Cooler Master HAF X Black Gaming Case Review

Cooler Master HAF X

Cooler Master released the HAF (High Air Flow) case series in 2008. The first in the lineup was the HAF-932, followed later by the smaller HAF-922. Today we get the next step in the HAF evolution, the HAF X. True to the HAF design concept the HAF X has been designed to have excellent air flow and a few new features as well. Cooler Master has said the MSRP of the HAF X in the US will be $199.99. At that price it could put up a fight for other high-end enthusiast cases like the Corsair Obsidian 700D.

The HAF X carries a similar look to the previous HAF cases. Rugged looking panels with large mesh grills, definitely not something you would see in a classic home theater setup. The HAF X lives up to its HAF name by coming with a 200mm fan in the top, a 200mm fan on the side, a 230mm fan in the front and a 140mm fan in the rear. It comes with the ability to add an additional 200mm fan to the top, 120mm fan for the GPU air duct and an 80mm fan to the GPU support bracket.

Some of the new features in the HAF X are the nine PCI slots, two Super Speed USB 3.0 ports on the front panel, two front accessible hot swap drive bays that will support 2.5 and 3.5 hard drives, GPU support bracket, and a GPU cooling duct. The GPU cooling duct was co-developed with nVidia to meet their requirements for cooling the notoriously hot GTX480. It will also support SLI configurations. Now, before we get into all of this in detail let’s take a look at the specifications for the HAF X.

Cooler Master HAF X Specifications

• Color: Black
• Material: Steel + Plastic
• Dimension (DxWxH): 230 x 550 x 599mm (9.1 x 21.7 x 23.2 inch)
• Weight: 14.35kg
• Motherboard Type: Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX
• 5.25 Bays: 6
• 3.5 Bays: 5 Hidden
• SATA HDD Drive Bay/2.5 Drive Bay: 2 (Converted from 5.25 drive bay)
• I/O Panel: 2x USB3.0, 2x USB2.0, 1x 1394a, 1x eSATA, 1x Audio, 1x Mic
• Expansion slots: 9
• Cooling System:

• Front: 1x 230x30mm red LED fan with LED switch, 700RPM, 19dBA
• Top: 2x 200x30mm fans, 700RPM, 19dBA (one optional)
• Side: 1x 200x30mm fans, 700RPM, 19dBA
• Rear: 1x 140x25mm, 1200RPM, 19dBA
• VGA Fan Duct: 1x 120x25mm or 120x38mm (optional)
• VGA Holder: 1x 80x15mm (optional)

HAF X Case Packing

The HAF X comes packed in a nice look box with a shot of the case and the HAF X logo on one side.

Case shots point out all the new features on the other.

Opening the box we can see the HAF X is shipped in foam end caps and wrapped in plastic.

The side panel comes with a protective film.