Test System

Assembly

Adding a motherboard is done by traditional means, with screws and spacers. Thankfully, NZXT has pre-installed the latter, so you simply put the board in place and screw it down. There is very little space above and below it, which reduces accessibility to any connectors along the motherboard's edges. This is especially true for the CPU power plug, which is traditionally in the top-left corner. While the H510i can hold a CPU cooler of up to 165 mm, I used a slightly more compact unit to make the assembly process a little simpler.


Adding an SSD now requires the use of screws to hold down, which was simpler in the previous generation. While a small annoyance, I don't really see this as a deal breaker. In fact, I rather be sure my drives are secure with a few screws than have the convenience and some uncertainty. Once filled, simply screw the tray back into place on the back of the motherboard tray.


However, the 3.5" drives are quite the contrast as you will be forced to lay the chassis on its side first to then remove the four screws holding the cage in place before pulling it out of the system. While this is a minor hassle when initially assembling things, those wanting to expand their running system will be forced to detach everything and pull the whole unit out as well. NZXT should have gone with trays for at least two of the three drive placements.


Adding a PSU is pretty unspectacular. Simply slide it in, screw it down, and connect all the components. There is plenty of room, so you should be able to use any unit regardless of size.


Once everything is assembled, the NZXT H510i makes a very clean impression because of metal cover within the case. Even the backside is pretty tidy due to the cable trenches and plenty of mounting possibilities for cable ties in combination with the excellent wiring of existing leads out of the box.

Finished Looks

Once turned on, the lighting within the system turns on in white by default. The power supply LED is also white, which works quite well for this case.


Looking at the side, you can indirectly see the hue of the RGB strip behind the cable opening cover. In the rear, everything is where you would expect it, with the PSU on the bottom, the expansion cards all horizontal by default, and the exhaust fan pushing air out the back. On a side note: the fan in my case sample had some sort of loose contact, so I had to wiggle things around a bit to get it up and running.

CAM Software

The software you may download directly from the NZXT website gives you access to the integrated Smart Device V2 module that is built-into the "i" variants of the H-Series. It provides information about your system, the games you play, and the color setup of any integrated lighting modules, like the two RGB strips—you can even tune fan speeds and overclock your system if you have the right parts installed.




Once you change your color settings, they show up immediately, and I personally like the oh so colorful rainbow hues as it nicely visible for the review picture.