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At first look, HAF 922 really amazed me with near total looks of HAF 932 with near border prices of a CM Storm Scout. So let’s move ahead and see what cooler master has to deliver with HAF 922.
[BREAK=Packaging & content]
Packaging & content
This cabinet came in a much simple packaging defining inside the BOX content much clearly. At the front of the box we see beautifully pictured HAF 922.
At the back of the box we have the feature list, as follows
• Extreme airflow, uncompromising cooling performance, ruggedly strong with outstanding protection
• Accommodates demanding high-end components including full length graphics cards
• LED ON/OFF switch for front 200 x 30 mm 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 through out the case
• Tool free installation
• Includes cable management and CPU retaining hole for easy customizability
• Spacious interior accommodates with the radiator
• 7+1 PCI expansion slots for increased expandability
On one of the side it clearly defines the Specifications of the product and on the other side it simple shows the top angel view of the Cabinet. However one thing to notice is that it has got remarks of the power supply in the box, this explains that cooler master does plan to ship the cabinet with power supply at certain regions.
Right out of the box, the Cabinet is simply packed in a poly-bag with Styrofoam at either sides of the cabinet.
That is as far as the Out of the box experience goes for this cabby. Now let’s move ahead and see what this product has to deliver to the average & enthusiast category of computer users.
[BREAK=The Crust]
The Crust
At first look, HAF 922 is 90% identical to its big brother the HAF 932. The front of the case offers five exposed 5.25" drive bays, five hidden 3.5" drive bays, one exposed 3.5" drive bays as well as a convenient front panel.
Now as Cooler Master has moved to a Mid Tower foam factor, the HAF 922 does not have a freedom of installation of Power supply installation, which we earlier had in HAF 932 where we can install the same either at the top or at the bottom of the cabinet.
However we still get the good old water tube holes considering that an enthusiast would love to go for a WCK, and can easily install a 2x120mm radiator at the top of the cabinet, by replacing the pre installed 200mm top fan.
One more thing to notice is that this time cooler master has not provided meshed metal expansion bay covers, this explains that cooler master too is moving towards the POSITIVE AIR FLOW based design techniques and considering every aspect of Fluid Dynamics before designing any of their cabinets.
Another thing to notice is the 8th expansion slot that cooler master has incorporated on this cabinet. This certainly will help people with motherboards that provide extra expandability of an external Molex connector for powering the external SATA drive, Specially when you are on triple crossfire or triple SLI configuration.
At the side panel, we see a beautiful honey comb design for additional 2x120mm Fans, or a single 200mm Fan at the side panel. Later in the review we will show you how we can do a simple mod of the case to make it look more beautiful and get better cooling results.
The other side of the cabinet has the same embossed area as that in a CM Storm scout for better cable management.
The top of the cabinet houses a 200mm cooling exhaust fan, and can easily be replaced by 2x120mm fans if need be.
Top panel of the cabinet incorporates a power button, a reset button & now much common, a Front Fan LED On/Off button. Cooler Master has incorporated some space at the top of the cabinet for putting your blackberries or iPhone for connectivity/charging.
The front panel has the following connectors.
• USB 2.0 x 2
• MIC x 1
• Audio x 1 (support HD / AC97 Audio)
• eSATA x 1
I personally feel that we should have couple of more front USB connectors as most of the new Motherboards come with at least 4 Front Panel USB connection option.
So lets see how much room do we have for all the stuff in our bag.
[BREAK=The Inside Stuff]
The Inside Stuff
Removing the side panel reveals the enormous about of space that we have to work in the cabinet, specially the overhead clearance and the peripheral clearance that we have in this cabinet. Cooler Master also provided a cheat sheet of sorts to help you install your motherboard stand-off screws in the correct order.
The front panel of the case comes with 5.25" exposed drive bays and each one houses a filter for easy cleaning later on in time. Simply pushing two pins will release the disposable bay covers.
One great feature about the Cooler Master HAF 922 is the tool-less design. Installation of DVD ROM drives and HDD is merely a matter of 30 seconds.
Other thing to notice is the damping foam used at the PSU installation area, and when you are using PSU like Real Power Pro 460 then you could be rest sure that there will be no vibration caused by any of the component.
A look at the top exhaust fan & the back Exhaust as well.
Cooler master has now moved to a thumb screw based approach at the expansion slot bays, the benefit of this approach is that you can now firmly screw all your dual slot based Graphics Cards.
Now let’s take a look at the specifications, features and what all comes along with the HAF 922.
[BREAK=Specifications and Features]
Specifications and Features
Specification Sheet
Features
• Extreme airflow, uncompromising cooling performance, ruggedly strong with outstanding protection
• Accommodates demanding high-end components including full length graphics cards
• LED ON/OFF switch for front 200 x 30 mm 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 through out the case
• Tool free installation
• Includes cable management and CPU retaining hole for easy customizability
• Spacious interior accommodates with the radiator
• 7+1 PCI expansion slots for increased expandability
In the box
• We have the following items inside the tool box that came with HAF 922.
• Product Manual.
• PC Speaker.
• Cable Ties.
• Cabinet Lock Notch
• Motherboard Mounting Screw set & additional screws.
• 5.25” to 3.5” converting bracket.
Now lets look at the cooling performance of the cabinet, is it really what it say it is i.e. High Air Flow.
[BREAK=Testing]
Testing
We followed a very simple testing method, what we did is we did an OCCT Stress Test of 30 Mins with variable conditions to check the performance of the cabinet. However please note that the test was done when we had the average temperature of the day being 43 degree Celsius, so the system is bound to run hot than normal.
Testing system
And the testbed Picture
The MOD
As the stock system does not come with any side panel fan, we decided to do a little MOD of the system. What we did is that we took the top exhaust fan and installed it on the side panel, and for the top side of the cabinet we installed 2x120mm Cooler Master Blue LED, Silent fans. The pictures speak for themselves.
The Side
The Top
Perfect Blue Room
The Results
And the results speak for themselves the side panel fan does do the trick in bringing down the system’s temperature.
Now for a comparison with Cooler Master Ammo.
And we clearly see the HAF 922 outperforming one of my favourite Mid Tower cabinets.
And now the conclusion.
[BREAK=Conclusion]
Conclusion
As far as HAF series of cabinets are concerned, i ah highly impressed by the amount of air flow they provide at the lest noise level possible, in fact if you are using a silent fan above your after-market CPU Heatsink then the noise generated by the case is hardly audible. The HAF 922 does serve the purpose of a Mid Tower cabinet with enough potential for housing even an i7 at the same time giving more than enough room for cable management. In my thinking, non availability of tool less expansion bay is a good idea when you are using heavy weight graphics cards, however a little research on this subject will defiantly provide us a tool free & firm installation mechanism for Expansion slots.
Pros
• Excellent airflow
• Decent Pricing
• Tool free design (drive bays only)
• 8 PCI expansion slots
• Side window can hold two 120mm fans or one 200mm.
• Sufficient working area
• Liquid cooling ready
• Quiet Operation
Cons
• Only 2 Front Panel USB Sockets
• No removable dust filters
• Expansion bay needs to be Tool Free
Being a reviewer of the cabinet I rate it 4/5 for its amazing looks and outstanding performance.
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