Cooler Grasp HAF II 500 evaluation

I first noticed the HAF II 500 at Cooler Grasp’s HQ in Taiwan. It wasn’t the case that first caught my eye then, it was the large fan on a stand in entrance of it. A spinning goliath measuring a mighty 220 mm, of which there aren’t one, however two stuffed within the entrance of the HAF II 500.

In order for you extra airflow over your core elements—you bought it. The HAF II is extra wind tunnel than laptop chassis. These massive followers drive an immense quantity of airflow over the motherboard, GPU, VRM and anything caught of their backdraft. It jogs my memory of the Havn BF 360 in some ways—one other PC case that focuses on airflow, albeit with 180 mm followers—proper right down to the inside track within the entrance to maintain cool air flowing in direction of the graphics card. They’re equally large, too.

The HAF II 500 is not only a giant beast. It is obtained the brawn and the brains. There is a space-saving fan hub well built-in into the rear of the case, alongside ample cable administration choices. The entrance features a couple methods to maintain your construct trying tidy, too, together with a dual-GPU help bracket and sliding cable administration cowl.

At $200/£250, these followers and additional options come at a excessive price. That is one in all few factors in opposition to this case, nevertheless it’s a giant one. It is a prime alternative for anybody apprehensive about overheating elements, however for many, a extra reasonably priced PC case will suffice practically as effectively.

Cooler Grasp HAF II 500 – Options

“Meticulously tuned for airflow.” That is what Cooler Grasp claims for the HAF II 500 on its product web page. The excellent news is that this case completely has the {hardware} to again that declare up.

Within the entrance, two Mighty40 F220 followers. These are the most important (220 mm) and thickest (40 mm) client followers that Cooler Grasp might set up into this case. The body is comprised of PBT and the blade from liquid-crystal polymer (LCP)—that is the identical as Noctua’s NF-A14x25 G2 and is right for this software on account of a excessive tensile energy and stability. Again at Cooler Grasp HQ, I snapped a pic of my hand in entrance of this goliath to present an thought of the scale (see beneath).

This fan measurement affords a transparent benefit when it comes to airflow. Cooler Grasp charges this fan to 203.8 CFM, which is a mighty determine for a fan that spins so slowly. Simply 1,050 RPM at max velocity. For reference, an Arctic P12 Professional is rated to 77 CFM at 3,000 RPM; an Arctic P14 Professional to 110 CFM at 2,500 RPM.

Within the rear, one Mighty40 V180 fan. Just a little overshadowed by bigger followers up entrance, it is a very succesful unit in its personal proper, rated to 161.5 CFM at 1,370 RPM. Right here, too, the blades are comprised of LCP.

As for the case itself, it is reasonably tall and really large. Like a tank in your driveway kinda large. This roomy design has its advantages. It makes good use of all that quantity, with help for E-ATX motherboards as much as 310 mm and a great deal of room between the sting of the GPU and tempered glass aspect panel, which is a boon for large air coolers. It makes use of a standard structure, which suggests you might be probably to make use of the highest mounting place for an all-in-one liquid cooler generally, nevertheless it helps as much as 420 mm and a intelligent sliding mounting resolution for a simple set up.

There are three easy-access mud filters on the HAF II 500: entrance, prime, and PSU. The panels on this case are held in place by non-captive thumbscrews, which seems like a bizarre alternative today, particularly as every thumbscrew additionally has a tiny washer that could be very simply misplaced (ask me how I do know).

A standard design in some ways, there are some uncommon options to be discovered on the HAF II 500.

The fan hub is one such function. It comes pre-installed contained in the case and runs the higher fringe of the motherboard tray; tucked away neatly behind the sting of the body. It has six PWM fan headers and 6 ARGB headers. The HAF’s array of giant followers are connected out of the field, leaving solely any further followers, SATA energy, and fan header to motherboard cables to attach upon set up.

The GPU help bracket is one other such function. These have gotten increasingly more frequent with trendy PC circumstances, however Cooler Grasp is throwing a bone to anybody planning a workstation construct right here: this factor helps not one, however two graphics playing cards. It is a swivelling design, which is barely to its detriment because it solely actually has one axis of motion and never loads of leeway, nevertheless it’s simple to take away if not required.

Cooler Grasp HAF II 500 – Set up

With sufficient area to park a small household automobile on this factor, it is no shock that the HAF II 500 is a very simple case to construct in. That is largely on account of its capacious measurement. There are few compatibility points to fret about right here, with bountiful room above, beneath, behind, and in addition to the motherboard tray. Ample room for liquid cooling up prime, or an air cooler of any measurement over the CPU. There’s loads of area below the ability provide shroud—together with for a pair HDDs or SSDs—and even the followers are preinstalled to make life simpler.

You’ll be able to kind of start constructing straight away, although I would begin by ripping out the storage bays behind the PSU shroud for a neater time of it.

It might have a reasonably conventional structure, however the cable administration within the HAF II 500 is something however. It affords what I might name the ‘set and neglect’ fashion of administration, in that you do not have to place a lot effort in to truly run cables accurately and as a substitute simply cowl up a lot of the eventual mess.

It makes use of a clamshell of steel cable covers: one on the again, one on the entrance. The rear one is on a hinge, however each might be eliminated fully. These primarily maintain the cable run from the rear to the entrance in unfastened order and away from prying eyes. That means that you can be about as lazy as you want with out worrying somebody will see your horrendous cable administration, not to mention disgrace you on the web about it (do not look too intently at my take a look at construct).

What’s neat is that the entrance cable cowl slides left and proper, alongside the identical axis because the motherboard tray, which lets me push it good and cushty in opposition to the sting of my motherboard and canopy up any messing cable protruding out. All besides that damned USB 3.0 connector. God, I hate that factor.

My solely main complaints with the HAF II 500 are its non-captive thumbscrews with tiny washers which might be very simple to lose (I misplaced one however discovered it per week later). I would additionally wish to see just a little extra adjustability on the precise arm of the graphics card help, because it did not fairly work as I would prefer it to with the Gigabyte card in my take a look at construct. Oh, and it places all of the screws in a single bag collectively. Clear labels could be higher for a beginner builder.

Up prime, Cooler Grasp has rolled out a rail system for various sizes of radiators, nicknamed MasterRail. Loosen a couple of screws, transfer a couple of sliders, and you’ll match something from 3x 140 mm followers or a 420 mm radiator to twin 180 mm followers. That is additionally true of the entrance of the case, however provided that you progress the rails from the highest spot. There’s just one set of rails included.

Sure, so, the HAF II 500: loads of room and cable administration made simple.

Cooler Grasp HAF II 500 – Aesthetics

The entrance panel is the primary attraction right here. Showing to be hewn from a single piece of steel, it is really simply polished plastic. I am a fan of the design. It sounds a bit boring, as from the entrance it is a few straight traces organized round Cooler Grasp’s typical flattened hexagon, however little prospers carry all of it collectively. Just like the HAF emblem that stands out from the tempered glass aspect panel.

Nonetheless, I feel it might be truthful to say that Cooler Grasp is not pushing the boat out too far when it comes to look right here.

The cable administration retains any construct on this case trying clear, and none extra so than the cutout above the PSU shroud. That retains any cable runs to the ability connectors on a graphics card trying clear, which is surprisingly ignored in lots of circumstances.

Lastly, the plastic is just a little tough across the edges. It seems to be clear and I assume that is what counts within the long-run, however when you take off some panels and really feel across the edges, you’ll be able to typically catch a pointy edge.

Cooler Grasp HAF II 500 – Gallery

Cooler Grasp HAF II 500 – Thermals

Make no mistake, the HAF II 500 makes no hassle of cooling. The dual 220 mm followers on the entrance be certain of that. Even holding my hand behind the case, beneath the 180 mm fan as an exhaust, and I can really feel the airflow from the entrance followers—that is a great signal that the air is flowing by the case, and never straight out the highest.

Its three followers attain a loud whirr at 100% velocity—50 dB(A) from 50 cm away—however as soon as I turned them right down to a gradual 70% within the BIOS, that determine dropped by a whopping 5 dB(A). The excellent news right here is that I measured temps at each speeds and 70% was greater than sufficient to maintain my Intel Core i5 14600K and RTX 5070 Ti at near-enough the identical temps as full whack.

Whereas operating 3DMark’s Speedway benchmark on repeat, I measured the next in HWInfo:

At 100%

At 70%

I caught my anemometer within the case to see if the mud filter and entrance panel have a lot have an effect on on the airflow from these followers. Not out of any specific concern for airflow—this factor has a lot to spare—however I am simply curious. Listed here are the outcomes:

2.3 m/s with entrance panel/mud filter2.8 m/s with out entrance panel/with mud filter2.6 m/s with entrance panel/with out mud filter

Cooler Grasp HAF II 500 – Worth

All of it comes right down to chilly, arduous money. The Cooler Grasp HAF II 500 must be a great funding merely for the large quantity of airflow delivered by these large followers on the entrance. That cuts out any further prices for cooling, and you’ll probably avoid wasting cash with an air cooler and nonetheless see glorious efficiency.

Although there is no denying that $200/£250 is on the excessive aspect for a standard PC case reminiscent of this. The HAF II 500 can be not the one possibility round for prime airflow. The Havn BF 360, which I discussed on the prime of this evaluation, comes with equally massive 180 mm followers for $180/£170. In order for you one thing way more reasonably priced, the Phanteks Eclipse G400A will get you 4 huge followers for practically half the value. Although in comparison with the Antec Flux Professional Noctua Version, the HAF II 500 seems to be a significantly better deal.

There’s positively a case to be made for the Cooler Grasp, and the inclusion of three mighty followers and a fan hub assist to justify the value tag.