Cooler Master MasterCase Pro 3 Review

MasterCase Pro 3 External Review

As you would expect from a top case manufacturer like Cooler Master, the exterior finish of the MasterCase Pro 3 is flawless. Cooler Master says it is a Dark Metallic Grey, but is pretty close to black. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only version that is planned, others might wish for other colors such as White, however Cooler Master is keeping it simple with a basic color scheme.

The front of the case has a slightly raised feel to it, which we have seen on the other models of the MasterCase and MasterBox. The front of the case is mostly made of wire mesh with a single 5.25″ drive bay at the very top.

Like the MasterCase Pro 5, the top of the case has a raised top panel with some unusual angles to it. There are two handles implemented into the top panel, one at the front and one at the box (both are reinforced). The main top of the case comes with a magnetic cover which can be lifted off from the back of the case to reveal wire mesh panel underneath the solid panel.

The front I/O panel has a pretty standard layout, it features two SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports, standard audio in/out jacks, a reset switch, power button, and a hard drive activity LED. This panel could be replaced, hopefully Cooler Master makes one available for upgrades to the ports such as additional USB 3.0 or Type-C ports.

Turning to the side, we find a large window that should provide a good view of the interior, the bottom portion there are two layers making up that portion of the window. Behind the actual window is a second solid plastic layer that hides the power supply and bottom 3.5″ drive cage, as this case is all about customization, it can be removed if you want. This panel is held in place with two captive thumbscrews that will remain with the side panel. After loosening the screws, slide the panel to the back and then lift it out.

Turning our attention to the back of the case, we can see space at the top for the handle which is helpful if you are moving this system to various LAN events. So on the back panel, we find the usual items, the 120 / 140mm exhaust fan (the icluded 140mm fan is rated at 1,200RPM), motherboard I/O key, five expansion slots and at the bottom, the power supply. A few things stand out, the first is the bottom expansion slot cover is their “Storm Guard” cover, which secures your keyboard, mouse and other cables making it more difficult to walk away at LAN events. Next, is that the power supply mount is removable, which allows you to remove it from the case and attach it to the power supply, then slide the power supply and bracket into the case. Finally, I noticed there are no support bars between the expansion slots, which is becoming pretty common.

Beneath the power supply is a removable power supply filter, this slides out the bottom of the case for easy cleaning.

Nothing exciting on the back solid side panel; it’s flush to the case and is a uniform color to match the rest of the case.

Finally, we have the bottom of the case. There are two large feet that measure 2.75 by 7in, each of the feet has two rubber strips to keep the case from sliding around. Finally, the power supply fan filter is about 8.5in long, making it just over half the length of the bottom panel.

Let’s remove the exterior panels and take a closer look inside the MasterCase Pro 3.