Cooler Master MasterBox 600 Review – Modern Classic

Unboxing

The MasterBox 600 is one of the newer cases offered by Cooler Master, which still retains the classic mid-tower layout that various case makers have been slowly moving from in favor of panoramic glass designs (like this darkFlash case we reviewed recently). Still, despite its somewhat unassuming looks, it does support the new rear connector motherboard designs once these go mainstream in the future.

The items included in the accessories pack, which is located within the case, includes:
– 16x chassis screws (motherboard, PSU, PCIe)
– 1x standoff socket
– 10x zip ties
– 4x HDD drive sleds (for 2x 3.5″ drives)
– 8x rubber washers
– 8x SSD drive screws (for 2x 2.5″ drives)

Walkaround

With three intake fans all located at the front, the MasterBox 600 opted to feature a perforated intake panel that aids cooling, though likely at the cost of noise. It’s worth noting that the intake fans are 140mm in size, meaning they should be able to pull in extra airflow for more effective cooling. On the rear, it’s also a very standard layout you’ll see from conventional mid-tower ATX cases. The side panel is tempered glass as expected, though it hides the power supply entirely since it gets hidden behind a separate compartment.

*Note: the Cooler Master Atlas ARGB GPU Support kit shown above is not part of the retail package for the MasterBox 600 – it is provided to us as an optional add-on for the review unit.

The top and bottom of the case reveals two sets of magnetically-attached dust filters, one below the PSU and the top covers the length of top-mounted fans or radiators. The front panel itself is also integrated with dust filters, and the entire panel can be removed by pulling it off the case.

The intake fans used for the MasterBox 600 is the CM SickleFlow 140mm, though as far as we can tell it looks like a slightly different version than the one they retired as legacy models. For one, this version has a higher top speed than what is claimed on the spec sheet, but not much details were given otherwise. Meanwhile, the rear fan is the CM CF120 fan that lacks PWM capabilities, instead relying on the old DC control mechanism for adjusting fan speeds.

The I/O panel doesn’t label the speeds on each USB ports, but based on the spec sheet provided, it says both USB-A ports deliver 5Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen1) while the USB-C port can deliver 20Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen2x2), which is a rarity in cheaper cases like this one. The Cooler Master logo outline acts as the power button, while the reset button is located next to it (the small square). You also get a drive activity indicator, plus a headphone combo jack.

Specifications

Cooler Master MasterBox 600

Full specifications available on product webpage and datasheet.

Chassis Form Factor	Mid-tower ATX
Dimensions	474 x 230 x 481 mm 49.73L internal volume
Chassis Material	Steel, plastic & tempered glass
Colors	> Black (as tested) White
Motherboard Support	E-ATX*, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX Back-connect motherboard support *E-ATX motherboards limited to 305 x 277mm, cable management may be affected.
Chassis Fan Support	Front: 3x 120 / 140 mm Top: 3x 120 / 140 mm Rear: 1x 120 mm Bottom: Unsupported
Pre-installed Fans	Cooler Master SickleFlow 140 ARGB 140mm (3x intake) Fan speed: 650 – 1800 RPM Noise level: 27 dbA Airflow: 67 CFM Static pressure: 2.25 mmH₂O Cooler Master CF120 ARGB 120mm (exhaust) Fan speed: 1200±200 RPM Noise level: 20 dbA Airflow: 47.65 CFM Static pressure: 0.89 mmH₂O *Fan controller hub pre-installed
Radiator Support	Front: 120, 140, 240, 280, 360, 420 mm (Max. 457 x 140 x 27 mm) Top: 120, 140, 240, 280, 360 mm Rear: 120 mm
PCIe Slot Layout	Horizontal 7 slots, breakaway slot covers
Drive Bays	2x 3.5″ drive bays 2x 2.5″ drive bays (supports up to 6)
Max. Graphics Card Dimensions	360 mm 410 mm (without front radiator)
Max. CPU Cooler Height	170 mm
Max. PSU Length	170 mm 210 mm (without drive cage)
Front I/O Ports	2x USB 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps) Type-A 1x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 (20Gbps) Type-C 1x 3.5mm combo jack

Test System

CPU	Intel Core i9-13900K
Cooling	Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL360 Flux 30th Anniversary Edition Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Apex
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition
Memory	AGi UD858 DDR5 TURBOJET RGB (DDR5-6800 CL34, 2x16GB)
Storage	ADATA LEGEND 960 MAX 1TB
Power Supply	GameMax Rampage GX-1050 PRO (ATX 3.1) 1050W
Case	> Cooler Master MasterBox 600
Operating System	Windows 11 Home 24H2

Installation

Let’s start with looking at the layout of the case: the Cooler Master MasterBox 600 supports both forward and rear-connector motherboards, leaving not much metal on the region where the motherboard is located. Since our motherboard of choice (ROG Maximus Z790 Apex) uses forward-facing connectors, we’ll stick to the standard installation process.

On the rear side of the case, you can see some cables already pre-managed for you, and here you can also see the general layout of all six mounting spots for SSDs (2.5-inch drives), while the HDDs (3.5-inch drives) are installed on their dedicated drive cage below the SSD mounting spot #1 (which is attached directly on top of it). That said, Cooler Master only provides you with just enough screws to attach two more 2.5-inch SSDs, anything more you’ll have to get screws elsewhere. (That said, I highly doubt SATA SSDs are much used these days given the ubiquity of M.2 SSDs.)

During the installation process, it’s worth noting that cable management will be a fair bit challenging due to limited space. On two occasions I have to work around the problem – one, the EPS 8-pin connector may end up too tall to pass through the top cutout, and here I had to slot the cables the other way in from the PSU side (meaning a modular PSU is highly recommended).

If your build involves a lot of cables and don’t have any HDDs, it’s not a bad idea to remove the drive cage entirely to free up extra space. Alternatively, the case provides you with extra clearance by shifting the cage leftward (arrows shown in image) if all you need is just some extra room for excess cable lengths. This can be helpful, especially given the case only offers around 35mm of width to fit some cables which can take quite a bit of space.

There are two things I’d like to commend Cooler Master for. Managing all the fan cables can be pretty difficult for novice users; here the case has all of it pre-done for you and cables are pre-managed right out of the box. Also, the front panel is a combo header that connects everything in one go, instead of the split header design that often makes your eyes hurt aligning the pins.

When all is done, you may have to tidy up the cables to at least make it able to fit when the rear panel can be closed normally. Once that is done, reattach the tempered glass front panel, and the system is ready to go.

Overall, the case is able to provide clean looks with most of the cables hidden, though there are unavoidable ones like the pump connections for our AIO and PCIe power the GPU. We gave the fans a quick test and measured 50dBA on full speed – this is without the radiator fans to accurate measure the fans that comes with the case itself. It’s quite loud, owing to the fact that there are little to no noise isolation as this case is very much an airflow-focused case.

It’s worth noting that while MasterBox 600 does come with pre-installed fans, there are alternative ‘Lite’ variants that comes with a bare-bones chassis so you can bring your own case fans if you want better cooling performance or acoustics, and these comes with a price cut as well.

Verdict

The Cooler Master MasterBox 600 currently costs RM419 today (RM429 if you pick the White option), and for the price, it’s a decent case that can accommodate most configurations with relative ease, including the future rear-connector designs that are still a rarity today. As mentioned – if you prefer to bring your own fans, the bare chassis ‘Lite’ option only costs RM249 today, which is a solid deal all things considered.

Special thanks to Cooler Master Malaysia for providing the MasterBox 600 case for this review.