Case Opinions?

[Sword]

My build is now at 80 days and I'm feeling those amendment urges even more now 😅

Was just wondering if anyone had any opinions on my current chosen case, the Coolermaster Mastercase H500M?
Been entranced by the two 200mm ARGB fans at the front but just wondering if anyone has had any bad experiences with the case as a whole?

Been considering the 500D SE and 5000x simply from the look of them, not to mention that iCUE compatibility.

Many thanks!

 

[Citrus_9]

My build is now at 80 days and I'm feeling those amendment urges even more now 😅

Was just wondering if anyone had any opinions on my current chosen case, the Coolermaster Mastercase H500M?
Been entranced by the two 200mm ARGB fans at the front but just wondering if anyone has had any bad experiences with the case as a whole?

Been considering the 500D SE and 5000x simply from the look of them, not to mention that iCUE compatibility.

Many thanks!

Best if you ask about a case leting up know of your full specs first. Sometimes same case can be overkill while the other time it could be a spot on.

Your budget, PC uses and a monitor?

How to Post Your Specification to the Forum - Check this Spec

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[Sword]

Best if you ask about a case leting up know of your full specs first. Sometimes same case can be overkill while the other time it could be a spot on.

Your budget, PC uses and a monitor?

Ahh I see!

I've already sort of exceeded my budget at the moment, so the case is just about the only thing I can change, but if you think anything here is drastic or required to change I'll give it a go. The build is primarily for CPU intensive programs and use of virtual machines which I use in university work that relate to cyber security fields. It will also be used daily for gaming and streaming. Current monitor is 1440p 144Hz but planning for 4K 144Hz by the end of the year.

PC specs here (Couldn't do the config link since it has been amended so much it doesn't even match the original spec 😅) :

Case	COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE H500M GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard	ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)	32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card	10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive	2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 120 2.5" SSD, (up to 560MB/sR | 540MB/sW)
2nd Storage Drive	2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
3rd Storage Drive	500GB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 120 2.5" SSD, (up to 560MB/sR | 540MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive	500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive	NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply	CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable	1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling	Corsair H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste	ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
LED Lighting	2x 50cm ARGB LED Strip
Sound Card	ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card	10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card	NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options	2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System	Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language	United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media	Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software	FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus	NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser	Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty	3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery	STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time	Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Welcome Book	PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland

 

[Steveyg]

The H500 should be grand it's a fairly large case and the Coolermaster cases are generally very high quality

I'm personally a fan of the Corsair 5000X or the 500d but that's just my personal opinion

 

[sck451]

I'd be more likely to suggest downgrades for this build!

You can definitely lose the special thermal paste (the stuff with the Corsair cooler is excellent) and the USB card (you have 11 USB ports already, I think), and unless you need specific features you can get away with Windows 10 Home rather than Professional.

I'd also amend the storage. I'd keep the 980 Pro as my boot drive, then get the 2TB Intel 670p M.2 SSD for game storage, keep the 2TB hard drive, and lose the 500GB Seagate SSD.

This should save you quite a bit and actually improve your performance, albeit only by a small amount.

 

[Sword]

Appreciate the responses guys!

The thermal paste has had me in a bit of a twist since it seems like a semi-decent longevity improvement for a relatively small fee, how much does the paste really matter overall?

For the USB card I had also been debating this, what's the real benefit of the PCIe USB card over a USB hub? Just needed a lot of connections in my PC for use of various devices.

Because of my line of work, Windows 10 Professional is something I actually would want quite a lot, specifically the Hyper-V capabilities and more so the general security stuff.

Sadly can't afford the 2TB Intel M.2 drive, I need that extra 500GB as a separate drive for VMs and to run malicious software and programs in. If this weren't the case I would definitely choose that 670p though! So I appreciate the thought.

 

[sck451]

The thermal paste makes very little difference. Apart from the really cheap stuff and for the vast majority of purposes, there's a negligible difference. It's not the worst idea in the world to refresh the thermal paste after a few years, but it's not by any means necessary.

The USB card means the extra two connections are inside the case, rather than outside, and they are one USB connection, so could theoretically be faster. That said, the speed difference will only matter if you have something ridiculous like ten external SSDs all running at full speed. For my mind, it's not worth taking up space inside the case and using up internal USB headers for!

It definitely makes sense to get W10 Pro in that circumstance: it's just always worth checking as lots of people choose it without knowing how niche the use-cases are.

The Intel SSD would only add £40 (if you remove the 2TB Barracuda SSD), while being much faster. It's not the end of the world, but I definitely wouldn't spend money on a SATA SSD these days: it's just not value for money.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thermal paste can make a lot of difference, up to around 5c for higher quality paste vs standard, that said, the cooler you’ve selected comes pre applied with high quality paste which performs admirably so no need for the enhanced paste on top.

 

[Sword]

I'll take that pre-applied thermal paste quality into account, I'm not an avid overclocker or anything I just had seen that these new Ryzen chips could basically boost as high as possible depending on the cooling provided to them, hence why I chose that paste, but if the Corsair one is fine then that's no bother!

I'll probably remove the USB card then! Seems like a bit of a unnecessary addition to me and can save me some £.

If I can scrounge up the funds I'll for sure make the change, but as I said, I'm quite a fair bit over budget as it is. 😅

 

[DogeyPogey]

the case looks pretty good!