Introduction

I went into the computer building process with high standards for Coolermaster. I can truthfully say that those standards were met, if not exceeded with their HAF 922 computer chassis. This mid-tower is the "child" of the monster sized full tower that is the HAF 932. And the name "High Air Flow" certiainly is not a lie. Every time I turn on this computer the air blowing on my leg would blow my skirt up; and that would be no lie if I wore a skirt.

About the Product

This information is taken from Coolermaster's product page.

Closer look

Box Front..and a cat!		Box Back

The box has some pretty cool graphics on it, and it also includes specifications and features on it. UPS just happened to put the shipping label over the side of the box where the specifications were located.

Top of box opened		Out of box

The packaging was solid and I couldn't hear anything moving around inside the box when I shook it.

Left side of case		Right side of case

The case gives off a rugged look with the side window that isn't acrylic, but more of a grate. The side window also includes mounting brackets for an extra fan.

Top of case		Front power buttons and lights

I really like the power buttons on top; I feel like they are right at my fingertips. The top is also a very good place to put my Western Digital Passport external hard drive. The USB cable is the perfect length to get to the front access ports.

Front of case		Back of case

Here you get a glimpse at the front access ports featuring an e-SATA port, 2 USB ports, and audio jacks for a mic and speakers. On the back you see the standard I/O, PSU, and Expansion spots, along with the water cooling features that Coolermaster has included.

Liquid cooling tube openings		Liquid cooling resiviour viewport

Here are the aforementioned liquid cooling options made available by Coolermaster.

Inside of case		External drive bays

Here we see the guts of the case. In addition to the piece of paper I ripped eagerly opening this thing up. The paper showed where the screws go for mounting ATX and micro-ATX motherboards.

Top 200 mm fan		Rear 120 mm fan

These blow.

Right side of case		Front 200 mm fan

Here you can see the cable management features and "CPU retaining hole. The front fan has a red LED that is turned on and off with a button switch on the top of the case."

Internal drive bays		Internal drive bay opened up

It takes one finger to pull out a drive bay.

Drive mount taken out a bit		3.5" drive mount

I might have used a thumb as well. I also find it kind of ironic that I have a screwdriver laying next to the tooless drive mount. I needed to use it to screw in the motherboard.

Drive mount with a HDD in it		Putting the drive in

All of this is tooless and amazingly easy to do.

Various screws and things		Chassis speaker!

My other build didn't come with it's own chassis speaker. Also seen are the mounting brackets for an external 3.5" drive.

Motherboard and PSU installed		Cable management

Even though I don't see it when the build is complete; I feel silly having the PSU upside down.

External 5.25" drive cover		External 5.25" drive cover taken off

This was also easy to do. It is also worth mentioning that during this build; I never once felt like I was about to break anything on the case. I also didn't ever have to use any physical effort to take things apart.

Drive installed		Build Complete

You can also see an up close view of the front access ports which I now am in love with.

Up and running!		Another view

The case sits to about my knees. You can also see my old Dell Dimension 4700 that is being replaced.

The Build

Conclusion

Coolermaster did a great job of welcoming me to the computer building world with this great case! The massive fans on this thing keep my system cool all day long. There was plenty of room to work in and I never once felt cramped putting together this build. The case has all the features I would expect a case to have. The hard drive bays are particularly awesome to use, as instalilng a new hard disk is effortless. I love the rugged way this case looks, and the way that it doesn't "over do" the LED fan lights like some other cases do.

Some pros we found:

Sturdy: I didn't feel like I was going to break anything on the case
Air Flow!
Cable management is very easy to use; it even includes zip ties for you.
Completely tooless design, and it does it well.
Front auido, USB, and e-SATA ports mean I don't even have to bend down to plug in my external hard drive.
Built with the liquid cooler in mind: Openings for liquid tubes, and an opening for a resiviour level indicator.

Some cons we found:

I cut my finger on the metal where the case meets the PSU, but I can hardly blame the case for pressing my finger against something that would not be described as sharp.