Review: Cooler Master MasterCase Maker 5t

by Parm Mann on 12 December 2016, 09:00

Tags: Cooler Master

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Conclusion

...if you're prone to judging a book by its cover, rest assured the MasterCase Maker 5t is one of the sexiest mid-tower chassis around.

Continuing the good work of the MasterCase Maker 5, Cooler Master's refreshed Maker 5t offers system builders a stylised variant with a few tricks up its sleeves.

Red accents and tempered glass panels turn an already pretty case into a thing of beauty, and if you're prone to judging a book by its cover, rest assured the MasterCase Maker 5t is one of the sexiest mid-tower chassis around.

Further value adds include a rubberised top handle as well as a useful GPU brace, and the bulk of the existing Maker 5 feature set remains intact. That means plenty of cooling potential, an interior layout that's easy to work with, various customisation options made available via an array of MasterCase accessories or, if you prefer, downloadable CAD files for creating your own modifications.

Are there any major provisos to be wary of? Well, the £230 price tag is a major sticking point, and given the asking fee, it's worth remembering that the chassis falls short of perfection. The bundled fans aren't the best, there's only one drive cage included as standard, and for a high-end solution it's a shame USB 3.1 Type-C doesn't feature on the I/O panel.

Bottom line: the price tag is undoubtedly the wrong side of £200, yet if you're willing to stomach the cost, the MasterCase Maker 5t could keep you smiling for years to come.

The Good
 
The Bad
Looks fantastic
Glass panels and red accents add flair
Solid build quality throughout
Decent cable management
Modular customisation options
Useful rubberised carry handle
Integrated GPU brace works well
 
Stock fans could be better
No front-facing USB Type-C
Priced the wrong side of £200



Cooler Master MasterBox 5t

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The Cooler Master MasterBox 5t chassis will be available to purchase from Scan Computers.

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At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.



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HEXUS Forums :: 9 Comments

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For the price, I'd rather pick the be quiet Base Pro 900.
It's a really nice case and all, but why do these people keep insisting on closed front sections? We need open mesh fronts for our lovely intake fans!
That's Lian Li money. And it doesn't look like Lian Li quality
EvilCycle
It's a really nice case and all, but why do these people keep insisting on closed front sections? We need open mesh fronts for our lovely intake fans!
You can get rid of front cover in 3 seconds, it's detachable ;)
Tunnah
That's Lian Li money. And it doesn't look like Lian Li quality
What I find funny with that remarks, is that back in the early 2000's, CoolerMaster was first in the market with the whole “all-aluminium premium consumer case with no PSU that costs an arm and a leg”. Lian-Li followed suit with the P60 at a lower price which gained a following, but push come to shove, many still saw it as a cheaper alternative to CM, and “you got what you pay for”.

At the beginning, I don't think that there were any CM case that was under £180, with many well over £200.. Later on CM started releasing cheaper offerings perhaps to grow market share, while Lian-Li.. well, to be perfectly honest, I've not really been following their cases in a while, but by the sound of it has tried and succeeded in positioning themselves as a premium brand.

Perhaps Apple has the right idea in not going cheap ;)