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Cooler Grasp HAF 700 Assessment


Belief the primary photos you see—assuming they lack a smaller case, or a small little one, for scale—and the HAF 700 seems to be like simply one other flashy PC case. Then you definitely see it in individual. Your first clue is that these aren’t 120mm or 140mm followers on the entrance, however twin saucer-size 200mm. Within the $299.99 HAF 700, we’re taking a look at a case that’s roughly a 3rd bigger in each route in comparison with an strange mid-tower. (No marvel Cooler Grasp subtitles it “The Berserker”!) This chassis is all about most radiator and storage assist, in a day when the SSD has been diminished to M.2 gumstick format and few people run a couple of video card. For those who’re searching for a maximum-capacity beast, although, and top and footprint aren’t points, it is a moderately priced and really succesful monster.


Do not have the dimensions down but? Take, for instance, the front-panel port lineup, which is a secondary clue to the XXL dimension. The HAF 700 has 4 USB Sort-A ports and a USB Sort-C; these technically qualify as USB 3.2 Gen 1 and USB 3.2 Gen 2. And but, a whopping 5 entrance USB ports is the least berserk factor about this high-end case. Reset and energy buttons, plus microphone and headphone jacks, are discovered on the opposite facet of the higher 200mm consumption fan.

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Cooler Master HAF 700 (Front Fans)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Angle View)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Turning the HAF 700 round provides us extra perspective: The rationale that it doesn’t seem terribly deep within the entrance/left indirect photograph is that its motherboard tray is spaced a couple of inches from the left panel. Beneath, we will already see the power-supply mount behind the motherboard tray, and as small as that opening seems to be, it truly has the normal PS2-pattern utilized by full-size ATX energy models.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Back)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Massive sufficient for a 13-inch-deep E-ATX or SSI-EEB motherboard, the HAF 700 has sufficient area below its backside edge to carry a type of previous XL-ATX behemoth motherboards (from again within the four-way SLI days), together with an eighth PCI Categorical slot place simply in case you’d wish to attempt, for no matter obscure cause, mounting a double-slot card on the backside of a typical ATX/EATX mobo. The 2 200mm consumption followers stand prominently on a entrance panel that seems to be drilled for a couple of different (unspecified) odd sizes, and the 2 120mm exhaust followers are screwed to slots that permit them to be lowered to clear—get this—a 240mm-class (twin 120mm) liquid cooling radiator.

The Cooler Master HAF 700 Berserker with all panels removed


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

The underside incorporates a triple 120mm or 140mm fan mount over a slide-out mud filter and sufficient room to suit so-called 360mm and 420mm radiators of any sensible size. The only included 120mm fan down right here is the one one within the system that isn’t already linked, and that’s in all probability as a result of Cooler Grasp feels that many house owners will probably be tossing this one to as an alternative set up their very own matching set.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Floor)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

The decrease radiator mount is detachable by way of a single latch. Surprisingly, it’s designed to tilt roughly 15 levels towards the glass facet, if desired. Since we will’t consider any cause to tilt the consumption followers away from the consumption filter, we’ll contemplate this one of many HAF 700’s quirkiest options.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Radiator Mount)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Much more uncommon is that the highest panel options area for two (sure, two) 360mm-class radiators by way of six 120mm followers. With 500mm of size obtainable, it’s the width that limits customers of 140mm followers to a single 420mm-class radiator. The 2 rows of 120mm followers are additionally too far aside to mount double-row (corresponding to 240mm by 240mm sq.) radiators.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Top Down)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

As a result of the motherboard tray is ready inward however the prime panel radiator mounts aren’t, we discover a 106mm nook above the motherboard tray. That’s sufficient room for an Alphacool NexXxoS Monstra(Opens in a brand new window) 360mm by 80mm radiator, plus 25mm followers on the extra restrictive proper facet! On condition that we like to go away greater than 1mm of area for airflow (amongst different issues), a pair of 60mm-thick triple-fan radiators and two rows of 38mm-thick 120mm followers sounds way more affordable a most. Oh, and for individuals who like fan sandwiches, 25mm plus 45mm plus 25mm remains to be 11mm lower than 106mm.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Radiator Space)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Then there’s the PCI Categorical card mounting. Card latches have been an enormous deal twenty years in the past, with dozens of horrible designs polluting the market among the many few truly passing muster. The HAF 700 brings them again in one of the best ways doable. Its absolutely purposeful card-securing gadget opens simply from the surface and closes securely over locator studs. The locator studs hold playing cards from slipping out of place, and will be changed with screws when screws are required. We did have some quibbles, although, amongst them the truth that the slot barely opened extensive sufficient to permit our card’s decrease bracket tabs to slip previous our motherboard’s beauty plastic protecting, and that changing its studs with screws would require screwdrivers with lengthy, skinny shanks.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Long Latch)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Eradicating the suitable facet reveals consumption mud filters for the facility provide and elective side-mounted radiator/followers. Hooked up with a strip of magnets across the periphery, there’s sadly nothing to find these filter sheets inside the flat aircraft that’s the metal right-side panel. Customers should align these visually, and take away the facet panel to re-align at any time when mishandling causes these to shift.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Dust Filters)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Displaying what’s behind the suitable facet panel requires the removing of one more, smaller panel. The grey factor on the prime of that smaller panel is a quarter-turn latch.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Panels Removed)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

That interior panel is drilled to assist two drives within the consumer’s selection of two.5-inch and three.5-inch kind elements.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Hard Drive Bay)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

You see, within the picture beneath, behind the outer two-drive trays are three single-drive trays (left) and a four-drive cage (proper) that tilts out for straightforward removing. Behind the three single drive trays is a fan mount with slots that match as much as 4 120mm or three 140mm followers, plus radiators that match both of these choices. An ARGB controller and a fan hub are seen earlier than the drive cage, whereas the facility provide bay is seen beneath it.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (HDD Cage)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

The ARGB controller has two inputs and three outputs: The lower-left micro USB connector goes to an inside USB 2.0 header cable, the 5V power-supply connector goes to a SATA-style energy lead, and the “ARGB1” header goes to a fan hub above it. We zoomed in with hopes that somebody studying this might establish the controller.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Fan Controller)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Powered individually by a second SATA-style lead cable, the fan hub consists of seven PWM and 5 ARGB headers. Together with the 2 open headers on the ARGB controller, the HAF 700 offers energy and management for seven ARGB followers.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Fan Controller 2)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)


Constructing With the HAF 700

Despite the fact that the HAF 700 helps full-size energy provides greater than 200mm deep, it’s going to take a lot smaller, extra mortal fashions. (FSP equipped us with a unit that matches each sort of case we check and nonetheless has sufficient energy to assist any form of {hardware} we’d throw on it; lengthy cables and a PS2 adapter plate are key to its set up flexibility.) In the meantime, Corsair’s iCUE H100i RGB Professional XT retains our methods lit…irrespective of how flashy the case. That is our normal check cooler, although in fact it is undersize for this class of chassis; you purchase a case like this to mount huge radiators. Here’s a abstract of our check config…

The very first thing we have to do is screw within the motherboard and CPU cooler: The HAF 700’s set up package is an entire ironmongery store, coming in a plastic organizer tray. It consists of three extra standoffs to assist 13-inch-deep motherboards, 12 fan screws, two units of 20 threaded pins for push-mounting 2.5-inch drives and three.5-inch drives, 23 hex/Phillips #2 combo head screws in #6-32 thread, 16 M3 screws for mounting 2.5-inch drives to trays that don’t assist push-in set up, 4 longer #6-32 screws for different drive-mounting wants, a cleansing fabric, three Velcro-brand (in accordance with Cooler Grasp) cable straps, and 10 cable ties.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Bits Kit)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Subsequent come the cables: Cooler Grasp provisioned the HAF 700 with an ingenious clip that retains its energy button and LED leads grouped collectively within the now-standard Intel format, and will be slid off for the results in match different boards. Additionally seen right here is the USB 3.2 Gen 2 cable (labeled USB 3.1, as a result of it’s each), two USB 3.2 Gen 1 cables which might be helpfully labeled with each correct and acquainted requirements, a USB 2.0 cable for the ARGB controller, and the standard HD Audio for front-panel connections. Not proven are the 2 SATA-type drive energy leads that individually energy the ARGB controller and the fan hub.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Internal Cables)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

After connecting these cables to the mainboard, we’re prepared so as to add our energy provide cables. That is how the HAF 700’s inside seems to be when geared up solely with common ATX-size components. Its large 480mm-class facet radiator mount is clearly seen a number of inches ahead of the motherboard.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Components Installed)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

And right here’s the way it seems to be all lit up. This can be a large case, not tiny elements, thoughts you: This chassis dwarfs absolutely anything you may put in it from a “regular”-size mid-tower.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Build)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)


Benchmark Outcomes

The HAF 700’s baseline CPU cooling efficiency finishes on par with the highest three instances in our comparability for near a four-way tie. In fact, all these instances are designed to assist a far bigger cooling system than what’s included in our baseline testing configuration.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (CPU Temperature Test)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Our system is configured to make use of the radiator followers for voltage-regulator cooling, however the HAF 700 is designed to carry one thing of a bit grander scale. That’s seemingly the best cause that it fell to fourth place in our voltage-regulator measurements.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Voltage Regulator Temperature Tests)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Then we checked out GPU cooling. HAF 700 is tied for first with the NZXT H7 Circulate relating to offering cooling air to our GPU.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (GPU Temperature Tests)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

With nothing greater than a set of front-panel fan blades to maintain the noise of our graphics card contained in the HAF 700, the truth that its massive dimension places that noise supply at a larger distance from our meter is the one clarification for its mid-pack sound-pressure degree. Measuring from the glass facet gave us decrease numbers than from the metal facet.

Cooler Master HAF 700 (Sound Pressure Level Tests)


(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)


The Verdict: A Very Massive Deal, of Types, for the Proper Builder

Cooler Grasp’s HAF 700 is huge, however is it a major addition to the PC-case discipline? With area for a quad-fan radiator plus three triple-fan ones, it’s actually going to garner nice curiosity from some members of the overclocking group. Nonetheless, a lot of its {hardware} lacks the polish of the case we’d contemplate its closest current competitor, the Corsair iCUE 5000T RGB, although it does have a super-slick card-latching mechanism.

However case appearances are nothing if not subjective, and loads of people will desire the basic mecha-look of the HAF 700. Furthermore, the HAF 700 is 25% cheaper than the 5000T, and extensive sufficient to assist an additional radiator on prime…and on the underside…and even the again. It is a chassis for the cooling 1%, and we expect that makes it a bit, nicelyberserker? extra berserk?than its competitors. We’re glad it exists, however we’re nonetheless engaged on justifying that second radiator in our PC, by no means thoughts a 3rd or fourth.

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