[nextpage title=”Introduction”]
Cooler Master is announcing today its latest addition to the HAF case series, the HAF XM, which is a mid-tower model with eight expansion slots and several interesting features. Let’s check it out.
Figure 1: Cooler Master HAF XM case
Figure 2: Cooler Master HAF XM case
One of the highlights of this case is the presence of a latch for you to remove its left panel. However, you still need to remove two thumbscrews located on the rear panel before removing the left panel. The left panel is meshed and supports the installation of one 200 mm fan or two 140 mm fans. There is an air filter attached to this mesh, but this filter uses large holes. If it used smaller holes, it would probably decrease the airflow.
[nextpage title=”The Front Panel”]
The front panel of the Cooler Master HAF XM comes with three external 5.25” bays and two external 3.5”/2.5” bays. These external 3.5” bays, however, are not targeted to floppy disk drives or memory card readers, but to hard drives and SSD units. They feature how-swap connectors, allowing you to install and remove drives without the need of attaching cables and connectors. Each of these bays is actually a small drawer, as you can see in Figure 6, making it very easy to remove or add drives. Furthermore, for 3.5” drives, these drawers feature pegs with rubber rings in order to reduce vibration and noise.
Figure 6: The external 3.5”/2.5” bays
The case comes with one 200 mm fan on its front panel, using a three-pin fan connector. It comes with an adaptor if you want to connect it to a standard peripheral power connector. This fan has red LEDs that can be turned off through a switch available on the top panel. Further technical specifications for this fan are not provided. You can replace this fan with two 120 mm fans or one 140 mm fan if you want. The case comes with an air filter with fine mesh for the front fan.
The case comes with two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports and the traditional audio jacks at the top part of the front panel. The USB 3.0 port uses an internal USB 3.0 connector.
Figure 8: Buttons and connectors
[nextpage title=”The Top, Bottom, and Rear Panels”]
The top panel of the Cooler Master HAF XM is meshed with air filters, and it comes with a 200 mm fan installed at its rear portion. You can install another 200 mm fan, two 120 mm fans or two 140 mm fans at the middle portion of the top panel. See Figure 10. The top panel supports the installation of a 280 mm radiator for liquid cooling solutions.
The bottom panel of the HAF XM has a mesh with an air filter for the power supply fan.
The rear panel and the interior of the Cooler Master HAF XM are painted black.
On the Cooler Master HAF XM, the power supply is installed at the bottom of the case.
The product comes with a 140 mm fan installed on its rear panel. It also supports a 120 mm fan, allowing you to install a radiator for liquid cooling solutions based on either a 120 mm or a 140 mm radiator.
This case has eight expansion slots with vented slot covers. A ninth slot placed above the expansion slots allows you to install a blower or an I/O bracket containing communication ports, for example.
There are three holes with rubber covers for hoses of liquid cooling solutions, two measuring 0.8” (21 mm) in diameter and one measuring 0.7” (18 mm) in diameter.
The rear panel has a loop for you to install a padlock or a warranty seal in order to prevent unauthorized people from opening the computer.
Figure 13: Loop for padlock or warranty seal
Let’s now take a look inside the Cooler Master HAF XM.[nextpage title=”Inside the Cooler Master HAF XM”]
Both panels are attached to the chassis using black thumbscrews, with the left panel being released through a latch that was already shown in Figure 4. The motherboard tray has a huge hole for you to access the backplate of the CPU coolers without having to remove the motherbo
ard from the case, several holes protected with rubber covers for you to route cables behind it, and several clips for you to fasten cables using cable ties.
Figure 15: A view behind the motherboard tray
In Figure 16, we get another overall look inside the case. Expansion cards are fastened using black thumbscrews. As previously mentioned, the top panel supports 280 mm radiators for liquid cooling solutions. The Cooler Master HAF XM supports video cards up to 13.9” (354 mm) long if the top hard drive cage is installed or up to 18.2” (463 mm) if this cage is removed. The reviewed case supports CPU coolers up to 7.7” (196 mm) tall.
The HAF XM supports the installation of a 120 mm fan at each of the available hard drive cages.
Figure 17: Support for fans on the hard drive cages
The power supply is installed at the bottom of the case. It can be installed with either its bottom fan facing up or facing down, so you can decide if you want the fan of your power supply pulling air from inside the case or from outside of it. As shown before, there is an air filter for the power supply fan. The case comes with a power supply cover for you to hide the power supply cables and make your computer look nicer.
Figure 18: Power supply compartment
[nextpage title=”The Disk Drive Bays”]
The Cooler Master HAF XM has three external 5.25” bays, two external 3.5”/2.5” bays with hot-swap connectors, six internal 3.5”/2.5” bays, and one internal 2.5” bay behind the motherboard tray. You won’t need tools or screws to install the 5.25” and 3.5” drives, but the 2.5” devices need to be installed using regular screws.
The six internal 3.5”/2.5” bays are installed in two cages with three bays each. You can remove the top cage if you want to install video cards longer than 13.9” (354 mm). (Actually, you remove only its left panel and its bays.)
Figure 20: Top hard drive cage removed
Each 3.5”/2.5” bay is actually a drawer, featuring anti-vibration mechanisms to reduce noise.
Figure 21: One of the 3.5”/2.5” bays
The stand-alone internal 2.5” bay is located behind the motherboard tray.
Figure 22: The stand-alone internal 2.5” bay
[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]
The main specifications for the Cooler Master HAF XM include:
- Style: Mid-tower
- Application: E-ATX, and smaller form factors
- Material: Zinc-coated steel (SECC) body
- Power supply: Doesn’t come with the product
- Available colors: Black
- Side panel: Meshed
- Dimensions: 20.9 x 9.9 x 22.8 inches (579 x 252 x 579 mm) (H x W x D)
- Net weight: 22 lbs (10.4 kg)
- Gross weight: 27.5 lbs (12.4 kg)
- Bays: Three external 5.25” bays, two external 3.5”/2.5” bays with hot-swap connectors, six internal 3.5”/2.5” bays, and one internal 2.5” bay
- Expansion slots: Eight plus one
- Maximum video card length: Up to 13.9” (354 mm) or up to 18.2” (463 mm) if the top hard drive cage is removed
- Maximum CPU cooler height: Up to 7.7” (196 mm)
- Fans: One 200 mm fan on the front panel (red LEDs with switch), one 200 mm fan on the top panel, and one 140 mm fan on the rear panel
- Optional fans: One 200 mm fan or two 140 mm fans on the left panel; and one 200 mm fan or two 120 mm fans, or two 140 mm fans on the top panel
- Extra Features: Loop for padlock or warranty seal
- More Information: https://www.coolermaster-usa.com
- MSRP in the U.S.: USD 130.00
[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]
Cooler Master hit the bull’s eye with the HAF XM. It is a high-end case at an affordable price. We simply couldn’t find anything negative to say about it.
Strong Points
- Excellent construction quality
- The external bay covers are meshed and have air filters
- Air filter for the front, side, top, and power supply fans
- Supports three 200 mm fans (comes with two)
- Supports eight 3.5” hard drives or nine 2.5” devices
- Anti-vibration mechanisms for the 3.5” hard drives
- Eight expansion slots
- Vented slot covers
- Expansion cards are fastened using thumbscrews
- Support for 280 mm radiators on the top panel
- Supports video cards up to 13.9” (354 mm) on its default configuration or up to 18.2” (463 mm) if the top hard drive cage is removed
- A huge hole in the motherboard tray for accessing the backplate of the CPU cooler
- Holes protected with rubber covers for routing cables behind the motherboard tray
- Clips for fastening cables using cable ties
- Cover for hiding the power supply cables
Weak Points
- None
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