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Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935 - Greater than the Sum of its Parts

By Wong Chung Wee - 23 Jan 2014
Launch SRP: S$269

Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935 - Greater than the Sum of Its Parts?

Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935 - The Stacker Reimagined

With the Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935, the company appears to have revived the defunct Stacker series. Although we can't pinpoint exactly when the old series was put into cold storage, our last experience with the Stacker series was back in 2004 with the CM Stacker STC-T01. Fast forward a decade, we have the HAF Stacker 935, with a new feature that introduces the concept of modular expansion and thus making it a true Stacker. The new case also has the High Air Flow (HAF) design principles incorporated.

The Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935 chassis revives the old Stacker series, while incorporating the HAF design principles. The company also wants to introduce the concept of a modular PC casing.

The HAF Stacker 935 is a full tower chassis that supports mATX, ATX, EATX motherboards. The Stacker 935 package actually consists of two separate casings, with the smaller HAF 915R stacked on top of the larger, mid-tower HAF 925 case. The HAF 915R only supports mini-ITX motherboards, and can be purchased separately as an add-on module, or as a stand-alone unit. Unfortunately, the HAF 925 isn't available as a separate component as it is only bundled with the HAF Stacker 935 product. Before we delve deeper, let us look at the specifications of the HAF Stacker 935 as a whole.

Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935 Specifications
Casing Dimensions & Specifications
  • Height: 745mm
  • Width: 228mm
  • Depth: 560mm
  • Material: SGCC steel / Plastic
  • Case color: Black
  • Motherboard support: ATX, EATX, mATX, mini-ITX (only for HAF 915R component)
Drive Bays & Expansions Slots / Ports
  • 3 + 1 x external 5.25-inch bays
  • 6 + 3 x internal 3.5-inch bays
  • 10 x internal 2.5-inch bays
  • 8 expansion slots
  • 2 x USB 3.0 ports
Case Cooling (Air)
  • Top: 2 x 120mm fans (optional)
  • Front: 1 x 92mm fan (pre-installed), 2 x 120mm fan (optional)
  • Rear: 1 x 140mm fan (pre-installed), or 1 x 120mm fan (optional)
  • Side: 6 x 120mm fans, or 4 x 140mm fans (optional)
Case Cooling (Liquid)
  • Front: 1 x 240mm radiator (requires an optional adapter, with the HDD cage removed)
  • Rear: 1 x 120/140mm radiator (optional)
  • Side: 2 x 280/360mm radiators (optional)
Power Supply
  • Standard PS2 / ATX

Since the HAF Stacker 935 is a combination of two casing structures and that the smaller unit can actually be purchased separately, we've spent some time assessing these case units separately, prior to using the HAF Stacker 935 as a whole. If you're someone planning to start from an average size system and work your way to an ultra-sized one in the future, our methodological assessment should help you better understand the different use-case scenarios of the HAF Stacker 935 casing system. Also, if you want to be ambitious and setup dual systems within the HAF Stacker 935, our segmented assessment will also give you a better idea of what's possible.

First up, we check out the HAF Stacker 915R component.

 

External Design & Features (HAF 915R)

The HAF 915R mini-ITX casing has rails that enables it to be attached to the mid-tower HAF 925 component. At a glance, we can see that the chassis boasts of good ventilation due to its metal mesh that covers a good part of it. The empty weight of the HAF 915R is listed as 5.7kg, which is rather heavy for its form factor class. Mini-ITX casings tend to tip the scale at around 3.5kg or so. The front of the chassis boasts of a mesh-covered facade for ventilation, with removable dust filters. Fret not if you think there are no ports or audio jacks, the removable I/O module is located on the mid-tower HAF 925 component. 

If you were to purchase the HAF 915R or HAF 915F separately (the "R" model refers to rear-mounted PSU, while the "F" model corresponds to a front-mounted PSU), they will come equipped with an I/O module since this chassis is designed for stand-alone use or even a stacked tower formed with multiple HAF 915 units. With regards to how the HAF 915 unit meshes with the mid-tower unit, we'll provide more details on that later.

The mesh-covered facade of the HAF 915R mini-ITX chassis ensures good ventilation.

Cooler Master HAF Stacker 915R Specifications
Casing Dimensions & Specifications
  • Height: 246mm
  • Width: 228mm
  • Depth: 560mm
  • Material: SGCC steel / Plastic
  • Case color: Black
  • Motherboard support: mini-ITX
Drive Bays & Expansions Slots / Ports
  • 1 x external 5.25-inch bays
  • 3 x internal 2.5-/3.5-inch bays
  • 2 expansion slots
  • 2 x USB 3.0 ports
Case Cooling (Air)
  • Front: 1 x 92mm fan (pre-installed)
  • Side: 3 x 120mm fans, or 3 x 140mm fans (optional)
Case Cooling (Liquid)
  • Side: 1 x 120/140/240/280/360mm radiator (optional)
Power Supply
  • Standard PS2 / ATX

The side panels of the mini-ITX chassis feature options for mounting side intake fans, and they also support a single radiator for liquid cooling systems. The exact dimensions of these components are listed in the table above. The panels have removable dust filters too.

The side panels have options for mounting outlet fans.

They also support a single 120-/140-/240-/280-/360mm radiator for liquid cooling systems.

From the rear, we can see the pair of expansion slots, and the option for mounting the standard ATX / PS/2 power supply unit at the top. Yes, we think it's a tad old-school. This will also limit your choice of CPU coolers that can be mounted if you plan to build a system out of it.

The rear of the HAF 915R chassis.

The bottom of the case boasts of a large opening with rubber grommets, and four smaller, identical opening that are without any covers. Obviously the HAF 915R unit that ships with the HAF Stacker 935 was designed to hook up with the mid-tower unit, hence it features these openings.

The bottom of the HAF 915R mini-ITX chassis.

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8.5
  • Aesthetics 8
  • Functionality 8.5
  • Usability 8.5
  • Value 8.5
The Good
Unique modular structure
Easy to stack
Tinted case window
Fairly priced for a full tower system
The Bad
Very Heavy
Drive adapters that fit 5.25-inch bays should be provided
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