Cooler Master HAF-X Case Unveiled at CES

During the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, Benchmark Reviews was fortunate to see several new products unveiled for the first time. Most manufacturers in attendance used CES to reveal their recently launched product line, while others demonstrated existing product series. With all of the new products making news, a few manufacturers still had a few secret products that were yet to be released. Cooler Master had some of both when we visited, and one of them was the Cooler Master HAF-X Mid-Tower Computer Case.

The yet-to-be-released Cooler Master HAF-X is going to be the crown jewel of cases in 2010, and join other new releases such as the CM690-II Advanced RC-692, and the HAF-932 AMD Edition AM-932. While the HAF-X combines features from both of these models to create a synergy of new functions, much of the design is original.

Some of the features that will make enthusiast system builder happy are the nine add0in card expansion slots, which is a necessity for triple-SLI or CrossFireX configurations. The motherboard tray cutout is a standard feature in Cooler Master products, and makes high-end CPU cooler removal much easier than before. Borrowed from the CM690-II design, the new Cooler Master X-Dock is the easiest way to join a SATA drive to the system without opening the chassis.

Six removable 5.25" expansion bay plates include their own filters, and the 5+2 hard drive rack is identical in design to the CM690-II we recently reviewed. Although only visible in the first image on this page, a sliding panel at the top-front shoulder reveals yet-to-be-released features.

Fans are bigger, but the noise isn't. The Cooler Master HAF-X will have a giant 200mm side fan for cooling video card(s) and motherboard, joined by another 230mm front cooling fan. A 140mm rear exhuast fan and two more 200mm top exhaust fans will vent out heated air. All of these fans are down-gradable to smaller units (with exception to the side fan).

Benchmark Reviews now offers our featured article of the Cooler Master HAF-X Case RC-942-KKN1.

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