Cooler Master MasterBox Lite 3 Review

We have the Cooler Master MasterBox Lite 3 for review today. Let's see if the new mini member from the Master series is a yay or nay! Th...

We have the Cooler Master MasterBox Lite 3 for review today. Let's see if the new mini member from the Master series is a yay or nay!

Thanks to Cooler Master India for the Review Sample.

The Master Series from Cooler Master was an effort to modernize its case designs with modular components. The MasterCase and MasterBox cases are examples of this system. And they are getting popular.

And with the MasterBox Lite 3, Cooler Master is bringing this strategy to the lower end of the market.

Cooler Master on MasterBox Lite 3

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"MasterBox Lite 3 - Reduce your size, not your passion

Not everyone has space for a larger PC, but going small doesn't have to be a massive trade-off. With this Micro-ATX case, we've added a few ways to give you more room to work with."

The Cooler Master MasterBox Lite 3 is a case that is aimed at the entry-level and budget market. It is a Micro-ATX mini tower with support for large graphics cards. Here are the main specs- Model Number Window panel version: MCW-L3S2-KW5N
Solid panel version: MCW-L3S2-KN5N
Available Color Black
Dimensions (LxWxH) 395 x 180 x 378mm
Net Weight 3.65Kg
Motherboard Support Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
Drive Bays 5.25″ 1 (can fit one optical drive, one HDD or 2 SSDs)
3.5″ 1 (can fit one HDD or one SSD)
2.5″ 1 (can fit one SSD)
I/O Port USB 3.0 x 2
Expansion Slots 4
Cooling Support Front 120mm fan x 2
Rear 120mm fan x 1 (pre-installed)
Radiator Support Front Up to 240mm
Power Supply Upper Rear Mount, ATX PS2 (maximum length: 165mm)
Compatibility (Maximum) Graphics card length: 345mm
CPU cooler height: 157mm
EAN Code Window panel version: 4719512053874
Solid panel version: 4719512053652
UPC Code Window panel version: 884102029967
Solid Panel version: 884102029745

It is a basic case that doesn't come with lots of bells and whistles but includes all the necessities that you will need to setup a workhorse office PC or a small and simple gaming PC.

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So let us jump into the review and see how does it fare.

Packaging and Contents

Packaging is an important aspect of PC cases. Cases are bigger than other components and are most prone to shipping damage. Fortunately, my review sample was lucky enough to reach me in good shape.



The Cooler Master MasterBox Lite 3 uses a simple brown cardboard packaging. The case is generously compact and the two styrofoam pieces were enough for its protection.



Other than the case you get the usual assortment of manuals and warranty cards.There is a separate pouch with mounting screws. There are rubber sliders for drive mounting and some zip ties for cable management (spoiler- you will need more than the included ones) along with the standard fasteners.



Closer Look - Design and Exterior

The external design of the MasterBox Lite 3 gets its inspiration from the MasterBox 5. Which is not a bad thing at all. It looks clean with a simple front and softened angles. Overall, the case's appearance makes a good impression.



The construction is top notch too. The paint is tough, the plastic used is solid and the color of the plastics and metal matched perfectly. There was no flex in the case when it was empty.

Overall the build quality of the parts is great for a budget case.

Front



Front of the case is a large piece of plastic and it comes off in two pieces. The plastic fascia of the case uses high-quality plastic and there was no flex present. They can be pulled out from the bottom will a decent tug.



At the top is a single 5.25″ drive bay and below that, there are slotted openings at the sides and the bottom. It will restrict the airflow in some ways but there is enough breathing room between the fans and the front panel. The dust filter is also present here. The metallic logo looks nice.

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Top

The top panel is solid and the IO panel is also present here. No fan spots in either version.



There are two USB 3.0 ports and the usual power, reset buttons with an HDD activity light. They all light up in blue. The buttons are flush with the surface and the reset button was hard to press without using a fingernail.



There's also another blank plate on the right. Maybe they were planning for a USB 2 port there.

Rear

The rear of the case is a standard affair. There's a 120mm fan mount which is good considering the size of the case. The PCI covers are slotted which is always a good thing. But there is one problem with the covers. You will get to know about it in a minute.



Panels

The panels use rails and slide in and out easily. They are held by standard thumb screws - no captive screws. The left panel is either vented or windowed depending on the model you choose. The vented panel is not filtered.





If I would buy this case and populate it with fans then I would not use the vented panel on the left side. It will act as a dust magnet. Because the panels are interchangeable, I would recommend you to fit it on the other side. I really wished Cooler Master added another dust filter for the panel.

There is also a small removable lock that you can use to protect the case from tampering. It is attached to the frame with a screw and the panel slides over it.

Bottom

And finally, four plastic feet are present at the bottom. They are screwed to the frame and are flat with no wobble. They are hard, though; fans and HDDs at full speed caused some humming.



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