Published in Reviews

Cooler Master HAF XM reviewed

by on18 May 2012

Index

HAF XM is CoolerMaster’s new case which looks to fill the void between the full tower HAF X and mid tower HAF 932. Many users found HAF X to be too large and HAF 932 too small, prompting the company to launch the mid tower HAF XM which packs some nice room.

HAF XM will take motherboards up to E-ATX format, CPU coolers up to 19.6cm or any graphics card (will take up to three dual slot graphics cards). Two 200mm and one 140mm fan are in charge of cooling. They’re not loud, quite the contrary, they make a mean airflow considering the fact that they’re pretty quite. If you’re thinking about further fans, HAF XM has room for a total of four 20mm fans. The top panel will take a 240/280mm radiator.

One of the new designer details, for which we hope to become a standard feature of Cooler Master’s cases, is the rotated side panel, which makes accessing the innards of the case a breeze. Note that only the left panel is rotated, while the right one is traditional. Cooler Master made sure that it stands out from the competition by including a hidden 2.5’’ drive on the back of the motherboard tray as well as throw in two X-docks (hot swap bays). The case comes with USB 3.0 ports with an internal connector.

You’ll also find a plastic shroud, which neatly covers the PSU and the cabling. Of course, users who get a windowed version should like this feature much better. We had the regular version and must admit we’d much rather have real dust filters instead of the shroud, rather than a mesh that is difficult to remove.

Nit picking aside, HAF XM is a quality product. The plastic is tough; all the metal parts are black and there are no rough edges. HAF XM boasts a somewhat mellower military look of its older brother HAF X, which may in fact attract more users. Note that while HAF XM doesn’t bring anything revolutionary, it doesn’t skimp on features either. It is a quality product and one of the roomiest mid tower cases around. Suggested pricing is €100 or $100 before VAT but unfortunately, you may have to wait a bit for availability to get better. Bottom line is, the case is a beauty and definitely worth looking at.

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Last modified on 18 May 2012
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