Final Thoughts
So the Cooler Master HAF 700 is supposed to be the less expensive and not as high-end version of their original HAF 700 EVO. I am not sure I would call this case affordable for the average builder though, the MSRP is going to be $299. Based on its feature-set it is pretty unique though and still might come out as more affordable as other high-end cases.
So what did Cooler Master really remove from the 700 EVO? Well most noticeably it was the seven tempered glass pieces in the front of the case and the circular display. You also lost the mirror piece from the inside of the case. But for the most part you get many of the same features as the HAF 700 EVO and same overall design. So if you are looking to do a pretty insane build this is the case for you. Our default build in this case just looked funny in this case because it is so large.
Starting off with cooling options you can install so many fans in this case. The maxed out configuration could see you install up to 17 fans, which is insane! On top of that the watercooling options are plentiful too! You can install either two 360 mm radiators up top or a single 420 mm radiator at the top of the case, the front and bottom both support 420 mm radiators and the side mount on the case supports up to a 480 mm radiator.
On top of cooling you can fit some of the largest hardware in this case including long graphics cards, E-ATX motherboards and even SSI-CEB and SSI-EEB boards, so if you wanted to do something like an ROG Dominus Extreme build this case will support it! Out of the box you have room for up to 15 hard drives which is just insane!
Building in the case is a breeze. Since it is so large things aren’t going to be cramped. Many mounts on the case are removable, which means you can take the mount out of the case, install your hardware, and then reinstall the mount. For those installing radiators the entire top of the case can be removed and the bottom cooling mount can be fully removed too! So many parts of your installation will be tool-less too. Installing hard drives, your power supply will be tool-less and many of the different mounts are completely tool-less too. I did find it odd that Cooler Master used very small screws to hold the slot covers in place. I had to go find a screwdriver and bit that would actually work with them. Once you have them removed though even graphics card installation is tool-less.
Another thing I really liked about this case was the built in fan / ARGB hub and the ARGB controller. First all of the fans (except the bottom fan) and connected to the hub already and the hub allows you to easily add more ARGB fans if you wanted to. On top of that the controller has two open spots so if you wanted to add any standard ARGB device you can control it with Cooler Master’s RGB software. We were able to easily connect the fans and ARGB connections of Cooler Master’s MasterLiquid PL360 Flux to the internal hub and controller.
I think if you are going to really take advantage of the cooling and storage options on this case you are really going to enjoy it. I really feel like this case is well thought-out and that shows by how easy our installation was. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Cooler Master HAF 700 case a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Great build quality
– Insane cooling options
– Supports 9 hard drives out of the box
– Included fan / ARGB hub and ARGB controller
– 5 included ARGB fans
– Easy to build in
– Pretty much everything is tool-less
– Room for the largest hardware out there
– Modular elements and the entire top of the case can be removed
Cons:
– Overkill for simple builds
– Massive size
– Weird choice of screws for slot covers
– Need to remove side panel to remove the front of the case
