Friday, April 30th 2021
NZXT H1 PCIe Riser Replacement Kit Hands-On
In response to reports of the PCIe riser cable of its H1 case posing a fire hazard, NZXT in February 2021 instituted a recall of the case in the U.S. and Canada. The flaw in the component's design came to light in early-2020, but it was only by November that it responded to the issue. In its original design, the PCIe riser component was improperly grounded, and a short-circuit could result in a fire. NZXT's first response to this was sending out non-conductive Nylon screws for the users to replace the metal ones the part originally shipped with. This solution wasn't found to be effective, and resulted in a product recall this February. Regulators in the U.S. and Canada directed NZXT to send out free repair kits to existing owners of the H1, along with disposal instructions for the entire case, if the user wishes to discontinue use. We got our Repair Kit, and decided to go hands-on.
The NZXT Repair Kit, and replacement riser card appears to be one of the most solidly built PCIe risers in the market. Thanks to the crypto-mining boom, the market is flooded with PCIe risers of all shapes and sizes, and the NZXT riser looks to be among the better designed ones. What sets this apart from the original design is that now, the downstream (female end) of the riser comes with grounding rings around the mounting holes, similar to motherboards. These are bits of exposed copper that facilitate contact between the ground layer of the PCB, with the sheet-metal of the case. The original design lacked grounding pads on either side of the PCB, and when installed with metal screws, certain PCB traces could get shorted, causing them to heat up and start a fire. NZXT's first solution to this problem was non-conductive Nylon screws. End users with an H1 case, can request this riser cable from here.
The NZXT Repair Kit, and replacement riser card appears to be one of the most solidly built PCIe risers in the market. Thanks to the crypto-mining boom, the market is flooded with PCIe risers of all shapes and sizes, and the NZXT riser looks to be among the better designed ones. What sets this apart from the original design is that now, the downstream (female end) of the riser comes with grounding rings around the mounting holes, similar to motherboards. These are bits of exposed copper that facilitate contact between the ground layer of the PCB, with the sheet-metal of the case. The original design lacked grounding pads on either side of the PCB, and when installed with metal screws, certain PCB traces could get shorted, causing them to heat up and start a fire. NZXT's first solution to this problem was non-conductive Nylon screws. End users with an H1 case, can request this riser cable from here.
21 Comments on NZXT H1 PCIe Riser Replacement Kit Hands-On
The repair kit GN showed only had the holes for the H1 in the riser PCB.
Even with OCP on multi-rail PSUs, there's a good chance that there's enough resistance in that circuit to limit current enough that OCP doesn't trip, while still being far above the current that those tiny riser cables can carry safely. Shit overheats, lights on fire. There's no grounding issue. The riser had an incompetent, defective, dangerous design.
Properly designed PCBs have keep-out zones around things like screw holes where signal and power lines are not allowed to be, in order to prevent exactly this.
NZXT keeps downplaying and acting like the issue was minor. Granted, like most things the riser would have been sourced from a 3rd party and not NZXT designed or manufactured, but I definitely don't trust NZXT after the way they've handled this.
To be honest, if a product poses a true risk to any of your customers you should rectify it as fast as possible or vanish from the market.
A house fire is the worst for anyone and can destroy lives in many ways.
SHAME ON YOU NZXT!
no one should buy anything from the again
What irks me the most is that I specifically noted in my request for the upgraded assembly that I was aware that there were at least two different versions, one made with a seemingly newly-designed PCB element (without extra holes) and one with, and asked that I be sent one of the newly-designed versions without the extra holes, since that's the one that was shown in the GN video and was x-ray scanned and tested, etc.
And they sent me the crap version anyway.
Now I'm in a bit of a quandary. I was really looking forward to getting started with the build, but now I'm wondering about the safety of even this "new" assembly. It does have the new metal contact casing around the top where the screw head will contact the PCB board, and the vias are there going through the PCB from the front to the back, and the new screws do fit easily into the intended hole without disturbing or grinding out PCB dust.
But is it really safe? Do I just use this new riser assembly along with the nylon screws that I also received in the hopes that doubling the solution will fix the problem? Or do I press NZXT to find out why they sent me this one even though I asked for the other?
It does make me wonder if they didn't spend extra money making a few "perfect" assemblies to send out to reviewers, while they went back to the 3rd party products for everyone else.
Unfortunately I bought the H1 through eBay just before the recall, so returning it for a refund isn't an option. I'm sort of obsessed with the case anyway. I really want to turn this thing into a full system. GAH!
We'll see what kind of response I get.
At this stage im done with NZXT. They cant be trusted.
First thing I'm going to do is just see if I can find a better riser cable that will fit the unit.
Then I may resort to using the replacement I've been sent, along with the nylon screws.
Still hoping that maybe NZXT will have another option for me, but at this point, not holding my breath.
But I can say for certain, this is my first experience with NZXT as a company, and it will be my last.
Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your concerns with the H1 Riser Cable.
To ensure we can get new risers to H1 users quickly, we are working with two manufacturers to produce them. Though they have visual differences, each cable has been redesigned and went through the same QA process to ensure the original grounding/short issue is eliminated.
Please feel free to read this article in our FAQ section that includes pictures of both versions of the card: Replacing PCIe riser in H1 Case. Here is also a message from our CEO Johnny with the latest updates on the H1 safety issue.
Thank you very much for your patience and understanding, we appreciate your continued support.
Joseph Taporco
NZXT
nzxt.com
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So, essentially... a non-answer. Fan-f'ng-tastic.
I already knew there were two risers. I told them I was willing to wait for the better-made riser. No answer there as to why I was sent the one I specifically requested not to be sent.
No answers about reassurances as to why the non-reviewed version was made better than the old fire hazard version.
No response about the zone of exclusion concerns due to a PCB board that was already manufactured for some other purpose, and that new holes had to be drilled in it.
Nothing about whether or not I could now acquire the better-made riser assembly.
But sure, call it "answered".
You're just peeved you didn't get the "pretty" one in your opinion.
I'll just leave it here.
Top - cheapo sent out to users
Bottom - the one sent out to media
Ones low quality and may not even fix the issue, while the other definitely does
The one I received looks exactly like the updated riser assembly that was sent to the Gamers Nexus crew, which was tested and x-ray scanned and so forth. There are no extra "cheese grater" holes in the PCB. It looks purpose-built for this use, and does not look like it was re-drilled or repurposed from old stock.
I can't do my own scanning and really don't have the tools or capability to see if I can intentionally light this thing on fire, but I do trust the better construction process.
So, the end of this tale (unless I report back later that the thing still lit up and caught the house on fire, lol) is that if you keep bugging NZXT support, you CAN get the better-made riser assembly and for all intents and purposes "fix" the NZXT H1 case to its proper safety level.
Good luck out there with your own story!