Cooler Master HAF X Black Gaming Case Review

CM HAF X Final Thoughts

Overall I like the Cooler Master HAF X enthusiast PC chassis as it has a bold, industrial appearance and most all of the features that any enthusiast demands at the current time. The Cooler Master HAF 932 has been the flagship case for the HAF series, but today the HAF X is now the flagship product of the HAF series and that says a ton. The HAF 932 was known for redefining the market for full tower chassis. The Cooler Master HAF X does so again by being one of the first cases on the market to offer support for Super Speed USB 3.0 connectors on the front panel, dual front SATA hot-swap bays, nine PCI slots for insane multi-GPU setups and the HAF X even has fully filtered air intakes to help keep your chassis clean.

The HAF X was designed to be a high airflow case thanks to the large
200 and 230mm fans that come with the case. These fans move a ton of
air, but spin at lower RPMs and that means they don’t make much noise. The HAF X also has space for optional fans for even more airflow, which is a nice touch. As you can see from the image below you can easily add four more fans and if you own a Dremel tool and like case modding then you will find the sky is the limit with modifications to a case like the HAF X.

The GPU cooling duct will be handy for those who choose to stick with air cooling. It funnels air straight into the end of a video card like the GeForce GTX 480. Those that are going the water cooling route would need this feature, but they will like the fact that you can top mount a 240mm to 360mm radiator up on the top of the case. You can even manage to fit 25-80mm thick radiators up there, so you have a fair bit of space to work with. One GPU related feature that both air cooled and water cooled video cards will get use from is the GPU support bracket. I see water guys getting the most benefit supporting the card with water blocks that can get up and over 1kg; anything to help with that stress will make everything last longer. The cooling is so great in this case it should pass NVIDIA SLI certification testing for the GeForce GTX 480 series, and that says something!

I see the HAF X as an alternative to the Corsair 700D. I say this for couple of reasons. First being taste for overall look; HAF leans more, “hey look at me”, 700D leans more laid back. The HAF X can support quad video card setups, 700D triple. Both can handle the same amount of drives and motherboard types. Both can handle water cooling, the Corsair Obsidian 700D is a little more roomy in that respect but it is also 3″ deeper and 1″ taller than the HAF X. The biggest thing the HAF X has over the 700D is it costs less — $50 less — and has other features like USB 3.0 and hot-swap drive bays not found in the 700D or really any other case in this price range. Cooler Master says that the HAF X will have an MSRP of $199.99 and will be available worldwide early June 2010.

So if you’re in the market for a case that can hold up to 4 video cards, water cooling, hot swap bays and looks cool, then Cooler Master has you covered with the HAF X. At under $200 you would be hard pressed to beat it.

Legit Bottom Line: The Cooler Master’s HAF X is a solid case and it should be at the top of the list for those wanting an enthusiast case with a little flair and great air flow.