Cooler Master Mastercase H500 ARGB

As part of the teardown process I like to remove all of the panels and see how well the case is setup to move air around.  The Cooler Master H500 ARGB comes with two ARGB 200mm fans and a single 120mm fan located at the back.  Each 200mm fan is securely mounted and features a fully encompassing support ring attaching all of the fan blades together. 

It is no secret that there are two types of large case fans out there.  The first is a strong well built fan with a sturdy frame, strong blades and powerful motor.  The frame is big enough to prevent the fan from flexing and generally can flow massive amounts of air. 

The second is completely opposite having been designed to be inexpensive and typically decorative in nature.

The 200mm fans included with the H500 ARGB are the second of these and are also further handicapped from the factory.  Removing one of the 200mm fans exposes the case openings designed for 140mm fans and 360mm radiators which block about half of the expected airflow.

Just to be clear this is only a problem if you want to make it one. 

To install a large fan like this you could remove the excess metal and allow the fan to breathe or you can allow system builders to actually use the front of the case to install AIO coolers and DIY radiators.  The design favors design over functionality and while the 200mm fans may not be able to breathe well they were never intended to.  The fans are inexpensive, look amazing and really don’t provide any more or less cooling that a smaller triple 120mm fan setup could.

Speaking of breathing the H500 features an all mesh top panel designed to handle any number of fan and radiator combinations including an additional 200mm fan and radiators up to 240mm.  The hole placement sets the 200mm fan in the center of the opening while radiators and 120mm fans are offset away from the motherboard.  This allows for adequate space around the motherboard and freedom to install a number of different fan and radiator combos.

One of the earlier complaints with the H500 was the clear plastic front bezel.  This allowed users to see their pretty 200mm RGB fans while providing a nice gloss and shine over the front of the case.  Many users complained saying that there was inadequate airflow through the front bezel.  As we know from our look behind the 200mm fan that even though the fans are large the airway is not.  However, to please the YouTube horde the designers at Cooler Master have made the high airflow mesh front panel the default configuration while including a clear insert that you can swap out as you like.

Personally I like them both and having the metal mesh offers some unique accent color opportunities for those into casemodding.

Speaking of color the ARGB fans do work allowing system builders to use the included mini controller or plug the fans directly into a secondary controller or motherboard to fully sync the fans to the internal color theme.

I was able to get photos of a few color patterns including Blue and Red.

The final photo is actually the RGB rainbow but with a long exposure it turns all of the lights white.  Sadly White is not a color option with the included mini controller.  That is unless you do some photo tricks.