The Ultimate Case for the Ultimate Build. This would really be how I would describe the Cooler Master HAF 700 EVO case. A built-in real-time Iris status monitor is positioned in the prime location centrally on the front of the case. Iris is fully customisable via the Cooler Master MasterPlus+ software allowing users to display system info or add their own personal touch. I appreciate how Cooler Master balanced modernizing the original HAF, without cutting out all the original design, and specifically its excellent performance. Absolutely terrible impressions of this new case. For the price of this case I should not be having these sorts of crazy problems with the case/software to run it. Installation of the radiator which we had onto the top panel of the case was also a breeze. Just because the top panel can be removed, we had added maneuverability to screw the radiator in without things getting in the way.

With dual 420mm radiators in a custom loop, thermal performance was always going to be good. But as you can see removing panels didn't have much, if any effect on the CPU or GPU temperature under load which shows that the HAF 700 EVO has good airflow and is able to keep a high-end system cool. On the right side of the case, there were even more features which were never seen before. Since most of the cables will be routed at this side of the case, Cooler Master has specially designed shrouds and covers to hide the cables. For lazy people like me, I’d have to be less concerned with cable management, as I can just shove all the cables behind the cables and call it a day. The largest standard hardware can fit in this chassis. You get up to 6.54 inches (166 mm) of height clearance for CPU coolers and 19.29 inches (490 mm) for GPU length. Cooler Master even says the case supports workstation motherboard form factors like SSR-CEB/EEB. Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX are also supported along with standard ATX. But installing anything less than a full-ATX motherboard in here would look pretty silly.

Return of the king, for a king’s ransom

There is also a removable hard drive cage found on this side of the case. It can fit up to 4 more 3.5-inch hard drives. All installations of hard drives, and even the removal of the hard drive cage can be done tools free. To simulate thermal demand we run the Cinebench R23 multi-thread benchmark and 3DMark Time Spy Extreme stress test simultaneously in a loop for 60 minutes to fully load the system. This should give the CPU and GPU enough time to reach constant steady-state temperature. With this data, we can compare how the system handles the thermal demand and measure peak noise levels.

With all the cable management holes in place, it was quite a “walk in the park” experience to route all power and data cables to the motherboard. The result was that we can achieve a clean and minimal build without exposing too many cables. The Cooler Master HAF 700 flows air very nicely and can support almost any cooling hardware you may wish to throw in its direction. Having said that, if you ramp up the fan speeds it can get noisy so we suggest you run the 120mm case fans at 1,200rpm or slower. We were surprised to find the enormous 200mm fans at the front were happy to run at their maximum 1,000rpm without being too intrusive. Nonetheless we think Cooler Master is offering good advice when they suggest you take it easy and only run them at '11' once in a while. Closing Thoughts Another nice touch with the HAF 700 EVO is the front panel. If you are an RGB enthusiast then you will like the look of the HAF 700 from the front. The combination of RGB illuminated glass and the LCD Iris display looks the business. The LCD display can also be easily configured and customised using the MasterPlus+ software. Having the display on the front of the case makes it easy for the user to keep an eye on system info or add personalisation. While we are happy to admire the clever touches you get in the HAF 700, such as the ability to install the power supply, storage drives and graphics card without touching a screwdriver, it doesn't change the fact that this is a very expensive case. This means that the case should be great for installing a complex custom loop cooling system due to its size and radiator support, we expect to see plenty of exotic builds in the Cooler Master HAF 700 EVO. There has also been a big push on the front panel design with the HAF 700 EVO, tempered glass slats are illuminated by RGB lighting and an LCD Iris display is positioned centrally between the glass which gives the front of the case a very unique look.

Customer reviews

The build turned out well in the end though. If anything, we could have thrown more hardware into the case and it would have still not looked too overcrowded. Cable management was a breeze with the large cable channel and integrated cable clips, there was no need to be super neat with the cables as the storage drive panel covers all the cables anyway. Horrible resonance in the included main HD case. I have four drives installed in this and when they are on and spinning (not sleeping) there is horrible noise coming from resonant vibration from drives through cage and into main frame. It is not constant either, keeps changing tone/frequencies of noise - sounds like a hairdressers shaver going all the time! Cage should have been insulated or dampened better to prevent vibration resonance amplifying through entire metal of case. The top panel of the case can also be easily take out, with the removal of two screws. In fact, I realised that without the top panel coming in your way, it was a lot easier to install the motherboard, as well as to connect the power cables.

Noise levels are measured by placing a noise meter 300mm from the front of the chassis while the stress test is running and the peak noise level during the test is recorded. The noise floor (ambient noise level) in the room is 36dBA. Not only is the HAF series about high airflow chassis design, but according to Cooler Master it also brings innovative new features that we may see implemented into more or all chassis in the future. So, what’s new in the HAF 700 EVO I hear you say? Well, the engineers have put a big emphasis on tool-free installation which is noticeable as soon as you remove the case panels in preparation to begin your installation. Extensive cooling support includes radiator locations in the front, floor, top and side with up to 480mm maximum length and a dual-chamber layout to maximise cooling potential.

There’s no doubt that the Cooler Master HAF 700 EVO is a brilliant case for installing a high-end system with an elaborate custom loop cooling setup. The available space combined with the option for installing multiple big radiators should appeal to water cooing enthusiasts looking to build a dual-loop or two or three radiator cooling system, while still being able to fit in multiple 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch storage drives. This also allowed for an EK Quantum Kinetic FLT 360 flat reservoir to be installed in the side rad mount having to worry about interference with the radiators. Alternatively, there would be enough space for two dual-pump/res combos for dual loop configurations or a side-mounted rad for a total of three radiators in the loop.

KitGuru says: If you are keen on the Cooler Master HAF 700 you may as well go all-in and instead opt for the HAF 700 EVO. With a case this big, I expected support for large radiators, and Cooler Master did not disappoint. What I wasn’t expecting was support for up to a 240 mm radiator in the rear; that’s something I’ve only seen before on the Corsair 1000D. Along with that, you get a maximum of a 420 radiator at the top, front and bottom of the case, and a 480 rad on the side. Seriously, there are enough cooling options here for three normal cases, if not more. When the whole system gets powered on, you will now know that what you’ve went through building the whole system is all worth it. For a start, because the HAF 700 EVO is a full tower case, it also supports motherboards that are sized larger than usual. I’m not talking about your standard E-ATX motherboard, but rather also SSI-CEB and SSI-EEB. These are form factors which are only adopted in workstation server motherboards. As such motherboard needs to fit more components on them, they need to come in such sizes.

To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an Intel Core i9-12900K, RTX 3080 and an SSD. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Cooler Master HAF 700‘s cooling capabilities. This works when only one original case cable is plugged into motherboard. COOLER-MASTER FOR OVER 700 EURO FOR A CASE YOU SHOULD SUPPLY A WORKING TWO TO ONE 19-PIN MOTHERBOARD CABLE SO I DON'T HAVE TO TRY AND DO IT MYSELF AND STILL NOT WORK!! We like the Cooler Master HAF 700 EVO, it's certainly different when compared to other cases on the market. It sits in a similar sector as big cases like the Corsair Obsidian 1000D but in terms of looks and ease of installation, the HAF 700 is better in almost every department, the only area that the 1000D wins is with its dual system support. If you are looking for a new top of the line desktop PC case for that workstation or that no-compromise gaming build you have always dreamed about, the HAF 700 EVO is one serious contender. You just have to make sure that you motherboard is good enough to be worthy of the case (not the other way round).