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.
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 2 |
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