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Cooler Master HAF932

The week I was looking for a case to use in my next DVD project I received an email announcing Cooler Master's new HAF932 (RC-932-KKN1-GP) case. I have to purchase my parts through regular retail sources just like everyone else, so I tend to be very picky about what I buy. I had a very short list of cases that I would like to use, but this one had some feaures I couldn't pass up. Since I was planning to feature a water cooled rig in the next DVD "Build A Water Cooled Gaming PC" I needed a case big enough to hold a radiator, reservoir, pump, and all the tubing necessary and still leave enough room for all the rest of my parts. I also wanted one that would cool the inside components without adding a lot of fan noise. This case seemed up to the job. Coming from a Cooler Master Cosmos RC-1000 case, I wondered if I would miss the streamlined look and the fit and finish of that awesome case. Would the rugged, industrial look of the HAF932 win me over?

Packaging

The HAF932 came shipped in the manufacturers printed box. This is the way most cases are shipped and is usually not a problem unless the manufacturer uses packaging like this. The styrofoam used to protect the case is very thin and the back of the case will smash on the bottom of the box with little effort. The outside of the box was in good shape, but the case itself was damaged by impact. The foam has cracked and all four side panel thumb screws were bent, and the bottom corner of the case had sharp edges protruding. This one had to be exchanged. Luckily, the second one survived the trip and I was finally able to begin the build.
The case comes with all of the necessary screws and standoffs, a set of casters, a floppy drive slot cover and a 6-pin PSU extention cable used for routing the power cables behind the motherboard tray.

Accessories

Features

The case comes equipped with three 230mm fans for the front, top, and left side. There is also a 140mm exhaust fan in the back. The front fan is the only one that has red colored LED's, but it makes a statement without being over the top. I liked the red lighting so much, I decided to continue the theme by using red cooling fluid for the CPU water block. The fans on the top and side can be replaced using four 120mm fans if desired.
The HAF932 brings Cooler Master's tooless design elements from the Cosmos and adds a few new things as well. The push button optical drive locks are back and actually feel a little more refined. They also payed attention to hard drive cooling for this case by placing the five trays directly behind the front fan for some active cooling (one of the few drawbacks of the Cosmos). The PCI slot covers are a mesh type, allowing air to pass through and exit the case. The interior of the case is spacious and well constructed with no sharp edges. There are many convenient openings to route cables through for a tidy wiring job. This is another improvement over previous model cases because there is plenty of room between the motherboard tray and the right side panel to route big power cables. Front panel options include four USB ports, one Firewire, audio ports, and E-SATA. Another nice feature is the water cooling fillport hole (fillport is not included).
The back of the case features pre-cut holes for water cooling tubes to run through if you have the radiator or reservoir outside of the case. I did not find that necessary though, as there is enough room for a dual fan radiator to be mounted comfortably on the inside top of the case after removing the top fan. The case front has easily removable optical drive covers for quickly swapping drives. I was happy with the decision to use this case for my water cooled PC. For the type of system I was going for, the HAF932 is a perfect fit. Speaking of the fit, I was a bit disappointed with the side panels. The panels seemed to flex a bit and the thumb screws are hard to line up when putting the panels back on. I may have been spoiled by the Cosmos' innovative side panel design, or maybe the second case was slightly warped from the trip. Whatever the reason, this is a minor flaw that most people (that don't need to access the inside of the case on a daily basis) will never notice. The price of this case is another plus. At $160 this case has a solid feature set without too many compromises. You will definitely find some nicer cases out there, but are they worth the extra cost?

9/11/08 -Keith Soreghen-