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Published in Reviews

Cooler Master HAF X dissected

by on18 August 2010

Index



HAF X is a full tower case fully painted in black – both outside and inside. This has become a common feature with higher quality cases, especially those with side-panel windows. A lot of steel went into HAF X which results in the case weighing in at 14.35 kg (net weight). The picture below shows the HAF X right out of the box and the protective plastic still in place.  



haf-x-front1

HAF series is pretty famous for its cooling, with the side-panel fan playing a major role. The fan is, as you can see, moved towards the bottom corner in order to provide room for the window. HAF X uses a 200 mm (700RPM, 19 dBA) fan, unlike the HAF 932 which comes with a 230 mm fan.

haf-x-and-haf-932_window

Graphics cards surely won’t mind the fan on the side panel, but that’s not all Cooler Master did to improve graphics cooling. 
haf-x-and-haf-932

As you can see, HAF X is higher than HAF 932. HAF X is 599 mm tall (without the wheels), 253 mm wide and 554 mm long. We measured the case by hand so there’s room for error as official specs say the case measures 599/230/550 mm (H x W x L).

HAF X surely kept the toughness of its older brother; the front panel is similar at a glance, but it comes with a few important differences. 

As you can see the I/O panel somewhat evolved from the HAF 932 and now we have two USB 3.0 ports.

haf-x-and-haf-932-control

The HAF X’s control panel holds the power On/Off and reset keys, as well as the front panel fan’s LED control switch. The switches can be covered/protected by sliding a cover over them.

haf-x-on-off

Both HAF cases feature six 5.25'' bays, but HAF X’s bottom two have been converted to SATA HDD/SSD drive bays. We’re talking about hot-swappable trays that take 3.5'' or 2.5'' drives. We’re a bit disappointed to see that HAFX doesn’t come with FDD holder, which is commonly used for card readers or fan controllers and came with HAF 932. We honestly think that €165 should buy a full case with all the accompanying accessories.

haf-x-bay-2

The HAF X’s top panel will take two 200 mm fans (700 RPM, 19 dBA), whereas HAF 932 (picture below, right) comes with one 230mm fan (you can replace it with three 120 mm fans or add another 120mm).
haf-x-and-haf-932_topPanel
The front fan is 230 mm (700 RPM, 19 dBA) and has a LED lamp just like the HAF 932, although HAF X’s “older brother” doesn’t come with LED on/off switch.

HAF X comes with dust filters on top, side and front fans as well as on all 5.25’’ bays, but peculiarly enough, CoolerMaster decided not to include them below the PSU. 

top-filter

The rear panel shows the roomy insides – you can see there are 9 expansion slots, with a wire mesh for better airflow. The panel comes with a 140 mm fan (1200 RPM, 19 dBA), but you can replace it with a 120 mm one if you see fit.

rear-panel

Cooler Master didn’t forget water cooling enthusiasts and the top of the case features pipe holes. 



Last modified on 24 September 2010
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