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There are many strong selling points when we analyse the NZXT H2 Classic case. The cable management features and noise suppression foam are excellent touches and work exceptionally well. Overall however we can't help feeling slightly disappointed with the H2, especially after we recently reviewed the Fractal Design Design XL.
It certainly doesn't have the same wow factor as the NZXT Phantom that we reviewed last year. For the money it offers good value, but there are clearly corners that have been cut to get the price down to this specific level.
One negative example would be the hard drive bays; there is no point in being able to easily access the hard drive bays through the front of the case if there are no hot swap modules on the inside. Therefore, it would make much more sense to us if the drives were mounted in the standard way where they don't cause cable management issues with large graphics cards.
We do question NZXT's reasoning for placing a 140 mm vent in the roof with no 120 mm mountings, after all, the vast majority of fans on the market are 120 mm models.
The H2 can be yours for a £90 inc. VAT at Overclockers UK. We have to say that we feel the Fractal Design Define XL is a better case in many areas. The Define XL also has much more space to work with inside, more hard drive bays and better provision for cable routing. We do like the NZXT case, but it is facing some stiff competition at this price point.
pros:
- appearance is quite good
- price point is competitive
- almost silent thanks to noise dampening
- fan speed controller
- rubber rings to stop hard drive vibration
cons:
- faces stiff competition
- watercooling needs to mounted externally
- hard drive mounting system should be rotated
KitGuru says: A good case and very quiet.
seems not bad, but as you say, against a lot more cases at this price.
Well this is interesting. I had read several of these reviews on this case before, and wondered why they would make the front section so accessible with cool touches such as the fans removable with connectors, and then not make the drives easily fitted from the front, would make life easier for the user.
Its a good case, but it seems to me and I thought it before reading this partricular review (thought it before on the last review I read), that they haven’t really started this from the ground up, and have actually designed it after making the core design which has some flaws.
140mm fan slot is fine, if you fit it out of the factory.
Antec do it a lot. and I like that NZXT have a 120mm fan at rear, but its quite dumb to be able to remove the 120mm when fitting a liquid cooler ilke new antec kuhler, then have to DITCH the 120mm fan they supply, leaving you with nothing.
Lack of thought.
I have never been sold on NZXT for cases. THey are getting there but id rather stick to silverstone or Lian Li. better quality, even if they are generally more expensive.
Good review Henry. I like the overall concept , but there are some glaring build issues. the hard drives for one. That is just so 5 years ago.
Have them pointing out to the side door for easy access. thats a mistake I would expect someone like bitfenix to make.
Its ok, but there is nothing wonderful about it. the look is average and the design is average. I like them as a company however, but this isn’t one of their highlights. their last case you reviewed here was much better.
If you consider fans at 1200 rpm inaudible you need to get your hearing checked. I don’t care if the case is sound proofed, the airflow in and out of the case will be clearly audible.
Depends on how close you are, the quality of the fans and the room acoustics.
Looks like a nice case. I really like what NZXT did with the front panel. disappointing to see that watercooling was all but ommited as an option in this case though