Nzxt CS-NT-H2-B Customer reviews
Ratings
Category: Personal Computers
Brand: Nzxt
Model: CS-NT-H2-B
Availability: Online/In-Store
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Nzxt CS-NT-H2-B Reviews
Nzxt CS-NT-H2-B Review by Alex Batkhan (ROCKVILLE, MD United States)
I like easy accessible external connections (3 USB 2.0 and 1 USB 3.0) + SATA II docking station.
Beautiful design with great sound isolation. Equipped with 2 removable front fans and 1 top fan.
Great for someone who is looking for a quiet beautiful case and moderate demand to ventilation.
You can add 2 additional fans on the back and on the bottom, but then it won't be quiet anymore.
Nzxt CS-NT-H2-B Review by Francis Scully
I've recently purchased this and to my surprise NZXT has actually increased the front panel's intake slots/vents on all 3 sides! The intake slots are now twice as wide and considerably longer. It's perplexing why this update hasn't been advertised on the NZXT website. That one change finally puts this case on par with the Fractal R3/XL in terms of balancing silence and cooling performance. Overall an amazing case; my only gripe is that NZXT should have allowed the hard-drive cage to be rotated to allow for a longer graphics card.
Nzxt CS-NT-H2-B Review by Ro
Before purchasing this case, I read many, many reviews on it, and also on its main competitor (as of the day of this post), the Fractal Design R3. I ended up choosing this one for a few reasons, one being that I found it on sale for cheaper (20% off), and I felt like it had more features, and a style I prefer. But I strongly suggest anyone in the market for a ~$100 Silent case compare the two before deciding, because there are pros/cons which I will list throughout the review.
Now, I'll try to cover all parts of the case and it's performance.
1. Features
a. Front USB 3.0 (which is basically an extension cord to the back), along with 3 more USB 2.0, and a 3 speed fan switch.
Pros - These are all very nice, the fan switch is very useful and works well.
Cons - Would be nice to have USB 3.0 motherboard headers.
b. Foam noise insulation
Pros - Seems to work, completely lines the sides and front panel.
Cons - With the door closed, the foam in front of the front 2 fans gets very, very close to it, which I believe suffocates the case (more on that later). Also, there could be foam on the top panel area and the foam feels somewhat cheap, not anything space-age, but simply just a thin sheet of standard, medium density foam.
c. 3 built in fans (120mm, 2 in the front, 1 in the back), space for a 120mm on the bottom, and a 140mm on the top.
Pros - Quiet, pre-connected to the fan controller, look very nice. Front 2 fans are hot-swappable, and come out very easily, as they are wireless fans. I liked these fans enough that I bought the 140mm version to use as a top vent fan.
Cons - None.
d. Door and front LEDs
Pros - I have to say this case is very sleek looking, and modern. The LEDs are white, and they appear through the front panel. The power LED is a nice white light that highlights the bottom right "v" mark on the door. Looks great in the dark.
Cons - Door insulation gets too close to the front 2 fans, and also the vents are too small for the front fans.
e. Mesh filters for fans
Pros - Comes with a huge, easily removable filter for the PSU and the bottom fan (if you add it), and also for the 2 front fans. Meaning all intake fans are filtered. The top does not have a filter because it is meant to be exhaust, just like the back fan.
Cons - None
f. 3 5.25" external bays, 8x 3.5/2.5" docks for hard drives/ssd.
Pros - This is a nice set up, because most of us dont use DVD drives much anymore. 2.5" drives can fit without any adapter (they attach to just one side, and screw into the bottom). Can change them without removing the entire front panel, only requires popping out a fan or a cover to change these drives.
Cons - The 8x 3.5/2.5" docks are very close together, so close that if you have 2 3.5" hard drives, they will nearly touch each other. Also, there is no included 3.5 to 5.25" adapter, for those of us with 3.5" media card readers. I have to buy an add-on in order to get my 3.5" reader attached. Also, installation is not very toolless, requires screwing in multiple screws (although some are thumb-screws)
g. Construction/finish
Pros - Powder coat appears to be good, entire inside is coated. Thumb screws for many applications, including the side panels and rear expansion ports. The steel is heavy and doesnt warp much.
Cons - It was a bit difficult installing my graphics card, just didn't seem to align perfectly, but in the end it worked. Also, the thumb screws are not always easy to do, perhaps they are not machined well, that or the holes aren't.
h. On top, a covered SATA 2 dock, along with a magnetically-latched cover for the top 140mm fan.
Pros - I cant say much about the SATA2 dock, because I won't be using it. However, it is a nice space for storage, and is latched, so it won't come off easily. The fan cover is excellent. I have tried it with a 140mm fan, and what I did was just put a small magnet in between the cover and the fan, and this gives my fan room to breath exhaust, while at the same time keeping much of the sound out. In fact, without the cover on top of the fan, the case becomes much, much louder.
Cons - Without the cover for the top fan, the case will be much louder, yet covering the 140mm fan completely would almost suffocate it.
i. Cable management - 2.5" of space behind the motherboard, for cable storage, along with rubberized pass-throughs, and many tie locations.
Pros - This is a huge amount of space, I was able to easily fit all the cables I needed behind, without tying anything up. This helps a lot for case ventilation, and looks a lot nicer when peering in the case. The pass throughs are plentiful and useful, with the rubber helping to conceal the back side.
Cons - None.
2. Performance
a. Noise
This is a quiet case with just the 3 fans set on low, with the door closed. Exact noise is listed below.
b. Cooling
Now this is a big one. The cooling of your case will vary based on your parts, the fans you add, and unfortunately, whether or not your door is open. If you add fans, cooling performance certainly will help.
At system idle, and just the 3 stock case fans, with the door open, I experienced temperatures of 3-5C cooler on the CPU and GPU, compared to with the door closed. Additionally, with the door closed, having the fans on high did not make much of a difference compared to low. Temperatures with the door closed, on low, were about 43C for the CPU, and 54C for the GPU.
With the 2 additional fans installed, temperatures dropped to 40C for the CPU, and 47C for the GPU, with the door closed.
More importantly is the temperatures when the CPU and GPU are stressed. I ran 3DMark Vantage on default settings in order to test the cooling of various setups. All results are in Celcius, and are the maximum recorded temperatures during the testing. Also note that the baseline noise (everything off, silent room) was 45dB, and this is using a free app on my phone.
Results with the 3 Stock fans
Fans on Low, Door closed, noise at 47dB - Motherboard 70, Q8300 69, GTX 280 86/80% fan.
Fans on High, Door closed, noise at 51dB - Motherboard 58, Q8300 57, GTX 280 86/69% fan.
Fans on Low, Door open, noise at 48dB - Motherboard 62, Q8300 61, GTX 280 85/62% fan.
Fans on High, Door open, noise at 54dB - Motherboard 54, Q8300 54, GTX 280 80/55% fan.
---
Results with case filled (5 fans)
Fans on low, Door closed, noise at 49dB - Motherboard 63, Q8300 61, GTX 280 86/65% fan.
Fans on high, Door closed, noise at 52dB - Motherboard 57, Q8300 57, GTX 280 85/63% fan.
Fans on low, Door open, noise at 49dB - Motherboard 60, Q8300 58, GTX 280, 85/63% fan.
Fans on high, Door open, noise at 54dB - Motherboard 54, Q8300 52, GTX 280 80/55% fan.
There is a lot you can take from this, but I think it's all self explanatory. You can see comparisons between cooling and noise levels, and generally the changes from having the door open, to the changes of having the extra fans. I don't mind opening the door when I need to game, as I don't game often. Those who game more though, should be aware.
It's also possible to modify the case to make it cooler. It's been suggested to manually saw the vent in the bottom of the door to enlarge it. The reasoning behind this is you will absolutely never see this, since its on the very bottom, except for when the door is open. You can also run the bottom 120mm fan at 100% all the time, which should help cooling in general, because the choke point is the intake from the front 2 fans.
Summary
Overall, I like the case. It has flaws, but almost all of them are minor. It looks great, the LEDs add a touch of style, it is quiet, and there is lots of space inside to work with, along a lot of nice little features such as the fan controller, front USB 3.0, foam insulation, and filters for all intake fans. The construction could be better, and easier to assemble, and the cooling is not good unless you take steps to remedy it, including possibly having to open the door. For anyone installing the top 140mm fan, I strongly suggest adding a small magnet and leaving the cover on, which allows a LOT of noise suppression, but plenty of airflow. I feel like the foam is a major selling point for this, and thus, it could be of better quality. However, for the price of roughly $100 (lower if you find a sale), it is certainly worth it to me. It packs style, function, quietness, and cooling (with modification).
I gave it 4 stars because it is perfect except for the cooling issues with front door closed, and I believe it could be slightly quieter with better/more foam (on the top).
More Reviews...
NZXT Technologies H2 Classic Silent Midtower Chassis CS-NT-H2-B (Black):: Features
- EXTERNAL 5.25" DRIVE BAYS 8 INTERNAL 3.5"/2.5" Slots crewless Rail Design
- Three fans included:2 x120mm front touch powered fans1x 140mm rear fan
- Top hot swap capable SATA HDD Dock (requires an AHCI capable motherboard and hot swappable HDD) and USB 3.0 port for the most up to date function
- DIMENSIONS (W x H x D): 215 x 466 X 520 mm; Three fans included:2 x120mm front touch powered fans1x 140mm rear fan
- COOLING SYSTEM: FRONT, 2 x 120mm @ 1200rpm (included )REAR, 1 x 120mm @ 1200rpm (included)TOP, 1 x 140mmBOTTOM, 1 x 120mm / DRIVE BAYS: 3
- DIMENSIONS (W x H x D): 215 x 466 x 520 mm /MOTHERBOARD SUPPORT ATX, MICRO-ATX, BABY AT
- MODEL: H2 /CASE TYPE: Mid Tower Steel /FRONT PANEL MATERIAL: Plastic/Steel
- Noise dampening foam and a top magnetic fan cover for minimal PC noise
- Plastic/Steel /DIMENSIONS (W x H x D): 215 x 466 x 520 mm /MOTHERBOARD SUPPORT ATX, MICRO-ATX, BABY AT
- MODEL: H2 /CASE TYPE: Mid Tower Steel /FRONT PANEL MATERIAL:
- Item Dimensions: 20 x 8 x 18 inches; 20 pounds
- Brand: Nzxt
- Model: CS-NT-H2-B
- Product Type: Personal Computers
Nzxt CS-NT-H2-B:Limited time offer!
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