Verdict and Conclusion
Is the HAF XB something I would personally buy? No it is not. I’m more of a fan of traditional shaped cases, but if you were looking for a hybrid of a case and a test bench the HAF XB does a good job of doing both but does not particularly excel at either.
The exterrior of the case is your traditional Cooler Master HAF design that is a rough look which appeals to most gamer types. It looks fine and does a good job at being a case.
Installing hardware in the HAF XB could be a little easier but it certainly isn’t too bad. If you want to swap in a new hard drive it is as simple as installing it into the hot-swap drive bay and sliding the drive in.
Noise from the case is rather quiet despite all of the holes found on the case. The included fans are rather quiet and do a good job at cooling everything down.
Do keep in mind though that those air vents mean that there is not much to prevent noise from escaping. Loud video cards have a tendency to sound very loud since there is very little material to stop the noise.
Build quality on the HAF XB is not bad. The air vents and cutouts mean that the metal FEELS a bit cheaply made even though it is not and simply a byproduct of having so much material removed. The door handles are a nice touch for those who want to move their case around such as at LAN parties or other events.
Shopping around the interwebs the HAF XB is right around $100 shipped to your house in the US. At that price it is a solid purchase and offers up a good bang for the buck.
We’ll start with the pros:
- Hot swap HDD bays
- Good price
- Non-traditional shape
- Space for 2×120 watercooling
There are cons too:
- Could use more included fans
- Air vents everywhere
Final words. The HAF XB is a solid case for the money. It offers up a nice alternative compared with traditional looking cases. If you were wanting a cube-shaped case the HAF XB works quite well and does a solid job.
SCORE
8/10
