The sunny weather is here again in California with just a few more rain drops here and there. Most of us are preparing for the heat once again, seriously, I'm just wondering if it will get hot enough to just melt away the northern ice caps this year? Only because of 2012 Mayan calendar and multiple solar flares have been trying to reach us every month or so. Let's brace ourselves and be prepared, I know most of us need to keep things cool this time of the year, especially me. Personally at home and work, I have lots of computers and live aquatics, my nemesis is heat. In seasons like this one, people look for AC, Fans, Ice Packs, Freezer Mugs, etc... Just name it; there is plenty of cool stuff to buy.

My hardware will always have the perfect solution which is always being developed by Cooler Master. As I follow through my research, the masses over the globe have been anticipating this case for quite some time now, finally being released and launched 4/24/2012. I received the item just a few weeks ago and we all know the HAF series towers by now, they stay in the mid sized form factors. At first, just looking at the box (not the printed text) will throw you off because the size is very similar to the Full Tower form factors. Even in comparison to my CMSTORM Trooper, it isn’t too much of a difference in size. Let’s get to the details and check out the differences from the ancestors.

Setup:

• Cooler Master CM Storm Trooper
• Cooler Master Gemin II S524 CPU Cooler
• Intel i5 2500K Sandy Bridge Quad-Core Processor Unlocked
• GSkill 8GB
• ASrock Fatality Extended
• Thermaltake 1050 Tough Grand Power
• OCZ Vertex 3 Series MI 120GB
• Hitachi 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s
• Western Digital 3TB 7200 RPM SATA Gb/s
• Western Digital 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s

About the Product

The following information was provided by the Cooler Master web site and used for general specifications.

Available Color	Full Midnight Black
Material	Appearance: Mesh, Synthetics; Case body: Steel
Dimension (W / H / D)	252 x 530.5 x 579 mm / 9.9 x 20.9 x 22.8 inch
Weight	10.5kg / 23.1 lb
M/B Type	Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX
5.25" Drive Bays	3
3.5" Drive Bays	8 (hidden:6, X-Dock:2)
2.5" Drive Bays	9 (6 are converted from 3.5" bays, X-Dock x 2, 1 is behind the M/B tray)
I/O Panel	USB 3.0 x 2 (int.), USB 2.0 x 2, Audio In & Out x 1  (supports HD Audio), LED switch for the front fan
Expansion Slots	8+1
Cooling System	Front: 200mm Red LED fan x 1  (converted to 120mm fan x 2 / 140mm fan x 1) Top: 200mm fan x 2 (1 is optional; converted to 120/140mm fan x 2) Rear: 140mm fan x 1 (converted to 120mm fan x 1) Side: 200mm fan x 1 (optional; converted to 140mm fan x 2) HDD: 12025mm fan x 2 (optional)
Power Supply Type	Standard ATX PS2 / EPS (optional)
Maximum Compatibility	VGA card length : 354.0 mm / 13.9 inch (with HDD cage) 463.0 mm / 18.2 inch (without HDD cage) CPU cooler height: 196.0 mm / 7.7 inch

Features:

• Enthusiast case with the support for four 200mm fans
• Latch on 90° rotated side panel for easy system access
• Rich I/O panel with two USB 3.0 super speed ports
• 8+1 expansion slots for NVIDIA 3-way SLI™ and AMD CrossFireX™
• Supports up to 9 HDDs, including two X-Dock slots and one behind the motherboard tray
• Sliding PSU cable cover for improved cable management
• Top compartment with rubber pad for placing personal belongings
• Mesh on front panel, top cover; vents on side panel and bottom for excellent cooling

Now that we got basic information out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the Cooler Master HAF XM Mid Tower Case.

Closer look

Front		Short Details

Model

• Taking a look from the front of the box, we see the very similar family resemblance in design from its predecessors with a few simple touches. As usual, Cooler Masters’ Logo is placed on the left top corner, right below that is the name of the product, as well as very little detailed features.

Rear		Logo

Model		Multilingual Features

Three 45° HAF XM Product Photos

 

SNEAK PEAK: Front I/O Panel		SNEAK PEAK: Two Hot Swap X-Docks for SSD/HDD

SNEAK PEAK: Six 3.5" Drive Bays for SSD/HDD		SNEAK PEAK: Three 5.25" Bays for ODD

SNEAK PEAK: Tool less and pressurized side locks for 5.25" Bays		SNEAK PEAK: Back side of the locks for 5.25" Bays

SNEAK PEAK: PSU Slot and Cable Cover		SNEAK PEAK: 200mm Front Panel Fan

SNEAK PEAK: Top Exhaust

• Printed with three product images on back at 45° views, we can see the front, side, and back of the HAF XM.
• The first image usually shows the front I/O Panel with two USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports along with the popular X-Dock which can push two more 3.5” storage drives for convenience and no external drive needed. Got to love this feature, unlike external enclosures, you can just carry your bare drives around in protection cases and pop the drives into these X-Docks without any hassle and extra costs.
• Through the side panel, we see internal form factors which consist of:
  • Six 3.5” drive bays which is tool free
  • Three 5.25” tool less bays used for ODD, these are very similar to the normal locks but these are slightly pressurized to clip perfectly into position
  • PSU cable cover cage for hidden cable management
  • Large 200mm Fan for the front panel
  • Large 200mm Fan for the top exhaust including an additional 200mm fan support or a 280mm radiator support
• Lastly, the product image of the rear consisting of 8+1 expansion slots for 3-way SLI or Crossfire.

HAF XM Product Photo		HAF XM Product Information

Left Side Panel

• On the left side of the package, we can clearly see the photo of the HAF XM side panel. The side panel alone will easily fit one 200mm fan or optional two 140mm fan, the choice is yours.

Detailed Specification		Manufactured Product Infromation

Right Side Panel

• On the right side of the box, we can now see all the important specifications just to make sure you have the correct measurements to fit your new or current components during installation and purchasing the tower.

Opening the Box		What's in the Box?!?! HAF XM!

Users Guide

• When it is time to open the package be careful, double check, and ensure it was delivered safely to you. Surprisingly, a perfect box and shipped a few cities away, my sample is damaged and I cannot lock the top cover anymore. Once I pulled the HAF XM out of its box, it is nicely supported with thick styrofoam top and bottom for support. After removing the product supports, the instruction guide will pop out.

Cooler Master HAF XM

Front I/O Panel		Three 5.25" Bays for ODD

Removing the X-Dock Trays to Remove Front Panels		After removal of Front Panels

Two Hot Swap X-Docks for SSD/HDD		Front Bottom Mesh Panel 200mm Intake Fan

• As we look at the actual product, it definitely brings out an impressive feel and look of the modern tank design. It is kind of boxy but will look like a beast if it were a Full Tower Version, providing a unique military design. At a closer look from the front I/O Panel, there are two USB 2.0 ports in combination of two USB 3.0 ports for more additional peripherals to attach including HD audio jacks for Mic and Headphones.
• As mentioned earlier, the HAF XM is tool less and kind of tricky because the 5.25” covers is clipped from the inside. To remove these, you may unclip by unlatching the two X-Dock covers, additional top exhaust, or from behind through the side panel.
• Collecting Air Flow from the 200mm Front Fan is perfect to allow direct air Flow throughout the whole case while cooling the drive bays.

Left Side Panel		Close Up of the Left Side Panel

Opening the Left Side Panel		Left Side Panel Handle Lock

In the little mysterious brown box		MB Screws and Spacers

Black Screws		Additional Goodies

• Taking a closer look at the left side panel, I would love to throw in one more 200mm Fan or possibly two more 140mm fans. Adding additional fans will take just a little more juice but providing High Air Flow is the key especially during any gaming this summer the heat may get impressively hot.
• As we take a look at the accssories box, we find multiple sized and threded black screws, Gold MB Spacers, wire ties, and additional goodies as usual.

Right Side Panel

Cable Management		Cable Management Behind the MB Tray

Cable Mangement		Hidden 2.5" HDD/SSD Holder Easy Access Connection

Power Cable to Front 200mm Fan		Thickness in Spacing for Cable Management

Audio Connector for Front Panel		USB 3.0 Connector for Front Panel

Front I/O Panel Controllers

• When we take a look from the right side panel, we can see the same popular design for cable management, very like the CMSTORM Trooper. It would be nice to develop the right side panel with a latch handle for panel removal as well but I am sure it has to do with keeping the cost more affordable to everyone. As we look at these few photos for cable management, I see a plenty of space and definitely enough room to clean and tie down the cables.

HAF XM Rear

Top Cover Damaged During Shipping		The Broken Hidden Piece

140mm Fan		140mm Fan

8+1 Expansion Slot		PSU Slot

PSU Cable Cover for Cable Management		PSU Slot and Cable Cover

Cooler Master Logo		Closer Look at the HDD/SDD Tool less Trays

X-Dock SATA Circuit Board		Six 3.5" Drive Bays for SSD/HDD

Tool less and pressurized side locks for 5.25" Bays		Six Drive Trays

X-Dock Trays		X-Dock Tool Less

• Finally after taking pictures and moving along to the back, look at what I find from the usual shipping trends that happen day to day as we usually expect. I looked all over the place for the cracked piece from packaging to the internal case, it wasn’t there, but ended up finding it in the X-Dock Tray afterwards… Moving along, since the HAF XM is a serious mid tower gaming case it is definitely beneficial to run a water cooled system especially since it can handle up to four 200mm fans.
• As usual, there is a 140mm Fan right below the three rubber grummets used for external liquid cooling systems. Since many have requested in previous HAF series products to expand slots to make room for 3 way SLI/CF, it has been done this time around, Cooler Master really has provided the 8+1 expandable slot for 3-way SLI/CF. Since the PSU market has grown, the size difference does matter for the deck below, it fits standard ATX PS2 for now but any new robust PSU’s may not fit beneath the deck or will it? Unsure yet but we’ll find out soon enough in the future.

External View of 200mm Fan		External View for Additional Options

Top Cover unable to lock		Internal Supports are broken during shipping

Utility Tray		Utility Tray and Power/Reset Button

200mm Top Exhaust Fan		Top Mesh for Radiator or Additional 200mm Fan

Top Exhaust

• Looking from the top, there is two separated mesh covers for air flow exhausting. They don’t call it HAF XM for half the air flow, it is prestigiously designed for high air flow which is standard for HAF Series Towers, can’t wait for any Full Towers. A little cool addition is a utlilty tray, this way you can place your bare 2.5" drives, pens, tools, etc...

Size Comparison and preparing for transplant		Transplanting Completed

Gutted CMSTORM Trooper		Closer look into Cable Management for the HAF XM

Product in Use		Left Side Panel

X-DOCK in use with 3TB and 1.5TB Drives		Plenty of Storage

PC Running		Overall Design and Look

• After transplanting my current system to the Cooler HAF XM Mid Tower Case, I fell in love accomplishing a nice clean up. In comparison to the CMSTORM Trooper, it is much lighter but doesn't have a convenient handle to lug around, so, it's back to traditional back breaking. I really have to say, Cable Management is the most perfect and peaceful activity for the installation for the HAF XM but I really wish it was a Full Tower. As large as the capacity comes, there is plenty of space to upgrade to larger capacity drives and adding performance drives in the future.

Testing & Conclusion

The only real test for the Cooler Master HAF XM Mid Tower Case is real time air flow and cable management. Since I don't have anything to test the air flow, I can not confirm that it may be better than the trooper or compared to others, BUT, it has a heck of a lot more room to breathe than other Mid Towers. I transferred over my E-ATX MB with a breeze, thinking it was going to be slightly tighter, usually a lot more less room. Impressively proving me wrong. The Cooler Master HAF XM is a very nice case and affordable because the pros listed can keep going on and on. The con that I can see so far is that the HAF XM needs sturdier plastic and better locking design for the cover due to easily cracking but it will not get any points off for that. Based on the overall design and installation, UMLan would like to provide the Cooler Master HAF XM Mid Tower Case a score of 9/10 because of the pros and cons listed below.

Some pros we found:

• Price: $129.99
• Side Door Panel Latch for Convenience
• Clean Cable Management with Cover
• Unique Family Design
• Front I/O Panel: 2 X USB 3.0 and 2 X USB 2.0 Ports
• Support motherboards sizes up to E-ATX
• 8+1 expansion slots in support of 3-way SLI/CF
• 2 X 200mm Large fans with additional fan options
• Quiet and pushes a lot of air
• Quick and tool less installation for optical drives
• Water cooling ready
• Hot Swappable X Dock Drive Bay
• Supports up to 6+2 3.5" HDD/SSD and one hidden SSD holder behind the MB Tray.

Some cons we found:

• No fan control
• No Easy Access to Clean Filters