The latest PC case on our test bench is MSI’s MEG Maestro 700L PZ, a premium case meant for high-end products where price is not an issue. It has a fishbowl design with a wraparound tempered glass front and includes everything you need for a vertical GPU setup – in fact, it’s the default configuration!
Will the Maestro 700L make our list? Best computer case? Let’s take a look at the specs of the MSI computer case, then we’ll look at its features and end our review with cooling and acoustics benchmark.
product specifications
| Motherboard support | E-ATX (up to 305 x 280 mm), ATX, Micro ATX, Mini-ITX |
| color | black |
| type | middle tower |
| Housing size | 470 mm (D) x 474 mm (H) x 300 mm (W) (18.5 x 18.66 x 11.81 inches) |
| Drive support | Up to two 2.5” or 3.5” size drives |
| PCI-E expansion slot | 7 |
| fan support | Up to 10 followers |
| Pre-installed fan | without any |
| CPU cooler clearance | 170 mm (6.69 inches) |
| GPU clearance | 430 mm (16.93 inches) |
| Power supply length | 230 mm (9.06 in) ATX |
| Radiator bracket | Up to three 360mm radiators |
| Suggested retail price | $399.99 |
MSI Maestro 700L PZ Computer Case Features
▶️ Build quality
The overall build quality is extremely solid, even for a $399.99 case. The exterior of the unit is etched steel, which really gives the unit a “premium” feel. Each unit has a back plate that identifies the unit number; our sample is production unit 1110.
▶️ Side view and customization options
Looking at the side of the device, a few features stand out. This case supports traditional motherboards and rear connector motherboards such as MSI’s Project Zeroplacing most connections on the back of the motherboard to reduce cable clutter.
What’s interesting next is that the case arrives already configured with all the components needed for a vertical GPU installation, including a PCIe 4.0 riser cable.
Now, if for some reason you don’t want to use a vertical GPU setup – maybe you need to install another PCI-e unit – MSI also offers an anti-sag bracket for use with the GPU. The accessory picture above doesn’t do a good job of showing this part off, so here’s a closer look.
▶️ Radiator and fan support
Since this is a “fishbowl” case, you can install fans on the sides, top, bottom, and back of the device. The top, sides and bottom support up to 360mm radiators or three fans. The radiator has a mesh filter built into each bracket, but you have to remove the entire bracket to clean it.
▶️IO panel
The IO panel is located on the top of the case. It has standard power and reset buttons, combination vocal and microphone jack, 2 USB-A ports, and 1 USB-C port.
▶️ Rear visibility and cable management features
The back of the Maestro is slightly different than most cases on the market, with a small side panel providing access to the rear of the device.
The power supply is mounted in the accessory box as shown above, and MSI provides basic storage support and drive bays that can accommodate two 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch size drives.
Some of you may see the picture above and be curious about the cable management feature. Well, that’s the genius of this design – you can’t see them!
The case does have routing paths and includes pre-installed (and extra) Velcro straps for work, but they’re cleverly hidden. There is one ton Cable management space (or lack thereof) in the back – literally a handful of depth, as you can see in the photo below.
▶️ Storage support
On the other hand, the MSI Maestro 700L’s storage support is lacking due to its size. It only supports a maximum of two traditional SATA hard drives in total. Some people will think this is a scam, but most people looking at this case are probably gamers looking for a flashy build, who don’t need multiple SATA drives, and could probably use an m.2 NVMe SSD.
▶️ Front view
The installation’s facade is a wrap-around glass that provides a complete view of the built’s internal components. However, like glossy displays, it’s prone to reflections.
▶️ Rear view
The photo above shows the back of the device. Note that the aforementioned back panel highlights the device’s production number, and that the chassis’ expansion slots are in a vertical configuration. If you need room for more PCI-e devices, MSI’s chassis supports up to 7 horizontal expansion slots.
▶️Bottom
There are airflow openings on the bottom of the case and rubber-soled wraparound feet to support the case.
These thermal tests are intended to give you more information about a product’s performance, but are not the only judge of the chassis. The style, price, and functionality of the case should also be considered.
We all have different preferences. A case I might like, you might not – and vice versa. Some of you want a gorgeous enclosure to display your creations. Others may just want a simple enclosure with optimal thermal performance. It doesn’t matter. My goal with these reviews is to provide everyone, regardless of their preferences, with enough information to decide whether a product is right for them.
In my previous case reviews, I tested units with fans pre-installed – and therefore evaluated the cases’ preset configurations. However, the case we’re discussing today doesn’t come with fans. So, to be fair, I’m going to use the same fan on all the computer cases I test for this review.
The first one will show the results from three premium fish tank cases, but other than the fans, the parts I used to test the cases will be the same as in the other reviews I’ve posted – including using a single-tower Akasa air cooler. That said, there are many ways to test a product like this, and I’m considering whether I should also use AIO to test these products for future reviews.
To test the thermal efficiency of the case, I conducted the following tests:
- Runs Cinebench R23’s CPU-only thermal test, which does not enforce power limits. We’ll look at CPU power consumption and VRM temperature in the first test.
- The chassis was tested at 150W load on an Intel i9-14900K and running at full load on the GPU to simulate cooling for the most intense gaming. We will evaluate the CPU and GPU temperatures in this scenario.
- Tested using a CPU running Cinebench R23 without enforcing power limits while running full load on the GPU. This is a “worst case” scenario and we will look at the CPU power consumption and GPU temperature to evaluate thermal efficiency.
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