A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the Cooler Master HAF 700 is just as massive of a chassis as the HAF 700 EVO, but due to the more traditional material mix, and a few internal tweaks as we will see later on, it is quite a bit lighter. The front panel employs the same side designs from the EVO, but the center piece is completely unique to the non-EVO variant, with a metal mesh center and an understated Cooler Master emblem on the bottom half.


The front of the Cooler Master HAF 700 seems to be the area where most of the cost savings can be found. For one, there is no more embedded LCD screen and as such no need for any intricate wiring. On top of that, Cooler Master has omitted the thick glass strips, instead relying on a classic metal mesh front. While the plastic feels very sturdy all around, there hasn't been much of an effort to texture the center plastic pieces. They look cheap compared to the rest of the case, but this is purely subjective and cosmetic. You may pry the whole cover off without detaching any wires since Cooler Master has engineered it with pins acting as connection points for the ARGB elements.


Behind it, you will find two 200 mm SickleFlow fans, but unlike the HAF 700 EVO that relied on the exterior ARGB elements, the classic HAF 700 employs ARGB equipped fans instead. Looking at the rear of the Cooler Master HAF 700, it seems the layout is somewhat reminiscent of dual-chamber enclosures such as the Lian Li Dynamic series, but with vastly more vertical height and general depth.


The main side panel is mostly made of glass. Unlike the Cosmos series, where Cooler Master actually bent glass panels, at a high rate of failure during manufacturing, this case comes with a straight piece attached to a corner, followed by another straight piece. While fine, a single piece would have been far more beautiful, but obviously costlier. The other side panel is made of metal because of the various vents the chassis needs to give the internal components and layout access to fresh air. While our EVO variant had some residue on the metal panels, the panels on this HAF 700 sample look nice and clean out of the box, which is reassuring to see.


Cooler Master has split the I/O on the HAF 700 between the right side, consisting of four USB 3.0 ports and a single USB-C connector and the left side, consisting of the reset and power buttons and also the audio plugs. A cost saving measure in is the lack of brushed metal inserts which the HAF 700 EVO featured.


In the top half are two 120 mm exhaust fans in an area where every other chassis provides a single unit. This just goes to show the sheer size of the HAF 700, as it shares the same body as the HAF 700 Evo. To the left of those is just the cutout for the motherboard backplate, and lots of venting. At mid-height there are also two hooks to tie any external cables, which is a nice touch as well.


In the rear, the bottom half looks similar to other side-by-side cases we have seen, with some notable unique elements. On the right, eight horizontal expansion slots are held in placed securely by a spring-loaded latching mechanism, so no screws or tools are required. It will be interesting to see how well this works during the assembly process. Below this is plenty of room to install floor-mounted cooling or radiators without motherboard interference. To the left is a full-size ATX bay with two captive thumb screws, which once again makes this completely tool-less—a first for power supply installation.


In the top is a metal cover with a mesh insert that comes with a shaped design element. Pull it off the case to reveal a massive air vent that may hold up to two 360 radiators or equivalent fans. This is where the Flux 360 AIO will go in our review build of the HAF 700.


On the underside is a large dust filter that may be pulled out of the side of the chassis once you remove the side panel. This is a deliberate decision, as you don't have to reach around the back or even tip the massive Cooler Master HAF 700 to access it.