NZXT H2 H2-001-BK Black Steel / Plastic Classic Silent ATX Mid Tower Chassis

Pros: The hot-swappable HDD bay on the top is a game-changer. I would have bought this case JUST for that feature, as it makes work much easier (IT Consultant). As for the case design--excellent. I wish they made a full-size ATX case with the same features, as it can get a bit cramped with big PSU/GPUs etc. This is the first case where a truly silent PSU can be attainable. I've used a silent CPU cooler, fanless PSU and with silent fans and a GTX Titan, very, very quiet. The way the fans remove for easy cleaning is also fantastic. This case is good enough that I'll likely add a video review shortly.

Cons: Rubber gaskets aren't glued or firmly attached, which makes it difficult to fish PSU wires. No full-size version of this exact case. Fans are quiet--but others are quieter (and cost more, of course!). Would be nice to have a foam-lined option for the bottom instead of mesh for more damping. Finally, the way 2.5" HDD/SSDs attach to the removable trays (which are a good feature, by the way) could be improved. With a little ingenuity, the bays could fit two SSDs each.

Other Thoughts: All in all--this case is many steps ahead of even the best cases from all manufacturers. I've worked in IT for over a decade, and have built well in excess of 500 custom PCs, and this case has more ingenuity built into it than any case I've yet seen. I have never seen a case that packs so much value. I have worked with the Coolermaster Stacker and Cosmos series, the Antec 1200/900 series, the top level Silverstone cases, and many, many others. The NZXT needs to continue to improve this case and make it a flagship, and include a full-size ATX option. I--for one--would buy it. I am beyond impressed with this case. I have worked with the other NZXT products in the line and none blew me away--except for this one. Even with the room I see for improvement, this is an excellent case and well worth the five-egg rating I've given it. For those who complain about the manual--they need to either gain some common sense or patience. Either suffice with this case. If you purchase a case for the manual, perhaps you should simply hire someone with more experience to build it for you, or buy from a custom builder.

Pros: I used to build computers on a daily basis for a living. This is without a doubt the best case I have ever built a computer with.

Amazing quality
Amazing aesthetics
Amazing cable management
Amazing silence
Amazing case

Look out Thermaltake.

Cons: The rubber things around that cable management holes come off easily when moving cables through them, it can be a little frustrating but I wouldn't dock any points for it.

Screw holes are not all threaded properly, so screws are a little tough to move sometimes.

Other Thoughts: Buy it.

Pros: This case with included fans is very quiet. The three-speed fan controller is placed front and center. There is a lot of space inside for plenty of 5.25" and 3.5" drives as well as 2.5" drives. The hinged door is nice to keep a sleek look at the front. The build quality is great. There is a HDD dock on top where you can slide in a standard 3.5" or 2.5" drive which is great if you can enable hot-swapping on your motherboard. There is a nice cover for it as well as a cover for a grill where you can mount an additional 140mm fan. There are filters on all intake fans which is great for keeping dust out of the system. I clean them about once a month. The black paint is very nice and stays clean. It is nice having the single USB 3.0 port and three USB 2.0 ports on the top. There is plenty of room to stuff cables behind the motherboard tray.

Cons: The front door is kind of annoying when i have to use the optical drive, and doesn't mask the sound of the drive. The reset button is the same size as the power button and it is quite easy to press accidentally when adjusting the fan speed or using the top-mounted USB ports. Inside the case, the rubber inserts next to the motherboard fall out very easily when routing cables through them. I wish the hard drive mounts were rotated 90 degrees to make installation much better.

Other Thoughts: I built my system about a year ago using this case with an ASUS p8z68v-le board, Core i5 2500k, EVGA GTX 560ti. Later when I installed a Cooler Master Hyper 212 plus the cutout behind the CPU socket was nice because I did not have to remove the motherboard to install the backplate. The case is nice, however I am picky enough to not recommend this case because of the hard drive mounting. It is very quiet, even with the fans on full and running games with the CPU and Video card releasing a lot of heat.

Pros: Quiet Case with fans on low. Higher fan settings can be heard, but aren't too bad. Filters for most input fans. Roomy interior. Easy access for most components. Stylish case. Front fans are sleek with no visible power cables, just contacts.

Cons: Customer Service Stinks. Case arrived with one of the three USB 2.0' inoperative. Contacted NZXT service but they never replied. Obviously customer service isn't of utmost importance since they didn't even have the courtesy to answer an e-mail. Front input fans are NZXT proprietary, so if they ever fail, you'd have to again deal with their service department for a replacement.

Other Thoughts: Customer Service is important to me. Had NZXT replied to my defective case, I would have rated it higher. After doing some digging into the USB issue, I found that one of the USB wires was not seated in the plastic clip properly and now the case works fine. Shouldn't have to troubleshoot a new case.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear valued NZXT Customer,

We apologize for this inconvenience our products/service have greatly cost you. To best service you please visit our support center at www.nzxt.com/support open and create a ticket with us regarding about this issue. You may also contact us directly at 626.269.5275 and speak with any of our customer service representative. Please feel free to do so if you have any further questions.

Thank you for your patience and continued support with NZXT!


Best Regards,
NZXT Service.

Pros: The case is a great mid ATX tower with room for just about everything. Granted, it's not super spacious is you have a lot of hardware like an aftermarket CPU heatsink or a couple nice graphics cards, but the ventillation of the case as a whole is pretty great. Also very quiet thanks to the foam. Also the front fans come out so you can clean them out in a snap. Very classy looking, too.

Cons: My only complaints about the case would be that the dust from the fans on the front is constantly getting on the foam that's on the inside cover, making it look like a dust-bunny convention whenever you open the case. The LEDs on the front of the case are BLINDING in a dark environment and flash constantly. Some electrical tape covering those, or something to dull it out fixes that right up. None these are big problems at all.

Other Thoughts: It has a hot-swap dock on top that I haven't messed with at all so I don't know how that works out. It's a decent case, but the only reason I want a different one is that I'm personally sick of cases with front covers and want a little more room on the inside of the case.

Pros: Case is well-constructed and well-designed. Very quiet.

Cons: If you are a highly knowledgeable builder and don't really need manuals, this case can work for you.

But if you are a noob builder---STAY AWAY. The "manual" is a single double-sided fold-out page. There a number of cables in this case that are NOT even mentioned in the "manual" and also not labeled, which renders them completely unusable.

A little Googling reveals that some people have been guessing where the cables go and have been frying motherboards, USB ports, and melting wires as a result.

Some people have solved the problem, but they did it by taking the case completely apart and tracing the cables.

NZXT will be no help. I filed a support ticket asking which cable connected to what, and have received no reply after two weeks. (I will never, ever, purchase an NZXT case again. Fool me once, guys.)(This case was also recommended by PC Magazine. That's it for PC Magazine, too.)

So, to repeat: If you are a noob builder, STAY AWAY from this case. Unless you really like watching wires turn red-hot and smoke pour from your system.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

I apologize for the issues you are experiencing with your NZXT product. I can assure you that customer service is of the upmost importance to us and we value your feedback more than anything. If you are still having issues with your case, please feel free to contact us at service@nzxt.com and we will be more than happy to assist you in resolving any problems you are facing. For quicker service, you can call our customer service line, 626-228-1150 during operating hours from 9:30am – 5:30pm.

Best Regards,
NZXT Support Staff

Pros: Easy to work in with big hands.
Silent fans while the settings are set to low.
USB ports on the top of the case.
Drive bay is nice in a pinch.
Filters.
You can cover the top of you want too.
Good areas for cable management.

Cons: Fans can be heard on the highest setting.

Other Thoughts: Like I said its a pretty swet case. I like it a lot. It's easy to work with. However you can hear the fans on the loudest settings. But then again for $99.99 case who can complain really? Not this guy!

Pros: Solid Construction

Easiest Front Fan Removal I have ever seen. Seriously.

Mega-Convenient Hard Drive Bay on top with sata connection.

Easy to clean underneath filter for PSU.

USB 3.0 ports on top.

Thumbscrews.

Minimalist Looks

Cons: Not as quite as I hoped.

Slightly annoying magnetic fan cover on top. When transporting the computer it will likely slide off. Not sure why couldn't make it snap in/off instead of relying on 4 small magnets.

Other Thoughts: I bought this case for use in my home project studio. Often times I will track instruments/vocals in the same room as the computer. Naturally, one does not one the whir of computer fans on ones vocal/instrument track. I bought this case for it's "silent" attributes to minimize this. Granted the case dampens fan noise considerably, calling it silent is a bit of a stretch. So I took off one egg for that.

Still the best case I have ever owned... well I really did like my antec 900.. Okay, so this case is definitely one of the best cases I own. (and I have had quite a few)!

Buy it! You will not regret it!

Pros: Can't hear thing coming from the case other then video card exhaust but can't fault them for that.
Filters + carpet = clean heatsinks.
Great fans and placement.
Lots of hard drive mounting space.

Cons: No window but can't fault them for that as it's a (almost) silent case and marketed as one but wish there was a option or upgrade for a window.
Couldn't hear my hard drive clicking to know it was about to die.
Wire management rubber flaps come off very easy.
Mounting hard drives can be annoying with the way the mounting system with the rails works.
Most video cards make it hard to use all the hard drive slots with out 90* sata cables.
Newegg doesn't sell the white version.

Other Thoughts: I would give it a 4.5 so I will give it a 5 as a 4 is to low for my nitpicks.

Pros: Good looking. Fairly high build quality. SATA hot swap bay. Ability to hide cables behind the mainboard.

Cons: It's really not that quiet. The sound deadening foam on the sides helps a little bit, but there isn't that much of it, and there are too many openings on this case. The whole bottom of the case is completely open; there's just a mesh grille covering it. If you want quiet, all your components better be quiet. This case won't help much if you have a noisy hard drive or GPU. Also, the tool-less method of installing hard drives is a real pain; even once you get the pins to fit into the screw holes on the drive, unless they're perfectly flush, they'll catch on the side of the drive bay. Save yourself a lot of trouble and take the pins out of the drive trays and just use the bottom screw holes to mount the drive on the tray. Another minor annoyance is that they decided to cover the top fan grille with a plastic tray. I'm glad that they covered it, but it doesn't fit very well, and it's only held on by a few weak little magnets; the tray slides all over the place and comes off as cheap.

Other Thoughts: The hot swap bay is great, I love it, but I would have liked some foam or something in the bay to dampen hard drive vibration and noise. Overall a pretty decent case as long as you can get a deal on it (100 is way too much), but I'm disappointed in the sound deadening measures they took on a case that they call "silent".

Manufacturer Response:

We want to thank you for being a customer of NZXT and we appreciate you taking the time to send your feedback and will continue to strive to make our products better.