Cooler Master HAF 932 AMD Edition Case Review

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

Cooler Master has just released a new version from their HAF 932 full-tower case targeted to AMD/ATI fanboys. Is it simply a HAF 932 painted red or is there more features? Since we’ve already reviewed the original HAF 932 we will be able to tell you exactly all the differences between the two. Let’s check it out.

Three things immediately catch the eye. The front panel is now red, matching ATI’s color pattern; there is an AMD badge written “AMD Phenom II X4” where it used to be Cooler Master’s logo; and the left panel has a dragon painted on its acrylic window.

Figure 1: Cooler Master HAF 932 AMD Edition case.

Figure 2: Cooler Master HAF 932 AMD Edition case.

Figure 3: Side panel.

Here we have the first big difference between the new HAF 932 AMD Edition and the original version. The acrylic window is bigger and Cooler Master removed the 230 mm fan that is available on the original HAF 932. Also the original HAF 932 allows you to install up to four 120 mm fans on this side panel, feature not present on the new AMD Edition.

In Figure 4, you can see the front panel from this case. It has six 5.25” bays all featuring meshed covers, which improve airflow. Just like the original HAF 932, the reviewed case has a 230 mm fan on the bottom part of the front panel cooling down the hard disk drives. This fan rotates at 700 rpm (19 dBA) and glows red when turned on. It comes with a three-pin connector and with an adapter if you prefer to install it directly on your power supply. The blades from this 230 mm fan actually measures 190 mm so in fact this fan has the same size of certain “smaller” fans (e.g., the 200-mm fan used on Antec Twelve Hundred). No air filter is available.

Figure 4: Front panel.

The buttons and connectors from HAF 932 AMD Edition are available on the top part of the front panel, and this case comes with four USB ports, one FireWire port and one eSATA port, plus the microphone input and headphones output. This is the best configuration possible, in our opinion, and is identical to the one used on the original HAF 932.

Figure 5: Buttons and connectors.

[nextpage title=”Introduction (Cont’d)”]

On the top panel from HAF 932 AMD Edition is identical to the top panel from the original HAF 932, coming with one 230 mm fan identical to the one used on the front panel (700 rpm, 19 dBA, glowing red). There is a space for installing an optional 120 mm fan (the other two holes for this fan are below the rubber mat). If you remove this 230 mm fan you can install two 120 mm fans or a radiator from certain liquid cooling solutions.

Figure 6: Top panel.

The top panel has a small storage compartment and the power and reset switches. The bottom of this storage compartment is protected by a rubber mat and removing this mat you have access to the two holes for attaching an optional 120 mm fan and a hole that in theory can be used to fill tanks from water cooling devices installed on the top 5.25” bays. But frankly this hole is simply ridiculous, because for adding coolant liquid to a water cooler you need to first open the tank, which is obviously impossible to be done through such small hole. Thus it would be far better if the whole bottom part of the storage compartment could be removed, so you would have access to the top part of water cooling solution installed on the top 5.25” bays, including the water tank.

Figure 7: Storage compartment.

Figure 8: Storage compartment with its rubber mat removed.

Finally we have the rear panel in Figure 9, which is also identical to the one used on the original HAF 932. On this case the power supply is installed on the lower section of the case. This case has one 140 mm fan on its rear panel, rotating at 1,200 rpm. No speed control is available on this or on any other fan present on this case. On the upper part of the panel you can see two holes for an external water cooling solution. These holes are protected by a rubber cover, so you won’t need to break anything on your case to have them available. As you may have noticed, these holes are located on a frame covering where you can install a second power supply. If you decide to install a second power supply, you will need to remove the top 230 mm fan, but you will be still able to install one or two 120 mm fans on the top panel (depending on the depth of the power supply you decide to install). Unfortunately this case doesn’t come with the necessary adapter to connect pin 14 (green wire) from the two power supplies, which allows them to be turned on at the same time when you press the case power button.

Figure 9: Rear panel.

As you may have noticed, the rear panel (and thus the interior) is not painted black. It should.

Like the original HAF 932, this new version comes with a set of wheels, so you can replace the standard stands that come with the case with the feet if you want to be able to move you case around. This is a really nice option to have.

Figure 10: Wheels.

Now let’s take a look inside Cooler Master HAF 932 AMD Edition.

[nextpage title=”Inside HAF 932 AMD Edition”]

Both panels are fastened to the case using thumbscrews, which is excellent. The interior from HAF 932 AMD Edition is identical to the original HAF 932. It is not painted black, and we think it should. This case comes with a big hole on the motherboard tray for you to have access to the backplate from the CPU cooler, allowing you to replace it without having to remove the motherboard, and several holes for routing cables behind the motherboard tray. The motherboard tray also features several clips for holding zip-lock ties.

Figure 11: Overall look.

Figure 12: A view from behind the motherboard tray.

The motherboard tray is big enough to hold Extended ATX (E-ATX) motherboards, also easily allowing the installation of video cards up to 12” (30.5 cm) long.

In Figure 13 you can have another overall look from inside HAF 932 AMD Edition. As already explained, you can remove the top 230 mm fan for installing radiators from certain liquid cooling solutions, to install a second power supply, or to simply replace it with two 120 mm fans. This case comes with individual holding mechanisms for expansion cards and the expansion slots come with meshed covers, which certainly improve the internal airflow.

Figure 13: Overall look.

In Figure 14, you can see the power supply compartment. You can install one 120 mm fan there. If you install the power supply on the top part of the case, you can remove the power supply stand and install a second 120 mm fan on the bottom panel. In this case you will need to move the cover with the two holes for hoses from liquid cooling solutions from the top part of the case to the bottom (where the power supply is installed by default), so you won’t end up with a big hole on the rear panel. No air filter is provided.

Figure 14: Power supply compartment.

[nextpage title=”The Disk Drive Bays”]

The disk drive configuration from HAF 932 AMD Edition is identical to the one from the original HAF 932. It comes with six 5.25” bays with screwless mechanisms (see Figure 15). The bottom 5.25” bay comes with a 5.25”-to-3.5” adapter.

Figure 15: 5.25” bays.

HAF 932 AMD Edition comes with five 3.5” bays for hard disk drives. These bays are actually little drawers, which do not require any kind of tool or screw for hard drive installation. The pegs that hold the drives have a rubber ring around them to prevent the vibration from the drives to propagate to the chassis (i.e., it is a noise prevention mechanism).

Figure 16: Hard drive bays.

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

Cooler Master HAF 932 AMD Edition case main specs include:

• Style: Full-tower
• Application: E-ATX and smaller form factors derived from this one.
• Material: Zinc-coated steel (SECC).
• Power supply required: Doesn’t come with the product.
• Available colors: Black with red front panel.
• Side panel: Transparent acrylic.
• Dimensions: 22 1/8” x 9 ½” x 22 ¼” (56.0 cm x 24.3 cm x 56.4 cm) (H x W x D).
• Net weight: 27 lbs (12.2 kg)
• Gross weight: 32 lbs (14.6 kg)
• Bays: Six external 5.25” bays (comes with one 5.25”-to-3.5” adapter) and five internal 3.5” bays.
• Expansion slots: Seven.
• Fans: One 230 mm on the front (700 rpm, 19 dBA, glowing red), one 230 mm on the top (700 rpm, 19 dBA, glowing red) and one 140 mm on the rear (1,200 rpm, 17 dBA).
• Optional fans: Two 120 mm fans on the bottom (the second only if the power supply is installed on the top part of the case) and three 120 mm fans on the top (two of them only if you remove the top 230 mm fan).
• More Information: https://www.coolermaster-usa.com
• Average price in the US*: USD 170.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

Cooler Master HAF 932 AMD Edition case main specs include:

• Style: Full-tower
• Application: E-ATX and smaller form factors derived from this one.
• Material: Zinc-coated steel (SECC).
• Power supply required: Doesn’t come with the product.
• Available colors: Black with red front panel.
• Side panel: Transparent acrylic.
• Dimensions: 22 1/8” x 9 ½” x 22 ¼” (56.0 cm x 24.3 cm x 56.4 cm) (H x W x D).
• Net weight: 27 lbs (12.2 kg)
• Gross weight: 32 lbs (14.6 kg)
• Bays: Six external 5.25” bays (comes with one 5.25”-to-3.5” adapter) and five internal 3.5” bays.
• Expansion slots: Seven.
• Fans: One 230 mm on the front (700 rpm, 19 dBA, glowing red), one 230 mm on the top (700 rpm, 19 dBA, glowing red) and one 140 mm on the rear (1,200 rpm, 17 dBA).
• Optional fans: Two 120 mm fans on the bottom (the second only if the power supply is installed on the top part of the case) and three 120 mm fans on the top (two of them only if you remove the top 230 mm fan).
• More Information: https://www.coolermaster-usa.com
• Average price in the US*: USD 170.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

Cooler Master HAF 932 AMD Edition case main specs include:

• Style: Full-tower
• Application: E-ATX and smaller form factors derived from this one.
• Material: Zinc-coated steel (SECC).
• Power supply required: Doesn’t c
  ome with the product.
• Available colors: Black with red front panel.
• Side panel: Transparent acrylic.
• Dimensions: 22 1/8” x 9 ½” x 22 ¼” (56.0 cm x 24.3 cm x 56.4 cm) (H x W x D).
• Net weight: 27 lbs (12.2 kg)
• Gross weight: 32 lbs (14.6 kg)
• Bays: Six external 5.25” bays (comes with one 5.25”-to-3.5” adapter) and five internal 3.5” bays.
• Expansion slots: Seven.
• Fans: One 230 mm on the front (700 rpm, 19 dBA, glowing red), one 230 mm on the top (700 rpm, 19 dBA, glowing red) and one 140 mm on the rear (1,200 rpm, 17 dBA).
• Optional fans: Two 120 mm fans on the bottom (the second only if the power supply is installed on the top part of the case) and three 120 mm fans on the top (two of them only if you remove the top 230 mm fan).
• More Information: https://www.coolermaster-usa.com
• Average price in the US*: USD 170.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

Cooler Master HAF 932 AMD Edition may be an interesting option for the AMD/ATI fanboy. The problem is that it costs more than the original HAF 932 and comes with less features (the side 230 mm fan was removed and so the support for four 120 mm fans on the left side panel). If you think it is worthwhile paying USD 30 more just to have a red front panel and a cool dragon painted on the acrylic window, go for it. But we think that the average user looking for a case with a good cost/benefit ratio should look into a different product.

Strong Points

• Meshed bay covers.
• Meshed slot covers.
• Hole in the motherboard tray for accessing the backplate of the CPU cooler.
• Holes for routing cables on the motherboard tray with rubber covers.
• Clips for fastening zip-lock ties.
• eSATA port.
• Four USB ports.
• No sharp edges where you could cut yourself while building your PC.
• Screwless mechanisms for holding expansion cards.
• Screwless mechanisms for fastening drives.
• Supports the installation of radiators from certain liquid cooling solutions on the top panel.
• Set of wheels that allow you to easily move the computer around.
• Support for two power supplies.

Weak Points

• No air filters.
• Rear panel and interior could be painted black.
• Although the number of hard disk drive bays is more than satisfactory, this case loses to other full-tower models that have more bays.
• USB and FireWire ports are too close to each other and you may have trouble installing two or more USB devices and one FireWire cable at the same time.
• Hole for filling water cooling systems has no practical use, as it is too small and you need to open the water tank lid first, which is impossible to be done through such small hole.
• Doesn’t come with the necessary adapter to connect pin 14 (green wire) from the two power supplies, which allows them to be turned on at the same time when you press the case power button.