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Cooler Master Qube 500 Flatpack

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Before we get started, I've been on Cooler Master's website to find specifications on the Qube 500 Flatpack.

Specifications and features

• Type: Mini tower
• Dimensions: 406 x 231 x 415 mm
• Materials: Metal, plastic, tempered glass
• Motherboard support: Up to E-ATX
• Hard disk slots: 3x 2.5” + 4x 3.5”
• Maximum PSU length: 173/216 mm
• CPU cooler maximum height: 164-172 mm
• Graphics card maximum length: 365 mm
• Colours: Black/white
• PCI slots: 7

Fan support:

• Front: 1x 120 / 1x 140mm / (2x if the PSU is mounted at the bottom)
• Top: 2x 120 mm
• Rear: 1x 120 mm
• Bottom: 2x 120 / 2x 140 mm
• Side: 2x 120 / 2x 140 mm

Radiator support:

• Front: Up to 240/280 mm (If the PSU is mounted at the bottom)
• Top: Up to 240/280 mm
• Rear: Up to 120 mm
• Bottom: Up to 240/280 mm
• Side: Up to 240/280 mm

All about the Cooler Master Qube 500 Flatpack

The Qube 500 flatpack is a mini cabinet, which is available in black and white. It is a small cabinet that comes in as a DIY project. All sides must therefore be assembled and put together, where Cooler Master comes with a guide where the computer is mounted while the cabinet is assembled. However, it is also possible to assemble the cabinet first, before filling it up with hardware.

The Qube 500 is very neutral in its output, and this is not because it reveals that it comes from Cooler Master, apart from some discreet hints, anywhere other than the front. The entire cabinet is built up with good air holes, where it has good opportunities for air flow.

The front can be easily removed, and gives access to be able to mount a single fan if the PSU is mounted in the front. The dust filter is mounted on the front, and has some holders to ensure it stays in place. It does not use magnets or the like.

If we look at the top of the cabinet, the Qube 500 Flatpack has inputs for headsets, two USB 3.0 inputs, a power button and USB-C.

If we take a look inside the cabinet, the Qube 500 Flatpack supports up to E-ATX motherboards. Of course, this also makes the space cramped. There are good options for cable management in the cabinet, and even though the PSU sits at the top front, the cables can easily and quickly get to the back. There are also good options for mounting a radiator up to 280mm both at the top, front, bottom and side. However, it depends on the location of the PSU, as well as the size of the graphics card, which can set limitations.

The Qube 500 Flatpack from Cooler Master comes with one 120mm 4-pin PWM fan.

On the back we have seven PCIe expansion slots, Which again, gives plenty of space for mounting. However, it is also made with the tank around, the graphics card must have the flexibility to be mounted at the bottom of the cabinet, in order to have more space for power supply and possibly water cooling. It is also possible to change the expansion slots to be vertical. However, this requires the purchase of a PCIe riser.

Normally, I'm not impressed with Cooler Master cases when we look at rear cable routing. But here with the Qube 500 Flatpack, they have given a little extra. There are good options for pulling the cables around as it suits best, and there is plenty of space from the back plate and to the side of the cabinet itself. We have room for up to three 2.5 SSD hard drives and/or four 3.5 hard drives.

In the bottom it is possible to mount fans or a radiator. It is also possible to place the PSU here if you need more space at the top.

Installation of hardware

Before we move on to mounting the hardware in the case, let's take a look at the included accessories. Since the cabinet must be assembled from the ground up, we of course have extra screws with us to handle this part. There are also feet for the cabinet, which can be placed either on the bottom or on the side, depending on which way the cabinet should face.

The power supply is inserted from the side at the top, and it is possible to place it at three different heights. Of course, it depends on the size of the power supply, as well as how much space needs to be used in, for example, the top for radiators or fans.

The assembly itself took time, and it required a good deal of patience and ingenuity. But since the cabinet has the options it has, it was also in its place to see how much hardware could be squeezed into it. The result was that it was successful with an ATX motherboard and an RTX 3080, together with a 280 water cooler. However, it required the graphics card to go into another PCIe slot, as they would otherwise end up going into each other.

The same applied to the water cooling, which was turned around, and has the hose very close to the fan at the back.

It was still a fun project to work on though, and being able to remove one side because it's just in the way when mounting something made it incredibly easy to work with.

Price

I have found a price for the Qube 500 Flatpack from Cooler Master which ends at 110$.

If you want to see more details about the Qube 500 Flatpack, you can find more on Cooler Master's website by clicking on the banner.

Conclusion

The Qube 500 Flatpack is undoubtedly for the user who wants to start from scratch and would like to be able to have some flexibility when assembling the computer. The cabinet offers an incredible amount of space in a small format, and Cooler Master itself states that there is room for a graphics card up to 360mm. It probably requires a little reshuffling compared to how I ended up putting the system together. I felt the space was tight at the end.

Even though the space was squeezed at the end, I did not feel any problems during assembly, as I could, for example, remove the top, and get more work space to be able to pull cables.

The entire cabinet is of a good quality, and even though it was a DIY project, the quality of parts seems incredibly good, and a lot of it is metal. It was generally easy to work with, and the outer parts on, among other things, the top and front, which can be removed, were neither difficult nor gave a fear of something that could be destroyed.

If we return to the square, it will require an incredible amount of kindness and patience. Although it was a fun cabinet to work with, it also caused some problems in terms of space, as the power supply both takes up space for mounting a larger graphics card and it also takes up space for the radiator at the top. To do this, one must, among other things, make a "compromise" and make use of PCIe further down. Although the "lost" performance may not be noticeable on that front, I would still prefer to have the graphics card a little higher up.

Another thing that can be a bit of a deal breaker is about the rear. There are a few places where there are holes that are not covered by either a dust filter or something else, which can create places where dust or other objects can easily enter.

Having said that, it's time for a conclusion, and I also end up giving the Qube 500 Flatpack a score of 9 out of 10. It's a cabinet that many will probably have fun working with, but of course it requires some review of the hardware you have to throw in it, so that you don't feel it all becomes too packed.

Pros

• Good space for a mini tower
• Delicious quality
• (Comes separately)
• Airflow optimized
• Possibility of water cooling
• Price
• USB-C on the front panel

Cons

• The PSU placement can be a major limitation on the rest of the system
• Many entrances that are not covered by dust filters

Score: 9