We didn’t think it was possible for a mini-lTX case to land that improved upon traditional designs in a radical way, but Cooler Master’s MasterBox NR200P managed just that when we first reviewed it back in Issue 206. It’s reasonably compact, although is far from the smallest case we’re reviewing this month, but Cooler Master has done a good job of making it flexible and designing it to make the best use of its interior. Read our Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P Review.
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This flexibility is both the case’s greatest strength and its weakness, as the fact it can support SFX-L PS Us means it’s also a little larger than strictly necessary. The ability to use horizontal and vertical GPU orientations also means some added extras have to be included, such as a PCI-E 3 riser cable, and side panels with mesh as well as glass, adding to the price, making it less specialised and, again, adding to its volume. However, if you can afford the asking price, the ability to finetune the case to your own needs means you nearly always have a win-win situation when it comes to thermals.
There are some notable omissions for these times, including a Type-C USB port, RGB lighting, an aluminium chassis or a particularly
SPEC
Dimensions (mm) 185 x 376 x 292 (W x D x H)
Material Steel, plastic, glass
Available colours Black, white
Weight 5.1kg
Front panel Power, 2 x USB 3, 1 x audio headphone/mic
Drive bays 1 x3.Sin, 1 x2.5/3.Sin, 2 x2.Sin
Formfactor(s) Mini-lTX, mini-DTX
Cooling 2 x 12 0mm roof fan mounts (fans included), 1 x 92mm rear fan mounts (fan not included), 2 x 120mm base fan mount (fan not included), 2 x 1201140mm side fan mounts (fan not included)
CPU cooler clearance 155mm (vented side panel), 153mm (glass side panel), 76mm (vertical GPU)
Maximum graphics card length 330mm
outstanding appearance for that matter. The NR200P is well built, although it does have far more plastic than the likes of the Silverstone LD03- AF and Jonsbo A4. It’s ultimately not as attractive as the similarly sized Kolink Rocket Heavy either, but while it ditches a Type-C port, it more than makes up for this with the extensive number of accessories included in the box.
These include the aforementioned tempered glass and mesh side panels, allowing you to boost airflow for a vertically mounted graphics card, or install a glass panel with a standard graphics card orientation for a better view of the interior. The fact it includes these panels, as well as PCI-E riser cable and two powerful 120mm fans for just £ is remarkable.
There’s room for a 240mm radiator in the base and a 280mm model in the side, plus there’s even a pump mount, so a custom water-cooling loop is a definite possibility.
On the downside, the 155mm CPU cooler clearance means that most tower-shaped air coolers will be too large. Meanwhile, storage options include bays for up to two hard disks and two SSDs, making it one of the most wellrounded cases here.
Its CPU delta T of 50°C was excellent, and there’s plenty of scope for improving on this by adding more fans or liquid cooling. Only the Silverstone LD03-AF was equipped with better thermal performance out of the box, with the rest of the cases this month requiring our additional test fans to match or better the Cooler Master. The GPU delta T of 38°C was unbeatable, though, being a clear 3°C cooler than the competition, although the fans were quite noisy at full speed.
Conclusion
The Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P is still the best mini-lTX case in terms of flexibility and value, and it performs excellently out of the box too, which is rare. It’s not the best-looking or smallest case, but it’s otherwise a fantastic choice.
VERDICT
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