Hey this is about the NZXT H440 case. I personally like the minimalistic look of the case which is one of the main reasons I want the case, but what's holding me back is its potential air-flow. Looking at a range of reviews most say that the case is more optimized for water cooling but I am more interested in its air cooling.
btw I use the Noctua NH-D14
So could anyone answer my question and tell me if the airflow is good and viable for air cooling also should I invest in this case or something else?
If you think I should invest in something else please recommend another case :)
In advance thanks for contributing!
(wasn't sure If this should go in cooling forum or case forum)
I have one air cooling with 3 x 120 mm in the front (fans that came with the case) 2 x 120 mm cougar fans in the top running at 850 rpm 1 x 140 mm in the back (also fan that came with the case) cpu is an i5-2500k running at 4.4 ghz and prime 95 at about 48 c and gpu is gts 450 running at 900 mhz max at 56 c hard drives run around 28 to 30 c while room temp is 70 f
Overall the cooling isn't a problem for me. I went from a antec 900 and notice no change in temps if not colder temps. All temps are at load.
My 2 cents on the case. It looks really nice and the construction is nice. Noise level not as low as I would have liked. The noise level is the same as my antec 900 with 5 cougar 120 mm fans. But the main thing I got the case for was looks and air filters.
i REALLY want this case, and the airflow was also a concern of mine. i saw some benchmarks vs other cases, and it is 3.5° hotter in Idle, and 6° hotter with load going up against their coolest case, the Silverston Raven RV02.
that case is legit. it uses 3 fans at the bottom to bring in cool air and, as heat rises, it escapes the top. the motherboard is tilted 90 degrees too. i mean that is an extreme case with very unique cooling.
putting it up again 'normal' cases, like the Cooler Master HAF X, it is only 3° hotter. I'm willing to trade a few degrees to get a case that looks that good. however, i think they should have made the front piece just a little bit thicker, to allow for better airflow. i would have also accepted vents being in the left side.
I'm Eager to see if anyone does any front panel modding. ALSO, i'm only going to have 1 SSd and 1 HDD in my build, so i will be removing all the Drive sleds. this will increase airflow. im not sure if they did that in their test. at the very least, i will remove all but the bottom 2 sleds, thus leaving the entire MoBo to be free of air obstructions.
The HAF-X like a lot of cases don't need the side fan. Very often I think people forget about air voracities created in the case. As in the law in physics, heat rises and with the twin 200mm fans atop, and the 230mm front with additional 120mm base and rear I find it moves the air very well and case temps stay low. Not trying to pick and choose.
