I gotta put this out there. We are finally seeing a shift in majority of garbage being produced [always will be some] due to these reviews being done. I feel speaking for the community here but a huge thank you from all of us who have always had to figure out "the hard way." It means a lot knowing these are being fact checked and stress tested which makes us much more comfortable making informed buys.
To be honest test setup is old and not representative of power consumption. Today we have 200-250 watts CPUs and 300-400 watts GPU and GN is testing cases with about 95watt CPU and 180 watts GPU.
i really appreciate the fact that this channel gained my full trust and I have 0 doubt that they want only the best for the consumers, this is really rare
@@kingjasko very much agree with you on this. Very hard to find a consumer focused review source on the web that hasn't been sponsored by the product they are reviewing. Nice to see that even with the sponsorships, they have shown to remain unbiased or made their specific biases known in the review. [Things lighting on fire...]
I know it's probably hopeless, but I honestly just wish that they would stop forcing their users to install that godawful CAM software. The fact that they force users to operate their AIO coolers using SOFTWARE is a recipe for disaster. If the software lags or windows locks up, the fan curves _also_ lag or lock up. The fact that your CPU cooler can "crash" is a pretty serious design flaw. NZXT, y u do dis? Your products look great. Stop sabotaging them with flammable parts and proprietary software. Just give us good hardware. That's all we want from you.
@@elijahm9935 thanks for leaving the name of your new case, i've never heard of it before and it looks cool. I think i'm going to use it for my next build
Thirty-ish years into the boutique computer market and case designers have discovered that computers go inside cases, and that computers make heat. We may be entering a new era.
There’s nothing new with these case designs wise, That middle cable cutout cover was there when I got a S340 elite during the launch few years ago and then the H200 and then H210i. “Same shit, different bucket”
I just ordered the Flow version for an upcoming build. I ordered four 140mm fans for the front intake and rear exhaust. That's it for now. This review just convinced me I made a good choice. Thank you Steve and Co.
Law of averages. It's not often that someone who is looking for airflow is thinking about having RGB fans at the same time. Airflow is king, pretty lights somewhere down the stack.
This case is a fine example of minimalism. Minimalism isn't just removing complexity, it's also extreme attention to what remains. Nothing bugs me in this case appearance-wise, and that is rare.
Exact reason I had to get it. The design is so clean! Easy to build in and with a set of decent 140mm fans in the front, 1 in the rear, the cooling is exceptional and quiet.
Most people don't even look at the front panel now. often the side one is the most visible when sitting at the desk so i don't understand why they are so shy about using mesh front panels. We do'nt shove cases in desk cabinets anymore, it's not 1985
I wouldn’t buy this because of the way the front looks. It’s clumsy. I’m sure they could have put holes in the front and still made it look good, but they didn’t.
Ended up buying the H7 Flow (while it was on discount) because of this review. I don’t have a ton of options that don’t involve shipping fees or long distance drives and I’m satisfied with this one’s performance. Building into the case tonight!
I got one of these to replace my old H510 and they're worlds apart in terms of thermals. I'm running a 5800X3D and 6950XT that really were not coping in the old case. I've got 3x140mm intake fans up front, 1x140mm rear exhaust and a Liquid Freezer 360ii AIO up top. With a custom fan curve (fan control V168) and PBO tuner undervolt on the CPU, ive got the CPU and GPU running in the low 30's at idle and 60-70's under load. It's a great case and looks super low-key with the tinted glass panel. Would recommend 10/10
Funny I’m running that same cpu and GPU in the elite version. I love the case so much and building it was a dream compared to the smaller cases I bought in the past. Cable management is fantastic. Never going back. I added a beefy notcua cpu cooler and 3 120mm fans on top. And a new trio of 140mm fans in front.
@@vanwishon Working great still. I've been in the case a few times. Removed all SATA SSD and a larger mechanical drive to replace all my storage to 3x WD SN850X 4TB nvme storage. Removing my 4090 and installing was a breeze when I tested a 3080 FE before sending it off.
Bought the H7 Flow and I am very impressed. One issue though is the cable management room in the rear could do with a fraction more depth but other than that temps are amazing, though I am using a 360mm AIO in the top and three in the front with one in the rear. The 360mm AIO in the roof was a major reason for going with this..
I Love that a lot of Companys seem to slowly get that performance is important to us. I had a regular 510 before and even if it has nice clean looks, it was either loud, hot or dusty as heck. So overall... annoying. Im using a beQuiet 500Dx for quite a while now and i just love it. Changed the Fan Layout and it is so much more enjoyable, good and more improtantly very constant temps, looks good too, the 140mm fans i put in it are only noticeable when i put my headphones down and even then its more like a soft calming breeze rather than the agressive Wasp thats trying to kill me, which was the sound in the h510. Love to see it, more of those cases, dear maunfacturers!
I got a new case a few months ago and picked the beQuiet Pure Base 500DX as well, mainly because of GN's mostly positive review. I love mine too. I changed the out of box layout beQuiet uses for the 3 included 140MM fans. Have them set up as 2 intakes in the front, 1 exhaust in the back. Temps are fantastic, and my PC is very quiet even when gaming for hours. Partly because I Also managed to snag one of EVGA's Hybrid Cooling Kit upgrades for my RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra. That uses a 240 CLC to cool the GPU. Since I have quite a large air CPU cooler (the Deepcool Assassin III) mounting the GPU radiator up top was a no go. But I'm quite happy with the looks, sound, and esp temps having the radiator mounted in the front instead. Got push-pull going as well since 2 of the stock case fans are up front, and the EVGA 3080 CLC cooler came with 2 fans on its radiator.
I just don't get why NZXT doesn't put vents on both sides of the front panel of the Elite. Is having the uniform glass look on the side that important? Like, fine, it's a closed off front to show off the pretty fans, but would vents on both sides really detract anything?
Here's the funny. Back in the mid 00's i worked with a friend for a concept futuristic case. Our solution for airflow and closed off front was to extend the nose of the case with grills on the side. Think fish gills. It behaved just like an open front, because the all round opening was greater overall than the full open front variant. Years later i saw several Japanese (i think they were JP market) cases on their variant of fleabay that had nearly identical visuals. So it's not like the concept doesn't exist, it's that they're so stuck up their asses, they can't be bothered to actually try it. In terms of aesthetics, it certainly looks better than a glass box. I really don't get why some people might like that. If i wanted a glass box, i'd get aquarium and throw my PC parts inside and cool it with non-conductive fluids.
Because people that want clean minimal cases and are willing to throw away 3 or 4 fps for it should have an option to buy. I wish they could figure out how to make it look clean and have great airflow, but most other case manufacturers haven’t figured it out either. Some people care more about having enough over clock to turn up a setting by one notch, other people care more about how their office space looks, either way it’s a question of aesthetics
yes it would be distracting there's an airflow version of the case if u want airflow. let the ppl who like aesthetics have 1 nice thing away from all this mesh and holepunched shit
The compact version should be the H510 Flow but that is slightly different and worse, maybe if this case gets popular and sales are good they might consider changing some stuff to make it more like the H7 improving the airflow of the H510. I'm a big fan of NZXT brand aesthetic so for my next PC build I'm definitely going with the H7, currently using a H510 stock (thermals are good because my PC is quite old with an i5 4th gen and a GTX 980 SC bought in heavy GPU shortage times)
@@se7en6277 Based on GN's review of the H510 flow I think cooling performance will be pretty similar if you simply add a 2nd intake fan. Of course the H7 Flow gives you a lot more options.
@@-xh4rq Yes but that's exactly what the initial comment meant, a compact version of the H7 like the difference between Fractal Torrent and Fractal Torrent Compact that's why I mentioned it 😅
H7 looks like a nice case, I would find it even better however if there was a solid side panel option for those of us who like those things. Would turn it into a real Fractal competitor for those who don't want glass.
Still, my favorite case of all-time is the NZXT 410 Tempest Elite. I replaced the front quick release fan mounts with hardwired ones with extra cable, on my first build. (Even though the quick release worked fine. I just like my fans hardwired. The full functionality is still intact). Ive used that same case, for 10+ years with multiple rebuilds. The top mount cooler location is a bit tight. I had to replace the power button (after 8 years of use). Other than those two things, its been the perfect case.
After 3 years, I've finally been able to do upgrades to my ibuypower gaming PC and, my God... I would LOVE to have opened that sucker up and seen such beautiful cable managment. Whomever did the cable managment for my case had ZERO F's to give. Short of completely redoing it, I have managed to make it... better, but havibg that NZXT case with all those nice areas to run cables... mmm.
I first got into PC building when airflow was king, and I'm glad it's coming back in a smarter way. Happy H510 Flow owner, now that it's come down in price.
Man, no one learned anything from the Torrent. You don't NEED a ventilated top panel in order to achieve good air flow/cooling. Especially with cases where you can remove the top panel completely. At least give us an optional solid top panel that we can use.
Ngl, the main reason I bought the torrent was the fact that is has a solid top while still having amazing cooling. My cats love to sit on my PC and having a solid top makes me feel a lot better. Seen too many stores of peoples cats hacking up furballs and liquid getting in the PC from the top.
@@cosmic_cupcake Just going off memory here, so I could be wrong. But the compact Torrent comes with only the 2x front 180mm's and from GN's review in the stock config, it cooled quite well both cpu and gpu. If you're not running some kind of liquid cooling where the top might be a good place to put the rad, it becomes another hole for dust and noise. Many people seem to like top vents, and that's cool. I'm not necessarily saying they should stop making cases with the top vent. But in cases where the top panel can be completely removed, it would be nice if they threw in an extra solid panel for those who prefer it. I don't think a piece that size would add too much to the cost.
I would dare call this a great rebound for NZXT from its riser cable debacle. Looks like an awesome case, kinda wish it was out when I built my system, though it's in a 4000D Airflow. Love the dual cable management channel, something I wish my 4000D had (only has 1 IIRC). I'd buy it and build in it, for sure! :)
For years, i waited for nzxt for the source 530 follow up. But after getting tired of waiting, i finally went with the fractal meshify 2, and i am glad i did.
@@fuckoffyou You're talking about the H1 pre-built newbie that was eventually fixed. Never built in that case. I love Gamer Nexus sheeps who have no idea what they are talking about and can't think for themselves. I love Steve but that comment just shows you have idea what you're talking about.
@@fuckoffyou average customers don't bother with airflow or anything. All they care about is getting a functional PC. And teenagers love the clean astatic
I literally just bought a corsair 4000D airflow. Don't regret it, but this does look really nice. I got the corsair for 95 though and I don't think it's $35 nicer.
Added 2 white Shadow wing 2 140mm at the front and the temps are fantastic. dropped the GPU by 5°C and neither the AIO CPU fans nor the GPU fans even start spinning unless I start a taxing game. Even Half Life Alyx @ ultra setting does not cause audible GPU fan spinache (yes, that is a bad pun) anymore.
You give shit for the aesthetic being “IKEA” but the minimalist design philosophy is one of the things I love about NZXT. I’ve built two rigs in the 510 elite, one in the H7 flow and one in the H9 elite and every time I was impressed with the build quality, cable management, and thermals.
I'm excited for what I am guessing is a new era of Nzxt cases. I can't wait to see the h5. I do expect that the 200/210 series cases will be dropped because the H1 rev2 is way more interesting, something that really matters in a niche market like this.
I have an NZXT H7 (just H7) has a solid front but a side grille. Easiest case I ever built in. Thermals are fine. Easy to get in and out of. Runs clean. Second easiest was a Fractal North
I have one of the most aesthetic and elegant cabinet according to my criteria, an NZXT H440 White and Purple, a cabinet that I had always wanted but in my country it was EXTREMELY expensive, and, thanks to Covid I could buy it for only 180usd (cheap compared to its original price)
Yes the H440 -was- is peak design (I mean the V2 ofc). I have one in complete black (the version with no window), and it really is the best,. A sleek black noise dampened box with a nice little design accent where the front and top panel meet. The white and purple variant is also really really nice, sadly I bought mine before it came out and at the time buying a second case just wasn't in my budget at all. I still use mine since I bought it in 2015~2016 and I don't plan to replace it anytime soon.
I found it really interesting that, unlike TV which *increases* the volume when ads are playing, your Montech ad was actually quite a bit *quieter* than the rest of the video. Not sure if that was intentional, but I liked it.
This just proves my constantly reiterated point: fewer, well-placed fans will do better than having too many in the case. Ironically, despite the shade GN threw at the fan blade design, they work well because it's a throughput design that is meant to work without worrying against a closed/semi-closed volume.
@@eekwibble This is where you're correct whilst being wrong. The point here is that you don't need static pressure. This is exactly what I said. Static pressure fans are effective when pushing into a closed/semi-closed volume...
I’ve had the 4000d for about a year and the mesh hasn’t sagged into the fans yet. Won’t say it will or will not, but it hasn’t done me wrong. I would like to see a test of these cases with all fans populated as that’s what most people will do with these cases. My case has 6 cooler master mf 120 halos in it and the thermal and noise are good. I just feel using the base configuration isn’t indicative of the potential performance. As some cases won’t see as much of an improvement vs others. Just my opinion but I enjoy the work you do.
My old NZXT H510 (Closed front Ver.) stock fans were turbulant so bad. It sounds like H7 Elite shown in the video. May be I living in temperd area, SEA. Glad to see NZXT gears toward opened front case lately.
Seems they listened to you and updated their design- The H7 Flow now comes with 3x 140 fans in the front and 1x 120 fan in the rear. they removed the front mesh and swapped the solid I/O covers in the back for ones with holes.
Still very satisfied with my CoolerMaster NR600 after a few months, which I chose in large part due to the review that you guys did for it. Great case for $80
Its great to see NZXT make far better cases for airflow. I personally love my h510. Sure its a furnace, but damn I love the design and for my low power system it works (I wouldnt recommend it ofc)
I bought the base H7 and I love it. I don't have a single LED anywhere in the thing, almost looks like an Xbox Series X. I just wish it had a featureless black side panel instead of glass. At least the glass is tinted very dark. I wish it didn't have the top USB/audio ports - dust-gathering garbage. I keep the back accessible for plugging stuff in because any sort of "power user" has to do that anyway.
@Gamers Nexus I love your noise optimized tests - these are most useful to the customer, as it's not a problem to get good results when you throw in 3k rpm fans into the product. And noise optimized test will expose that.
My X-78 system was built using Corsairs Carbide Air 540. This is an old design Corsair still sells. You mention it in an old video, but you did not do the type of in-depth review then you do now. Why I have used this case for 4 X-99 and 1 X570 builds: 2 slots for optical devices (I'm old and still use CD/DVD/DVD burner and do not stream), cage for 4 SSDs and 2 HDD cages. Easy to work in and I like the way it looks. Negatives: 1 exhaust 1 intake fan (I replaced both with 4 Noctua fans). Not much, if any, room for custom cooling loops and 280 AIO is the biggest that will fit, top or front. My Arctic LFII 280 fits on top, barely. Price: $150 I manually set my fans to minimum of 50% and do not hear them when playing games or watching your reviews. While I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this case, I will most likely use this case (again) when building my next system after watching your and HWunBoxed reviews of Raptor Lake and Ryzen CPUs/MB.
The blanked PCI plates are GREAT for negative pressure as it means the air will be pulled in through the filters exclusively. I think you need to think more about this one
Love these videos, just a small request if it’s not too much to ask If you guys are able to, would you please be able to try to do the case reviews on the white version of cases when available as it makes it easier to see what’s going on
It probably depends on if they get the white version when the company sends it to them. Unless they are buying the cases themselves... I'm under the assumption the companies send them the cases directly for review.
If you think those are "good" then you clearly have never used Aqua Computer products. The Aquasuite is full stop the best piece of control software on the entire market.
Yeah H440 V2 is peak design for a case for me. Still use mine with no intention to switch. I would love to see a V3 with current features in terms of cable management.
I regret buying the Elite now… I was so inexperienced building my first PC. I made alllll the rookie mistakes, aesthetic > function being the biggest and most recurring one. I wish I had just got the Flow and bought some RGB fans myself
You mentioned other competing cases like Corsair 4000D, Phanteks P400A and Fractal Meshify C but, not really mentioning the Lancool II Mesh as a good option, even though its thermals are better than most of the other options mentioned??? :s
Until I found this channel, for some reason I always assumed that pc cases were actually engineered.... How naive of me. Having now witnessed the depths that practically every name in computing is capable of sinking to, had another look at my corsair case and was able to gain 10 percent + more performance by removing the front and a bit of duct tape... Couldn't believe it. So a big thanks to GN, and a big WTF in the general direction of 2015 corsair.
I have been viewing your vidoes for s few years and they are excellent. I have been building computers for at least 2 decades and I don't need the excellent tools you offer. Okay, with that being said I think you should consider having an open test bench with air cooling as a "reference point" comparison for any case review. Here is why: the only reasons to use a case is ; 1. to improve airflow versus an open bench, 2. to reduce noise in comparison to an open bench, and 3. to better protect internals against dust. Pease point out where I am wrong.
I think its best to have the 3 options like they are doing now. This allows the customer to decided which version they want. They can go for looks or function. The same way corsair does it.
I know some of you guys don't like noise and all, but I want the Elite. After working long hours and difficulty sleeping, a white noise machine helps /s.
thank god they're finally back to making cases with more than one top exhaust. Now I can finally upgrade from my OG NZXT Phantom, which has been a great case but is definitely dated now. H7 Flow, or one of the smaller successors (H3/5 flow) that inevitably come in the next few years will likely be my next case.... or any potential O11D Air mini successor.
I have a 4000D AF, it’s a great case and you won’t regret buying it. I really like this case from NZXT though, I used to (unknowingly at the time) only buy NZXT cases, had the S340, H510i and H710i but I noticed that even the latter one had only ok thermal performance. Switched to a 4000D and never looked back. It has all of the nice cable management that I was used to with NZXT, nice clean tinted side panel (black version) and the thermals are great.
I use the H7 Flow for my gaming pc and with corsair fans, my cpu never gets above 40c and the GPU doesn't exceed 65c. Ryzen 7 7800X3D with the RX 7800 XT. This case is really good for the money. Just wish there were fans on the bottom to assist with cooling the GPU. Going from the NZXT Switch 810 back in the day to this, which is smaller, this case does better.
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dVhfQcI2Y3E.html they actually did a video on GN Extras explaining this. EDIT: The link goes straight to said video.
There's a gn extras vid that discussed this. Basically there is some minimum performance that a psu has to meet prior to being greenlit for advertising
Can't they just make hinged glass front panels that can be tilted like skylight windows on the top or bottom? I guess it wouldn't be to much to ask for @ 200 bucks. Love the astehtics and I'm certain that this can be solved.
The Elite variant might look good with a reservoir or distribution block instead of a front radiator. With the right lighting setup on the block, probably edge lit with some diffusive material, it might make a good show case. Though this case clearly wasn't primarily built for water cooling, given that the space constraint issues with the tubing when trying to use all the available area for radiators, just a bit more forethought in the drafting process would've fixed this issue, thus why water cooling is yet again an afterthought that happens to have some amount of compatibility.
Hate it or love but CAM works pretty well and system really don't suffer from performance on it anymore, not noticible I use it as my main temp checker Still would love it if Windows offer support for temps in task manager...
also dont have any issues with Cam but i remember at launch it was terrible, they smeared their reputation with the rough initial implementation but as of 2022 its not bad at all.
my first pc build used the h700. my opinion is that nzxt makes the prettiest cases on the market and i hope they release a mini-itx version of this case; if it has good thermals that would be an instant buy. i like the solid front panel on my h700 because thermals are under control, but for a mini-itx case (H2?) mesh is probably smarter.
even though this video might not get as many views as the fire hazards, i wanna thank you (and your team ofc) from the bottom of my heart for all the high quality reviews
One thing that no reviewers touched on w this case is that the screen filters are loose and wrinkly, not taut and flat. It's very visible when light hits the filter and makes an otherwise beautiful case look really cheap. It's a shame.
It's so sad to see that NZXT went off the deep end for a while. They used to be early innovators back in the days. I still have my NZXT Zero case, a fully aluminium case that came with 8(!!!!) fans, 4 in the sidepanel. They were really focused on putting out good shit back then but I don't know what happened.
I fitted an Artic Freezer 420 II in the H7 Flow, in the front, after cutting the bottom of the case and the top of the top of the front detachable frame :)
Nice review, the noise of the Elite might be a problem for some. For those of us who frequently work in data centers with servers, it just reminds us of home.
I know this been asked a lot before but I hope GN would build a proof of concept of what the perfect case would look like. Air cooled, water cooled, even passive heat dissipation.
Cases are designed the wrong way. Design the layout of components first then build the case around that. Don't build a case then try to get the components to fit.
@@redrock425 if best possible thermals are the most important thing to you above all else like looks and fit and finish, why not just go for an open case?
Bought this case based off the review. Great case for the budget, especially if you don’t plan on tricking it out completely. I put in 6 1000rpm case fans, 1 1200rpm exhaust fan and put 2 fans on my cpu cooler. The cpu stays below 60c under load and it’s pretty quiet. Great case, especially if you’re coming from an next h510.
