Test System

Assembly

Installing a motherboard within the H210i is done by traditional means, using the pre-installed spacers and supplied screws. While there is plenty of space on the side and bottom of the motherboard to get to leads, things are a bit tight at the top edge, so reaching the CPU power socket on an ITX board will proof a bit of a challenge, especially if you go for bulky air cooling. This is simply due to the fact that NZXT has chosen to install both 120 mm fans in this area of the case.


Adding an SSD in the front is easily done by popping the plastic frame out and screwing down a drive of our choice. Once secured, simply snap it back into place. There is an opening behind the vertical metal cover, so you will be able to route both power and data leads really nicely.


Adding a PSU bears no surprises as you simply slide it into place and screw it down from outside of the chassis. There is plenty of space for longer units, especially if you don't need the 3.5" hard-drive placement.


With everything installed, the interior of the H210i is fairly clean. The large opening of the shroud in the front makes it a little harder to really keep everything from view, but once you install the solid panel, these black leads should just blend right into the rest of the black chassis. Behind the motherboard tray, I tried using the cable channels for the major cables, while keeping the secondary ones off to the side. This makes things easy to upgrade and as tidy as possible. The channels really help with pinning down the ATX, GPU, and CPU power cables.

Finished Looks

Once the panels are put back into place and the system is turned on, the NZXT H210i manages to flaunt its clean design perfectly while showing off all the important hardware. While most of the installed parts don't come with embedded LEDs, the built-in strip lights everything up well. Naturally, the clear side window helps as well. A white LED lights up around the power button to let you know that the system is up and running.


When viewing the side, you can clearly see the components within the case, and the SSD is perfectly presented as well. There is plenty of space in the front of the chassis—those wanting to go for liquid cooling should run into no issues, such as having to really limit your GPU length. In the rear, everything is where you would expect it, with the PSU cable on the bottom and the GPU at mid-level. No surprises here as the internal layout of the H210i stays true to the trusted and traditional approach.