Coolermaster HAF 932

Testing

Test Rig

Methodology

Testing cases is another of those odd ones, as the main test of any case, is what features it has, and whether it’s cooling options are quiet. The features are detailed in the look at the case itself, but individual ones will be looked into during the testing to highlight any problems or particularly innovations we liked.

We also have a rather unique test termed the case “strength” test. This involves yours truly standing on said case, and checking how it reacts in terms of flexing. This test is detailed more here.

Results

Strength

To move straight into the strength test, I’d give this Coolermaster HAF a full 3/3. It managed to withstand by whopping 10 stone without even a flinch. The thin grill on the top bent slightly, but the main case sides didn’t even seem to notice. This is one hell of a strong case and you should have no problem throwing it around at a LAN.

Noise

The cooling for the HAF 932 as stated before is ridiculous, and it’s cooling ability (and expandability in this department) is pretty unrivaled in any case I’ve seen. Surprisingly though, it’s one of the quietest cases I’ve ever used. Even with your ear right up against each fan, you can barely hear it. This is most likely down to the large size of the two main coolant fans, allowing them to spin more slowly, and therefore cause less noise.

That said, the side panels of the case are not padded in any way, and due to the large sections of grill on each panel, it will not be able to filter noise from the hardware you put in it. So if you use this case, make sure that your internal hardware doesn’t cause much noise output, or you’ll be hearing a lot of it.

Drive Bays

The 5 1/4″ drive bays are some of the most intuitive I have ever used. To lock a drive in place, you push the button and it locks in a metal clip into each screw hole. Pop the button again, and out they come. With the 3 1/2″ drive bay you get small foam padding around the HDD mounting pins. It’s a bit of a shame not to see thicker anti-vibration material used here or ideally I’d have liked to have seen an elastic suspension system to remove all HDD noise; though these are less stable for the hardware.

Cable Management

Click to enlarge

The cable management systems employed in the case were also pretty great with lots of notches and holes that allows you to tidy the cabling away nicely.

Cost

The Coolermaster HAF 932 will set you back £110 which I was actually quite surprised at; especially since it’s a Coolermaster. For the amount of features and levels of cooling this case has this is a pretty good deal.

Cases