More HAF, less Hoff, all cooling.
As you may be able to guess, the HAF 922 is a smaller and more budget oriented version of the HAF 932. So by turning a shrink ray onto a case that we gave a Hot Award to, has Coolermaster done the HAF any lasting harm?
Outwardly, it appears not to have hurt that much at all. This HAF still has that same black, semi-industrial look and feel of its bigger brother, with a mix of matte and gloss finishes on the plastic and metal exterior. The front fascia is made up of black mesh, which will keep airflow pretty solid, but which is sadly lacking in any kind of filtering. Look out for dust.
The top end of the case front features the IO ports and a small tray-like enclosure perfect for putting screws, discs and other knick-knacks into. The power and reset buttons are plastic as well, but without actually feeling too cheap. We don't know about you guys, but our favourite and first test for case quality is to just press the power switch a dozen or so times - a poor or unresponsive action here usually means a poor case overall. There's also a switch up here to turn the fan-lighting off and on. Handy for stealth gaming sessions.
The 922 has a reasonably narrow profile, but both side panels flare out to make room for internal components; the left panel is further enhanced by cut-out grill, with mountings to for either two 120mm fans or one 200mm model - and there'll still be a lot of clearance for all but the most extravagant of cooling setups.
Speaking of cooling, the 922's stock loadout of two 200mm fans and a single 120mm is more than adequate, and at least there's room for more fans and even a slim watercooling rig if you really want to overclock like there's no tomorrow. There are two comfortably sized rubber grommets at the case rear, as well. The last cooling touch is a vertical expansion slot just in front of the main horizontal ones, where you can fit a fan controller. The case may be on the medium side, but it's still thoroughly enthusiast.
That impression is only enhanced by the interior. It's as roomy as you could want, with an impressive amount of clearance behind the motherboard plate - this will make cable management relatively straightforward, further increasing airflow potential. The 922's 5.25in bays are all secured using Coolermaster's usual push-button tool-less approach, and the 3.5in drive bays are similarly tool-less in design. It's no doubt a cost-saving measure, but the 922 thankfully does away with any fancy guff when it comes to securing expansion cards - there's just good old fashioned thumb screws. Hallelujah.
Given the original HAF now costs about $230, this is a nice alternative if you like that aesthetic but are watching your wallet. It's got a good mix of features without being too clever for its own good. Well done once again, Coolermaster.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012