Cooler Master HAF 922 RED Limited Edition Build

Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 RED Limited Edition
Motherboard: Intel DX58SO
CPU: Intel i7-980X
RAM: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz G.Skill RipJaws
GPU: Gainward GTX 580 1.5GB Phantom Edition
SSD: Toshiba 1TB Enterprise
PSU: Cooler Master MEW V3 650W

So, here's a fun one. I found this older Cooler Master HAF 922 RED Limited Edition case just as it was about to be thrown out at a local hospital. I managed to save it from the trash, and at first glance, it wasn’t much to look at, but I knew there was some potential hiding underneath all the wear and tear.

For years, this case lived a second life as my home server. It was awesome for storing media and running my Plex server / homelab. It was my trusty workhorse with a very modest 4th gen i5 and a stack of RAM. but as time soldiered on and my requirements changed, I upgraded to a rackmount case and a more powerful/efficient system. The old HAF 922 ended up collecting dust in the shed for a number of years and a few different house moves.

A few months ago, I came across it again while digging through some old stuff. It was looking pretty tired, dusty and faded but I could still see its potential and came up with another idea for a bit more of a modern Retro Build.

I asked ChatGPT for some ideas on the best components for the case, and the hunt for parts began.

Here’s how it all came together:

Motherboard and CPU: Found the Intel DX58SO motherboard and i7-980X CPU for $80 on eBay.
GPU: Scored the Gainward GTX 580 1.5GB Phantom Edition at CEX for just $36. - I had ordered 2 of these, but 1 was DOA and refunded. CEX is awesome for some of these mid school parts BTW.
RAM: Picked up 16GB DDR3 1600MHz G.Skill RipJaws on eBay for $30.
SSD: A friend hooked me up with a Toshiba 1TB Enterprise SSD for free.
PSU: I ended up buying a brand new Cooler Master MEW V3 650W PSU since I couldn’t find anything suitable from my parts stash.
Once all the parts arrived, I threw them together and tested the system. Everything worked like a charm. Then I took the case apart, cleaned it up, and touched up the paint where needed. The results were way better than I expected, especially for a case that’s 15 years old!

I spent some time working on cable managemen, which was not easy with the cases old setup or fancy PSU or custom cables. But it all came together in the end. The system’s still running its original fans (2x 200mm and 1x 120mm), all controlled through the fan controller in the drive bay.

I also added 2x temperature sensors, one for the CPU and one for the GPU, so I can keep an eye on the temps without having to dig into software.

It needed a BIOS update to support the 1600 RAM - and benchmarking (without tweaking) has put it right on par with a 4770k.

Overall, I’m really happy with how it turned out. It’s not just a functional machine, but it’s got a little history behind it. Glad I could give it a new life!

Looking forward to a bit of overclocking and some actual gaming - but mostly - its been a heap of fun building it.

Hope you enjoy it!