I'd give 3.5 if it were an option.
Pros:
- Sexy matte black finish
- Red accents are subtle and cool (wish I got ALL black, but I'm happy with this)
- The illuminated back for the connections PLUS the switch is GREAT
- The limited access side panel has a foam insulator for noise (possibly a gimmick)
- Lots of hard drive space
- No optical drive bays
- Mostly tool-less
- Access to the back of CPU heatsink mounting bracket while motherboard is mounted in case (first owned case that had this and I installed a water cooler after mounting the mobo so that was extremely convenient)
- Numerous options for fans (size and number of)
- Seems like great airflow (sorry, I meant to compare temps from old case to new, but I knew that I'd be starting to experiment with water cooling for the first time soon so it ultimately had no benefit to me to collect the data really). I did get a NZXT 280mm water cooler that keeps my CPU almost AT room temperature when under medium load (it was an extreme overkill that I regret) and it's a great fit in the case too when placed at the top.
- Nice "hooks/loops/tracks" for tying and running cables
Cons:
- Can't turn off large "NZXT" white light logo inside case (I'm not a "lights in my computer" kind of nerd)
- No option for windowless panel (I'm considering spray painting it, but I will never get the colors to match so I probably won't)
- The limited access side panel has very little clearance for your thicker cords so it will damage that foam insulator plus it's difficult to close
- The paint job can be VERY fragile. Chips of paint are already coming off where the screws touch. Knock on wood, no scratches yet but I've been very careful
- Thumb screws can be difficult to turn or just won't thread correctly
- Front and top panels are scary taking off for the first time (I thought I was going to break it)
- WARNING!!! I just had a scary experience so this is why I'm mostly writing this review right now. I came home today to find what seemed like a shot PSU, but I couldn't believe it--it's less than 2 years old, it's overkill on wattage so I'm not underpowered, it's deadbeat winter and connected to surge protector so lightning is out of the question, I tried changing the power plug and plugged into different socket, but nothing ever worked no signs of electricity, nothing. After searching Google, I came back about 10 minutes later and leaving it unplugged to find out that it started up again; however, after 5 seconds of me pressing the button there was a bright spark, loud pop, and electrical smoke smell. I didn't panic because I saw where it happened and knew what had happened. I readjusted wires, unplugged, waited, turned on, and now we've been running for a solid 30 minutes with no hiccups. *SIGH* of relief. WHAT HAPPENED... It was the "dumb" fan controller (comes with the case and is more just a power splitter than anything) touched a piece of metal. I think everything is okay now, but wanted to warn you at least. I think I could have potentially torched the entire computer. I would have been very upset then.
Final Words:
- Decent buy
- Would PROBABLY NOT buy again, I'd search around a bit more
- I wish I tried a Mini ATX tower because my rig is built for productivity/media and not for games (it can probably play a bleeding edge game at medium settings with great performance) so it has a pretty small footprint. This case swallows my components, but I still like the extra room for expansion and for working in
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 2 |
|---|---|
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 3 |
