Cooler Master HAF XB LAN Box / Open Air Chassis Review

Cooler Master HAF XB LAN Box / Open Air Chassis

The front he of the HAF XB uses a lot of plastic to frame the large mesh panel in the middle that sports the Cooler Master logo. With the I/O panel in the middle, that just leaves the two 5.25" bays on the left and the pair of 3.5" bays on the right, all of which open from the outside.

I moved in much closer to the front I/O panel so we can see what it has to offer. There is a large power button on the left that is backlit when powered and a smaller reset button above the activity LED for the storage drives. You then also get 3.5mm jacks for headphones and a microphone, as well as the pair of USB 3.0 ports.

The top of the chassis has a mesh panel to allow for the natural convection of air flow to just go right through the top. You also have the option to mount a 200mm fan here to aid in natural cooling, or flip it over and force a ton of cool air on the motherboard.

The left side offers a large handle at the top made of plastic that is inserted into the steel panel. Around and below it, you will find a large mesh area to allow air into the "first floor", but blocking off the "basement" level.

There is a lot going on in the back of the chassis. On the "first floor" you have a 120mm fan mounting position, some venting, the rear I/O area, and the seven ventilated expansion slots. In the "basement" you have the PSU on the left with the extension bracket and dual 800 fan mounting positions on the right.

The right side panel is a direct mirror image of the left side panel. It offers another large plastic handle for easier toting around, and again only ventilates the top half.

Under the chassis you find a few interesting things. There are large oval holes in the floor to allow for the inflow of fresh air, a dust filter under the PSU, nine wire tie points, and if you look really close, there are four screws to allow us to remove something.