
I was getting ready to break down my loop in my primo to swap to this case, thank you for saving me the time and money.
Side note, if anyone is actually going to buy this now, do a bit of modding, move the fans back into the case a bit, that will help with airflow.
This case got me like (－‸ლ)
Science Studio are you going to do a review for this case?
Mr_Duckie wouldnt bother. The case is crap.
Travis Parkinson it's not crap but it's not really worth the price tag
I am keeping my CM 690 iii. Very sturdy case, with good airflow.
Wi1dCard Nah, it's crap. No getting around it. I would pay $50 for this, nothing more.
Ive seen 5 minutes and this review is already better than any other ones ive seen
It looks and feels cheap and flimsy! Cooler Master had a chance to do something special here! The Phanteks Evolv mATX sure does have airflow problems, but man that case is beautiful and built like a tank!
Man a real review with no bias, thank you.
Oh man am I glad I didn't preorder this from Newegg. This was the only case I had my eye on, but thus far (11:00 in) has gotten me to change my mind.
Edit: Can the front fans be relocated to the inside if we slide the PSU cover back a bit?
Was wondering the same thing
.... Cooler master should have put the verticle gpu down lower ...
Looks like they cant, at least not without any modding. You could use a long screw to mount it from the inside but i am pretty sure you cant remove the fan brackets for the 120/140mm fans so it will be kinda pointless.
imagescdn.tweaktown.com/content/8/3/8366_18_cooler-master-mastercase-h500p-mid-tower-chassis-review.jpg
viko207 That's unfortunate. Now I'm back to square one at finding a case.
Feel like i am in the same boat. Its always a good idea to watch GN reviews before all others...Noone else mentioned the front panel limitation,just focused on visuals and called it great.
This is why I watch GN: straightforward, honest reviews and analysis
steve's face at 13:54 just says it all....PMSL... : )
I always love your case reviews. Thanks for being so through with all of the thermal testing, I always think about potential thermals now when I look at cases thanks to your case reviews
I got click-baited and are glad I did. I have higher expectations for CM, I look at them as one of the top brands and should compete with the quality of for example Corsair. This review confirmed to me that the plastic panels are as cheap as they look from the pictures. Sure it looks pretty cool, but I prefer quality and performance over RGB and acrylic panels.
Thank for the review! I was planning to build off this case but now changed my idea! I will go with the C700p now!
Just coming back to see the review that "killed Cooler Master's relationhip with GN" as mentioned in Best Airflow Cases of 2020. I love how Steve is holds no punches with his reviews and will thoroughly roast a product while still being professional
ye.
got the case for 70 Euros, with lots of problems solved stated in this video like the top panel has a screw, the power supply is easier to access like in h500m and the side glass panel is firm :D
I am happy with it :)
Excellent review and its amazing in this day that a Utube reviewer of cases is showing all the actual faults and shortcomings of an extremely overhyped case. Needless to say Gamers Nexus is not going to be on CM's list of supporters, Meaning I doubt they will get timely review units now and is a brave step for these guys to show the actual truth of substandard build quality.
Been waitng for your review!
I like the look of the case a lot. However, a good looking case has low dust collection. This will be a dust smear in a few weeks. It needs more filtering unless there are filters i did not notice? Also, sealed up cases with positive pressure are what is needed. I guess the two big fans keep that part going
Best video by far on this case, great job Steve
The hype train has been derailed! Thanks Steve, you're great at this.
Seriously though, I was going to buy this. Not so much anymore. I'll just modify my existing case.
Thank you Gamers Nexus. Well done. Been subscribing for a long time, so glad you are growing and continuing to share great content. I thought this case looked attractive and I was very intrigued by the 200mm front fans, even though I knew they would struggle with static pressure.
Coolermaster LAF(ing stock) series
Goddamn 🔥
Is this case more flimsy feeling than the 760T? I'm curious since that's the case I currently have.
This is unfortunate. In today's age of higher quality cases, this a real let down. It looks to me like they focused way to much on style over substance. Aesthetically it's beautiful but functionality it look like it dropped the ball.
Back in the day, "gamer looks and bad performance" meant a $59 case. How is this $150 again...
No style or substance in this case whatsoever
I honestly thought that they had made the panels outta aluminium or something and the acrylic front ruined it
Agreed. When they first showed it at Computex (I believe) I thought it was made of Aluminum construction with tempered glass. It definitely is a major let down they decided to cheap out with the acrylic and plastic - especially for that price. I'd much rather go for the Phanteks Evolve TG (all aluminum and tempered glass for the same price).
And it's not like they HAFn't made good HAF cases before. XB is all kinds of wonderful (although it could be an inch deeper, found this out when installing a 240 mm rad).
The cat is majestic AF in the intro! Great review, Steve and crew.
100 % true failed case from colermaster, waste of money
lmao
So... Let's list the stuff most ppl notice the 1st time they see this thing anywhere that may be
1. 20mm front fan (with minimum air flow because no mesh front panel and the distance is too close)
2. RGB glow (this one delivers)
3. The deceptive name that didn't say HAF (this is cunning but they kinda pulled it off)
4. Strong look with gunmetal grey color and "glass" look (flimsy plastic build with only one tempered glass)
5. Great modular mid tower case (the only modular thing is the GPU mount position)
So out of the first 5 thing people notice, at least 3 fails and 1 is a bit misguided... Wtf??? This is the real definition of real life "click bait"! All look minimum substance...
Thank you very much for the review! You woke ppl up!
In AZ Im glad i have been up drunk all night to see this.
I totally agree with your criticisms and it's sad to see the quality issues. I don't like the idea that hype/expectation factors into a review at all (as it takes away from your usual fact driven/objective reviews), but your critical analysis of temps and sound condemn this case regardless. Thank you for being one of the few channels that would rather gather data under defined methodologies which inform conclusions, than sell a review with flashy b-role and essentially make a useless advertisement.
This case feels like a cheap toy. Back in a day I bought Antec Nine Hundred Two. That was one heavy and sturdy case. I haven't changed it yet, still using and loving it.
Thanks for this awesome, honest review!
Poor case just got No Mans Sky'd
Anthony Williams But no man's sky is good now
Cyrus Yan same with this case. There are mesh revisions now.
It's really good now
Quite literally lol
King of best intros, can you make a video of complied intros and bloopers?
50% comments about the case!
50% comments about the cat!
100% CatNexus!
Thank you so much for the honest review. I was gonna buy this and now Im glad I didn't. The RGB and HAF hype almost got me
Why is it a disadvantage to not have a pointless RGB controller in the case? Am I the only one that appreciates Cooler Masters approach at using the RGB headers found on any modern motherboard instead of forcing people to use a propietary controller like any other brand of RGB stuff does (I am looking at you Corsair)?
I agree. RGB shoulda been standardized a while ago and the motherboard makes the most sense. It's powered already, it has software integration already, etc.
that's fine,but there should be a controller on the case. Phanteks does both. their cases have a controller built in AND they connect to those motherboard standard rgb headers. this is like Antec having those stupid individual fan speed controllers dangling around a case instead of centralized control in a front panel. not every motherboard has an rgb header.
+ikjadoon I know, I'd like to include some RGB in my next build but there's all these different options/ecosystems. Asus Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, Hue+, etc. Aura Sync seems the best, but it sucks to be locked into Asus just to get your lights synchronized.
I agree, rgb is trash. Had to go into bios and turn that shit off on my rog maximus x hero, damn thing would even keep changing colors while the system was powered down.
I'm glad to see Steve sticking to his word, and including cats.
It needs quality mesh panels
The honesty here is *_extremely valuable_* because it's *_extremely uncommon_* in the world of UA-cam reviews. Glad to see they fixed a lot of the issues with the h500p mesh, I think that's what I'm going to be building in.
Honest Steve they call him. love ya.
j waited for this case. i recently purchased a 60mm 480. i do not regret getting this rad.
You should give Phanteks a little bit more attention. Great quality cases.
Comparing this to my enthoo luxe which is similarly priced the difference is pretty damn huge. I must admit that I am using the non tempered glass version which has some differences to their tempered glass version.
But i have a question:
In case like the P300, P400 for example, for improve airflow will be more better remove the two little dust filter on top and bottom? or remove also this two dust filter and take a only single 240 mm dust filter directly on fan like S340?
Disgusting how everybody else is praising the shit out of this case... A front panel that adds 13° of cpu temp alone should be enough to give this case an F regardless of all the other flaws
My favorite case for "modularity" or just versatility in general is probably TT's Core P3. Gives you a lot of design and layout options for each motherboard layout and you can put together the case according to how you want your system to look. It's not a perfect case, but for the $100 price point I love the looks and I love the modularity
How the mighty CM has fallen (...Apart?)
Rewatching this reviews for Ss and Gs in 2020! One of my favorite reviews of all time LMAO!
You should put one of these popular titles like: "Is this the worst case in recent history?" ... Yes it seems so.
I'm so glad I picked up the Silverstone RL06 instead...
Never would have picked that case up either if it wasn't for your review, so thank you!
I wouldn't get a reference card just for a case. Get a case that fits your hardware, not hardware that fits your case.
Yes. ATX cases are oversized these days, but still can't fit shit? We literally killed 5.25" bays. How did this not give case manufacturers more creative room? What's the point of an ATX case if 1) it doesn't have better thermals and 2) can't fit high-end GPUs?
Are we crazy? Just buy an mATX or mITX case. You'll probably get better thermals and a bigger GPU, ffs.
Yeah I know lol, I love seeing these shit cases that are huge but you can only fit 2-4 3.5" hard drives in them AND they don't have any 5.25" bays.
RGB up the ass and stupid window side panels. I guess I don't understand the RGB and window panels because I'm not a narcissist that likes to stare at the computer parts I've bought and jack off over the pretty lights all over them lol.
BrianCrowe And also, if the full ATX case can't have clearance for Hyper 212 EVO, there is a problem.
I still need 5.25 bays to hold the CD drive and SD slots at minimum. USB connected devices take up the already limited USB slots, as in "What kind of engineers do you have that design really sparse front panel without the bays to expand USB slots? This is not Rocket Science, imbeciles, this is Material Science!" levels of facedesking.
Finally the case review i've been waiting for since computex.
review the cat pls
thank you steve for the in depth testing and saving me the trouble from dealing with a case like this
I bought my phantek enthoo lux for 150 Euro. I was looking forward to this case and wanted to replace my enthoo lux with this. Definitely, this piece of plastic is not going to replace my current case. In a year, there will be an anniversary edition of this with improvement and a 300 to 400 $ price tag. I am really disappointed.
Only just bought a Define R5 (2 weeks ago) as a temporary case for my new rig until this case came out but don't think I'll bother now. Define R5 was a joy to build in
I can't believe it. My old HAF case was made of metal and rigid plastic on the panels. The panels had ventilation for days. It was honestly the best case I ever bought. But now CM decides to shit on this case and just ride the hype train. I've been holding out on getting a new case ever since I saw this one announced. Guess it's time I give Fractal Design my money. You disappointed me bad, Cooler Master.
I still have a HAF case that I run and have loved it since day 1. It’s to bad CoolerMastet didn’t take the best of both cases and come out with something REALLY GREAT!
What is your HAF case not doing that you need another case from Fractal?
I was very hyped and really wanted to grab this one, but I guess I'll pick the Meshify C instead. Thanks for sharing an honest opinion.
The one thing I also saw as it moved around on the turntable is you could see daylight inside of the case in the crevice of the glass panel. I guess that lets more air flow in though. Cheap crappy case
Expensive crappy case
could be CoolerMaster is heading down the same path as Antec and even Thermaltake. lol
ThermalTake just steals their designs though. Cooler Master designed this with their engineers, and put their name on it. It's theirs, not a stolen design like TT products. I really hope whatever engineers made this case get their limbs chopped off by an industrial accident by Cooler Master's lax standards and get sued to shit. The shithead engineers lose limbs, cooler master gets sued, consumer still loses.
This is why I am far more hesitant to recommend building a PC nowadays. It's just not consumer friendly. If you have to watch Gamersnexus or a hardcore overclocker to realize that say, the B350 VRMs overheat if the processor is slightly OC'd... This info isn't reaching many people.
I watch YT things about computers because it interests me Mitochondriac and to get ideas about what I want in my own builds. As for TT, I did buy one of their cases but it was before they "stole" the case designs fiasco. I don't use it right now due to having a newer rig with a different case.
Thanks for a really helpful review!
Too many shills out there who talk rubbish up. Can't thank you enough for keeping it real.
The shitty plastic makes the case look really ugly
Shoot I was looking forward to this case; love the review Steve.
How hard would it be to remove the acrylic up front and put in some aluminium mesh.
Jacob Stone x.x that's what I am wondering.... As that huge drop... Fk and I had this pre ordered
mine comes in on thursday and i plan to watercool dual gpus and am looking for something with good air flow. now i would not mind tilting the front panel out when gaming
I'm watching this review for a second time because it's so good!
Wtf? The raiser cable is NOT included? Why the fuck am I paying 170 euro????? Am I only paying for the fans, or what?
For cooler master (AKA scammers) "reputable" brand.
Omg the begining + the introduction. Like thats how the case is presented lol. Started laughing when i thought about that and how it's played off like it's not a joke.
Especialy when he brings attention to it with "plastic cover on the front, plastic cover on the top". I love the sarcasm.