Cooler Master MasterCase 5 (Pro) review - Introduction

Cooler Master MasterCase 5 (Pro)
Make your own BUILD 

It has been quiet at Cooler Master for a long time now, we have only seen small and little updates from some of their existing products in the past year. But at Computex it became clear that those guys have been busy working on something new, they have been working an a product concept. Now this concept will spread throughout ALL Cooler Master products, but today we start off with their new MasterCase chassis. A chassis that has the DNA of the Cosmos series, but taken to a new and next level. Armed with a vision Cooler Master is releasing the the first two products in their MasterCase 5 series chassis. A chassis series that you can purchase, install and use but also a series that you can take to the next level, as everything about this chassis series oozes and breathes building and creating your own style PC. A base product which you can expand with new products, a product that is moddable in many ways. Obviously Cooler Master will offer many proprietary products that fit inside that chassis ranging from FANs towards liquid cooling solutions so that you can make your build, your way. The base chassis will be the MasterCase 5 and is interesting to look at, it has space for motherboards up-to standard ATX form factors, it comes with dark side panels and a some new innovations. Yes it has finally arrived, it was at Computex in May this year where we got a sneak preview on the all new design, and admittedly back then I was both a little surprised and and intrigued.

The MasterCase series according to Cooler Master comes with a FreeForm Modular System. Yes there's a lot of marketing going on behind the new series, but that's not a bad thing as this chassis really was made to shape and form to something you want so that it fits your style, the idea behind that is called the Master concept. I'll let Cooler Master talk for a second here.

Cooler Master started with their Make It Yours Slogan, and will offer the products that go along with it. Don't think chassis, think coolers, mice, keyboards and peripheral products. On the chassis side the result was the development of a concept case, the MasterConcept, that combines a product design based on feedback from modders and enthusiastic class users. The MasterConcept is the ultimate makers’ case; its super flexible interior and exterior modularity allows anyone to create a PC that is uniquely theirs in form and function. The ideas incorporated in the MasterConcept led directly to the creation of the MasterCase. The MasterCase will be available in three models, which you can mod internally completely and you can add accessories like liquid cooling, another bezel or top. You will see three models cases, the MasterCase 5, MasterCase Pro 5 and the MasterCase Maker 5 to suit your preferences. Fundamental to this re-imagining is FreeForm. Cooler Master wants users to have control over how their case looks and functions. So FreeForm provides options to adjust the case exterior via the replacement of panels and doors, while also offering flexibility for a mid-sized case in terms of interior layout.

Today here at Guru3D we will look at the MasterCase 5 and transform it into a Pro model. It is a 460 mm tall tower that is completely modular. As mentioned, based on this model there will be three revisions available: the MasterCase 5, the MasterCase Pro 5 and the MasterCase Maker 5. You can choose accessories like dual top handles or a standard door or a MasterCase Pro 5 elevated mesh top cover. Through a unique clip and click panel, you can also vertically adjust or entirely remove drive cages, allowing for multiple system configurations like home servers, water-cooled workstations, or gaming rigs with dual-slot extra-long graphics cards. Anyway, we'll talk you though the entire product with a massive photo-shoot, have a peek at the beast first, after which we'll start-up the review guided by photos, photos and yeah... more photos. As you can read from the introduction, Cooler Master is using a lot of super-latives this round. Well, it's up to us to decide whether or not it is worthy of their words and claims. Let's have a peek at that stealthy styled chassis that is looking great alright.

We'll start with the Cooler Master MasterCase 5 and transform it into a Pro model,