Cooler Master's HAF XB: Give Your LAN Party Box Breathing Room
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Page 1:Introducing Cooler Master's HAF XB
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Page 2:The HAF XB's Technical Specifications
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Page 3:First Impressions And External 360° Picture Gallery
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Page 4:Cooling And Dust Protection
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Page 5:PSU Installation And Cable Management
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Page 6:Optical Drive Installation
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Page 7:Hard Drive And SSD Installation
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Page 8:Motherboard And Graphics Card Installation
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Page 9:Benchmark System And Conditions
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Page 10:Results: Temperature And Noise Level At Full Fan RPM
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Page 11:Results: Temperature And Noise Level At Reduced Fan RPM
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Page 12:The Little Case That Could
Cooling And Dust Protection
Air Cooling
Cooler Master includes two of its A12025-18CB-3EN-F1 fans, running at 1800 RPM. Without an integrated controller, you end up with quite a bit of fan noise. But then again, let's not forget that HAF stands for "High Air Flow." That should give you some indication that this thing isn't appropriate as a home theater PC enclosure. Cooling performance is clearly the priority, even though the case can be made significantly quieter by adding your own fan control.
The bundled blowers have three-pin connectors and come with a four-pin Molex adapter you can use to hook them straight up to a power supply. Alternatively, Cooler Master's 120 mm fans can be replaced with 140 mm fans. But even though the screw holes are there, swapping out old for new doesn't really make sense. As you can see in the shot below, much of the outside edge would sit behind the case's wall, Even though the necessary screw holes are in place, the switch doesn’t really make a lot of sense, since a lot of the larger fans would just sit behind the case’s wall.
Up to two additional fans can be installed: one 120 mm fan in the back and a 200 mm fan on the mesh covering the opening at the top of the case.
If the case’s lower level is filled with a lot of drives and you feel like you need to keep some air moving over them, two 80 mm fans can be installed at the back.
Water Cooling
As a result of the HAF XB’s nice internal layout, you can get a pair of closed-loop or water cooling radiators installed.
First, there's room for a 240 mm radiator behind the two front fans. Depending on the unit you're using, it's possible to get two more fans installed for a push-pull setup. You have 80 mm to work with before hitting the motherboard.
The space where the 120 mm rear fan comes installed can just as easily hold a similarly-sized radiator attached to a compact closed-loop system cooling your CPU.
Dust Filters
The PSU air intake opening is covered by a removable dust filter. It settles into place with a satisfying click, and locks in securely. It doesn't slide around like the dust filters in some other cases.
The air intake and dust filter are long, allowing even longer fans with uncommon placement to draw in filtered air without a problem.
The entire front cover (which is to say the part right in front of the two 120 mm fans, as well as the openings in front of the 5.25” bays) is also protected by a dust filter. The mesh in front of the fans cannot be removed, but it’s easy to pull off that entire front fascia for easy access and worry-free cleaning.
- Introducing Cooler Master's HAF XB
- The HAF XB's Technical Specifications
- First Impressions And External 360° Picture Gallery
- Cooling And Dust Protection
- PSU Installation And Cable Management
- Optical Drive Installation
- Hard Drive And SSD Installation
- Motherboard And Graphics Card Installation
- Benchmark System And Conditions
- Results: Temperature And Noise Level At Full Fan RPM
- Results: Temperature And Noise Level At Reduced Fan RPM
- The Little Case That Could
Review the prodigy.
Good review, though.
Initially I wanted to go for an expensive 250$ case so my crossfire configuration could fit and have enough ventilation, but then I saw this thing for 125$, bought it and we have been happy ever since.
PROTIP - buy the quietest 120 and 140mm fans you can find or get a fan controller. If you keep the stock frontal fans, you're gonna have a noisy time.
For a lanparty, yes, the prodigy es better because it's smaller. As a high-end PC enclosure / testbench - HAF XB is way better. My sister used to keep a pair of GTX 480s in SLi in her HAF XB - it's one of the few cases with good enough ventilation for such hot hardware.
Given your experience with this case (and any previous case testing), do you think the HAF XB would cool well with better fans? You wouldn't happen to have the time and a couple of decent Noctua or Thermaltake (the models with the fluid bearing) to test with, would you?
Also, any thoughts on the stock fans rated CFM vs. actual amount of heat dispersed and any impressions with them? My experience with Coolermaster's case fans has been unfavorable over the years.
For the guy who suggested the Bitfenix Prodigy as an alternative to this: what are you, crazy? That thing is a mini-ITX case. It could never pull the duty of this case. It's worthless to any of my needs. Go play with your toys and leave the big boys to talk here.
1. the case only take Cooler master 200mm fans I have heard of some people using work around to fit other brands in, but since there is no "standard" for 200 mm fan's screw hole spacings, its best to get a cooler master brand for the best fit. they do have a really good red led 200 mm @ 700 rpm (non adjustable) also sadly its a sleeve bearing ...
2. when you do install the top fan you lose some range on how high of a cooler you can use. that being 30cm normally the case does fit 180 , but with a top fan in you can only fit a tower cooler that is 150 in height. this is why I haven't gotten an after market cooler for this cpu yet , its hard to find a tower cooler below this size. I however do have my eye on a Gemini low profile (the not so low model) cooler that is leagues above AMD's stock cooler and even offers clearance for tall ram dims., but I avhent had the bread to buy it after blowing my money on the rig itself.
3. last but not leat maybe CM fixed this by now , but at the time I bought this case , the hot swap board had been notorious for killing some Hard drives. On the flip side it is easy to remove the hot swap board all together and just use a sata cable to hook up your hard drives if you fear this problem rearing its ugly head at you which is what I did.
Cooler Master HAF XM
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 750w
Intel 4670k
MSI Z87-G45 MB
Hyper 212 Evo Gigabyte gtx760 Windforce 3x Rev.2
Corsair Neutron 240gb SSD
2 3tb Hitachi Deskstars in Raid 0
I also have an unusual amount of desktop space, and don't do the LAN thing, except amongst my computers here at home. Even though the case isn't quite designed for my usage model, I have to say - well done CM!
If you looking for a case for pure passive cooling and natural convection this is probably the most well designed case on the market for it yet even though it was designed for a different intent in mind, but you could easily cool a Intel Core i3-2100T in one of these no problem silently with no fans using a good CPU tower cooler, a sdd, and a fanless psu and have a solid dead silent digital audio workstation system.
Don't give up on your e-atx dream! I've had this case since Christmas 2012 and installed an Asus Maximus V Formula e-atx mobo ( another Christmas gift from my better half) in the little beast with room to spare on the motherboard tray. This was one reason I asked for the XB. Btw it is strongly built. I couldn't resist trying what another pro reviewer did-popping off the top panel and sitting on it. Yep, it hold my 185 lbs without a complaint. And, pushing the envelope, I used the frame rails for a few pushups! No sweat for the case. The XB is located on a cabinet right by my desk about two inches below the desktop. Now it doubles as an armrest! Kudos to CM again( wife has a StormTrooper)!