Cooler Master HAF 922
May 12th, 2009 | By Jared
Cooler Master HAF 922
Date
: 05/12/09 – 04:00:45 AM
Author
:
Category
: Cases
Page 1 : Index
Manufacturer:
Cooler Master
We have certainly seen a steady flow of new products from Cooler Master lately from cases and power supplies to heatsinks. Late last year Overclockers Online had the chance to review Cooler Masters HAF 932 and we were impressed. However not everyone wants a full size tower, but they really like the features of the HAF 932.
Cooler Master heard the chatter and today we have in our hands the HAF 922, or the HAF Mini if you will. Does the HAF Mini live up to the performance of its sibling or suffer from its smaller size? Read along to find out.
Page 2 : Package and Accessories
The front of the package features just a picture of the HAF Mini on a black and red background while the back lists some features and pictures illustrating those features.
On the sides are the specifications and another full shot of the case.
Once the box is opened you are greeted with the familiar sight of a plastic bag enclosing the case while two pieces of Styrofoam enclose and protect the case from damage during shipping.
Accessories include a small speaker, 5.25′ to 3.5′ brackets, zip ties, and two bags of standoffs and screws.
Page 3 : Specifications
Specifications can be grabbed straight from Cooler Master's website here..
Specifications:
Features:
Superior Cooling Performance
*Extreme cooling performance that support up to seven cooling fans top to bottom as well as accommodate three 200 x 30mm fans at minimum noise. Spacious interior can accommodate radiator for liquid cooling system and high-end hardware.
User Friendly
*CPU Cooler retaining hole design for quick CPU Cooler installation.
*LED ON/OFF switch for front 200x30mm fan.
*Patented button design for easy maintenance of 5.25′ drive devices.
*PSU bottom fan can be setup facing up or down to increase airflow throughout the case.
Cable Management System
*The Cable management for HAF 922 is able to support the cables being routed through the chassis from device A to B, The motherboard tray includes cable access openings which cables can be routed in or out from the chassis, also to prevent causing damage for cables/components.
Page 4 : Exterior
From our first view of the front, it's fairly apparent why it's referred to as the HAF mini. While very similar there are few differences such as 2 fewer USB ports and one less 5.25′ bay. Power and HD LEDs are located on top along with the power and reset buttons. In addition the HAF Mini has an on/off button for the front fan LED. There is still a small area that you can set USB drives and other small devices.
The top panel is held by four tabs, missing here from the
The sides of the HAF 922 actually take more styling cues from the CM Storm Sniper than the HAF 932. As you can see each side has a portion that sticks out which helps with cable management on the backside. The left side panel can accommodate a 200mm fan or 2 120mm fans.
On the back the HAF 922 has 2 holes for watercooling located above the rear 120mm exhaust fan. No I/O plate is included (good in my book since they usually get thrown away anyhow) and the power supply is mounted at the bottom. There are a total of 8 PCI expansion slots, 7+1 as Cooler Master calls it. This is a handy design for those that have motherboards with PCI plates containing USB or eSATA ports and do not want to lose the use of an onboard PCI slot. Four thumbscrews hold the side panels on.
Something a bit different than most cases these days, the front panel is held on by four screws. Luckily the bay covers are easy to reach and remove with a simple push of the latches on either side, so no removal of the front is needed. With the front removed you can see the front 200mm LED fan and the five 5.25′ bays.
Along the bottom are four feet with a soft rubber pad for grip and vibration dampening. There is an opening for the power supply to get air as well as another opening for mounting a 120mm or 140mm fan.
You can look at the dimensions, but to give you a better idea of how the HAF 922 compares to its bigger brother the HAF 932, here is a side by side shot.
Page 5 : Interior
Before venturing inside I removed the sides. Both panes have a bulged out section and the left side has mounting holes for either 2 120mm fans or 1 200mm.
Here is our first look at the inside. The look is nearly identical to the HAF 932, just on a slightly smaller scale. Cooler Master includes a template to assist in getting the standoffs in their correct place. The HAF Mini also contains the much loved by me heatsink cutout in the motherboard tray.
Cooler Master has continued to use the 5.25′ toolless system and hard drive caddies that first appeared in the Cosmos which are easily the best I have used. In the back the PCI brackets use thumbscrews and you can also get a better look at the +1 PCI bracket.
The top houses a 200mm exhaust fan which should do well to get rid of any heat from the CPU.
Front panel connections include one USB, eSATA, audio (both HD and AC'97), hard drive/power LED's, power switch and reset switch. Note that the front and top fan come with 3pin to 4pin molex connectors where as the 120mm back exhaust fan does not.
Page 6 : Installation
Ok our tour is over, let's get some hardware installed.
To be honest installation was pretty much a breeze. Even for a midtower the HAF 922 is fairly roomy.
Similar to the Sniper case one of the bigger issues for those who like a clean case is cable management. There is still room behind the tray, just takes a little more effort and with all the available tie down spots its not too bad.
The main thing that worried me before hand was if the Zalman CNPS9900 LED would have clearance with the fan in the top of the case. It's close but clears it ok.
Everything installed and powered up. I want to say a big thank you to Cooler Master for finally using red power and HD LEDs to match the fan. The blue LEDs tend to be a bit bright and I much prefer the red.
Page 7 : Testing
The following system was installed and used to gather temperatures:
CPU: Intel E8400 w/Zalman CNPS9900 LED
MB: Biostar TPower I45
RAM: G.Skill PI Black PC6400
Video: Biostar Geforce 9600GT
PSU: Ultra X3 1000W
HD: WD 250GB SATA
DVD-Rom: Lite-On 18x DVD Burner – SATA
OS: Microsoft Windows XP w SP2
Ambient Temperature: 25-26C
Cases:
Cooler Master HAF 932
Cooler Master HAF 922
To get idle temperatures I started the PC up and allowed it to sit at idle for 3 hours with no processes running and recorded temperatures using Everest Ultimate. All temperatures were recorded using Everest Ultimate Edition.
Under idle the HAF Mini matches its bigger brother. No difference in GPU temps, but the motherboard chipset seems to benefit from the fan on the side of the Cooler Master HAF 932. So far so good, time to see how it handles a little more heat.
Next was to load the PC and get some temperatures with a little more heat involved. To get load temps, I ran Orthos blend along with 3DMark06 in a continuous loop for 3 hours.
Under load the HAF 922 performs well, though you can see the difference the side fan in the Cooler Master HAF 932 has on the GPU and chipset.
On the noise generated front, the HAF 922's included fans are pretty quiet. However since the case is more of an open design there really isn't any sound dampening to whatever you put inside.
Page 8 : Conclusion
With the HAF 922, Cooler Master has delivered a great product in a smaller size without losing any key features. You still get great cooling and the tool free design of the HAF 932 but in a smaller package.
It's difficult to find anything bad to say about the HAF Mini, but if I was to nitpick it would be to have more external USB ports and interior black painting. Cooler Master has done a great job of taking the idea and spirit of the full size of the Cooler Master HAF 932 and shrinking it for the general masses.
Advantages
- Good cooling
- 7+1 PCI expansion slots
- Tool less design
Disadvantages
- Only 2 external USB ports
Overclockers Online would like to thank Cooler Master for supplying the HAF 922 case for review.