Cooler Master HAF XM Case Review

Exterior

The HAF XM from the Outside

Cooler Master is a tried and true brand. PC enthusiasts for quite some time have not only had solid enclosures from the HAF series for some time but they are also pleasing to the eye. The series has some great eye candy such as the NIVIDA and AMD models. Here is how the XM Mid-tower shapes up against the long line of models Cooler Master has created.

The obvious first side we will look at is the front of the HAF XM mid-tower. The edges around the left and right sides do give a nice design. The top give us the I/O ports which we will take a closer look at in a moment. Three 5.25″ meshed cover bays follow the IO ports. Two 3.5″ mesh covered bays follow suit. These 3.5″ are also bays that you can pull out from creating the X-DOCK. This is a very nice feature for adding small SATA based devices (SSDs!). Mesh rounds out the rest of the front side with a nice clean Cooler Master logo.

Here is a closer look at the front I/O ports. In the center are ports for your audio I/O that is HD compatible. While facing the front, to the left of the audio port are 2 USB 2.0 ports. To the right are two USB 3.0 ports. This will help future proof your computer for a while.

The power button was not forgotten! It is on the top in a hexagon shape. It has on either side in a hexagon shape the reset button and the fan LED button. Also I want to show there is a rubber matted space to place external device such as MP3 places and external drives.

Here we have the primary side of the enclosure to the HAF XM mid-tower. At the top there is a hand latch. I found this very easy to use to open the case from this side. You will still need to remove two thumb screws open this side. You can see the door will support fans 2 x140 mm or 1 x 200 mm (the manual mentioned there may be models with a window instead). A loop is also at the end of the door if a security cable needs to be added.

We have already started to look at the top side. Power buttons and a nice location for external devices are in place. The rest for the top is more or less a removable cap. Under the cap is 200 mm fan. There is room enough to add a second 200 mm fan. So you can go crazy with air cooling if you’d like but this case is also compatible with liquid cooling.

The second side panel is a little less exciting. There is a pattern on the first side that is replicated here. The door is held in place with two thumb screws.

The back side tops off with the thumb screw to remove the top cap. Below three rubber ports are in place for liquid cooling. A 140 mm fan is also installed. The IO opening for the MB comes without a place holder. Next are the 8 + 1 expansion slots that are just waiting for your CF or SLI video cards. The back is rounded out by the power supply location.

The bottom even has some features. The power supply will sit and a meshed out bottom that will help with air flow. The feet are rubber dials that from the side are chromed out for a nice look. You can also see from the bottom where you can place your fingers to pull off the front bezel.