# NZXT H2



## Darksaber (Mar 21, 2011)

NZXT's H2 is a very well featured mid tower case in the $100 range that offers a clean and stylish look in both black or white. Even though it comes at a competitive price it includes three fans that can be adjusted using an integrated fan controller.

*Show full review*


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## MoonPig (Mar 22, 2011)

Thats pretty damn similar to my Fractal XL...

Weak NZXT, weak.


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## {uZa}DOA (Mar 22, 2011)

MoonPig said:


> Thats pretty damn similar to my Fractal XL...
> 
> Weak NZXT, weak.



Agreed.... Usually NZXT thinks outside the box... What gives?


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## Darksaber (Mar 22, 2011)

MoonPig said:


> Thats pretty damn similar to my Fractal XL...
> 
> Weak NZXT, weak.



Having reviewed both the fractals and this, I do agree that both aim at the same group of users, but are fundamentally different in their approach.

The NZXT adds features like USB 3.0, an HDD bay, and different approach to cooling, while fractal design - very good cases in their own right - has focused on different sound dampening materials, while not putting a lot of tooling changes into the interior of the case (in other words, you can find the interior layout of the fractal defines in other cases of the market).

Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but both are very good cases and I believe that no matter which one you may use, you will be happy with the purchase.


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## scaminatrix (Mar 22, 2011)

Thanks Darksaber; nice review, although I think it's a plus point that they skimped on the outer box design work. I don't want to pay more for something I use just to store other boxes in. Otherwise, all questions I had about the case have been answered now.


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## Darksaber (Mar 22, 2011)

scaminatrix said:


> Thanks Darksaber; nice review, although I think it's a plus point that they skimped on the outer box design work. I don't want to pay more for something I use just to store other boxes in. Otherwise, all questions I had about the case have been answered now.



glad that the review has answered all your questions - that is the point 

as for the packaging, I agree, but a color packaging would still be a positive point (assuming it does not affect retail price). NZXT still solved this well with good detail in the black & brown images.


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## Breathless (Mar 22, 2011)

MoonPig said:


> Thats pretty damn similar to my Fractal XL...
> 
> Weak NZXT, weak.



Dang... you guys are harsh. This case looks pretty awesome. Who cares if its similar to another case?


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## Darksaber (Mar 22, 2011)

Breathless said:


> Dang... you guys are harsh. This case looks pretty awesome. Who cares if its similar to another case?



haha I was thinking the same thing..but everyone is entitled to their opinion


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## scaminatrix (Mar 22, 2011)

Breathless said:


> Dang... you guys are harsh. This case looks pretty awesome. Who cares if its similar to another case?



A connoisseur is not easily pleased... He built TPU's first Deskmod (I believe), check his sig...
But yea, I like it too, it's got a good function over look factor (except for losing a HDD bay with a long GPU)...


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## Yellow&Nerdy? (Mar 22, 2011)

Good review. Other reviewers say that the sound insulation material is cheap as shit, the plastic is horrid and that the powder-coating is badly done as well. The Fractal R3 just seems like a better case: only thing it doesn't have is USB 3.0.


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## Kytael (Mar 22, 2011)

*p183*

I'm surprised no one is comparing this case to the p180/p182/p183, which had the silent case market cornered for some time

I think the special casing was more effective than the foam, and there seems to be more airflow than this


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## Darksaber (Mar 22, 2011)

Yellow&Nerdy? said:


> Good review. Other reviewers say that the sound insulation material is cheap as shit, the plastic is horrid and that the powder-coating is badly done as well. The Fractal R3 just seems like a better case: only thing it doesn't have is USB 3.0.



you mean oc3d? yea...seen that. I do not agree and all other reviews out there do not agree either. I am baffled how that can be considered an objective review...


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## WarEagleAU (Mar 23, 2011)

I am actually a huge fan of this midtower case. One of the best I seen. I would actually have moved the HDD down a spot or two leaving room for the 6850 to go straight across with no slight bend.


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## TheLaughingMan (Mar 23, 2011)

This case would be perfect for Crazyeyesreaper.


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## musek (Mar 23, 2011)

A little question to reviewer - could you give us a detailed information about the maximal size of graphic card that can fit into this case (even suffering those 2 hard drive bays)? 
I think that this can be very valuable for potential buyers.  
Thanks in advance!


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## NdMk2o1o (Mar 23, 2011)

MoonPig said:


> Thats pretty damn similar to my Fractal XL...
> 
> Weak NZXT, weak.





{uZa}DOA said:


> Agreed.... Usually NZXT thinks outside the box... What gives?



Hmmm you could say the Fractal case took its looks from the Antec P180 weak Fractal weak  

Nice looking case and nice features, I have styarted liking NZXT over the last year or 2 as their cases are a lot more mature now instead of all the cheapy looking plastic junk they use to do, wouldn't rule another out when I upgrade nzxt!! << you see what I did there???


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## Darksaber (Mar 23, 2011)

musek said:


> A little question to reviewer - could you give us a detailed information about the maximal size of graphic card that can fit into this case (even suffering those 2 hard drive bays)?
> I think that this can be very valuable for potential buyers.
> Thanks in advance!



well a HD 6990 should fit: http://www.techpowerup.com/img/11-03-22/139h.jpg if you sacrifice the two hard drive bays. 

I cannot say anything about the GTX 590, but I will measure the exact length possible as soon as possible.

cheers
DS


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## musek (Mar 23, 2011)

Oh, if 6990 fits in then it's all ok.  
Thanks a lot!


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## theJesus (Mar 23, 2011)

Awesome review, this looks like it might be my next case.  I didn't catch if you mentioned in the review, but does the SATA dock just connect to the motherboard's SATA connector?

Also, why is the graphics card crooked? lol


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## WhiteLotus (Mar 23, 2011)

I am really starting to like more cases giving you room for an "external" hot swappable drive. Looking forward to see more of the same, but maybe just a plastic shield to hide them

EDIT wait does the shield hide the drive when it's in?


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## theJesus (Mar 23, 2011)

WhiteLotus said:


> I am really starting to like more cases giving you room for an "external" hot swappable drive. Looking forward to see more of the same, but maybe just a plastic shield to hide them
> 
> EDIT wait does the shield hide the drive when it's in?


I think so.


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## scaminatrix (Mar 23, 2011)

theJesus said:


> Also, why is the graphics card crooked? lol



I wondered that at first, I think Darksaber done it just for illustration purposes, to make us aware of potential problems.



WhiteLotus said:


> EDIT wait does the shield hide the drive when it's in?



That's a good point. Darksaber, does the cover fit back on the top when a drive is installed in the esata dock?


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## Frick (Mar 23, 2011)

Best looking NZXT to date. I've always hated the looks on their cases, to flashy and blingy and windows. I want a clean minimalistic look.


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## TheLaughingMan (Mar 23, 2011)

Always a great review, so that goes without saying.

I tried to find the review that raged on the H2 and it doesn't seem to be up any more.  I have tried several searches on their site and search engines, but I can't find it.  I can only assume OC3D and Nzxt had a disagreement that lead to the "review" and they are working it out maybe.  Maybe they got a damaged sample or something.

It is not my style, but I think the case is great.  I wished the HDD cage was rotated 90 degrees and the hot swap bay connected via a USB3 header instead of an actual USB plug coming out the back.  Then the wire would have been on the inside and out of sight.  But these are minor details.


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## craigbru (Mar 23, 2011)

Hey guys, this case was the result of a NZXT focus group effort that I'm proud to be part of. After the success of the Phantom, they really wanted to continue to get input from enthusiasts who actually use the cases, as opposed to just case engineers. The H2 isn't a gaming case per se, but should still offer pretty good thermal performance. Not many sites seem to be doing actual thermal tests though.  That said, the conservative styling, sound dampening, and abundant drive bays should prove useful to those that need lots of storage in a case that just sits back and quietly does it's job. Now, for those wanting something more performance oriented, well, all I can say is that very 'cool' things are ahead...


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## Mac Daddy (Mar 23, 2011)

craigbru said:


> Hey guys, this case was the result of a NZXT focus group effort that I'm proud to be part of. After the success of the Phantom, they really wanted to continue to get input from enthusiasts who actually use the cases, as opposed to just case engineers. The H2 isn't a gaming case per se, but should still offer pretty good thermal performance. Not many sites seem to be doing actual thermal tests though.  That said, the conservative styling, sound dampening, and abundant drive bays should prove useful to those that need lots of storage in a case that just sits back and quietly does it's job. Now, for those wanting something more performance oriented, well, all I can say is that very 'cool' things are ahead...


Nicely said Bro and proud to be part of this group along with you. There are very cool things coming indeed


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## Darksaber (Mar 24, 2011)

theJesus said:


> Awesome review, this looks like it might be my next case.  I didn't catch if you mentioned in the review, but does the SATA dock just connect to the motherboard's SATA connector?
> 
> Also, why is the graphics card crooked? lol



Yes the SATA dock connects to the mobo sata plugs. and yes the GPU is warped...happened over time, but works just fine ^^.


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## one_malik (Mar 24, 2011)

awesome pc case....good job nzxt...


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## DeerDance (Mar 25, 2011)

Darksaber said:


> you mean oc3d? yea...seen that. I do not agree and all other reviews out there do not agree either. I am baffled how that can be considered an objective review...



That review helped me more than yours, even if he went overboard.

You are trying to be objective beyond the call of duty, not trying to insult manufacturer or whatnot. You gave both Define R3 & NZXT H2 same score(9.1 and editors choice), now why can't you make up your mind? Why can't you tell me which one is better in your opinion?

Yes, you may argue that for some people hot swap is more important than lets say case finish, or effectives of silencing foam or cooling. But you should just make up your damn mind when it comes to scoring and not make every feature equal to other! 

If the whole build quality is great like you claim in pros or H2, then how come it does not surpass R3 in score? It got usb3 on front, it got hot swap, it got fan controller on front, more fans, hotswap fans...  It should kick R3's ass in $100 range. 

After 6 months sale of R3 and H2 on newegg, have a look on feedbacks and see if they are also scored there equally.

I know you probably want to be acting as impartial journalists, only reporting facts, but if I want just list of features stated without any brain activity involved I will just go look at rodney reynolds's videos.

/edit
Also who is right? In your review its aluminium on front doors, in his its plastic.


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## red99 (Mar 25, 2011)

I appreciate some of the case designs offered. However many of the "Advanced" cases do not have enough width (in this instance 310mm). Several of the cpu air coolers are quite tall and need more width in the case than this. I ended up with the 840ATCS Coolermaster because of width considerations. If someone had width in a quiet mid-tower
that would have sufficed. Thats my nit .


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## TheLaughingMan (Mar 25, 2011)

DeerDance said:


> That review helped me more than yours, even if he went overboard.
> 
> You are trying to be objective beyond the call of duty, not trying to insult manufacturer or whatnot. You gave both Define R3 & NZXT H2 same score(9.1 and editors choice), now why can't you make up your mind? Why can't you tell me which one is better in your opinion?
> 
> ...



Ok Troll, I will bit.

When a single review out of dozens tells you the product is crap while all the others said it was good, chances are the single reviewer is on something else.

And you hit the nail on the head.  Darksaber is a reporter.  There job is to give you the facts about products and offer his opinion on it and just it.  He is not hear to say this is better than this and give you some kind of rank for them.  He is not trying to control or influence your opinion.  In the end, you have to decide for yourself what case you want.

Rodney never offers any real information that I can't just read on the box of the case.  Dark gave his opinion about several things.  You obviously didn't read the review, you just looked at the last page and posted here.

And to answer you questions, Dark said the front door has an aluminum plate on it, not the front door was made of aluminum.

When you learn to read, you can come back.  Until then, go play with your mega blocks and don't interrupt grown-ups when they are talking.

P.S. I have seen your friend at OC3D's video now.  I will admit he made a few valid points...very few.  Overall, he is just being a troll like you.  Trying to be different since everyone else likes the case.  I just want to say the sound damping material is not something you are suppose to rub on like a fluffy pet.  WHo cares if it is ruff to the touch as long as it does what it claims.  And the front fans are not feed by the door henge joint, it is feed through the large gapping whole at the bottom of the front door.  Also the front fans are not the only intake as there is 1 more slot for a fan in the floor of the case.  It was obvious the guy took the case out of the box, "reviewed it", and put it back in the box.  His opinion is void since he neither used the case, or took a decent look at it.


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## Darksaber (Mar 25, 2011)

DeerDance said:


> That review helped me more than yours, even if he went overboard.
> 
> You are trying to be objective beyond the call of duty, not trying to insult manufacturer or whatnot. You gave both Define R3 & NZXT H2 same score(9.1 and editors choice), now why can't you make up your mind? Why can't you tell me which one is better in your opinion?
> 
> ...



woa big post. let me try to give you some insight:

the biggest downside of the H2 is size. The R3 offers more space, better sound dampening materials, better customizability in terms of fan expandability, better hard drive rails. 

But then the H2 offers USB 3.0, a Dock, removable front fans, great construction quality (especially the metal frame). 

In terms of plastic both are identical in my opinion.

Fact is, that both cases are great and neither have real "deal breakers". I believe that a review is suppose to give the reader an insight, the facts and show what a product is capable of and its shortcomings, but leave the decision up to the reader. That is being objective in my humble opinion. The review is intended to allow the reader to make an informed decision. And that is not possible with the OC3D video review.

As for the metal part, I am pretty sure it is Aluminum. I am not at home right now, but will check. The fact is that the surface was cold to the touch, which seems to suggest Aluminum, also the fact that the white one uses a silver front seems to suggest that.

I will check as soon as i get home.


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 28, 2011)

was gonna say it looks very much like a Fractal Design Define XL but got beaten to the crunch. but anyway.

One does prefer a case with a side fan as it vents cool air on hot GPUs


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## TheLaughingMan (Mar 28, 2011)

FreedomEclipse said:


> was gonna say it looks very much like a Fractal Design Define XL but got beaten to the crunch. but anyway.
> 
> One does prefer a case with a side fan as it vents cool air on hot GPUs



the vent is on the bottom for that.  You get cooler air and keeps the side sleek.


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## WhiteLotus (Mar 28, 2011)

TheLaughingMan said:


> the vent is on the bottom for that.  You get cooler air and keeps the side sleek.



Wouldn't that fire dust into the case from the floor. I am very dubious of bottom mounted fans.


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 28, 2011)

WhiteLotus said:


> Wouldn't that fire dust into the case from the floor. I am very dubious of bottom mounted fans.



there is a dust filter.

I still prefer a side fan with a dust filter -- makes it easier to clean and the air gets vented directly onto my 2 cards. not just the card at the bottom which the bottom fan is pointed up at


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## WhiteLotus (Mar 28, 2011)

FreedomEclipse said:


> there is a dust filter.
> 
> I still prefer a side fan with a dust filter -- makes it easier to clean and the air gets vented directly onto my 2 cards. not just the card at the bottom which the bottom fan is pointed up at



Very true, seems very counter intuitive.


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## TheLaughingMan (Mar 29, 2011)

WhiteLotus said:


> Very true, seems very counter intuitive.



Ummmm we don't live in a vacuum.  Fans in cases just help to circulate air faster.  If air comes up from the bottom, it is not like only GPU will suck it all up and vent it out the case.


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## Bjorn_Of_Iceland (Mar 29, 2011)

can you remove the hdd bays and fit a 240 rad in front?


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## Darksaber (Mar 29, 2011)

Bjorn_Of_Iceland said:


> can you remove the hdd bays and fit a 240 rad in front?



not without doing some serious modding - sorry.


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## theJesus (Mar 30, 2011)

From your own subjective listening, can you tell me how well this case would dampen the sound of some noisier components? (like high-rpm GPU fans for example)


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## cever89 (Mar 31, 2011)

TheLaughingMan said:


> Always a great review, so that goes without saying.
> 
> I tried to find the review that raged on the H2 and it doesn't seem to be up any more.  I have tried several searches on their site and search engines, but I can't find it.  I can only assume OC3D and Nzxt had a disagreement that lead to the "review" and they are working it out maybe.  Maybe they got a damaged sample or something.
> 
> It is not my style, but I think the case is great.  I wished the HDD cage was rotated 90 degrees and the hot swap bay connected via a USB3 header instead of an actual USB plug coming out the back.  Then the wire would have been on the inside and out of sight.  But these are minor details.



I found it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHcyWTorjdU

I don't know if I 100% agree with this guy, but here are a few areas that I myself would also be concerned with. The camera work could have also been a bit better


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## TheLaughingMan (Mar 31, 2011)

cever89 said:


> I found it here:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHcyWTorjdU
> 
> I don't know if I 100% agree with this guy, but here are a few areas that I myself would also be concerned with. The camera work could have also been a bit better



That post was kinda old and I already found and commented on it.  Thanks though.


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## powerplayer (May 6, 2011)

I was thisclose to buying the case until your review advised of the white LED's. Not good for a bedroom HTPC. Thanks for being so thorough!


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## theJesus (May 6, 2011)

powerplayer said:


> I was thisclose to buying the case until your review advised of the white LED's. Not good for a bedroom HTPC. Thanks for being so thorough!


Take out the LEDs?


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## Fractal Design (May 12, 2011)

Darksaber said:


> As for the metal part, I am pretty sure it is Aluminum. I am not at home right now, but will check. The fact is that the surface was cold to the touch, which seems to suggest Aluminum, also the fact that the white one uses a silver front seems to suggest that.



Just a quick comment on the plastic vs metal thing --> Both our Define series and NZXT H2 uses the same technology, which is called "aluminium membrane", basically a very thin layer of aluminium attached to the front plastic.


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## powerplayer (May 12, 2011)

theJesus said:


> Take out the LEDs?



Yeah. On one case I switched the power led and hdd since the power led was so much bigger and brighter. Bummer that my new board won't let me do that but, it was time to get rid of that pain in the rear ESC board. Might just hook up the hdd to the power led on the board. Waiting for a few more things to arrive b4 assembling. Already tested and had to send back a video card--PowerColor's HD 6850. 

I did break down and order the H2. Last year I bought one of their Hades cases and was very impressed. Went to clean it this year and broke the psu fan filter (ooppss) and noticed one of the feet were coming off. Seems they only glued them on!? All that work and craftsmanship and they glue the feet on?!!


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## tilldeath (Jun 21, 2011)

Bjorn_Of_Iceland said:


> can you remove the hdd bays and fit a 240 rad in front?



Will be doing this exact thing once Bulldozer is released, will let you know if I have to cut the bays out or not to fit it. Either way I'm making the dual 120/240 rad fit.


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## stefan73 (Sep 7, 2011)

Haha you are aware i hope that they offerd the unnamed site where they gave this case shit status with alot of money true adds on there site if they fixed there 1 video this is bullshit and makes me not to trust this site at all.with that said i will check for adds on this site and after that i will make my mind about this site


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## craigbru (Sep 7, 2011)

stefan73 said:


> Haha you are aware i hope that they offerd the unnamed site where they gave this case shit status with alot of money true adds on there site if they fixed there 1 video this is bullshit and makes me not to trust this site at all.with that said i will check for adds on this site and after that i will make my mind about this site



With grammar and spelling like this, I doubt your opinion will matter to anyone.


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## citral (Oct 7, 2011)

I bought this because I thought I liked the design I saw on many pictures, and for the nice features (3 fans, front USB 3.0 and hotswap bay).

I'm really disapointed, the overall look and feel is really cheap, just try-hard to look gorgeous but failing by a large amount.

The plus side is cable management, and relative quiteness (that is only true for internet browsing, as for gaming you'll have to open the door or the front fans suffocate, and it's not quiet anymore)

Worst drawback is that all of my 3 hard drives have their vibrations transmitted to the case, and then to my flat. I'm therefore wondering if the reviewer really powered up the machine he built with 8 drives, or he wouldn't have commented on the caddies in the same way.

All in all it has good features but isn't worth the price quality wise, I prefered my Antec three hundred that despite being extremely basic was really solid and didn't vibrate one bit.

YMMV


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