It should come as no surprise that the shipping container the Hyper 622 Halo uses bares more than just a passing resemblance to the Hyper 212 Halo’s shipping container. The reason for this is simple… it is the same shipping container. Albeit ‘upsized’ to accommodate the noticeably large dimensions of the Hyper 622 (as we are going to call it for brevity’s sake) vs. the Hyper 212 (dito).
To be precise, one should expect to see an attention getting box that is colorful, yet does not look like it just stepped out of a Las Vegas (gentlemen’s) club; is choke full of details that makes it extremely obvious what this big boi offers; and includes multiple color photos of said cooler. All in all, the exterior may be a touch on the aggressive side for our personal tastes but there is no denying that this is a tasteful and elegant box that more than gets the job done.
This first impression is further reinforced when you look inside and see the internal protection configuration. Consisting of massive amounts of form-fitted plastic (with two different zones molded right into it – one for the accessories, and one for the cooler) this configuration all but assures that this is a cooler that can survive massive amounts of blunt force trauma… and even stands a better than average chance of surviving a shipping agent getting a bit ‘stabby’ while it is in transit.
Taking a close look at the accessories it is pretty much self-evident why Cooler Master over-engineered the mounting hardware for the Hyper 212… as it was designed with the bigger Hyper 622 in mind. That is to say, the real steel (that can be picked up with a magnet) hardware is perfect for shrugging off the 1.1KG/2.5LB weight of this cooler. Shrugging it off, while ensuring exceptionally tight mounting tolerances. Color us impressed.
Also like the Hyper 212, just upsized, the rest of the Hyper 622’s accessories are also top notch. So much so the accessories are better than what ships with the forefather of the 622 Hyper: the MasterAir M620. Gone is the ‘we use the top fascia covering for mounting the fan’ design… and in its stead is old-school wire mounting brackets. Yes, the MA620s way results in a cleaner final product… but wire mounting brackets are cheaper to replace, easier work with, and allows for three way cooling fan configurations. All of which makes these old-fashioned wire brackets an improvement over the MA620 in all but the aesthetics department. Even then make no mistake this is a pretty cooler. One that out and out destroys the likes the Thermalright P.A. 120, the DeepCool AK620, and pretty much every sub-80 cooler we have worked with in recent memory.
Sadly, firmly in the less-than-optimal category (but also like the Chinese clones) Cooler Master only include four of those nicely painted wire brackets. Not six. Thus, you will have to procure two more if you want 3-way goodness (just as you would with a AK620 or PA 120/SE). This is a darn shame as this is a big cooler that cries out for three fans. Not because it needs the extra air movement in order to provide excellent cooling; rather it is because the new fans are pretty much perfect for custom builds that make use of a large ‘window’ (or the entire case is made of Lexan).
