Comparison Cooler Master MasterCase Pro 6 black vs Cooler Master MasterCase Pro 5 black

The presence of rubberized legs in the design of the case.

These feet absorb vibrations generated during operation of the computer (mainly due to the operation of fans and optical drives), thereby reducing noise levels and providing additional comfort. Rubberized feet are especially desirable if the computer is placed on a table (on a tabletop or in a dedicated compartment on a table) or on a hard floor.

The type of illumination provided in the body design.

The backlight plays mainly a decorative role, it gives the computer an original appearance, which is appreciated by fans of external tuning. Lighting can be mounted separately, but it is easier to purchase a case where it was originally provided. The types of illumination can be as follows:

— Illuminated fan. One or more coolers are illuminated, facing the side or top surface of the case.

— Cases with backlight. Separate parts of the body are illuminated, usually from the inside, in such a way that the illumination can be seen through a transparent window / windows or a lattice surface. Sometimes external lighting can be provided.

There are cases in which both types of illumination are provided simultaneously. And for office needs , cases without backlight are suitable.

For more on decorative lighting in general, see Light Type above. Here we note that it can have different shades, and sometimes several options are indicated in the characteristics at once. If these options are listed through "and" (for example, "red, blue and green") — this means that this model contains all the specified colours, and the user can switch between them at his discretion. If the shades are listed through “or” (for example, “red, blue or green”), this means that this model is available in several versions that differ in the colour of the backlight.

Special mention is the "RGB" option. This is the name of the most advanced backlight, the shade of which can be chosen at your discretion. However the original RGB backlighting is capable of simultaneously displaying only one of several basic colours (white, yellow, green, red, blue or purple); nevertheless, even these possibilities are enough to customize the appearance of the case and apply various effects (such as backlight synchronization — see below).

And relatively recently, an even more advanced type of adjustable systems has appeared — ARGB backlight. The key difference between ARGB and classic RGB is the possibility of simultaneous operation of diodes of different colours. In other words, classic RGB lighting can display only one colour at a time, while ARGB can display several colours, which provides additional effects. Also, ARGB lighting is connecte...d using a 3pin 5v connector, while regular RGB uses a 4pin 12v connection. It can be represented by various types of illumination. So, ARGB is often integrated into the cooling system, the front panel and magnetic LED strips, which the user can mount at his discretion. To control the backlight, a special controller is usually provided, and buttons or controls for switching the illumination operation modes are placed on the interface panel. In some cases, the backlight is controlled by the motherboard, through a special connector. Many ARGB systems support the ability to fine-tune through specialized software.

The timing technology provided in the illuminated housing (see “Light Type”).

Synchronization itself allows you to "match" the backlight of the case with the backlight of other system components — the motherboard, graphics card, keyboard, mouse, etc. Thanks to this matching, all components can change colour synchronously, turn on / off at the same time, etc. It is worth noting that all such systems have RGB backlighting. The specific features of the operation of such a backlight depend on the synchronization technology used, and, usually, each manufacturer has its own (Mystic Light Sync for MSI, Aura Sync for Asus, etc.). The compatibility of the components also depends on this: they must all support the same technology. So the easiest way to achieve backlight compatibility is to collect components from the same manufacturer.

The number of internal 2.5" bays provided in the case design.

Such bays are mainly used for installing internal hard drives and SSD modules; The 2.5" form factor was originally created as "laptop" form factor, but recently it has been increasingly used in components for full-size PCs. At the same time, when evaluating the number of these bays, note that drives are recommended to be installed through a slot; so in Ideally, the number of bays should be twice the planned number of drives.

Also note that some cases use combined bays: initially they have a size of 3.5", but if desired, they can be converted to 2.5". These bays count towards both 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch slots. In fact, this means that the total number of available slots is not always equal to the sum of the number of both. For example, a case with 10 3.5" bays and 6 2.5" bays can have 4 combined bays, and the total number of slots in this case will not be 16, but only 12.

The total number of places for installing fans provided in the chassis design.

The more performant the system, the more components it includes — the more powerful cooling it will need; therefore, the number of places for fans, usually, is directly related to the size and purpose of the case. It is also worth considering that with the same number, the installation location of individual fans may be different — behind, on the side, on top, etc.

This feature is indicated for housings that normally allow the installation of liquid cooling systems(LCS). Such systems are extremely efficient, but complex and expensive, so they are mainly used in high-performance PCs, for which traditional coolers are no longer enough. Note that theoretically, liquid cooling can be installed in almost any case; however, if support for such cooling is not initially provided in the design, this can be very difficult. So if you initially plan to use LSS, you should choose a case for which support for this function is directly claimed.

The location of the front set of connectors provided in the case. Such connectors can be located on the front panel, on the side wall or in the upper part of the case. The first two options are found in all case form factors (see above), while the top placement is considered optimal for tower solutions, originally designed for installation under the table.

- Lattice. The grille on the front panel of the case often looks good and allows you to better supply the cooling system fans with more outside air. Decorative lighting is often placed behind the perforated panel, which improves the appearance of the case.

- Blank. The competitive advantages of cases with a blank front panel are improved noise insulation and effective protection of the internal space of the computer from dust.

- Glass. The veil of mystery of what is happening inside the computer system unit is lifted by cases with a glass front panel. Tempered glass as a “facade” material is used both in the form of a solid window and in the form of a glass grille with RGB backlighting. And in combination with the glass side window, it turns the body into an “aquarium”.