NZXT Crafted Series Vulcan Black Steel / Plastic Gaming mATX Computer Case

Pros: Subdued orange lighting was far better than I could have imagined, flexible options for air & water cooling, clever floor vent & PSU mounting option allowing you to have the PSU oriented normally or "flipped", comes with black thumbscrew-type connectors for PSU, HDD, Optical Drives, etc. It's nice to see that "handle cases" haven't completely gone away and the handle of this case seems sturdy enough.

Cons: Black/grey motherboard I/O shields don't exist (that I am aware of) and, therefore, this "all-black" build couldn't truly be all black (Not the case's fault) Also, if you have the PSU mounted fan down, you probably wouldn't want to have this case sitting on shag carpet. ;)

Overall Review: This case was the housing for a new gaming rig build for my oldest friend (38 years and counting). It wasn't planned when I ordered everything, but all of the internal components were dark in color, which turned out for the best. Because this case has a lot of grille/mesh on the panels, the guts are open to view and the interior is also completely black. Once I got everything in place, even red SATA cables looked out of place and I even custom-sleeved one of the fan cables to subdue it. When I was done, the only noticable item was the I/O shield, which was bright shiny chrome. Even with that, I don't think I've ever built a sweeter looking rig. I then had to say goodbye to this thing of beauty as soon as I got the everything tweaked and running smooth a few days later. I guess I shouldn't have been quite so efficient ;)

Pros: I like this case it was an upgrade to the liquid cooling system that prompted me to buy this case The case has lots of air flow and is made of steal. One big plus for me was the bottom PSU mount. It makes your cable management much easier. With the ½ ID tubing in the case I was kind of worried about running out of space but it all worked out very well. For those of you out there with liquid cooling I am using ½ inch ID thin wall vinyl tubing. I did have to remove the grommets in the case to get my tubing in but if you’re going with 3/8 tubing don’t worry. The case came with lots of screws and I really liked the fact that the case came with thumb screws even if they are plastic cap screws. I was also very happy to see that both sides of the case come off for easy cable management this is a huge help for liquid cooling systems or for these of you that are like me and very "A" about cable management. Overall I am very happy with this case if you’re looking for a mid-sized case then you really can’t go wrong with this one especially if your system runs hot this has case has so much airflow.

Cons: The front audio header plug was DOA, I played with it for about 30 min trying to fix it before I just stopped caring. One of my biggest complaints with all case manufacturers is that they never clearly mark the pin trim out lines clearly. So here on this case the positive is in the top position when lettering is upright but I had to find that out thru trial and error. I mean how hard is it to put a small mark on the connector? So all the words are upside-down because of the power pin setup on my board. I don’t care that the letters are upside down I just want the connectors labeled. I took one egg for the Audio Header not the pin connectors.

Overall Review: For the price it’s a very good case

Pros: -High value -Great ventilation -Attractive design

Cons: -Flawed handle design may cost you big time -Shoddy wiring internals -No ATX support for a case this large

Overall Review: I built a $1200 rig two years ago for my friend using mid to upper end components, and he wanted something portable with good ventilation for both at home and LAN party use. This case was the winner after a few days of browsing, and we got right to it with the build. I was worried about the TINY handle threading and screws for this case, and boy were my fears justified. After two years, and only transporting the case four or five times to and from our houses the handle snapped off from the tiny threading, and the entire rig smashed onto the floor. The front case cover snapped off along with two of the case feet and the side case door snapped off. I'm in the process of trying to figure out which components still work on a bench rig, but wanted to contribute this review while the event was still fresh in my mind. NZXT: Please refrain from a manufacturer's response unless you are willing to take financial responsibility for the components destroyed by your product's flawed and hazardous design. Save the canned CSR responses for someone else.

Pros: Good airflow is an understatement; it's just about an open rack. The handle is a big plus, Black painted interior, stylish and sturdy, plenty of room for large video cards. The front panel has filters behind all the metal mesh sections, and the back is loaded with metal mesh to including the card covers. Good wire management due to the shape of the back panel.

Cons: I also had a problem with the power connectors for both the case fan controller and the led switch, but if you connect them slowly pushing the pins back in as you go, it works just fine, both are connected and working fine, just go slow.

Overall Review: The drive cage section (CDROM DRIVES) has this friction fit thing going on, after your sure nothing is in the way you got push, and push hard. I'm guessing because of the handle you need a snug fit on everything. Also the power supply area has rubber posts, and you will need to with one hand compress the power supply in the case to get the holes to line up. Just a note: install the motherboard first otherwise you'll have no room for your hands. Love the case, yes would get another one

Pros: After is was done I loved it. Good airflow and a decent design without being too much. Case looks good also. I was able to hide all of the cables on the back of the motherboard via the tied down points and the back went on without effort. This case (with side fan) keeps my computer nice and cool which is important to me. I don't run the best of the best hardware but I run good hardware so I don't like temperatures getting even close to what I would consider warm much less running around the max.

Cons: I ended up paying over $40+ for my side fan grrrrr. Even with reading many reviews it didn't clue me in to the fact that "only" nzxt's fan will work so I purchase the best 200mm fan I could only to find out there was no way to use it. The holes didn't match up or even come close. I was probably more frustrated because I had timed the parts to arrive before the weekend (which they did) only to find out my side fan was useless. The fan speed controllers and back light switch are cheap. No other way to say it.

Overall Review: A little tight when working on it but most people have bought a micro atx because they don't want a computer that requires a forktruck to move around. I've been a network admin for years now and the thing that'll kill a computer quick is heat. Capacitors fry, hard drives fail, etc.. Whenever somebody brags about how quiet their computer is I always raise an eyebrow and say "Okaayyyy".

Pros: First and foremost in my mind is that this thing has great ventilation. I was originally reluctant to build a gaming-oriented micro ATX system because some cases have a pitiful ventilation setup like a single 80mm fan. Video card wise, it is a very well designed setup that I'm sure will fit even the most absurdly long video cards! My 5850 didn't even come close to taking up all the space. I really like the size and form factor of the case, as I usually only ever have 1 optical drive bay filled and I think it looks a tad ridiculous to have 6 more underneath it with blank bezels. All together it's a very well thought-out and well built case. It looks pretty cool, too!

Cons: Wire management can be a HUGE pain, as you've got limited space to work with- and cables always seem to be just an inch short or at least 20 feet too long. ;) The thumb screws leave me just a little dubious as to their quality, but they've held up fine so far. The reality that this is a very small case makes for some tight fits with various components- see "other thoughts!"

Overall Review: VERY IMPORTANT FOR X58 USERS USING AFTERMARKET AIR COOLERS!!! You have to be careful what CPU cooler you choose, as big tower coolers like the coolermaster V8 simply WILL NOT FIT! I used a Noctua NH C12P SE14, and I had to replace the stock top fan with the thin Scythe 12mm thick 120mm fans to get everything to fit. The reason is because the LGA 1366 socket is much closer to the top edge of the motherboard, making the cooler sit very high in the case. Since the PSU is at the bottom, you start to get issues with super tall or wide coolers hitting the top of the case or being unable to clear the side panel. LGA 1156 users and water coolers have far more leeway, and apparently most coolers will fit with such a setup.

Pros: -Cool looking! -Build quality! -Price! -Only four HDD bays! -Solid Handle! -200mm fan = great cooling! -Easy cable management! -Can handle SLI!

Cons: Just a few niggles: -LED switch in a strange place -Installing mobo was tough; had to remove the I/O backplate -Can only mount closed-loop WC (H60 for me) in the front -Front bezel is plastic -NOT compatible with Sentry 2 fan controller*

Overall Review: *Not a big problem, as the case has four built-in controllers (two fans to a knob) I was looking for a unique case I could squeeze a modest (SLI and 3-4 drives MAX) build into, and easily haul to-and-from college. Gaming was a priority, so airflow was a must. This case fit the bill perfectly. I would absolutely recommend this case to anyone, especially a someone who doesn't need the capacity for tri-SLI, nine hard drives, and water cooling, or a first-timer who needs something fun and easy. P.S. If you're on the fence, check out some of the projects and builds on the official Vulcan Owners Club on Overclock.net. That thread's what convinced me this case was gold.

Pros: * Sturdy steel construction * Space enough for long GPU cards * Mesh design allows for a lot of airflow * Front panel mesh, including the drive bay covers, have built-in filters * Price - some would say NZXT skimped on the fans, I would say, "Buy a more expensive case!" * Inclusion of plenty of thumb screws * Back panel actually has enough space to route PSU cables for clean wire routing * Removable lower HD cage, essential if you want to use a self-contained water cooler, like the Corsair H50 * Overall, a quality case and nice layout for an oft-ignored mATX form factor * OK, I'm sold on the switchable orange LED motif (see Other Thoughts) Don't forget to use the motherboard standoffs, even though the tray reminds me of one that doesn't need them. I think some of the issues of some of the other reviews were related to that.

Cons: * The 4-pin Molex power connectors for the fan controller and front panel LED are TOO SHORT and CHEAP. It took a little wrangling to power up those connectors, and I actually broke on of the wires trying to make the stretch. Fortunately I was able to repair it, but only because I had done a little modding to power connectors before. * To continue, the Molex connectors also CANNOT be piggybacked to each other and require a power connection each, since one is a 12V connection and the other is a 5V connection. That would be OK if each connector had four pins, but they only had two each, connecting their relevant pins only. Given that they were already short, I had to do additional snaking of the cable from the PSU to give each their own connector. * The silicone bumpers for the PSU slot get yanked out easily when you try to slide your PSU into place. I wondered why mine wasn't fitting only to find that they had popped out and were jamming the slot. I even lost one and can't find

Overall Review: I didn't buy my case from here, but I saw that NZXT responds to comments and have a big question for them: DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND ORANGE LED FANS?!? OK, I'm into the orange LED's now, but I can't really find them anywhere, at least ones with good noise/airflow specs. The closest one easily available is the Xigmatek one, but it uses white LED's on transparent orange blades, which affects how it looks. Aerocool also has one in their Shark line, but I can't find it in US anywhere (I considered biting the bullet on shipping from the UK, but they use white LED's too). Your site doesn't even sell them, and that would be great especially if they were compatible with your LED switches. And since only your 200mm fans are guaranteed to fit, how come no orange version of it either? Anyways, I have some orange LED's coming, but it would have been appreciated if I didn't have to do the mod, especially since it was your idea in the first place, haha.