Cooler Master HAF 932 Case Review

[AkG]

Installation pg.2

Installation Con't

​

With the motherboard area fully prepped and ready we then gently laid the motherboard into position and fully secured it. As you can see this ATX motherboard is dwarfed by the cavernous amount of additional space Cooler Master gives you. This really was the easiest, finger jam free install we have done in a long time and we really have come to appreciate any and all extra space the case manufacturer is willing to give. On behalf of my non-stubbed and non-cut fingers we thank you Cooler Master engineers for going above and beyond what is considered “enough”.

One thing worth mentioning before we move unto the next phase of this installation is even though we plan on using an aftermarket Noctua U9 cooler we did not install its backplate onto the motherboard before installing said motherboard into the HAF 932. It really is a novel experience not only having to not do this step first, but also to be able to do it later is down right decadent…and boy we could get used to this feeling awfully darn quick!

​

After taking a moment to luxuriate in the decadence this case affords us we then took a deep breath and installed the GPU. This is one area where many so called modern and tool-free cases fall flat. The retention system in the HAF makes it both easy to uninstall and re-install any GPU you can think of. Not once during the whole process did we worry that we were going to break it, nor worry about it keeping our video card in place.

To uninstall the mesh expansion cover all you have to do is push in on the plastic arm and allow it to swing out and away from the expansion slot, we then slid the cover out of the case and placed in a safe place for later. With the slot now open we then firmly, yet gently, installed our GPU into our motherboard and then swung the arm closed until it clicked lock.

​

With our video card installed all that is left is to plug in all the necessary cables and plugs. We will not get into the nitty gritty as it suffice to say that this too was extremely easy to do. The only real thing worth mentioning (besides the ease of cleaning up the clutter of the install) is that the hard drive bay has indeed been upgraded. With the new open back design of the drive bay, PATA drives should be easy to install. As you can see in the above picture the back of your hard drive is fully exposed, allowing even the oldest of 3.5” drives to be connected.

​

Overall this has to have been one of the most pleasurable and enjoyable installations we have done in awhile. The combination of an oversized motherboard area, along with the most intelligent cable management we have seen makes the HAF a true joy to work in. The only thing better than all this room was the lack of sharp edges.

 

[AkG]

Water Cooling Options

Water Cooling Options

​

Out of the box this case has a plethora of water cooling options. Let’s start with a basic single loop and work our way up to more esoteric setups. The basic single loop, single 120mm radiator is what we like to call a tried and true approach to water cooling and it is how the majority of people get their feet wet so to speak.

In the HAF 932 you can have a single radiator in numerous places. The most obvious of these is the back 140mm fan location. By simply purchasing your basic Swiftech H2O 120 kit you can easily convert this location into your radiator and reservoir location. Also, finding alternate locations for a single-fan radiator is very easy in this case like on the side panel (if you leave the enough slack in the tubing line). If you remove the top 230mm fan you install a 120mm fan and a Swiftech radiator for a top mounted loop (to avoid leaks I would recommend against a rad + res combo in this instance). Alternately you could go with a top mounted PSU and place the rad in the bottom.

​

For the purposes of this review we will leave the lone MCR120 RAD + Res combo in the back exhaust location. However, when it comes to single radiators your options are basically only limited by your imagination. This case may have a few more options than most but single 120mm size radiators are a little passé now. Moving up to your dual 120mm radiator, single loop setup your options are almost exactly the same as the single.

​

If you remove the top 230mm fan you can easily mount a radiator here, but the same caveats listed for the single rad still apply. If you really wanted to, you could mount two dual rads on the side panel, as this panel is thick and strong enough to take it. As with the single rad, if you go with a top mounted PSU you could in theory mount a rad on the bottom and have it expel its hot air out the bottom of the case.

Since we are not fans of bottom mounted Rads we are going to place a lone dual on the side panel, and leave it at that for duals. For most cases single and dual internally mounted radiators would be tight fit; this case you can fit multiple inside but even this is only the beginning of the fun. The real fun is in mounting a triple bay rad inside the HAF 932!

​

When it comes to triple 120mm radiators things do become a little bit trickier. You cannot mount a triple radiator inside the case where the lone 140mm exhaust fan is, but you can use a radbox and externally mount it to the back of the case. This is pretty well par for the course for bigger cases. What is unusual is Cooler Master states you can mount a triple ran to the upper inside portion of this case.

Believe it or not, in our trails with the HAF 932 a full length Swiftech triple bay rad easily fits along the inside top. Heck, if you are so inclined you could mount fans on both sides of the rad for a push / pull setup and still have lots of room for the rest of your computer kit.

​

The only caveat we have with the method of mounting a triple rad is you have to first remove the front zone of the top of the case. This is easily done by unscrewing three screws from the floor of the storage bin, sliding it back and then lifting up and off. As you can see in the above photos a bit more than half of the third fan will be underneath the plastic container; in most cases this would be a bad thing. However, Cooler Master has taken this into consideration and the part of the bin which overhangs the fan is ventilated so no hot air will hang up here. All in all this is an great way of keeping the length of the case to something bordering on reasonable; while at the same time giving you all the water cooling freedom you could want.

​

Of course with a top mounted triple you will have to sacrifice the top two 5.25 bays as things may get a bit cramped (tubing wise) otherwise. To us, only being able to use 4 of the front bays is a small price to pay for having triple radiator goodness. With a good triple rad you definitely will be able to cool down even the hottest-running CPUs; and not have to resort to ugly external rad boxes to do it!

​

If you really want to go all out you could mount a single rad, a double and even a triple inside this case easily. All at the same time. Simply have the single in the back, your pump on the case floor in front of the PSU, and have it loop from the single rad + res (might as well have it as a combo, as you can never have to much extra fluid) to your CPU to the first double, then through the GPU block, then through the second double, through a reservoir (or T line) and then back to the pump. For something like this we would go with either a double Den Danger Den custom top and mount two MCP350s (aka Liang DDC 3.1) or have a second DD CPX-Pro in the loop to keep pressures up.

Quite honestly, the possibilities for single and multi-loop setups boggles the mind and you could get a heck of a lot more fancy than the one we suggested. Cooler Master certainly went all out when it came to water cooling options for this case, and even included integrated holes for external water cooling options. This just goes to show that those brilliant engineers are like us and they too don’t believe in overkill. The only thing which exceeds the options available to even the most WC fanatic is shear ease of installation. Just as with the computer components it was probably one of the easiest multiple internal rad setups we have ever done. Bloody good job Cooler Master.

 

[AkG]

Conclusion

CONCLUSION

It sure has been one interesting ride. Now that we have torn it down, built it back up and discovered everything about the HAF 932 that could be without a proctology exam, let’s break it down for all you interested readers who have skipped to the end of this review (and missed out on all the fun).

From an ascetics point of view this case will either call to you like your one and only true love or it will turn you completely off. It really is a binary solution with no middle ground; you love its edgy looks or you don’t. Personally, we are in the "love it" camp but it was a close thing there for awhile. We certainly could do without the overachieving in the edginess department since even though we like the metal ammo can motif, we find the HAF logo plastered on the side does go a bit too far.

With all that being said you absolutely, positively need to give this case a second chance if you think its exterior is not for you. Its interior is literally a treasure cove of hidden goodness. Heck, give this case a week and you will learn to love its exterior. A wise man once said: “…Don’t marry for beauty, marry for personality and later you will wonder how you could have missed her hidden beauty…”. Maybe we’re paraphrasing a bit too much but you get the idea. This case’s charms will rub off on you if you give it a chance and before long you will come to see it a work of art which is “quirky” and not “pretentious”.

When you take the HAF 932 as a whole it becomes a very attractive case at any price range. Its great cable management system, cut out for CPU backplates, great fans and even its great water cooling capabilities are so very rare these days that you will wonder how you ever did without an enclosure like this. The fact that all this comes in a case which is priced under $175 is simply amazing.

In the end, if you are looking for a near perfect case for your air or water cooling setups, the HAF 932 is probably what you are looking for. It packs in enough innovation for even the most jaded enthusiast to shake their head in wonder while remaining accessible enough that it won't be daunting for first-time builders. For this and all the reasons outlined above (and throughout this review) we here at HWC are proud to award this case not only the DAM INNOVATIVE award, but also our DAM GOOD award.


PROS

- Reasonably priced
- Wheels included
- good front connection options
- great construction
- 3 monster fans included
- Can house 2 PSUs
- LOTS of room internally
- Water cooling friendly case


CONS

- Steel construction means it is HEAVY
- Heavy weight = High shipping cost
- USB and Firewire ports are a little close and may interfere with each other
- So many WC’ing options you may go insane (or bankrupt) trying to use them all

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/cases/HAF932/dg.jpg" border="0" alt="" /> <img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/cases/HAF932/di.png" border="0" alt="" />
​