This is a popular case, but I was a little hesitant to order it due to the design and potential lack of airflow, and the fact that the CAM software was so poorly reviewed by several online sites.
The last time I built a PC, companies were just starting to get away from the ugly box designs with silver unpainted interiors, and it was pretty difficult to get a stylish case for under $200, and at that high price point you were pretty much paying for the ability to actually manage your cables with rubber grommets and the like. So I was a little discouraged when I found this case and liked it, but realized it was only $100. I assumed it was probably low quality when compared to the other NZXT offerings, but I didn't really like anything else I found, so I decided to pull the trigger and send it back if it was a piece of junk.
Fortunately, this has been the best case I've ever owned, and I was amazed at how easy it was to build in.
- Build Quality -
I'm pretty used to sharp edges, unpainted interiors, and unintuitive design choices. Even older Corsair cases, which I felt were superior in the "ease of building" department, are a joke in comparison to how great this case was.
I was worried that this case would be a bit wobbly when you took off the side panels, and I'm happy to report that it's very solid. The interior paint job is perfect, and the matte finish is actually really nice, and the case lights are perfectly placed and don't cast light cones on the glass (unless you turn them all the way up). Overall it's a great case in terms of quality.
- Building Experience -
There are slots and holes in every possible place that you could run a cable, and the backside has velcro straps and routing channels for your cables. I barely even had to try to manage my cables, and it looked better than my old Corsair 600t did after an hour of zip tying, tucking, and weaving. The back panel shut effortlessly.
The bottom part of the chassis being sectioned off was a genius design choice, because I can stuff cables in there without caring what it looks like, and often contains the most cables if you don't have a modular PSU.
I was able to put my Kraken cooler, and my 1080 ti Hybrid radiator easily within the case, with plenty of room. The airflow is perfectly fine, and both of those items stay around 26C when idling. Wonderful case, I'm nothing but happy with it.
- CAM Software -
Surprisingly, I really like the CAM software. I think in the early days of the case release it was probably pretty rocky, but for me now it worked flawlessly. I enjoy the UI and the temp monitoring, and I can easily change my fan speeds if needed. I don't let it use the fan curve where it "learns" or whatever, I just set it to quiet and turn it to performance if needed. It's that simple.
Overall, I really loved building my PC in this case, and I'm so impressed at the quality for $100.
The NZXT H500 ATX Computer Case was part of my new Coffee Lake build. I haven't built a PC since Crysis in 2007. I actually built my first gaming PC to play it, and my fascination for computer hardware grew from there.
Pros:
Beautiful clean, subtle look.
Very quiet design. Almost silent. I have three fans total. Plenty of areas for fans, five total. The front two fans are not included, but optional for better airflow.
Excellent contrast of white and black colors. Notice that the inside of the case is all black. And then it has that nice white piece that stands vertically next to the motherboard area.
Superb cable management. I have it to so that you cannot see any wires and cables. Not easy to achieve, but NZXT nailed it perfectly.
Tempered glass feels very very sturdy. Not like the cheap cut out glass that seems to be made out of plastic from the CoolerMaster case I had.
Can place SSD on brackets on a mesh platform right underneath PCIe slots, but it doesn't get in the way. I have a GTX 1070 and Asus Xonar DGX PCIe. Excellent spacing.
Everything is easy to screw on and take off. The back panel is so easy to take off and they added about an inch of room for cable management in the back. This is such a critical thing that they implemented.
Front panel is on the top and not the front of the PC case. Power button, usb slots are all on the top, front part of the PC case. You don't have to insert your USB slots or plug in your headphones at a weird angle when using the front panel. I disliked this about most PC cases.
The back panel area has nice little "canals" that you can loop your cables and wires through. Gives it a clean look and you don't end up crushing your cables with the back panel.
At the bottom, there is also a place for SSD or hard drive bays. It is also removable. I removed it so I had room to place my cables in there for better cable management.
Good size for an ATX case. I had a CoolerMaster HAF 932 advanced with the full window panel. I liked the CM case, don't get me wrong. It was just too heavy and big.
I have nothing but praise for this case. It's a must-have and a steal for $69.99.
Cons:
The rear fan can get in the way of motherboards with a large heatsink. I installed an MSI Z370 Pro Carbon Mobo and it barely fit. I had to remove the rear fan, then install the Mobo. Not a big deal but keep this in mind. I'll measure the clearing space and update later.
The top case fan tends to vibrate a lot. It isn't because of the fan. It is due to the top part of the case. The metal is too light and flimsy. It lacks weight and thickness so the fan at the top causes noticable vibration and noise. This is my reason for taking away one star.
Other than that, this is an excellent gaming PC case especially if you are looking for a nice contrast in colors, great cable management, silent, and a clean subtle look. This is my first super clean gaming build. I haven't put together a full build in 10 years!
Great value and best bang for your buck. Best gaming case for its price that I could find.
Also note that the H500 is the alternative to the H500i which is software integrated. I highly recommend the H500 if you don't care for all the software integrated stuff.
This case is absolutely gorgeous. It's so roomy and has great cable management options. That being said... I couldn't give it a 5 because I had an issue with the CAMS software and also the "smart box" that comes with it. I never was able to get the software to load. I sought technical support from NZXT, they were ZERO help. In fact.... they just quit responding to my emails. They apologized and blamed it on the heavy work load due to the holidays. Whatever. I never have heard back... this is after over 4 weeks. So I gave up. I ended up removing their lighting strips and installing an aftermarket hard strip that I bought here on Amazon. The "smart hub" device uses an internal usb header. I only have one such header on my motherboard, so I purchased the NZXT internal usb 2 header hub. Once I installed that, I now had 3 internal headers. However, now the smart box would not work. So in the end.... I just removed the entire smart box device and used just the case. $200 is a LOT to pay for the case without a working smart hub, but so be it. I love everything else about the case.
What can I say about this mini case? I’ve had a couple NZXT cases but this thing is special. My build is not 100% complete but it will be incenthe 5” screen arrives.
Pros:
•The cable management is superb having in mind it is a mini itx case. Then top it with “hey I used extensions” which adds more clutter to my dear cable mess.
•The airflow is nice. I was ready to mod the case in case it was lacking but so far my temps are alright.
•The looks! I look at it way too much...yes it’s a gorgeous little thing! Sturdy yet beautiful!
•It has that funny fan/LED strip controller to go with the HUE+. I only use the LED but it’s nice to control it from the CAM app.
•If you are coming from a mini itx case don’t fear if you have an SF(X) power supply! It comes with a removable bracket!!! (This was a nice touch if you ask me.)
•The bracket behind the motherboard for the 2 2.5” SSDs/HDDs is very nice with more room for more drives!!!....is this really a mini itx case?!?!?
•My Asus Strix does not sag in this case? Nope it doesn’t. Has more support on the PCI slot.
•2.5 bracket in front of the window is nice but I won’t use it since I will replace with a 5” LCD screen.
•That cable shroud metal thing (see in pics) which has been around since the s340 is nice and only takes 3 screws to remove.
•DUDE!!!! The front panel plug is HEAVENLY! I always struggle with this ton of small cables....now the one here is a single plug with all the cables! I fell in love!
•Room for rads and moar fans!
Cons:
•The tempered glass is not as strong as I thought or I would like. Turned around to get the thumb screws and it slipped...2” fall at most and a small corner went off...
•Yeah I got nothing else until my custom loop begins.
Pros
-Clean looking
-All metal design, so no yellowing plastic like the phantom cases
-Easy connections for pwr usb reset etc
-Nice glass door, it would stick and I was afraid to crack the glass while trying to open it thts how bad it would stick, but I just stuck the rod of a screwdriver in the hole that was giving me trouble and gently opened the hole a bit more, now fine.
-Lots of space for cables
-Airflow is good considering the stock configuration, NZXT focused on Negative flow and seems to work well, 2 fans can be added to front of case if desired
-Price
Cons
-Noiser than my Phantom 240
-Noisy harddrive cage, I turned this down by sticking some felt I had from Ikea under the cage and remounting, now silent.
-Fans are a bit loud but I have some Noctua case fans and dont expect a budget case to have spectacular fans anyway.
For $69 shipped I felt it was a great buy, my phantom 240 was looking a bit dated and would not fit my True Spirit 140 Direct cooler and this one does perfectly. I do wish they had provided the vertical graphics card mount like on the H500i but no biggie.
Feature Product
- PREMIUM QUALITY: All-steel construction with the sleek H Series design; available in four color combinations
- FULL TEMPERED GLASS PANEL: Showcase your build with crisp clarity
- ALL-NEW CABLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: Features dual-position cable management bar and cable routing kit located behind motherboard tray. Velcro straps allow you to make changes on the fly
- WATER-COOLING READY: Installation simplified for both AIO and custom loop configurations
- INCLUDED: Two Aer F120mm fans for optimal airflow; Speed: 1200 + 200 RPM
- MOTHERBOARD SUPPORT: Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, and ATX
Description
The H500 Series showcases NZXT vision for modern PC building with simplified water cooling installation, intuitive cable routing features, quick release SSD trays and a stunning tempered glass panel to showcase your build.
This a neat little case with great cable management.
The front can fit a 120mm or 140mm or 240mm AIO water cooler.
The rear can fit a 120mm AIO. The top barely fits a 120mm fan.
If you do install a 240mm AIO in the front, you'll have to mount the fans on the outer part of the case (push action). You can mount fans on the inside for a pull but you'll run into risk of your power supply cables hitting the fan.
If you install a 120mm AIO, you can probably do a push/pull install. Push/Pull for a 140mm can be done if you don't install a long GPU. My EVGA RTX 2070 is 10.5 inches and it fits well with a couple centimeters to spare. I'm only running a 120mm AIO with the fan mounted for pull on the inside.
The case has 3 SSD mounts (1 front side, 2 back side), but I opted for M.2 SSDs for a cleaner look. You can also mount a 3.5" HHD on the front bottom, but space will be tight and you won't be able to install a 240mm AIO. If you do plan on installing a 3.5" disk, this is wrong case for you. Go back to 2014 and grab one of their cases...and when you're there, don't forget to pick up an optical drive too because this case will not a slot for it.
I love the wide open back to access the back of the motherboards because some mini-ITX boards come with a M.2 slot on the back now. The cable management in this case is superb. I was able to route most of my cables without the use of zip ties. You can use a SFX power supply in this case for more cable management and fan room. I didn't, and it sill works for me. My set up looks very clean in this case.
The biggest con is the integrated Hue system (hence minus 1 star, should be minus 2). It only comes with one RGB LED strip. It should have came with 2 RGB Fans too, but it didn't. I should have looked before I paid the extra money to get this feature. The regular H200 would have been just fine. NZXT has it's own proprietary RGB system that does not integrate with any motherboards except theirs. If you plan on running an RGB system in this case, I recommend getting the H200 and not the H200i. NZXT's RGB system is flawed in many ways. It requires the use of too many USB 2.0 headers (which is why I had to buy their internal USB hub) and signing up with CAM to use the software to address the RGBs. I ended up not using their smart device thing and replaced it with an Antec Prizm set up (which can be addressed by my ASUS motherboard).
Working in a black case with a black motherboard and black wires is hard. I recommend taking out the white bar that runs down middle of inside and fans for easier assembly.
Overall, I do like the look. The front case panel is perfect for the NZXT Puck.
Excellent Case overall.
PROS: Perfect for am MATX Build. I have this paired with the Z370-G from Asus and it is the perfect fit. I also have a Gtx EVGA FTW 3 Hybrid set up in push pull on the radiator. This card is a beefy graphics card and fits in this case no problem. Also, I have the Kracken X52 with the radiator situated in the front also in push pull cooling my 8700K overclocked to 5.3Ghz...temperature on idle is 33c and while on non-synthetic load (gaming) it does not go above 51c. I had no problems fitting the radiator in the front...plenty of room. There is one included RGB strip at the top of the case. I am able to control the strip and connect the Hue strips to them... these are connected to the smart device in the back which also serves as a fan hub...this brings me to the CONS.
CONS: The included "Smart Device" is very unnecessary. I understand what NZXT tried to do here, but the CAM software is still a bit buggy...it does not detect any of my fans on the smart device...I cannot tell at what RPM my fans run as it does not show in the CAM software. Also, there are times when starting CAM you have to constantly hit the "Detect Devices" whenever you boot your PC...sometimes the "Smart Device" is not detected.
Overall: This is an excellent case for an MATX build. I just don't see the use of the "Smart Device" when one could use the NZXT Hue and install a better fan control hub to control fans. I do not see the justification in the price. This case should be $99.99 max and NZXT should've included a bundle deal with the NZXT Hue+ or even the NZXT RGB Fans for an additional $30.00 in my opinion...would've made it a better deal and for the price (hence only 4 stars). Essentially, I am happy with my purchase. I would recommend this case...just not with the "Smart Device"....
NZXT H500 Review
I have built over 30 computers, not any for quite awhile though and I really like this case. I am 72 so not a gamer but I had a good time building my system in this case. The room that is available is great and it is easy to route the wires so they are not sticking up all over the place. The instructions provided may be a bit hard to understand for a novice but for anyone who has built a system in the past will have no problem at all. The case is very well thought out,I like that the glass side panel only uses 1 screw and it is on the back of the case not sticking out the side like many cases with a glass side panel. My system is a MSI X470 gaming plus, and a Ryzen 5 2600 cpu with a Reeven Justice cpu cooler and a Samsung M2 970 plus ssd drive. My temps are only about 29c on the cpu which I think is great. The cable for the power switch and hd a power light plugged right into my motherboard without having to do each item separately which was nice. Pretty much all I have plugged in is the motherboard and graphics card as far as cables from the power supply. I did add a extra fan to the front of the case to draw in some extra air. It seems like about any power supply should fit without any problem in this case. I did have one of the case fans that made a bit of noise but I slowed it down about 75 rpm to about 850 RPM and all is quiet now. Remember no place in this case for a DVD CD drive, just use a usb one if you need it. Also it has no reset switch not big deal though as the power button will work for this if you really need it. I have my case sitting on the right side of my desk so I really like the USB ports and power switch are on the top of the case as it makes it much easier for me as compared to the case I was using. For me it was a easy build as I got done about 2 hours sooner than I thought and it is the cleanest looking build I have ever done.
This case is the NZXT H700 - ATX Mid-Tower PC Gaming Case - Tempered Glass Panel. Don't get confused with the NZXT H700i, which has this silly buggy thing that controls the RGB lighting in the case.
The case has enough space to fit a huge CPU fan like the https://www.amazon.com/quiet-BK022-Cooler-6-Pole-Wings135mm/dp/B07BY6F8D9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546561700&sr=8-1&keywords=be+quiet+dark+rock+pro+4
Cables can be laid behind the motherboard in a different place on the case so that this can increase air flow. Though the airflow isn't the best, its good enough.
The reason I went with this case was its simple design. Square, flat, and simple air holes. Adding lights to this, isn't the easiest because the lack of surfaces.
I modded mine with clear plastic sheets to block all the huge holes where the air can reenter and sit.
You can fit 3 fans on the top and 3 fans to the front. It comes with a fan in the back and 3 at the front. I added 1 to the top. All fan placements can accommodate 120mm and 140mm sized fans.
First things first, I LOVE this case. It looks stunning, the build quality is excellent, features are plentiful, and it was extremely easy to build in. NZXT really has a good product here. That being said, it is a bit pricey for what you get, likely due to the so-called "Smart Device" and "machine learning" features that NZXT crammed in there. Overall, I'm extremely happy with the case and only have a few very minor gripes.
PROS:
-Great design! The case is beautiful.
-Excellent build quality. Nothing broken or scratched out of the box. Everything feels really sturdy.
-Hands down the best cable management I've ever seen. Plentiful and well-placed cable channels with plenty of velcro straps and cable tie tie-down points.
-Plenty of room for cables behind the motherboard. I had no issues getting the back panel on after routing all my cables.
-4 included case fans! The fans perform well and I currently have no plans of swapping them out with something else.
-Very easy to build in. All of the panels are easily removed and reinstalled. A removable top radiator bracket is much appreciated.
-Top fans/radiator are vented out the side instead of directly up. This is a pro for me because I have a cat that likes warm things and if this was vented directly up, the cat would definitely want to spend a lot of time sitting on top of the case, choking off the airflow and getting cat hair/dust/dirt inside of the case.
-Great airflow! Even with front and top airflow being somewhat choked off by being forced to breath through the grid, airflow seems plentiful and I've had no issues getting nice overclocks with good temperatures and minimal noise on my CPU and GPU.
-Intake dust filters
-Relatively quiet for not being a silence optimized case.
-Mounting points for up to 5 SSD's. 2 on the PSU shroud, 1 on the front of the shroud, and 2 behind the motherboard.
-Movable 3.5" HDD cages to make more room for cable management or provide more clearance for front-mounted radiators.
CONS:
-The famous NZXT white bar makes cable routing the 24 pin ATX motherboard connector a bit difficult. I wish the jog at the top started a bit lower. Not a huge issue though.
-Pre-installed LED strip only had 3 working LEDs. I didn't RMA it because I wasn't going to use it anyways, but it is worth noting. The second RBG strip seemed to work fine when I tested it just for the heck of it, but I'm not using that one in my final build either.
-Expensive.
WORTH NOTING:
-Only 2 3.5" HDD mounts. Not an issue for me since my primary drive is an SSD and I only have 1 HDD as my data drive. Worth noting though.
-No 5.25" in bay, if that matters to you. Not a con for me, because I personally prefer the room for additional intake fans.
-CAM software that integrates with the Smart Hub is a little bit buggy, but no major problems. This really is more a critique of CAM than the case itself though.
BUILD SPECS:
Case: NZXT H700i
Motherboard: ASUS Prime Z370-A
CPU: Intel i5 8600k (overclocked to 5 GHz)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X62 (top mounted in this case)
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 1080 G1 Gaming
RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4 2400
Power Supply: EVGA Supernova G3 750 W Fully-Modular
SSD: Samsung 850 Evo 500GB
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 3TB
MORE ON THE SMART DEVICE:
For those who don't know, their Smart Device is kind of a hybrid between a GRID+ (fan hub) and HUE+ (RGB hub) with built in machine learning (NZXT's words, not mine). The intent with this is that using NZXT's CAM software, you can optimize your system cooling and noise. The way it's supposed to work is that you connect all of your fans to the Smart Device and using CAM, put your system under various tests and calibrations and using "machine learning" it will determine the optimal balance of airflow and noise. I can't really comment on this feature because I'm not using it, rather opting to create my own fan curves and optimize noise/cooling/airflow manually. At this price point, I imagine that most buyers will be enthusiasts and experienced PC builders, and in my experience, these kinds of people tend to do things manually anyways.
I will say that I am using the Smart Device as just a centralized fan hub and using the CAM software as my fan controller. In that regard, it works well. I'm not using the Smart Device for any RGB, as I prefer a more muted RGB aesthetic and I'm not using any RGB strips (even the included ones). However, I'm using the RBG controls in CAM for the RBG lighting/effects on my Kraken X62 and it works well for this also.
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