Cooler Master HAF XM Case Review

The Disk Drive Bays

The Cooler Master HAF XM has three external 5.25” bays, two external 3.5”/2.5” bays with hot-swap connectors, six internal 3.5”/2.5” bays, and one internal 2.5” bay behind the motherboard tray. You won’t need tools or screws to install the 5.25” and 3.5” drives, but the 2.5” devices need to be installed using regular screws.

Figure 19: Disk drive bays

The six internal 3.5”/2.5” bays are installed in two cages with three bays each. You can remove the top cage if you want to install video cards longer than 13.9” (354 mm). (Actually, you remove only its left panel and its bays.)

Figure 20: Top hard drive cage removed

Each 3.5”/2.5” bay is actually a drawer, featuring anti-vibration mechanisms to reduce noise.

Figure 21: One of the 3.5”/2.5” bays

The stand-alone internal 2.5” bay is located behind the motherboard tray.

Figure 22: The stand-alone internal 2.5” bay