Installation
As with any PC installation we like to start with the power supply and get that over and done with. Usually, this is a no brainer as there is only one place it will fit: either at the top or the bottom of the case. Yes we have seen exceptions where a power supply is installed in a 5.25 bay but they are secondary units. Heck, we have even seen (and worked with) cases which can accept two PSUs side by side; but this is the first time we have been able to install one in the top and the bottom of the same chassis. We are going to go with a bottom mounted PSU as we prefer this style and while the HAF can accept a top mount it does so at the expense of interior space and cooling.
The actual installation of the PSU is as straightforward as you could ask for. You simply take off the side panel and slide it in the bottom of the case in its normal orientation with its fan pointed down (this assumes you have a PSU with a bottom mounted fan, if it is a power supply with back mounted fan please ignore this). Underneath the PSU is a large 120mm mesh fan cutout so it should be able to suck in more than enough air. In this instance we have gone with our tried and true Seasonic S12 600W which is a standard-length ATX power supply.
The next thing on the installation list is the hard drives. In this instance we are only going to install the lone hard drive, but you can install up to 5 drives. With all perpendicularly mounted drive cages we recommend leaving all the empty drive caddies out of the case. This increases the chance of losing them, but by doing so it should increase the amount of air flow. Air flow in the HAF may not be a big concern as you can have a heck of a lot of potential to work with, but why handicap the case if you dont have too?
To install the hard drive the first thing you have to do is release a caddy from the cage by opening the front door of it and pulling it out. Once this is done you then mount the removable drive caddy unto your drive. This too is a tool-less installation process in that the mounting pins which secure the caddy to the drive are locked into position and then you bend the flexible caddy around the drive and lever the pins into position. This may sound complicated but if you start with one side of the drive locked into position and then bend the caddy over the other side it becomes extremely easy to accomplish. In what is becoming a reoccurring theme, you can further lock the drive in place with screws but this really is overkill.
When this is accomplished you simply slide the drive caddy into one of the 5 positions and swing its door closed to lock the caddy in place. All in all this a very intuitive, user-friendly process; the only real down side to this method is the caddy does not do much to dampen vibrations from the drive (like it does in a Stacker). However, the ability to just slide the caddy into place and set it and forget it does make up for the increased noise potential.
Once the power supply and hard drives are in position, the next thing we like to do is prep the 5.25 bay area and then install our optical drive. Unlike some cases where you need to remove the front of the case to prep the area (i.e. yank out all those metal blanking panels) this case allows you to simply pop off the 5.25 covers and then remove the necessary metal covers without the need of removing the front face. This certainly saves time and does reduce the risk of breaking a retaining wing which keep the front of the case (i.e. the face) in place.
Next in our list of things to do is to press in on the patented one touch fastening system and slide you optical drive into position. By pressing in on the push button, two spring loaded retaining pins pop out and into position. Since they are spring loaded you dont have to line them up with the holes of the optical drive first; rather then will spring forward as soon as you slide the drive far enough in. In practice, this means you push the drive most of the way in, push the button and slide the drive in further until you here a click and you cant move the drive anymore. Easy, simple and very effective. To release the drive simply push the button again and the spring loaded retaining pins sink out and away from the optical drive allowing you to easily remove it.
With all the non motherboard related items installed we then move unto the motherboard area. It is great to see that Cooler Master included a handy chart which is used to help you install the standoff in the right locations for your particular motherboard.
