NZXT S340 Computer Case - Stuff That Doesn't Suck Episode 3
Linus Tech Tips
·Linus Tech Tips
·2015-05-07
·
1,449 words · ~7 min read
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it absolutely blew me away how many of
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you requested a review of nzxt's s340
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case that is until i watched the promotional
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video for it on nzxt's youtube channel
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what is this nonsense nzxt your video
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contains no information about the case
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so i get it now i understand why you're here watching my video you'd like to
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know more than this
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about the s340 so here we go
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Corsair gaming RGB keyboards feature precision cherry mx RGB key switches for
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16.8 million color per key backlighting for virtually unlimited customization
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click now to learn more okay blah blah and zxt's packing materials
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they kind of suck two out of the seven new egg reviews
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mention shipping damage but nzxt doesn't seem to care so i'll just quickly
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mention closed cell foam and how great it is rather than waxing philosophical
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about it for five minutes and then we can move on
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for the case itself we'll start as usual with an exterior tour at the front we
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find a flat solid piece of glossy black
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sheet steel with an ncxt logo stamped in the bottom and otherwise nothing of note
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on the right side we find well pretty much the same thing but with no ncxt
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logo stamp this time on the left side we find more of the same but this time with
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a window and then finally on the top aside from the two usb 3 ports steel
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plated audio jacks and illuminated power button and an up to 140 millimeter fan
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slot with an included 120mm fan more metal but this time with a regrettably
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much less scratch resistant matte finish on it it won't be a deal breaker if you
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don't regularly store stuff carelessly on the top of your case but for those
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who do well you might need to learn to be a bit more careful because it does
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scratch quite easily at the back we find the second of the
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two included 120 millimeter fans this time in a 120 mil only mount seven
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vented pci expansion slots with exposed thumb screws for easy access and a power
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supply mounting bracket that's removable and features the same captive thumb
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screws that you'll find on the side panels i love these captive thumb screws
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they're an awesome inclusion because i hate losing case screws
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on the bottom of the case is the least exceptional power supply fan filter ever
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and some nice tall rubber bottomed feet that keep the case up for better airflow
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and keep your power supply from dying if you install it fan side down and then
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put your case onto a carpet finally around to the front again for a
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moment we'll pop off that bezel to find a much better this time actually
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magnetic fan filter for those front fan mounts that support either dual 120 or
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dual 140 millimeter fans and a matching radiator these fans should have great
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access to fresh air through the bottom that i mentioned before as well as the
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open slot at the top of the front bezel
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opening up the case we find that nzxt has done a great job of hiding the cost
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saving measures that make this case so affordable and providing an equally
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surprising number of little extras that customers will enjoy i mean sure the pci
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thumb screws are just open there and that was a bit of a cost saving measure
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and the paint finish is internally that matte finish not super durable but all
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the edges are rounded to protect your wires and fingers the entire inside even
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all the wires is black the motherboard standoffs are pre-installed with a post
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in the middle one that holds your board in place while you screw in the rest and
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you even get that sweet stealth psu cover from the h440 albeit without the
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illuminated logo i think the most striking thing about the interior is how
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spacious it seems in spite of the case's small size instead of filling up the
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front with drive mounts it's taken up entirely by the radiator mounting points
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although it should be noted that dual 120 millimeter reds will have some
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orientation flexibility but dual 140 millimeter ads going this way and this
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way only and a top to bottom or top to
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basement at least shield that seems to serve two purposes one as a structural
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support and second as a stealth cable
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management cover great idea speaking of cable management all the main bases are
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covered with non-grommeted holes around the motherboard tray in sensible places
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to pass through fan connectors and the 8-pin eps connector on the top and spots
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on the bottom for front panel usb audio and buttons and the SSD connectors for
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the two two and a half inch mounts that are on top of the stealth basement cover
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this SSD mounting is a carryover from the h440 that i'm really happy to see
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because i think it looks nice but in the event that you want a graphics card in
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the second slot from the bottom or even some single width cards in the bottom
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slot you may find yourself needing to use the other drive mounting points that
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i didn't like nearly as much built into the front bottom of the case is either a
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two and a half inch or three and a half inch mount that is accessed by sliding
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the drive in from the side then screwing it in from the bottom and then above
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that one is two more three and a half inch mounts that are only sturdy enough
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if you ignore nzxt's instructions to only screw in your drives from the front
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of the case and make sure you screw them in from the inside as well something
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you'll need to either remove your power supply for or find a stubby screwdriver
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in order to do none of these mounts include any
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anti-vibration mounting making them in my mind the weakest part of the design
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of this case back to strengths though in spite of the
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narrow width and therefore limited cable management space behind the motherboard
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tray ntx team managed to make it super easy to build a clean looking machine in
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here to go along with the ample CPU cutout for cooler installation they've
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got tons of cable management loops back here easy logical routes to follow for
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most of the normal connections and that brace slash cable cover thing does an
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amazing job of providing room to hide the 24 pin SATA data and
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this was a happy accident but on this board right angle usb 3 giving the rig
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the appearance of having had a lot of time spent on cable routing when really
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i spent no extra time at all so i guess that leads us well into the
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conclusion for this surprisingly compact
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atx tower well there's no real innovation here i
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mean the antec sonata did the whole piano black glossy finish normal square
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box at a reasonable price thing over 10 years ago
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ncxt executed the concept incredibly well for less than you'd expect as
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always there's a pricing link in the video description you get a case that
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feels reasonably sturdy nzxt advertises it as 90 metal supports as much hardware
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as most gamers and even enthusiasts are realistically going to put in their rigs
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and looks surprisingly classy even if
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it's not quite up to the level you might expect from nzxt's promotional videos
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and images when you see it in person so for delivering great value at a low
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price i'm pleased to award the nzxt s340
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my third stds award for being something
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that doesn't suck looking for a case and this one fits
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your budget perfectly you've got my blessing go ahead and pull the trigger
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guys like this video if you liked it dislike it if you disliked it leave a comment if your feelings are more
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for watching and as always don't forget to subscribe