A Closer Look - Inside

To gain access to the interior, you first have to remove the top panel, then unscrew several screws pinning the angled glass panel down. Then you can lift the singular piece up in a forward motion and set it aside. The weight of the glass is enough to ensure it won't pop out on its own and HAVN even includes some magnetic elements in the front, so if you plan to regularly access the interior of your system you could skip the screws completely. The rear panel has a single screw holding it in place similarly with additional magnets at the top edge for good measure.


Looking at the interior of the HAVN HS 420 VGPU, the majority of its components are white, but you will also find black as well as both dark and light gray components. There is a simple brand logo on the PSU shroud and each storage unit is clearly labeled as such as well. HAVN has done an excellent job continuing the use of soft edges all inside the case as well. Turning the case over, things are a lot more colorful due to the various labels. These are meant to be helpful, but also add hues to the mix which should not be there. HAVN could make these black and white to be more cohesive.


As this is the VGPU variant, it comes with the unique, angled fan mount bracket. This can hold three 120 mm units, and you are meant to install the glass panel on here once the cooling units are in place. You can see two metal prongs at the center, with an opening below it through which you are meant to route all the cables. Individual holes at the top edge, next to each fan means you should be able to easily hide all wires from view perfectly. On the side, the HAVN HS 420 VGPU ships with four solid metal covers in which to install storage drives. As this completely hides the drives, you can keep the final build completely clean even if you max out the storage capabilities. Alternatively, you may remove these and use this location for active cooling instead. In the ceiling you can clearly see the mounting frame for further cooling elements, this time rotated to be facing downward. There are several small openings for the odd chance you do have to route wiring around these parts of the chassis.


In the rear both of the fan mounting positions each come equipped with a unique adapter ring to accommodate both 120/140 mm fan sizes in a clean fashion. If you opt to go for 120 mm, simply install the units unto the frame and then secure the frame unto the case. If you look closely, you can see that HAVN has engineered these mounting systems with integrated rubber rings as an additional anti-vibration measure as well. In general, all gray elements in the case are softer rubber like materials.


Between the two fans, you will find that vertical GPU mounting bracket with the PCIe 5.0 riser cable. It continues the black & white color mix and employs thumb screw to hold itself as well as the expansion slots in place. HAVN has engineered this with structural rigidity in mind, which is why it is shaped somewhat triangular.


Taking a closer look at the motherboard area, the HAVN HS 420 VGPU doesn't actually have classic grommet covered openings. Instead, HAVN has designed its own unique rubber grill shaped cover which uses spacers to pin wires between these lines. You may move these lighter gray elements around and the accessories pack includes additional ones, so you do have enough when wiring up a full system.


In the backside, the cable channels wrap around the edges of the motherboard tray, with those colorful stickers suggesting a cable management path. Velcro strips have been pre-applied as well to make things as easy as possible. HAVN has branded this their "SimpliCable" system. This unique approach is also the reason the HAVN HS 420 VGPU is not BTF compatible as the cable management system is right where you would otherwise find the openings for the reverse connectors. That said, I am sure HAVN could blend the two elements together somehow in the future. The downside is, that the case doesn't otherwise have any hooks for zip ties, so it will be interesting to see if their cable management system can deliver on all fronts. The center of the area is intended for one storage box, which allows you to keep one storage element, even if you otherwise focus purely on cooling.


The PSU bay is actually pretty basic, but absolutely functional. Being upright you have unobstructed access to it, even if your system is completely assembled and all the power supply wires will remain hidden from view.


The HAVN HS 420 VGPU does not only come equipped with one, but two separate 6-port PWM hubs. They are placed on opposite ends, so that you can easily cable manage things even if you opt to completely fill to the brim with 11 fans. Yes, you have 12 ports, so both hubs will have you covered unless you do push/pull liquid cooling setups.


Looking at the backside of what are the four HDD storage elements, you will see that these are mounted on a frame that could otherwise be used for three 120 or 140 mm. You may remove the whole frame to easily install drives or prep cooling as well. The VESA mounting bracket has its dedicated spot while still allowing for three hard drives to be utilized in this part of the case. The location is well-chosen so that you may install a screen of up to 14" upright. That aligns well with the fact that you could then put that remaining storage box on the alternate location behind the motherboard tray. Such setup means that you retain all storage capabilities and include a custom liquid cooling loop with a 420 mm radiator alongside that side mounted pump/reservoir combo.


All the wiring within the HAVN HS 420 VGPU is black. The USB-C wire is flat, which will make routing it a little bit easier. If we had to mention any possible improvement, it would be that the USB-A wire could be flat as well. On the upside, the case also utilizes a unified front panel connector, even though there is only the power button and its LED to wire up.