NZXT S340 Elite
Case of the year
IT’S HARD TO SUM UP just how impressed we are with this $100 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 three things. First, the price. Second, the graciously professional aesthetic. And thirdly, the intuitive design elements when it comes to user convenience. For $100, you get a small, compact tower. Clean and sharp. Almost professional—enough to rival any Mac. The single tempered glass side panel lacks any smoky tint or garish discrepancies, elegantly showing off the innards of your system.
NO EXPENSE SPARED
Delving behind the reconstituted molten sand and 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 compartmentalized 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. And then there’s the front I/O, which features power, reset, four USB headers, a headphone and microphone jack, and an HDMI passthrough for those VR junkies out there.
Cooling support is a mixed bag. There’s room for a 240 or 280mm AIO in the front of the chassis, one 140mm or 120mm fan in the roof, and one 120mm fan in the rear. As there’s no 5.25-inch bay in the front of the case, the front panel remains solid. However, there’s a good inch and a half of separation between the panel and the fan mounting points, ensuring you can retain excellent airflow while keeping that streamlined style. All in all, the cooling options are pretty limited, but for most people, three or four intake fans in a chassis like this should be plenty.
So, what are the negatives? Well, those of you with OCD may feel a little frustrated by those 2.5-inch SSD mounts situated on top of the PSU cover, screaming for identical drives to be placed in them. When removing those 2.5-inch trays, it could look a little nicer underneath. And we’d happily see a chassis that’s a little taller, so you would have a way of mounting a larger radiator or more fans in the roof. But there's little criticism beyond that.
As far as cases go, though, it’s the price that’s the most impressive feature. In fact, for $100, we’re almost convinced NZXT is making a loss on each chassis sold. It’s an ATX dream case, with a soft satin touch finish, filled to the brim with little features designed to make the building experience a pleasure for any enthusiast, while continuing to challenge what is the norm in case design. We salute you, NZXT—keep up the good work. –ZAK STOREY