Test System Setup
The system above includes an Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell Processor, cooled by the NZXT X40. We used an ASUS Z87 Deluxe motherboard, fitted with Kingston HyperX Beast 16GB 2133MHz DDR3 memory. For the GPU, an NVIDIA GTX 780 video card was installed. Finally, storage duties were handled by an Intel 480GB 520 SSD, and Western Digital 2TB Caviar Black hard drive.
Installation Notes
The power supply is literally the most complicated thing to install, and to be honest, even that wasn’t very difficult. Simply remove the PSU cover and slide a unit of your choice inside. It will easily fit any sized power supply. It’s better if you figure out which cables you need for the system and pre-attach before fastening the PSU in to place.
Other than that, we have no other difficulties to report. Although if you need an optical drive onboard, you’re out of luck.
Thermal Testing
The system was set to run full load projects with three different thermal configurations. This will give us an idea of just how efficient the NZXT H440 is at cooling a system.
- Test 1: Open enclosure without side panels.
- Test 2: Closed enclosure with side panels, front three 120mm fans turned off.
- Test 3: Closed enclosure with side panels, front three 120mm fans turned on.
Idle and load temps were recorded after an hour in each test. If an enclosure can cool the components as well as an open chassis, it’s good. If it can cool the components better, it’s a great enclosure.
With the enclosure open, the system manages temps well which is essentially my baseline. As expected, without fans, the system gets quite hot and loud. The poor video card struggled to cool which was evident during 3D benchmarks. However, it’s a different story when the system is set up properly.
The NZXT H440 cooled the system nicely and even slightly better than when the case is left open. That’s because the front fans push cooler air inward and the design of the hard drive area helps direct air to the back of the case. This is exactly what a great enclosure should do. The rear mounted 140mm fan also made all the difference with higher RPMs.
Final Thoughts
The NZXT H440 is a great enclosure with an excellent, forward thinking design. It also has features to support this idea, and cooling performance to keep your components in the safety zone. Put them all together and it equates in to the right kind of user experience we want, which is a very clean computer system.
The 10 channel fan hub, placement of main SSD trays, easy to access 3.5″ bay trays, front chassis triple fan cooling with magnetic vent, liquid cooling possibilities, and the successful re-purposing of 5.25 device space in this enclosure, really puts it in a league of its own.
There were only a couple very minor things that can easily be avoided. For example, if you transport your case back and forth to LAN events, be aware that strategic positioning of the hand(s), is needed to avoid pulling off the front bezel. And, it would be cool if we could easily turn on and off the NZXT nameplate inside the case easily, for personal taste.
Ultimately, the NZXT H440 offers all the important features that make an excellent enclosure. It even comes in a white with black trim model, for those looking for a more “Storm Trooper” theme, made famous by NZXT’s Phantom. And for a very reasonable $120 US/CA, the NZXT H440 can be your next enclosure that can clean up the clutter of your current system, or provide a great home for a new one. It even comes with a full 2 year warranty and support from the company.
The NZXT H440 is on trend, on the nose for design and features, and it’s an Editor’s Choice from us for this great looking and performing case.
Pros
- Excellent design and theme
- Quality build
- Ample cooling and control via included fan hub
- Exellent liquid cooling support for both custom and all-in-one systems
- Shows off your system well
- Easy installation and setup
- Competitively priced
Cons
- Front bezel is easy to pull off by accident (which can result in a crash landing)
- Rear LED and internal NZXT sign cannot be controlled separately
Overall Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
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