NZXT S340 Elite

$149 | WWW.NZXT.COM Case of the year.

It’s hard to sum up just how impressed we are with this $150 lump of perfection. NZXT has always made an impression with its cases — since the launch of its H440 back in 2014, the company has been on a winning streak. Whether it’s the bold design of the ITX Manta, or the simple and elegant S340, it seems this chassis manufacturer can do no wrong. So when the Elite — an updated variant of the S340 — launched, featuring the now popular tempered glass side panel, we had to subject it to our scrutiny.

So what’s so special about this chunk of design? A combination of a few things. Firstly, you get a small, clean, compact tower. The single tempered glass side panel lacks any smoky tint or garish discrepancies, elegantly showing off the innards of your system.

Delving into the interior, we’re amazed by the quality of the paint job. The satin powdered finish coats the insides of the folded steel panels. Nothing catches, everything is smooth, yet still decisively metallic. The black cable-hide bar elegantly snakes up the right-hand side of the interior, easily hiding any ugly cables you might have from view. There are no rubber grommets to be found here — but, honestly, you simply don’t need them.

A look behind the motherboard tray reveals a suitably expansive CPU cutout, and a total of four cable grips dotted around — plenty to route any unwanted cables through — with additional cable tie points positioned nearby.

Heading down to the compartmentalised power supply cover, you’ll find a mounting cage for two 3.5-inch drives, followed by ample room for your ATX power supply, with plenty of dust-filtered ventilation included. The power supply installs through the rear of the chassis, via a neat screw-mounted bracket, and that’s about all there is to it.

Then there’s the front I/O,