Cooler Master HAF XB LAN Box Review

 A Closer Look

The Cooler Master HAF XB came packaged in a standard heavy cardboard box. Thank goodness too, as you can see UPS did us no favors during shipping and crushed the corners of the box. Inside the box the HAF XB is tucked nicely into a rigid foam shell to prevent dents and dings and covered by a plastic bag to prevent scuffs and scratches during the shipping process.

Exterior Features

 The Cooler Master HAF XB sports an industrial inspired design. The front of the case features two USB 3.0 ports, headphone and mic ports as well as a reset and power button. Two X-dock drive bays make swapping out hard drives a breeze and there is room for two optical drives as well.  The back of the case has room for one 120 mm cas fan at the top and two 80mm case fans at the bottom. These are optional fans and do not come with the Cooler Master HAF XB. This is a full size ATX capable case and has 7 PCI expansion slots.

As I mentioned previously, the front connectors of the Cooler Master HAF XB contain 2 USB 3.0 ports that connect to the motherboard via a 19-pin connector. The power and reset buttons are furthest to the left. I like the fact that Cooler Master has moved away from a tiny reset button and back toward a button size that I can press with my finger and not have to hunt around for a pen or a needle to hit the reset button. The X-dock on the Cooler Master HAF XB allows the user to swap out hard drives without opening the case. It supports both 3.5″ and 2.5″ hard drives, which comes in handy since the case is also promoted as a test bench.