I bought a new case at last

Lelisevis · Apr 8, 2009, 02:42 PM

So after 6 months of umming and ahhing I have finally bit the bullet and bought a new case. A new case is a big decision for me as I like to get a good few years from it.
Im currently using an original mk1 thermaltake armor which bar the damned rattling doors has served me well and has not inflicted too many flesh wounds as i've swapped components, however lack of a side fan and it's 120mm intake and outakes has left my hardware feeling a little toasty and with summer on the way I thought I better invest in something a bit more modern.
On the way to my final decision I have looked at maybe 20-30 cases, at one point in january I went as far as buying an antec 1200 which I ended up returning as their was something I just didnt like, not sure if it was the styling or the internals but I had that nasty gut feeling of regret and didnt get that excited oooh I have a new toy feeling.
So after many many hours of research I suprised myself with my choice, this case had always been in my top three but then an odd thing happened, last month I went into a local store and they had my chosen case in stock, I got it out of the box and had a play around and was suprisingly underwhelmed at the time. I went home and was about to cross it off my list, however over the following 3 weeks I couldnt stop thinking about it so on friday I bit the bullet.
Fate must have been on my side as I logged onto my Scan account and checked the 'today only' offers, the price had dropped to under £100, I couldnt resist and on tuesday morning I got a knock on the door and took delivery of................................the coolermaster HAF932.

Wow what a beast of a case. Now at this point I should explain that it's not officially mine until my birthday on saturday but me being me I just couldn't resist, the wife was out and I have a roll of sellotape just like the stuff used to hold the box together

. As soon as it was out of the box I had that massive warm glow you get when you know you've made the right choice. All the forum worries about airfilters etc went out the window as I stood with a stupid grin on my face. I unscrewed one of the side panels and noticed that alone weighed as much as my aluminium TT case

.

I'm going to close this message for now but i'll be back on saturday (friday if I can twist her arm) to let you know how the build went and what impact the case has had on my toasty Sli rig.

Lel

Tyrsonswood · Apr 8, 2009, 03:05 PM

Happy birthday man!

ShugNinx · Apr 8, 2009, 03:37 PM

Happy birthday mate!

THe HAF is an AWESOME case have heard nothing but good things about it, I've got a coolermaster storm sniper here and they make top notch cases over there.

In fact zardon/allan even used one in his latest review of the new nehalam EP architecture

GigaWatt · Apr 8, 2009, 03:41 PM

that's one BIG case... congrats and happy birthday...

Lelisevis · Apr 8, 2009, 03:56 PM

Thanks guys, it certainly is a beast of a case, it'll be nice to have proper cut outs so I can tidy up my wiring.
I had to take my dremel to the TT armor on more than one occasion to make it the case it should have been, this included adding a small side window, wiring cutouts and a bracket to mount a second front 120mm fan. No worries with the HAF as this is all standard and should prove a perfect platform for this years watercooling project.

My plan was to start off with something small like the coolit domino which should have been released monday gone but once again the uk release date has been pushed back, it better be worth the bloody wait.

jandarsun8 · Apr 8, 2009, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lelisevis

As soon as it was out of the box I had that massive warm glow you get when you know you've made the right choice. All the forum worries about airfilters etc went out the window as I stood with a stupid grin on my face.

LOL I know the feeling man. I got the same feeling when I got my new case.

Happy birthday and nice looking case. Have to post what it looks like once you get it up and running.

Jand

Chaos · Apr 8, 2009, 04:46 PM

sweet looking new case bro enjoy

Al_Vampyre · Apr 8, 2009, 06:58 PM

Great case, and Happy Birthday for Saturday mate!

Judas · Apr 8, 2009, 08:43 PM

enjoy it...

i'm looking forward to jumping into my cosmos 1000 again here pretty damn quick.. i haven't touched it for over a year now and it's been in storage...

CDsDontBurn · Apr 8, 2009, 11:29 PM

congrats on getting the right case, and even more congrats on your b-day!

PH3N0M · Apr 9, 2009, 12:13 AM

Congrats! The next time I decide to build my own rig, I plan on using the same case unless something bigger and/or more accommodating is on the market. That's a very slick box!

Mac Daddy · Apr 9, 2009, 01:18 AM

Solid case and Happy BDay Levi

ET3D · Apr 9, 2009, 07:05 AM

Happy birthday!

Cow_160483 · Apr 9, 2009, 07:38 AM

Sweet case bro ... and jumping on the bandwagon happy B-Day on sat.

nicnik · Apr 9, 2009, 11:31 AM

happy birthday!

charm_quark · Apr 9, 2009, 02:43 PM

Nice case

and happy birthday

dawgXdenta · Apr 10, 2009, 05:32 PM

wow man i need that, my physical adress is ******. ****.*****

Lelisevis · Apr 11, 2009, 03:54 AM

It's now officially my birthday and yes......the beast is built.

Whilst I upload the pics to photobucket i'll give away a few tidbits of info:

1) It's been my easiest and most painless build yet
2) It's roughly the size of my TT Armor but about an inch+ deeper
3) The depth has made for some pretty damned impressive cable hiding
4) Carry this to a lan party? I think not. I just put it on the scales when built up and it tipped in at a hefty 52.4lbs
5)My B3 Q6600 now idles at 25C down from 30C
6) My first 8800GTS idles at 46C down from 55C
7) My second 8800GTS which previously sat on the case floor idles at 47C down from 63C
8) The fans pre-installed run silent with just a nice gentle wisp of air sound.
9) Did I mention how heavy this system is LOL.

Pics almost ready

Chaos · Apr 11, 2009, 04:10 AM

get them uploaded dude

Lelisevis · Apr 11, 2009, 04:34 AM

Ok here goes

:

Out of the box, a job in itself.

Old meets new. Out goes rattling silver aluminium, in comes some serious black steel.

Side by side comparison

All of this needs to go into that, now who's got my magic wand?

Powersupply is in, so far so good (enermax galaxy 850W).

Lelisevis · Apr 11, 2009, 04:39 AM

In goes the motherboard and 3 harddrives, keeping the fourth for a secret project

.

In goes the soundcard and two graphics cards, made a start on the wiring.

Chaos · Apr 11, 2009, 04:45 AM

Looking Good

Lelisevis · Apr 11, 2009, 04:49 AM

Wirings complete. Need to buy a black sata dvd-rw to replace the silver pata one fitted at the moment, this will cutout a sizeable chunk of cable

Pop the side panel on, whoever said this pc build business was difficult?

Tadaaaaa!!!

Carry the heavy bugger upstairs and lo and behold...it fires up straight away

Awesome red glow is my crucial ballistix trace which complement the front fan perfectly, the redness is no where near as harsh in reality but I had my camera on high sensitivity as it's 5am here

.

DJ BIG T · Apr 11, 2009, 04:52 AM

happy birthday!!! very nice case...

Lelisevis · Apr 11, 2009, 04:54 AM

Ok think that will do for tonight, few odds and ends to tidy up but I hope you all enjoy the pics.
If anyone has any questions on the case or the build then post them up and i'll answer them in the short period between me waking up and me opening my first beer.

Judas · Apr 11, 2009, 07:41 AM

i really wonder if coolermaster actually read those email specs i sent them.. cause the depth looks right and the rear cable management is pretty much exactly what i had asked for...

still a number of things in even that case i would change.... i still prefer the mounting style of the hardrives in the coolermaster.. but that case is a hell of alot better then the older standard style that coolermaster brought back into some of it's case designs..

I really wish i could get my hands on some 140mm fans though

comp_ali · Apr 11, 2009, 09:04 AM

Very impressive.

lepel · Apr 11, 2009, 09:31 AM

Good job on the cabling and a nice case indeed. Happy bday!

Lelisevis · Apr 11, 2009, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

i really wonder if coolermaster actually read those email specs i sent them.. cause the depth looks right and the rear cable management is pretty much exactly what i had asked for...

The depth is great, I actually had the 120mm fan on my TT case mounted on the outside as it used to touch the cpu cooler and thats with an ultima 90i so no way would taller coolers have fitted. No such problems with the HAF, I have tons and tons of space and thats with the huge 230mm side fan.

I havent posted a picture of the cable management on the back but believe me that Enermax has some pretty chunky cabling, I fed it all through the cutout on the bottom then up the back of the case, with the TT I had to get a friend to hold the rear panel in place while I did up the thumbscrews, with the HAF I don't even think the rear panel touched the cabling at any point.

Oh and thought i'd mention that the cpu cooler retention bracket lined up perfectly with the cutout on the backplate which is going to save me loads of time when I make the eventual swap to watercooling

.

Not that i'd recommend using the system as a drumkit but you get a really solid volkswagen-esque thud when you knock on any of the panels and even the heavily perforated top panel has no flex.

I really cant stress enough how great it was putting the system together, I cant think of anyway the process could have been made easier, well bar it shipping with Dobby the house-elf.

10/10

Mac Daddy · Apr 11, 2009, 02:30 PM

Looking good man love the red lighting in the case looks sharp with your hardware. It's only 9:29am here but at the crack of noon will drink a pint for ya for your BDay

What is that on the top video card looks like "OMGWTFBFGSAUCE".

Apr 8, 2009, 02:42 PM	#1
Lelisevis Howlin at the moon Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,663 Rep Power: 0	I bought a new case at last So after 6 months of umming and ahhing I have finally bit the bullet and bought a new case. A new case is a big decision for me as I like to get a good few years from it. Im currently using an original mk1 thermaltake armor which bar the damned rattling doors has served me well and has not inflicted too many flesh wounds as i've swapped components, however lack of a side fan and it's 120mm intake and outakes has left my hardware feeling a little toasty and with summer on the way I thought I better invest in something a bit more modern. On the way to my final decision I have looked at maybe 20-30 cases, at one point in january I went as far as buying an antec 1200 which I ended up returning as their was something I just didnt like, not sure if it was the styling or the internals but I had that nasty gut feeling of regret and didnt get that excited oooh I have a new toy feeling. So after many many hours of research I suprised myself with my choice, this case had always been in my top three but then an odd thing happened, last month I went into a local store and they had my chosen case in stock, I got it out of the box and had a play around and was suprisingly underwhelmed at the time. I went home and was about to cross it off my list, however over the following 3 weeks I couldnt stop thinking about it so on friday I bit the bullet. Fate must have been on my side as I logged onto my Scan account and checked the 'today only' offers, the price had dropped to under £100, I couldnt resist and on tuesday morning I got a knock on the door and took delivery of................................the coolermaster HAF932. Wow what a beast of a case. Now at this point I should explain that it's not officially mine until my birthday on saturday but me being me I just couldn't resist, the wife was out and I have a roll of sellotape just like the stuff used to hold the box together. As soon as it was out of the box I had that massive warm glow you get when you know you've made the right choice. All the forum worries about airfilters etc went out the window as I stood with a stupid grin on my face. I unscrewed one of the side panels and noticed that alone weighed as much as my aluminium TT case. I'm going to close this message for now but i'll be back on saturday (friday if I can twist her arm) to let you know how the build went and what impact the case has had on my toasty Sli rig. Lel

Apr 8, 2009, 03:37 PM	#3
ShugNinx DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 9 Rep Power: 0	Re: I bought a new case at last Happy birthday mate! THe HAF is an AWESOME case have heard nothing but good things about it, I've got a coolermaster storm sniper here and they make top notch cases over there. In fact zardon/allan even used one in his latest review of the new nehalam EP architecture

Apr 8, 2009, 03:41 PM	#4
GigaWatt Now In Color :D Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Macedonia, Skopje Posts: 2,116 Rep Power: 81 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last that's one BIG case... congrats and happy birthday... __________________ It's not schisophrenia... it's just a voice in my head...

Apr 8, 2009, 03:56 PM	Thread Starter #5
Lelisevis Howlin at the moon Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,663 Rep Power: 0	Re: I bought a new case at last Thanks guys, it certainly is a beast of a case, it'll be nice to have proper cut outs so I can tidy up my wiring. I had to take my dremel to the TT armor on more than one occasion to make it the case it should have been, this included adding a small side window, wiring cutouts and a bracket to mount a second front 120mm fan. No worries with the HAF as this is all standard and should prove a perfect platform for this years watercooling project. My plan was to start off with something small like the coolit domino which should have been released monday gone but once again the uk release date has been pushed back, it better be worth the bloody wait.

Apr 8, 2009, 04:46 PM	#7
Chaos Number Nine Join Date: May 2002 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 5,268 Rep Power: 167 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last sweet looking new case bro enjoy

Apr 8, 2009, 06:58 PM	#8
Al_Vampyre HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Scotland Posts: 1,532 Rep Power: 72 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last Great case, and Happy Birthday for Saturday mate! __________________ "Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad" - Brian O'Driscoll - Ireland Rugby Team 2009 Grand Slam winning Captain.

Apr 8, 2009, 11:29 PM	#10
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,779 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last congrats on getting the right case, and even more congrats on your b-day! __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Apr 9, 2009, 12:13 AM	#11
PH3N0M The Master of Sarcasm Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: The U.S. of A Posts: 348 Rep Power: 37 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last Congrats! The next time I decide to build my own rig, I plan on using the same case unless something bigger and/or more accommodating is on the market. That's a very slick box! __________________

Apr 9, 2009, 01:18 AM	#12
Mac Daddy DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 7,950 Rep Power: 79 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last Solid case and Happy BDay Levi __________________ "My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance." - Tim Allen

Apr 9, 2009, 07:05 AM	#13
ET3D Hopeless Dreamer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dreamland, near the pool of infinite graphics cards Posts: 3,057 Rep Power: 105 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last Happy birthday!

Apr 9, 2009, 07:38 AM	#14
Cow_160483 HH's only cow moooooo... Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: BOTSWANA Posts: 6,817 Rep Power: 300 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last Sweet case bro ... and jumping on the bandwagon happy B-Day on sat. __________________ Decode! Muhahahahah!

Apr 9, 2009, 11:31 AM	#15
nicnik In the Land of Snow Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London, UK Posts: 569 Rep Power: 46 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last happy birthday! __________________ Follow Me on Twitter Battlefield 3 \| youtube \| TwitchTV

Apr 9, 2009, 02:43 PM	#16
charm_quark incognito Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: BoTsWaNa Posts: 2,437 Rep Power: 140	Re: I bought a new case at last Nice case and happy birthday

Apr 10, 2009, 05:32 PM	#17
dawgXdenta HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Gabz Posts: 1,995 Rep Power: 135 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last wow man i need that, my physical adress is ****. .*** __________________ Today's world is of public opinion and the fates of nations are determined through its pressure. Once the tools for building public opinion are obtained, everything that you asked for can be done. --- Osama bin Laden when relating how global media has the minds of the masses. ______________________________________ http://dawgxdenta.deviantart.com/gallery/

Apr 11, 2009, 03:54 AM	Thread Starter #18
Lelisevis Howlin at the moon Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,663 Rep Power: 0	Re: I bought a new case at last It's now officially my birthday and yes......the beast is built. Whilst I upload the pics to photobucket i'll give away a few tidbits of info: 1) It's been my easiest and most painless build yet 2) It's roughly the size of my TT Armor but about an inch+ deeper 3) The depth has made for some pretty damned impressive cable hiding 4) Carry this to a lan party? I think not. I just put it on the scales when built up and it tipped in at a hefty 52.4lbs 5)My B3 Q6600 now idles at 25C down from 30C 6) My first 8800GTS idles at 46C down from 55C 7) My second 8800GTS which previously sat on the case floor idles at 47C down from 63C 8) The fans pre-installed run silent with just a nice gentle wisp of air sound. 9) Did I mention how heavy this system is LOL. Pics almost ready

Apr 11, 2009, 04:10 AM	#19
Chaos Number Nine Join Date: May 2002 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 5,268 Rep Power: 167 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last get them uploaded dude

Apr 11, 2009, 04:34 AM	Thread Starter #20
Lelisevis Howlin at the moon Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,663 Rep Power: 0	Re: I bought a new case at last Ok here goes: Out of the box, a job in itself. Old meets new. Out goes rattling silver aluminium, in comes some serious black steel. Side by side comparison All of this needs to go into that, now who's got my magic wand? Powersupply is in, so far so good (enermax galaxy 850W). Last edited by Lelisevis; Apr 11, 2009 at 04:51 AM.

Apr 11, 2009, 04:39 AM	Thread Starter #21
Lelisevis Howlin at the moon Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,663 Rep Power: 0	Re: I bought a new case at last In goes the motherboard and 3 harddrives, keeping the fourth for a secret project. In goes the soundcard and two graphics cards, made a start on the wiring.

Apr 11, 2009, 04:45 AM	#22
Chaos Number Nine Join Date: May 2002 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 5,268 Rep Power: 167 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last Looking Good

Apr 11, 2009, 04:49 AM	Thread Starter #23
Lelisevis Howlin at the moon Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,663 Rep Power: 0	Re: I bought a new case at last Wirings complete. Need to buy a black sata dvd-rw to replace the silver pata one fitted at the moment, this will cutout a sizeable chunk of cable Pop the side panel on, whoever said this pc build business was difficult? Tadaaaaa!!! Carry the heavy bugger upstairs and lo and behold...it fires up straight away Awesome red glow is my crucial ballistix trace which complement the front fan perfectly, the redness is no where near as harsh in reality but I had my camera on high sensitivity as it's 5am here.

Apr 11, 2009, 04:52 AM	#24
DJ BIG T DH FaN BoY Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: ORLANDO,FL Posts: 930 Rep Power: 69 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last happy birthday!!! very nice case... __________________

Apr 11, 2009, 04:54 AM	Thread Starter #25
Lelisevis Howlin at the moon Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,663 Rep Power: 0	Re: I bought a new case at last Ok think that will do for tonight, few odds and ends to tidy up but I hope you all enjoy the pics. If anyone has any questions on the case or the build then post them up and i'll answer them in the short period between me waking up and me opening my first beer.

Apr 11, 2009, 09:04 AM	#27
comp_ali Sniper Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Egypt Posts: 10,469 Rep Power: 339 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last Very impressive. __________________

Apr 11, 2009, 09:31 AM	#28
lepel HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Belgium Posts: 552 Rep Power: 41 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last Good job on the cabling and a nice case indeed. Happy bday!

Apr 11, 2009, 02:30 PM	#30
Mac Daddy DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 7,950 Rep Power: 79 System Specs	Re: I bought a new case at last Looking good man love the red lighting in the case looks sharp with your hardware. It's only 9:29am here but at the crack of noon will drink a pint for ya for your BDay What is that on the top video card looks like "OMGWTFBFGSAUCE". __________________ "My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance." - Tim Allen