NEW NZXT H440 STEEL Mid Tower Case. Next Generation 5.25-less Design. Include 4 x 2nd Gen FNv2 Fans, High-End WC support, USB3.0, White/Black

Pros: Shhh.... Do you hear that? Exactly...

So I'll go ahead and hurry up past the subjective part of this review. It's down right Sexy, *Warning, Your Girlfriend/Wife/Partner/etc. Will Get Jealous and you may develop lower back problems due to the large amount of time you will be spending on the couch *

Coming from an original Phantom, and before that a old Thermaltake, it's night and day in terms of how quiet the H440 is in comparison. I was extremely impressed that even though I have a reference design GTX 780 (Blower Fan), and it's right next to a an even bigger window, even my GPU wasn't as loud as it was in my phantom...to me that is actually really impressive.

I'm not 100% sure, but it seems that even the few parts of this case that are plastic (Foundation of the front and top panels) are made of a sound dampening plastic material. I'ts a little hard for me to explain, but it feels very solid, while at the same time it has a texture like that of felt or suede. What ever material they are using, it definitely makes a difference.

I also have a H100i in the top which some cases are not very forgiving when using in conjunction with Dominator Platinums, but luckily there is plenty of room. It looks like there is just enough room to fit an H105, but nothing thicker than that at the top. The front on the other hand has a ridiculous amount of room since there aren't any 5.25 bays.

The sound-dampening material appears to be comprised of about 1/4in (6.35mm) of neoprene foam. It's located in the top and front panels, full back panel, and the solid portion of the side panel. It also seems to be of good quality as well, it definitely performs.

The overall construction is very well made, MUCH better (apologies for sounding like a broken record) than the Original Phantom. My old case didn't seal all the way and left gaps at the side/top/front panels, the metal was a bit flimsy and the plastic felt very cheap, even though it was also really tough. The H440 however is designed and manufactured with a much higher standard and scrutiny.

The LED's in the back work well and are a big help, the lit "NZXT" logo on the side is back-lit from the LED's that shine light indirectly through the logo so it's not a bright beam of light, but a rather a 'nice' subtle glow.

The USB and 3.5mm connections on the top are solid and tight, with no wiggle nor locking and the

The H440 has only been out for 2 days, but I feel that this case is a solid winner and should definitely be a consideration regardless of whether you plan to water-cool or air-cool.

Cons: Besides having tons of things I love about this case, there are a few things I think that have fallen short.

The ventilation is a bit restrictive, both in the front and top of the case. This could have been helped by making both panels slightly thicker and allowing the vents to go all-the-way around each panel. Do to the slight restriction on airflow, some of that warmer exhaust will be circulated back into the case if you use something like an AIO liquid cooling solution in which one of the three fan slots is open and if using a 120/240mm Rad/Fan the other 20mm of extra width going along the length of the case that allows the installation of 140/280mm rad/fans up top will be easy places for the air to travel back into the case.

HOWEVER!, you can help out a little with No 'Custom' Modding. The mesh covering the vents are held on by 'Phillips' screws and can be removed from both panels without any hassle, and put back on just as easily if desired.

The backside of the motherboard tray only has about 1/2in (12.7mm) of usable space after considering the 1/4in (6.35mm) sound dampening foam. This isn't too big of a deal since you have almost the entire bottom of the case/shroud to hide cables, but cables like the 20+4 Motherboard connectors can get pretty thick, especially when needing to cross other cables.

No Fan Control. This isn't really a con Per se, but for those that have to have one, it only has a Hub.

Overall Review: I completely understand why they went without the 5.25 bays, they're slowing becoming obsolete as we move ever faster towards flash storage. However, it would have been amazing to see a small space set for a 'Slot-Load' ODD. I plan on modding one in, but it would have been epic if it had been implemented into the case stock.

Again, the Ventilation Mesh can be removed with a Phillips screw driver.

Pros: - Easy to build in.
- Plenty of room for expansion.
- Fairly decent looking.
- Lots of front USB ports.

Cons: - HDD mounting system actually AMPLIFIES vibrations. This was not well thought out, and is a major con of a case that is all about fitting 500 HDDs.
- Included fan hub is completely useless, as it just runs the fans at full speed.
- More HDD trays than any normal person needs, meaning the case is overall way bigger than it needs to be for most gaming rigs or normal PCs.
- Noise dampening system front grill inhibits airflow, limiting the possible cooling.
- Heavy.
- Overall look is too chunky to be classy or cool.

Overall Review: Fairly nice case just for being roomy, but overall I wish I had paid attention to the measurements and purchased something smaller. The vast number of HDD trays were outdated when I bought the case, and it has just been this over-large chunk of metal sitting around my house ever since. The biggest disappointments were the useless fan hub, and unnoticeable noise dampening.