2019 best computer case for airflow atx11/21/2023 There was plenty of room for cable management, and all parts had ample clearance, though the radiator blocks one of motherboard case screws so put that in last. So I went ahead with the replacement.ĭespite it’s small size, the case was a pleasure to build in. ![]() In fact, a close inspection shows that the rear air hole is designed for a 120mm square radiator. However in my situation, a bottom-to-top airflow was highly practical, and using an AIO water cooler for the CPU meant that the radiator could push the heat directly out of the case. ![]() Basically, this case is not designed for these configurations. And using a CPU air cooler only dumps more hot air inside the case. ![]() And as there is only one small air hole at the back, and the PSU blocks most of the front, a front-to-back airflow is highly restricted. The GPU creates a wall dividing the case in two internally, which basically blocks bottom-to-top airflow. If you want to build a high-performance gaming PC, this is not the case for you. I’m not going to disagree with any of these reviewers. Front-to-back airflow – While this is traditional, the Q500L has a number of obstructions at the front and rear that make a bottom-to-top airflow more practical.My PC is basically an ‘office PC’ so only has a basic (ie: small) GPU. Large GPUs – All of the reviewers are gamers and were using the most powerful (ie: largest) GPU that they could get in the case.Large CPU air coolers – All of the reviewers were using these in what is a very small case, and I was planning on using water cooling.This was rather worrying, but as I had limited choice (basically none), I did some more analysis and I noticed a number of commonalities to the various complaints. He even took a Dremel to it for a bit of DIY airflow improvement (spoiler – it didn’t help). It was only when I looked at the reviews that I had second thoughts, for the Q500L not only had several very bad reviews (some referred to it as the ‘Master Oven’), but Steve ( Gamers Nexus) rated it ‘The Worst Case of 2019’. As one of these was basically not available in Australia, I chose the Cooler Master Q500L. Unfortunately, over the years since I got this system, full ATX cases had grown somewhat and I could only find two cases that would fit inside my ‘server rack’. Replacing the PSU would be easy, but as I had never been happy with the thermals of the case, I decided to replace that as well. This PC was a Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3 / Intel i7-4770 based system – which is a full ATX motherboard. It was only when my main Windows PC developed a whistling power supply that I had problems. And with the door closed, nobody noticed all of the IT. I left the back off and with the door open there was plenty of airflow. Since this was going to be in my living room, I modified an IKEA cupboard to put next to the desk. ![]() How it all started was that when I moved into my new apartment after many years as an itinerant tenant, I decided to get my PCs off the floor and into some sort of ‘server rack’. While many of the reviews were scathing (and they had their reasons), I have been extremely pleased with these cases. So the title is a bit clickbaity, but this really was my experience with the Cooler Master Q500L. I built a PC in the ‘Worst Case of 2019’ … and I liked it so much I did another one.
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