An easy-to-build ITX box with cooling and power provided
„Max“ is an apt moniker for Cooler Master’s new variant on its MasterBox NR200P Mini-ITX PC case. At first glance, the NR200P Max looks virtually identical to the standard NR200P or the more vibrant NR200P Color we recently reviewed. All of the NR200P chassis share a similar look and design, but the NR200P Max takes things to another level by featuring an enhanced, easier-access interior. It also comes with a preinstalled 280mm AIO water cooler and a capable 850-watt 80 Plus Gold power supply unit (PSU) that simplifies and accelerates the process of building a system. These extras have their cost—at $349.99, the MasterBox NR200P Max is a hefty investment, even though it’s about as close to a full system as you can get without buying a barebones build with a motherboard installed. But if you value ease of build in a compact chassis, it’s a winner. The Design: Max Cooling, More Power Though Cooler Master’s several NR200P cases feature a similar design, the Max doesn’t share the colorful facade of the MasterBox NR200P Color. Visually, it takes after the original NR200P: available in only one color scheme, mostly gray with a few black bits thrown in. The case features heavy perforation on all sides save the front, to let air flow easily into the case. By default, the exterior panels are all made of steel with dust filters underneath, but the case comes with a tempered glass side panel that you can swap out for the left-side steel panel if you like. The left and right panels are secured by plastic clips and pop off with little difficulty when pried. The same goes for the front panel, though on our test unit the latter required considerably more force to remove than either side panel. The top and bottom panels are removable as well; though there’s little reason to do so, you can take out a single screw and slide them off. The front I/O panel is nothing special, with just two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports and a 3.5mm headset jack. The lack of a USB-C port is disappointing for a case at this price, considering that newer motherboards have a special header for USB 3.2 Gen 2. The Build Experience: Unusual, But Surprisingly Easy When we reviewed the MasterBox NR200P Color, we observed that building a system in the case was notably different than with most standard chassis. Following from that, the NR200P Max manages to be different from the other NR200P models, and it’s here that the cases really start to diverge. As mentioned earlier, the NR200P Max ships with a power supply and a 280mm water cooler already installed. This means that for a basic system, all you need to do is toss in a motherboard with CPU, RAM sticks, and a solid-state drive (and maybe a graphics card), and you’re good to go. As those components can be added to the motherboard before even putting the board into place, this makes the building process about as quick and easy as can be, without buying a fully prebuilt system. It’s also worth noting that the Max’s cooler is removable. The cooler ships with brackets that support the last several generations of AMD and Intel sockets, all the way up to and including AMD AM4 and the new Intel LGA1700 for 12th Generation „Alder Lake“ processors.
