Cooler Master HAF 500 Black Case Review

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Cooler Master HAF 500 Temp and Noise Tests

A Note on Testing

For our 2022 case testing, we’ve updated our testing thesis and test methods. By selecting a set of air-cooled components that present a very high thermal challenge for cases under review, we have moved away from using thermal probes as a point of comparison.

Instead, our goal is to show whether or not a case enhances or inhibits performance, as well as the thermal and acoustic results recorded during testing.

Our primary focus is on the performance of the installed 2022 Review Rig, and our presented test results are taken under the following circumstances:

  • All stock – CPU defaults on the MSI Z490, four Cooler Master case fans
  • Overclocked – CPU set to 5.0GHz, GPU power raised to 150% (315w), four Cooler Master case fans
  • One additional fan, Noctua 200mm NF-A20 PWM, CPU and GPU at defaults
  • One additional fan, Noctua 200mm NF-A20 PWM, overclocked

Our tried-and-true loading method is to use a combined load of Cinebench R23 multi-core and the default Furmark GPU stress test. With the CPU overclocked to 5.0GHz and the GPU power and fan limits raised to 150% and 100% respectively, the 2022 Case Review Rig is able to pull a steady 800w at the wall and produces 54dB of noise if all fans are run at their maximum.

Cooler Master HAF 500 Case Temperature and Noise Testing Graph

How we interpret the results

Things to keep in mind:

  • Lower power usage directly correlates to lower system performance
  • Lower temperatures at the same power usage result from superior cooling

For the Cooler Master HAF 500, we found that the stock cooling was able to handle our overclocked 10900K – it was at its absolute limit and hitting 100c and pulling 260w, but it wasn’t throttling like it would in a more restrictive case. Also observed was that the addition of a 200mm Noctua fan at the top of the case as an additional exhaust didn’t really help temperature results.

However, the major takeaway here is not temperatures, good as they are, but noise – or more specifically, the lack of it. The loudest component in the review rig, and likely in most systems configured for gaming, is the GPU. Our ASUS card is quite capable of running all three of its fans up to over 3,300RPM, screaming up to 54dB, open bench or otherwise.

Cooler Master’s HAF 500 dropped that overall noise level to less than 50dB, and did that by keeping the GPU cooler, which in turn kept the GPU from cranking its fans from subjectively ‘loud’ at around 2,000RPM to their obnoxious maximum speeds. The overall result, subjectively speaking, is a system that while not whisper quiet was also not unpleasant – quite a feat considering that it’s housing very hot components.

John Tharp
Long-time follower of computer gaming and computer assembly from the days of the i386, photographer, husband, and lover of gaming peripherals

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