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Cooler Master HAF XM Mid Tower Case Review

Computers collect dust. Lots of us have pets (I have a cat) that increase dander and dust levels. Even if you keep your room or apartment squeaky clean, dust will accumulate. It's a lot easier to pull out a filter and clean it than it is to try to blow compressed air inside a powersupply and clean it that way. The fact of the matter is that removable dust filters are becoming the standard on high end cases these days, and it's simply inexcusable for a top manufacturer like Coolermaster to not include them.
 
Looks like a great case but the dust filter blunder and honestly it looks a bit bloated (IMO) but if it was 30 bucks cheaper then the issue i have with the looks wouldnt matter
 
I am VERY surprised that no one else caught the Drive Cage/Front Fan problem.

It is nice that one side comes off but the other side needs to come off as well or you will have hampered airflow....even WITH a second fan. This will cause noise.
 
great_big_abyss said:
Dimitry's biggest criticism of this case is the same as my biggest criticism with the 690II:

The power supply dust filter.

It's mounted between the bottom of the case and the power supply itself, so to thoroughly clean it one must remove the power supply. It's really an inexcusable design flaw that should have been corrected years ago. Coolermaster could learn something from Corsair about dust filter design, which is unfortunate, because really cases are what Coolermaster is known for...
Click to expand...

You don't actually need to remove the PSU..
I have the 690II and all I do is slide the case over the end of my desk and quick lick with a vacume and it's done...
If your machine is on the floor the just lean the case over.. Not the best situation for an expensive case I know but when needs must find the easiest option.

Which reminds me.. I really need to clean my filters. :D
 
I think the Storm Sniper vs the XM is kind of close although you have to look at all the features 1 has over the other and see what your needs are. I personally would still chose the Sniper just for the cooling aspect for what you get out of the box.

These are the fine points to the Sniper over HAF-XM...
1. $10 less
2. Uses the updated versions of the Megaflow fans exclusively for the Storm called Stormforce which can spin faster at 1000rpm vs 700rpm providing more airflow of 143cfm vs 110cfm.
3. Comes with 3 of those fans out of the box instead of 2
4. Top mounted fan controller
5. Handles for carrying around
6. Adjustable feet

These are the fine points to the HAF-XM over the Sniper...
1. 9 internal HDD bays vs 5 (6 cages, 2 hotswap, 2.5 rear mount)
2. 2 Internal USB 3.0 ports at the front
3. 2 Sata hotswap at the front
4. Side panel latches vs Thumbscrews
5. Extra 200mm mounting at top
6. Top panel is independent from the front port cabling unlike Sniper which has the front port cables attached to the top panel.
7. Sniper does dual 120mm for side, HAF-XM can do Dual 140mm. Both can do 200mm on side.
8. HAF-XM has option to mount internal 120mm at the HDD cage.
9. Larger cpu cutout vs Sniper
10. 2.5" drive mounting behind mobo tray
11. PSU cable cover

It may seem like I'm describing more advantages of the HAF-XM over the Sniper, but in essence I believe the Sniper offers more practical advantages. For instance, the smaller cpu cut out isn't that severe since you don't change out coolers frequently. PSU cable cover is just aesthetics. I don't see myself removing the top panel for any reason. Dual 200mm sounds good, but not necessary. The better 200mm Stormforce fans on the Sniper provide better airflow than Megaflow. The 2 Sata hotswaps are nice, but personally I never swap out my drives so it's no loss to me. The side panel 200mm fan out of the box with the Sniper is good enough for vga cooling as well as the entire mobo instead of limiting you to just 120mm HDD cage fan for what you get out of the box with the XM.

The XM does have its practical benefits over the Sniper if you are the type that uses alot of internal drives. You get 1 more HDD cage at the front. You can mount a 2.5" at the rear, 2 extra 3.5"/2.5" at the hotswap giving you a grand total of 9 internal HDDs vs Snipers 5. HAF-XM has 2 Internal USB3 at front although you can buy a 3.5" USB 3.0 internal connection Asus adapter for $20 to suit the Sniper IF you really need it.

That's my thought
 
I wonder how it would perform with a SLI setup.

My girfriend always says my case is too big (HAF-X) and since I use it at it's very minimum (see my specs), I am just wondering if temps would be the same vs the HAF-X. Everything else would be the same (ok yeah I loose the side window over fans ... bouhou (read "I don't care"))!

Someone has found a review where they test the temps vs the original HAF-X?
 
HI I was just wondering why can't you do a 4 way SLI or Crossfire X in this case with the motherboard ASUS Rampage IV Extreme, or the new EVGA z77 motherboard when this one comes out they're both E-ATX.
 
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