Cooler Master HAF 700 Full Tower Chassis Review

Cooler Master’s HAF 700 full-tower computer case goes under the spotlight as we see what it’s all about. Should you buy it? Let’s see.

Quick Navigation

. Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

. Packaging

. Outside the Cooler Master HAF 700

. Inside the Cooler Master HAF 700

. Test System, Installation, and Finished Product

. Final Thoughts

The Bottom Line
Offering the same or more cooling capacity when it comes to water cooling than other comparable cases from other manufacturers makes the HAF 700 an easy pick for water cooling enthusiasts.

Pros
+Top-notch cooling with two 200mm and three 120mm aRGB Sickleflow fans included
+ Pricing is very competitive
+ Extremely good cable management
+ Fits up to 15 HDD or SSDs
+ Accessory box has a wide assortment of screws

Cons
– Huge and heavy
– Lots of fantastic plastic
– Could have included the PCIe 4.0 Vertical GPU mount

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

Cooler Master wanted to ensure that the HAF 700 was well protected during shipping. Every corner was protected with hard-packing cardboard.

 

The backside of the packaging shows a blown-out image of the HAF 700.

One of the sides of the box shows a full graphic image of the Cooler Master HAF 700 inside.

Cooler Master also wants you to know there is a different way to unbox the HAF 700.

Outside the Cooler Master HAF 700

Here it is, the HAF 700, dubbed The Berserker. Dimensions are 666mm(L) x 291mm(W)x 626mm(H).

One of the main changes to this version of the HAF 700 is the fully meshed out front panel, showing the two 200mm Sickleflow aRGB fans for front intake. Note that the HAF 700 EVO didn’t have 200mm aRGB fans, only the standard black 200mm Sickleflow ones.

The reset and power buttons, 3.5mm microphone, and 3.5 headphone jacks are all on the left front side.

The right side consists of four USB 3.2 Type-A ports and a single USB 3.2 Type-C port.

The top section of the HAF 700 has a removable cover that locks the two side panels on very securely.

The backside, or should I say the business end, has a lot going on here. First, there is space for two 120mm fans, or a single 240mm radiator can be mounted for the rear exhaust. The HAF 700 has the same toolless PCI retention system. The PSU is mounted in the rear chamber, with two supplied captive thumbscrews. Right about the PSU mounting is a dedicated section for installing a four-drive 3.5″ HDD bay that can be removed if desired.

The underside shows a full-length dust filter that can be removed when the tempered glass side panel is off. The case feet are also substantial, with some good-sized rubber dampeners.

The back panel shows a bronzy kind of paint finish by the way the light hits it. Here you can see the ventilation holes cut out for the PSU and the side intakes, filtered with magnetic dust filters.

Inside the Cooler Master HAF 700

Heading inside the HAF 700, you are greeted with the very same internals as the HAF 700 EVO, which it should be. Having support for massive water cooling radiator and fan combinations, the possibilities seem endless.

Mounting either two 360mm or a single 420mm radiator in the roof, a single 360mmm or 420mm radiator is also supported in the side and bottom locations as well. What is omitted from the 700 that the EVO has would be the infinity mirror, a multi-function bracket, and the vertical PCIe 4.0 GPU mount.

This time, however, Cooler Master has opted to use the aRGB 200mm versions of their Sickleflow fans instead of the traditional black ones.

Front panel connections are an easy thing to install on the HAF 700 with this, so to speak, shroud to keep all the pins in perfect order.

Also included, just like in the HAF 700 EVO, there are two 120mm aRGB Sickleflow fans mounted in the rear of the case for exhaust.

An additional 120mm aRGB Sickleflow fan is also mounted in the bottom multi-function bracket.

Moving to the back chamber of the HAF 700 shows the attention to detail for cable management. The center panel, which can be removed by rotating the gray tab on the top, can support two 3.5″ or 2.5″ HDDs or SSDs.

Once the center panel is removed, three smaller individual HDD/SSD/Pump mounts are mounted on the left side, opposite the side radiator wall.

To the right side, mounting for four additional 3.5″ or 2.5″ HDDs or SSDs can be mounted in the swing-out enclosure.

Located right under the bump out at the top of the motherboard tray is an integrated PWM and aRGB fan hub with seven PWM ports and five aRGB ports. The front two 200mm Sickleflow and rear two 120mm Sickleflow fans were all pre-wired to this hub.

Just below the cutout on the motherboard tray is an aRGB Gen2 controller for additional connectivity for controlling lighting effects, which the Cooler Master Master Plus+ software can help customize.

Test System, Installation, and Finished Product

Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS PRO (INTEL Z690) – Buy from Amazon
CPU: Intel Core i5 12600K – Buy from Amazon
Cooler: be quiet! Pure Loop 280mm – Buy from Amazon
Memory: SK Hynix DDR5-4800mhz 2x16GB
Graphics Card: ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3090 Trinity OC – Buy from Amazon
Storage: Corsair MP600 PRO XT Gen4 PCIe x4 NVMe M.2 SSD – Buy from Amazon
Case: Cooler Master HAF 700 Buy from Amazon
Power Supply: Cooler Master XG850 Plus Platinum – Buy from Amazon
OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit – Buy from Amazon
Software: AIDA64 Engineer 6.32.5600, and CPU-z 1.94.0 x64

Here is the finished build, albeit with the reference be quiet! Pure Loop 280mm AIO.

The included accessory box and user manual that Cooler Master provided have a premium feel. All the included screws are neatly separated in its own “tackle box”.

Cooler Master for this build sent over their Master Liquid PL360 Flux AIO as well as the XG Plus 850w Platinum PSU.

 

Installing the Cooler Master Master Liquid PL360 Flux looks nice with all that aRGB goodness.

Stay tuned for my review of the XG Plus 850w Platinum.

 

Cable management is pretty much a non-issue with the panels that cover almost everything up.

Building in the Cooler Master HAF 700 was really enjoyable and easy to build in. With all that space, you don’t have any fitment issues, and it’s because of the massive cavern at your disposal.

Temperatures in the HAF 700 were nothing short of awesome. The test system, which has an Intel Core i5 12600K, never got over 62C at 100% load, which mostly sat around 53C for the most part, which was being cooled by the be quiet! Pure Loop 280mm AIO with two Silent Wings Pro 4 140mm fans.

The Zotac GeForce RTX 3090 Trinity OC reached 74C at its hottest while on 100% load. All and all, impressive.

Final Thoughts
At its face, the Cooler Master HAF 700 is the high airflow case that is only shadowed by its older brother, the HAF 700 EVO. Stripping away a few of its key features that the HAF 700 EVO had, for example, the Iris circular front display, the large display of tempered glass panels in the front, and most notably, what has become the standard feature of high-end cases, the vertical PCIe 4.0 GPU mount.

That said, Cooler Master did decide to replace the front black smoked 200mm Sickleflow fans found in the HAF 700 EVO with their aRGB counterparts.

The $300+ PC case market only has a handful of cases to choose from, and the Cooler Master HAF 700 fits right in with its dual 200mm aRGB Sickleflow fans and three 120mm aRGB Sickleflow fans.