Cooler Master Case Review: A Look at the Maker Series

The Cooler Master Maker series is a line of cases designed to provide users with a high level of customization and flexibility. The case we are reviewing today features a unique design that sets it apart from other cases on the market.

One of the first things you'll notice about this case is its size. It's a long, rectangular shape that can accommodate graphics cards like the 295x2 or Titan Z. The card fits snugly into the case without any issues, and there are no problems with airflow or cooling. This case is ideal for users who want to build a high-performance computer without worrying about space constraints.

The back of the case features a recessed channel that allows cables to be routed through it without binding up. The channel is secured by velcro straps, which provides a secure and adjustable way to manage cable management. This feature is particularly useful for users who struggle with cable management in their existing cases.

Moving on to the front of the case, you'll notice a sleek and modern design that features a tempered glass side panel. This is a game-changer for those who want to build a high-end PC without sacrificing aesthetics. The tempered glass provides a clean and unobstructed view of the internal components, making it easier to show off your build.

The tempered glass side panel also includes specific LED mountings, allowing users to add additional LEDs to their case. There are four mounting points for LEDs, which can be used to create a custom lighting setup that suits your needs. Additionally, there are six fan slots that support three-pin fans, making it easy to control the fan speed on the front of the case.

One of the coolest features of this case is the LED and fan control module. This module is integrated into the side panel and allows users to control their case's lighting and fan speeds using a smartphone app. The module can be accessed through an iOS or Android device, providing users with real-time information about their system's power usage and other settings.

The motherboard tray cutout on this case is also noteworthy. It provides easy access to the back of the motherboard for components like coolers and water blocks. This makes it a breeze to install these components without having to remove any parts of the case.

However, what really sets this case apart from others in its class is the replacement side panel that Cooler Master offers as an accessory. The tempered glass side panel provides a sleek and modern look that's hard to match with other cases on the market. It also includes a key that allows it to be locked into place, preventing accidental removal or damage.

The tempered glass side panel weighs significantly more than a standard plastic side panel, which can be a drawback for some users. However, this added weight is well worth it for the benefits of having a high-quality, scratch-resistant side panel.

In conclusion, the Cooler Master Maker series case offers a unique blend of style, functionality, and customization options that make it an ideal choice for users who want to build a high-performance PC without sacrificing aesthetics. With its tempered glass side panel, LED lighting control module, and secure cable management features, this case is sure to please even the most discerning enthusiasts.

One thing to note is that Cooler Master has recently released other products in their Maker line, including keyboards and power supplies. These products are designed to work seamlessly with the case we're reviewing today, providing a cohesive and integrated build experience for users.

Overall, the Cooler Master Maker series case is an excellent choice for anyone looking to build a high-performance PC with a focus on style and customization. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or just starting out in the world of computer building, this case has something to offer everyone.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhether you're looking for a pump reservoir custom GPU block or a complete Loop in a box Alpha Cool's wide range of products can make your next water cooling Adventure an easy one click the link in the description for more details and we'll go ahead and start right here in the front of the case which is probably one of the biggest differences is it has a piano finish here for the control panel I call the control panel because it's got your audio mic input reset button power it's got three USBS a USB type connector as well as fan and LED control buttons it does have built-in fan and led modules and we'll talk about that in a second but check this out right here on the front it does actually have 5 and a/4 expansion bays and the way you access them is not by a swinging door which has always kind of been a point of contention amongst cases that have doors people either love or hate them and the reason being is depending on what side of the the desk they might be on the door might open in such a way that it Blocks Your access to it or it might not even have a chance to open if it swings out at all if it's in some sort of a cubby then the door just is is a problem and I've actually dealt with that in the past with some of my older cases that I used so what Cooler Master has done is they've made this a little flip down and as this flips forward it gives you access to the two 5 and a/ qu expansion base as well as access to the grill so you can blow out dust from your fans and whatnot and the thing actually comes off pretty easy too with just basic push tabs and thing pops off you can clean it and stick it right back on but that's pretty neat because no matter where the cases now as long have access to the front of it you have access to your expansion bays and your fan filters now we're going to go ahead and move on to the top of the case which was another point of contention on the original case uh master case 5 was the fact that it had enough height to support radiators and all in one water cooling Loops but it did not come factory that way it did not come with the bracket that you needed to mount the radiator uh you could Mount fans in there if you wanted Cooler Master is Now supported this out of the box and as you can see this top piece right here is actually just held on by a magnet and and here is the top of the case once again you also have this little cover right here that opens up a filter so if you're not using top mounted fans which actually is not the way this comes preconfigured there are no fans on the top it comes with the bracket right here as you can see allowing you to mount your radiator to it or if you have the existing master case 5 not the newest version you can upgrade your old one to these new features same thing with the front piece right here this door that flips forward you can buy this piece right here separate if you want to upgrade your older case as well so that's kind of a good thing in my opinion um but it does come with the the radiator bracket on top pre-installed but no pre-existing fans it does come with two 140 mm fans in the front and a 140 mm exhaust fan so it's supporting positive pressure uh the way it ships as well now moving on to the inside of the case this is where it's going to be pretty much unchanged there's not really anything different going on here with the exception of the fact that it now includes an LED light bar that is by the way magnetic so you can mount this pretty much anywhere you want because this is a steal case um so it will stick to the top or the bottom wherever you want to put it now when it comes to drive B uh Drive cages you can expand these you can buy more to put more in if you want you can see here there's more room um as I make the chicken arm there is more room right here for you to put another Drive cage if you want um but I pre-installed this here with a uh X power motherboard from MSI it's the titanium version uh it's a fullsize ATX motherboard we've got a fullsize GTX 1080 in here I even included a masterwatt 1200 power supply in the bottom here to show that even though it's a midtower case you can fit full length High wattage power supplies and still have plenty of room for the full modular cables right here as well as have enough room for the bends and even to put excess cables down there that you don't need and because the case is sitting so far off the ground even if this was sitting on carpet you could have the fan on this pointing down so that the power supply is pulling its own air and has its own little air environment without it affecting any else in the case which is kind of neat but you can see right here there's plenty of room for S graphics cards you've got your mounts right here for your SSD cages uh you know if you got nice ssds you're going to mount them here and you're going to show them off let's face it uh but you also have grommets right here that allow pass through for your pcie power cabl so you don't have to try and Route them through the back of the motherboard and then make a funky Bend you can come straight up out of here with them if you want uh to keep the cable routing more direct and a lot less binding if you will if you've got a power supply that that's got real stiff cable sleeving then you know that trying to make sharp bends with them can sometimes be a real pain in the ass so they've definitely taken care of that but in terms of water cooling support because know that's something I like to take a look at um you it does support a 120 on the back or potentially a 140 radiator um if it's not too thick if it's too thick it might interfere with the side right here so you definitely would want to check clearance before you do that on the top it will fit a 240 mm radiator and some 280 mm radiators once again if they're really thick uh not in terms of thickness but in terms of width sometimes they have extra width on them um then it may not fit so once again you want to check your clearance on that but if you do remove this drive cage right here then you have access to install another 240 or 280 M mm Radiator on the front so you can actually fit two 280s in this thing which means you would have more than enough radiator to actually cool a CPU and two graphics cards if you wanted um and then you could even Mount your small like laying DDC pump uh down here on the bottom run two up through here if you wanted or Mount them right here on this mid tray and get rid of the SSD trays if you wanted to so there are some flexibility options on there when it comes to water cooling um given how much you can actually fit in here that it's even though it's a mtow case is I think kind of a big deal I might actually have to try doing a full custom water cooling Loop in this in the future just to see how much you can fit in there now in terms of graphics card support you can see right here I have a full length 1080 in there and it fits no problem but it does get kind of close to the hard drive cage so if you are going to leave the hard drive cage installed called you're not going to be able to fit big giant boohemoth graphics cards like this Zotac amp extreme because as you can see it does impact on the cage and I cannot install it but if you did get rid of this cage and let say you only had your ssds here and a couple of hard drives that you can out down here in the bottom you can take this cage out and then you can put any length graphics card in there dual length graphics cards like the 295x2 um the Titan Z whatever long graphics cards would F fit in there without any sort of problem now moving on to the back of the case right here this is where you start to see um some really nice built-in features they've got a recessed channel right here with velcro straps allowing you to run your cables through here without binding up and getting too thick for the back panel to actually slide back on if you've ever built a computer and you know that you have a lot of excess cable if there's not a lot of room between the motherboard tray and the back uh case panel then you know that sometimes getting them to fit could be a problem you've also got plenty of room right here to actually put cables if you need as well or you can stuff them down here in the bottom but as you can see right here it also includes this module which is the LED and fan control module which is used by those buttons on the front of the case which I already showed you so it's got specific LED mountings right here U you've got four of them so you can add additional LEDs to this as well as one 2 3 4 five six fan slots uh that are going to support three pin fans so you can control the fan speed on the front of the case without having to use software or anything like that this is also something that's available separate from Cooler Master if you want to add this to another case um so so you can definitely keep that in mind but look at the size of this motherboard cutout right here there's going to be no problem getting to the back of your motherboard to do things like cooler installations water block installation no problem whatsoever but all of that is nice but none of that is what I think is the coolest accessory yet for this case and let me show you that right now now like I said earlier in this video I like side panels but the problem is usually they're made out of some sort of acrylic or soft plastic and they scratch really easy you spray them with Windex you wipe them with even a soft microfiber or cotton and they scratch over time there's swirl marks everywhere and then your LED lighting all it does is light up and accentuate all of the scratches in your side panel well Cooler Master has actually come up with a replacement side panel here that you can purchase which is a tempered glass this is actually a glass side panel and it looks freaking amazing because you know or maybe you don't know glass side panels actually do not scratch very easily and it even has this key right here that you can use uh to lock the panel in place so it's not going to accidentally fall and break and as you can see then your entire side panel is become glass and not just the the portion of the window that shows like on the plastic side panel cuz as you can see the plastic side panel here still has that frame the tempered glass one does not and this thing looks phenomenal yeah I I I'm actually going to now probably look at doing tempered glass for Skunk Works because it looks amazing unfortunately it weighs like a metric button not that heavy obviously but it is heavy now it is a tempered glass which means if you drop it it's going to shatter so be careful with it we're going to be taking a look at the whole line of maker products they've got keyboards now they've got the power supply which I've already showed you it's got some really neat smart app functions so you can actually see what's going on with your computer and power usage live on a smartphone if you've ever wondered how much power your computer is actually using um so we're going to be taking a look at all kinds of stuff and because of this tempered glass I wasn't sure if I was going to actually do a full build in this but the temp the tempered glass side panel alone made me go that that that's an elegant right there I I definitely need to build that so I guess we we we're going to see I think this with good LED lighting and some sort of uh like a rigid tubing Bend and a nice bright fluid maybe something like a bright purple or something might look really and and not not purple because that's cooler Master's color but pink is already been done by Kyle and I've already done things like red and orange and blue and I'm doing green and Skunk Works I don't know we'll see this is a bad looking case once you put that tiered glass panel on so I guess we'll go from there anyway guys sound off in the comments or hit me up on Twitter let me know did they nail this one did they hit it out of the park or do you think there's still some changes that need to be made sound off obviously they're listening thanks for watching guys and as always I will see you in the next videowhether you're looking for a pump reservoir custom GPU block or a complete Loop in a box Alpha Cool's wide range of products can make your next water cooling Adventure an easy one click the link in the description for more details and we'll go ahead and start right here in the front of the case which is probably one of the biggest differences is it has a piano finish here for the control panel I call the control panel because it's got your audio mic input reset button power it's got three USBS a USB type connector as well as fan and LED control buttons it does have built-in fan and led modules and we'll talk about that in a second but check this out right here on the front it does actually have 5 and a/4 expansion bays and the way you access them is not by a swinging door which has always kind of been a point of contention amongst cases that have doors people either love or hate them and the reason being is depending on what side of the the desk they might be on the door might open in such a way that it Blocks Your access to it or it might not even have a chance to open if it swings out at all if it's in some sort of a cubby then the door just is is a problem and I've actually dealt with that in the past with some of my older cases that I used so what Cooler Master has done is they've made this a little flip down and as this flips forward it gives you access to the two 5 and a/ qu expansion base as well as access to the grill so you can blow out dust from your fans and whatnot and the thing actually comes off pretty easy too with just basic push tabs and thing pops off you can clean it and stick it right back on but that's pretty neat because no matter where the cases now as long have access to the front of it you have access to your expansion bays and your fan filters now we're going to go ahead and move on to the top of the case which was another point of contention on the original case uh master case 5 was the fact that it had enough height to support radiators and all in one water cooling Loops but it did not come factory that way it did not come with the bracket that you needed to mount the radiator uh you could Mount fans in there if you wanted Cooler Master is Now supported this out of the box and as you can see this top piece right here is actually just held on by a magnet and and here is the top of the case once again you also have this little cover right here that opens up a filter so if you're not using top mounted fans which actually is not the way this comes preconfigured there are no fans on the top it comes with the bracket right here as you can see allowing you to mount your radiator to it or if you have the existing master case 5 not the newest version you can upgrade your old one to these new features same thing with the front piece right here this door that flips forward you can buy this piece right here separate if you want to upgrade your older case as well so that's kind of a good thing in my opinion um but it does come with the the radiator bracket on top pre-installed but no pre-existing fans it does come with two 140 mm fans in the front and a 140 mm exhaust fan so it's supporting positive pressure uh the way it ships as well now moving on to the inside of the case this is where it's going to be pretty much unchanged there's not really anything different going on here with the exception of the fact that it now includes an LED light bar that is by the way magnetic so you can mount this pretty much anywhere you want because this is a steal case um so it will stick to the top or the bottom wherever you want to put it now when it comes to drive B uh Drive cages you can expand these you can buy more to put more in if you want you can see here there's more room um as I make the chicken arm there is more room right here for you to put another Drive cage if you want um but I pre-installed this here with a uh X power motherboard from MSI it's the titanium version uh it's a fullsize ATX motherboard we've got a fullsize GTX 1080 in here I even included a masterwatt 1200 power supply in the bottom here to show that even though it's a midtower case you can fit full length High wattage power supplies and still have plenty of room for the full modular cables right here as well as have enough room for the bends and even to put excess cables down there that you don't need and because the case is sitting so far off the ground even if this was sitting on carpet you could have the fan on this pointing down so that the power supply is pulling its own air and has its own little air environment without it affecting any else in the case which is kind of neat but you can see right here there's plenty of room for S graphics cards you've got your mounts right here for your SSD cages uh you know if you got nice ssds you're going to mount them here and you're going to show them off let's face it uh but you also have grommets right here that allow pass through for your pcie power cabl so you don't have to try and Route them through the back of the motherboard and then make a funky Bend you can come straight up out of here with them if you want uh to keep the cable routing more direct and a lot less binding if you will if you've got a power supply that that's got real stiff cable sleeving then you know that trying to make sharp bends with them can sometimes be a real pain in the ass so they've definitely taken care of that but in terms of water cooling support because know that's something I like to take a look at um you it does support a 120 on the back or potentially a 140 radiator um if it's not too thick if it's too thick it might interfere with the side right here so you definitely would want to check clearance before you do that on the top it will fit a 240 mm radiator and some 280 mm radiators once again if they're really thick uh not in terms of thickness but in terms of width sometimes they have extra width on them um then it may not fit so once again you want to check your clearance on that but if you do remove this drive cage right here then you have access to install another 240 or 280 M mm Radiator on the front so you can actually fit two 280s in this thing which means you would have more than enough radiator to actually cool a CPU and two graphics cards if you wanted um and then you could even Mount your small like laying DDC pump uh down here on the bottom run two up through here if you wanted or Mount them right here on this mid tray and get rid of the SSD trays if you wanted to so there are some flexibility options on there when it comes to water cooling um given how much you can actually fit in here that it's even though it's a mtow case is I think kind of a big deal I might actually have to try doing a full custom water cooling Loop in this in the future just to see how much you can fit in there now in terms of graphics card support you can see right here I have a full length 1080 in there and it fits no problem but it does get kind of close to the hard drive cage so if you are going to leave the hard drive cage installed called you're not going to be able to fit big giant boohemoth graphics cards like this Zotac amp extreme because as you can see it does impact on the cage and I cannot install it but if you did get rid of this cage and let say you only had your ssds here and a couple of hard drives that you can out down here in the bottom you can take this cage out and then you can put any length graphics card in there dual length graphics cards like the 295x2 um the Titan Z whatever long graphics cards would F fit in there without any sort of problem now moving on to the back of the case right here this is where you start to see um some really nice built-in features they've got a recessed channel right here with velcro straps allowing you to run your cables through here without binding up and getting too thick for the back panel to actually slide back on if you've ever built a computer and you know that you have a lot of excess cable if there's not a lot of room between the motherboard tray and the back uh case panel then you know that sometimes getting them to fit could be a problem you've also got plenty of room right here to actually put cables if you need as well or you can stuff them down here in the bottom but as you can see right here it also includes this module which is the LED and fan control module which is used by those buttons on the front of the case which I already showed you so it's got specific LED mountings right here U you've got four of them so you can add additional LEDs to this as well as one 2 3 4 five six fan slots uh that are going to support three pin fans so you can control the fan speed on the front of the case without having to use software or anything like that this is also something that's available separate from Cooler Master if you want to add this to another case um so so you can definitely keep that in mind but look at the size of this motherboard cutout right here there's going to be no problem getting to the back of your motherboard to do things like cooler installations water block installation no problem whatsoever but all of that is nice but none of that is what I think is the coolest accessory yet for this case and let me show you that right now now like I said earlier in this video I like side panels but the problem is usually they're made out of some sort of acrylic or soft plastic and they scratch really easy you spray them with Windex you wipe them with even a soft microfiber or cotton and they scratch over time there's swirl marks everywhere and then your LED lighting all it does is light up and accentuate all of the scratches in your side panel well Cooler Master has actually come up with a replacement side panel here that you can purchase which is a tempered glass this is actually a glass side panel and it looks freaking amazing because you know or maybe you don't know glass side panels actually do not scratch very easily and it even has this key right here that you can use uh to lock the panel in place so it's not going to accidentally fall and break and as you can see then your entire side panel is become glass and not just the the portion of the window that shows like on the plastic side panel cuz as you can see the plastic side panel here still has that frame the tempered glass one does not and this thing looks phenomenal yeah I I I'm actually going to now probably look at doing tempered glass for Skunk Works because it looks amazing unfortunately it weighs like a metric button not that heavy obviously but it is heavy now it is a tempered glass which means if you drop it it's going to shatter so be careful with it we're going to be taking a look at the whole line of maker products they've got keyboards now they've got the power supply which I've already showed you it's got some really neat smart app functions so you can actually see what's going on with your computer and power usage live on a smartphone if you've ever wondered how much power your computer is actually using um so we're going to be taking a look at all kinds of stuff and because of this tempered glass I wasn't sure if I was going to actually do a full build in this but the temp the tempered glass side panel alone made me go that that that's an elegant right there I I definitely need to build that so I guess we we we're going to see I think this with good LED lighting and some sort of uh like a rigid tubing Bend and a nice bright fluid maybe something like a bright purple or something might look really and and not not purple because that's cooler Master's color but pink is already been done by Kyle and I've already done things like red and orange and blue and I'm doing green and Skunk Works I don't know we'll see this is a bad looking case once you put that tiered glass panel on so I guess we'll go from there anyway guys sound off in the comments or hit me up on Twitter let me know did they nail this one did they hit it out of the park or do you think there's still some changes that need to be made sound off obviously they're listening thanks for watching guys and as always I will see you in the next video\n"