Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
If you're not familiar with its predecessor, the NZXT H1 V2 looks like any other NZXT PC case from afar. It's only until you analyze the dimensions and take a look around the sides would you notice something different. It's incredibly small, even compared to the NZXT H210i. The revised H1 is a little larger than the original, but it's still small enough for most ITX PC builds. To simulate thermal demand we run the Cinebench R23 multi-thread benchmark and Heaven Benchmark simultaneously in a loop for 60 minutes to fully load the system. This should give the CPU and GPU enough time to reach constant steady-state temperature. With this data, we can compare how the system handles the thermal demand and measure peak noise levels. We run an additional thermal test to measure the CPU temperature individually using the Cinebench r23 multi-thread benchmark in a loop for 60 minutes, again this should give the CPU enough time to reach constant steady-state temperature.
My biggest pet peeve with the NZXT H1 V2 is how there’s no “Flow” option. I know the company loves its tempered glass, but giving customers the option to go mesh, like with the H510 Flow, would be the best course of action. Here’s hoping the V3 comes with a mesh option or NZXT sells V2 mesh panels separately sometime down the line. NZXT H1 V2 Review: The final verdictIf you've ever built a small form factor PC you will understand the pain of trying to route a million, unnecessarily long PSU cables around the motherboard, graphics card, and everything else. Then trying to mount a capable-enough cooler into the limited confines of a mini-ITX case… well, that's a task in itself. Underneath the case is where your motherboard’s IO, GPU and PSU connect, and I don’t like this at all. I’m able to give the power supply cable a pass since you’re probably going to plug it in and leave it. But video cables are often stiff, which can make the right turn necessary here a pain point for the cable, and any USB device swapping later on that you don’t want to plug into the top ports will mean having to lift up or tip down the whole case to plug things in.
With NZXT's H1, however, both come preinstalled, with cooling and cabling pre-routed in the optimal way for the case, so you just have to connect it all up. And it's a genuine joy to build into, in a way which other mini-ITX cases generally aren't. Even the Hyte Revolt 3, which almost apes the H1, is a far more fiddly place in which to build a rig. With the cooler lifted up and away there's so much elbow room to work with that dropping the heart of your system into the chassis is simple. The most noticeable improvement in thermal performance by the H1 v2 compared with the original H1 was when the GPU load was introduced. The H1 v2 significantly reduced GPU temperature compared with the H1 v1. We put this down to the added 92mm exhaust fan as you can see with the 92mm fan disabled, GPU temperature increased. The larger side panel holes and increased space inside the system may also contribute to the improved GPU thermals. The V2 model of the H1 is actually a little larger than the original, with 15.6 L of capacity instead of 13 L. This has been done to allow for better compatibility with modern Nvidia and AMD graphics cards, as well as to increase cooling potential. Unless you put them side by side, however, the size increase is unnoticeable. Improvements insideAn additional fan was installed to help direct air through the enlarged chassis. We didn't have an issue with heat when running an AMD Ryzen 9 3900X in the first version of the H1, but the better thermal performance is always a good improvement. This added internal volume even allowed NZXT to install a fan controller, which can be managed by NZXT CAM software. It’s usually hard to tell if we just got a rare defective part or if the issue is more widespread. That’s the case here as well. But given the fact that the previous H1 was recalled due to an electrical issue, it’s hard not to worry at least a bit when the followup case has its power supply randomly expire just a few hours into active use. For the uninitiated, the NZXT H1 is a small form-factor case targeted at those who want to downsize their PC without compromising on power. It has a small footprint, making it ideal for sitting on a desk, but is tall and so accommodating of full-size graphics cards. Compared with the original NZXT H1, the revisions applied to the new v2 version are individually quite small, but when combined they add up to a worthwhile improvement. The ability to install bigger, more powerful graphics cards is a welcome addition and having the extra 100W available from the power supply ensures that high-end GPUs have enough juice to run. KitGuru says: When combined, all the little revisions to the NZXT H1 (v2) add up to make it a worthy improvement over the original. However, that comes with a considerable increase in cost, would that put you off buying one?
As we saw with the original NZXT H1, this case is perfect for users that want a simple solution for building a mini-ITX system. The preinstalled AIO and PSU makes life easy when building a system in the H1. However, this can be a negative for users who want to be creative with the installation, as there is only one way to build in the H1 and you are forced to use NZXT hardware such as the AIO and power supply. As I’m awaiting upgrades from both AMD and Nvidia, I simply transplanted my existing setup of a Ryzen 3700X and RTX 3070 from the H1 V1 into the H1 V2. The process was as painless as I expected, as I simply had to plop the CPU and RAM into the motherboard, drop it into the H1 case and attach the cooler, before then plugging in all of the cables and sliding SSDs into place. Lastly, the GPU is inserted and that’s the full extent of the process. Playing with power Pre-routed cables and downward-facing motherboard I/O faces down route all cables through the bottom of the case The pre-installed PSU is located at the top, alongside two 2.5-inch drive bays. This power unit is an SFX NZXT 650W model with an 80Plus Gold rating. It's a decent PSU that's capable of supplying stable and reliable power to the rest of the components. You can switch it out for another SFX PSU, just be sure the cables will reach.
The sides of the case feature the same airflow design that we saw on its bigger sibling: the NZXT H510 Flow. Yet, we saw this on the previous version of the H1, and when it comes to cooling, NZXT could benefit from a redesign. Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central) You should buy this if ... Noise levels are measured by placing a noise meter 300mm from the front of the chassis while the stress test is running and the peak noise level during the test is recorded. The noise floor (ambient noise level) in the room is 36dBA. Granted, this is a similar layout to many vertical SFF towers, including the Revolt 3 and the Ssupd Meshlicous. But there’s no denying you’re giving up a lot of convenience in terms of port access for the sake of a system with a small footprint. Just keep that in mind if you’re considering any of these cases. Since the new NZXT H1 v2 and the original H1 use the same AIO fan, under full load with the AIO fan running at maximum speed (1800RPM), noise levels are virtually identical which is no surprise. The 92mm exhaust fan runs quieter than the AIO fan at maximum RPM so it doesn't increase the noise output of the whole system.
The GPU is connected to the motherboard using a pre-installed riser cable, which seems to be better quality than those bundled with other cases — ahem, Thermaltake. Pulling in cool air from the vents, this position will work for both blower and open-air GPUs. Our acoustic test consists of three scenarios: We run the CPU at full load, the CPU and GPU at full load, and an optimized mode. The CPU full load test runs the CPU and case fans at their maximum speed. For the CPU and GPU full load acoustic test, we also stress the Gigabyte RTX 3070 TI Gaming OC and set the fans at 75% speed, because in gaming the fans never run at 100 percent and are far too loud when they do. Even with more powerful processors, the AIO cooler supplied by NZXT is good enough and you could even swap out the bundled blower for an aftermarket solution, should you have a personal preference on 140mm fans and know you could reduce the sound output slightly. As a mini PC, the H1 works for low-power builds as well as high-end, enthusiast gaming rigs.One of the two pieces of extra component hardware that come with the H1 V2 is a 140 mm all-in-one liquid cooler. I understand that some people prefer air cooling over water cooling. Still, water cooling is arguably more practical here because of the case’s size. Plus, with a radiator oriented to exhaust, the heat from the CPU can be pushed out more efficiently than with an air cooler. This time around, NZXT includes a 92 mm exhaust fan to help expel any heat generated by the other components. This is the same with the new H1 v2. However, NZXT has made some small but very important revisions to the case which means that users have much more choice when it comes to which graphics card to install. The original H1 only allowed for 2.5 slot cards with a maximum length of 304mm which meant that several high-end Nvidia RTX 30 series and AMD Radeon 6000 series cards were incompatible due to their size. The 650W power supply included with the original H1 could also be running on the limit with this new generation of cards which is an issue too.
Related:
Great Deal 
New Comment