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Today we are reviewing Cougar's more recent addition to its mid-tower series, aimed at the more affordable end of the market - the MX500. Released at the end of 2013, the MX500 almost looks to shape up as their attempt as a 'please-all' case - something with a little style and plenty of features, without breaking the bank.
Cougar have managed to come out with a good looking, tame gamers case here - especially when comparing this to the likes of their AF-2 or Challenger models. While some appreciate the more extreme styling, it is great to see Cougar coming out with more subtle options. For those who want a little style, LED lighting is always a good option with a case like this.
With pricing seen at around $70 US, the Cougar MX500 is coming in slightly cheaper than cases with similar offerings, such as the Thermaltake A31 or R31, or Corsair Carbide 300R. Compared with the latter, the Cougar MX500's multiple bay configuration and dual intake fans are great selling points. With tool-less design, magnetic filter catches, larger graphic card support (up to 410mm) and front I/O ports with two USB 3.0 ports. Throw in some great room for cable management and in general a good-looker, let's put it to the test and find out if it lives up to its claims. With next to no lights, the MX500 relies purely on the aesthetics, matching a sleek mesh panel covering up the 120mm fan on the front, and a sturdy matte/brushed plastic to compliment the rest of the face. With a solid steel build in a black matte finish inside and out, and minimal well-shaped plastic, Cougar could have a winner on their hands in the design department, winning over the business-gamer and just more conservative gamers out there.
The Cougar MX500 shapes up at 47.5cm tall, 21cm wide and a depth of 48cm, weighing in at around 9.5kg – not the lightest mid tower case we've seen but certainly not a beast. It feels well balanced after being assembled and is relatively easy to lug around to your next LAN party. On opening the Cougar MX500 you are greeted with a well packaged case. Inside is a box with the usual parts including a manual, grommets, screws and the three 2.5" trays and the side fan filter. While the other filters are already attached, we had a nice surprise when quickly 'installing' the side panel filter, which took all of 3 seconds to install thanks to the magnetic catches. After sorting out this filter, we immediately checked and to our relief, all of the filters are applied in the same way. This is a great selling point in itself for a case in the price bracket - cleaning filters is painful and tedious enough, having them this easy to install just means we are more likely to do it as often as we should.
While not included, a second intake fan of up to 140mm can be installed in the front behind the grill and filter. The front is a little on the bland side, with no door to cover up the 5.25" drive slots. Thankfully, Cougar have paid just enough attention to styling to the front to still make it look good, the rounded edging and darker center section matched next to the grill and sleek logo take care of that. Moving to the top, we are greeted by a well designed I/O panel and a soft, rather large rubber Cougar logo. At first we were not that keen on the logo, but, it grew on us the more we saw it. Not only that, but it doubles as a great soft, non-slip landing pad for any accessories you might be using. On the plus side, it is not too 'loud' and would go largely unnoticed anyway. Back to the I/O panel, Cougar have included two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports along with your usual Audio jacks for speaker and microphone. The Power and Reset buttons are recessed and not easily pressed, such a simple thing can be overlooked and can almost ruin a case to some users - especially those with small children around. Thankfully, Cougar have done a good job here and placing the I/O panel on top, rather than the front, is a win from our point of view.
Behind the Cougar logo is the top air exhaust, good for fitting two 120mm, two 140mm or one 180-200mm fan. There is nothing special here, but a well constructed exhaust panel with some rubber grommets built into the top surface - further protection from scratching your new case purchase. On taking the sides off we were quite happy with the build quality in general, although with our sample came quite a few 'extra bits' supplied and loosely floating around the case. While nothing serious, it serves as a good reminder to everyone out there to thoroughly clean out the case before installing your hard earned cash. We also noticed that the bracket for the power supply was bent quite badly during manufacturing - easily fixed with a sturdy pair of pliers though.
One thing we were pleased to see was the decent amount of room between the rear panel and motherboard tray for cable management. Add to that plenty of cut-outs for cable routing and you have enough options to keep most people happy for sure. On the base we found the magnetic filter attached and was a breeze to snap on/off - measuring up at about 30cm L x 16cm W. The filter is recessed in about 3.5cm from the floor or benchtop, and gives plenty of airflow. There are four very sturdy rubber feet to provide plenty of grip and basically no risk of tipping the case once built. With the case giving plenty of room to install larger PSU's on the bottom section, and cut-outs to manage the cables well also. Moving on to the rear of the case we find the usual I/O panel cut-out with a 140mm grill and fan, three circular ports for water-cooling tubes, seven PCI slots and in general a clean and well-finished look. |
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