We've watched the usefulness of optical drives taper off over the years due to two important trends. First, hard drives are larger, offering massive capacities at lower cost. That means you can cram a lot more of your digital information onto disk. Second, we're consuming content differently. Movies are streamed, games are downloaded, and files are backed up to those bigger, cheaper hard drives, either locally or in the cloud.
Much of the data that was transferred from CD or DVD to your hard drive now goes from the Internet to local storage. For those few cases when an optical drive is needed, one external device can serve all of your systems sufficiently.
PC case manufacturers are starting to react, bidding 5.25-inch optical drive bays farewell (even though those aren't the only peripherals this decision affects). The first representative example in our labs is NZXT's mid-tower H440, which closes the gap between the company's H230 and H630 models. You can buy the H440 in either a white finish with black accents or a black finish with red accents. It also features noise dampening, a large window, and ample fans, straight from the factory.
In the place of those scrapped 5.25-inch bays, NZXT includes more interesting features in this chassis' design. For instance, hard drives are installed differently, there are power connectors for up to 10 fans, and the interior is compartmentalized. If you like your systems clean and tidy inside, the H440 is probably going to be right up your alley. Fittingly, the case’s slogan, straight from the manufacturer’s website, is "Remarkably Clean."
Although it sold out fairly quickly after launch, the H440 is now available again online for $120 in black and $140 in white.
NZXT’s H440 features an elegant design with lighting that looks good and serves a practical purpose. Enthusiasts who can live without 5.25-inch drive bays and are in the market for a quiet (albeit not silent) enclosure with lots of features will find NZXT's H440 to be both unique and elegant.
NZXT H440 Mid-Tower Case
Great Looks, Useful Features
Packaging and In The Box
When we received the H440 from NZXT, it hadn't yet been made public. Consequently, our sample didn't arrive in retail packaging, rendering us unable to unbox the case and introduce its bundle piece by piece.
NZXT's manual hadn’t been printed yet, so we only got a pile of screws, an above-average number of cable ties, a bit to help with motherboard spacer installation, and an NZXT sticker made from stiff metal foil.
Technical Specifications and Front Panel
| Manufacturer | NZXT |
|---|---|
| Model | H440 |
| Type | Mid-tower |
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 51 x 22 x 47.6 cm |
| Weight | Approximately 10 kg |
| Materials | Plastic, steel |
| Form Factor | ATX, microATX, mini-ITX |
| Drive Bays | 6 x 2.5" or 3.5" 2 x 2.5" (Above the PSU) |
| PCI Slots | Seven |
| Fans | Fan hub with 10 x three-pin connector Front: 2 x 14 cm or 3 x 12 cm; 3 x 12 cm (1200 RPM) included Top: 2 x 14 cm or 3 x 12 cm; none included Rear: 1 x 14/12 cm; 1 x 14 cm (1000 RPM) included |
| Optional Water Cooling | Front: Up to 28/36 cm radiator Top: Up to 28/36 cm radiator Rear: 14 cm radiator |
| CPU Cooler | Up to 18 cm |
| Graphics Card | Up to 30/40 cm, including protruding cables (with/without hard drive bays) |
| Power Supply | Up to 40 cm, including protruding cables |
| Cable Management | 1.77 to 3.25 cm |
| Price | $120 (Black) $140 (White) |
Up top, the NZXT H440 features two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports, as well as the requisite HD Audio connectors, all of which are clearly marked with fittingly modern labels. The power and reset buttons are located on the far-left side of the case's top.
Controls for the optional case lighting are moved to the top of the enclosure's back in order to maintain the smooth, uninterrupted appearance of the most visible panels.
The H440 employs a simple, yet modern, design with only a few edges breaking up the plain surfaces. These accents are finished in black for the white case and in red for the black case.
There's a side window cut in such a way as to hide the drive bays, but also to facilitate a good view of the interior's most interesting components. Consequently, a large CPU cooler can deliver its full visual impact. And even though that front might look like a door, it's actually just a cover. Oh, the things you can do when you tear the 5.25-inch peripherals out of an enclosure.
A first look through the side window makes it obvious that the power supply is housed in its own compartment on the floor of the case, and not viewable from outside. Not only does this guarantee a certain uniformity between H440-based systems, but it also helps you hide the unused leads from partly-modular or non-modular PSUs. You can even use that space to hide other cables.
As far as quality goes, we're left with a good first impression. NZXT's finish is clean and without identifiable flaws. The front panel and top cover don't have any give to them. Moreover, the case doesn’t rock or slide.
And here's a handy little design detail: the thumb screws responsible for holding the side panels and hard drive bays in place stay attached to their mounts once they're unscrewed, preventing them from getting lost.
Discreet Lighting That Also Increases Usability
Ah ha; you thought you had us on misusing discreet, didn't you? In actuality, all of the H440's lighting elements are in the back of the case. They consist of the manufacturer’s name on the PSU compartment, as well as a number of LEDs in the area around the rear case fan and expansion slots. Subtle, yet classy, the lighting reinforces the H440's high-quality design.
In the picture below, it looks like the LEDs are illuminating the inside-rear of the case. Really though, they're well-concealed and attached to the outside of the case. This makes for a nice visual effect, plus has bonus utility when you're looking for a port or plug back there and need a little extra light.
Air Cooling and Dust Protection
Those black accent panels on the front and top covers aren’t just there to look good; they also provide a way for air to enter (front cover) and exit (back cover). This means that there are only two places vulnerable to dust entering the case: the front cover with its three 12-cm fans and the PSU area. Both are protected by dust filters, though.
The filter covering the power supply air intake opening sits securely in place and can be pulled out toward the back.
Getting to the front filter is a bit more involved. If you need to clean it, you'll first have to remove the front cover. The filter is held in place by magnets and a retention rail, which keeps it from protruding and ruining the H440’s smooth looks. We can’t help but think that this could have been achieved with a simpler solution, though.
NZXT's H440 has space for three 12-cm case fans in the front, and comes with all three already installed from the factory. The fans are NZXT’s own FN V2s, spinning at up to 1200 RPM. They can optionally be replaced by two 14-cm models.
The lack of 5.25-inch drive bays give NZXT a big advantage: hard disks can be positioned farther apart than they usually are. In addition, the top fan is at the level of the CPU cooler, providing a much more direct route for air to reach its destination than you typically find in other PC cases.
All of this results in much more direct airflow from the front of the case to installed components. In addition, bays that aren’t needed can be removed, which effectively eliminates all obstruction.
The top of NZXT's H440 features the same fan options as the front, though none of the fans that fit are included.
The H440 comes with another NZXT FN V2 fan installed in the rear. This case fan is of the 14-cm variety, though, and runs at 1000 RPM.
The bundled FN V2s have a frame with a unique shape that reflects the basic design of the NZXT H440. They’re not decoupled with rubber pads though, which is different from the retail version.
A small board on the back of the motherboard tray provides a total of 10 three-pin fan power connectors, enabling plenty of connectivity for coolers you add in yourself. Of course, when you add or replace case fans, bear in mind that a maximum of 30 W is supported.
Sound Dampening
The sound dampening material is approximately 6 mm thick and covers all surfaces except for the case's side window, which is to say that it's on the front cover, top, right side panel, and those areas on the left not cut out for the window. An argument can be made that combining sound dampening and a side window doesn't take acoustic isolation seriously enough. However, for many enthusiasts, the H440 combines elements commonly requested together, and that includes sound dampening material and a window.
Water Cooling
The H440 can accommodate a small 12- or 14-cm radiator in place of the rear case fan, as well as two larger 28- and 36-cm radiators at the top and front of the case, respectively.
At the top, wider 28-cm radiators can be a tight fit, as they might collide with taller motherboard components. Fans can only be installed on the bottom of the radiator.
Since the H440 doesn’t have 5.25-inch drive bays, the entire front can be used for radiators up to 36 cm-long. The hard drive bays can be taken out completely by unscrewing them. Or, you can pull them out separately, giving you a choice in how much space to clear in the enclosure's front area.
After removing the hard drive bays, there’s enough room for radiators with fans on both sides. Naturally, though, you won't have room for 5.25-inch reservoirs, since there aren't any bays to drop them into.
Power Supply Installation and Cable Routing
Power supply placement is one of the H440’s unique features. The PSU is installed on the case's floor, in its own compartment, hidden from view. This design decision gives the case two practical advantages. First, the entire bottom area can be used to hide unused cables, which makes for a tidy-looking system. Second, you can use some of the empty space above the PSU to hold two additional 2.5-inch drive bays.
The PSU isn’t decoupled from the case, which isn’t a big deal. Most modern power supplies don't require this anymore.
NZXT does make PSU installation easier, however, by implementing a frame around the power supply cavity. It's held in place by four thumb screws and, once you pull it off, the power supply slides right into the chassis.
Screw the frame back into place, then secure the PSU onto the frame. Everything's accessible externally, giving you plenty of room to work.
Tactful-looking cable routing is easy, too. Not only does NZXT include the usual rubber-framed cable openings, but also a number of extra smaller cut-outs in convenient places. Openings behind the 2.5-inch drive bays make it easier to hide the USB and HD Audio cables.
Two additional openings on the bottom of the motherboard tray are available if you use a microATX motherboard. Several openings toward the top allow the power cable and fan leads to be routed out of view, too.
Space for the PSU cables can be a bit tight due to the sound dampening material. NZXT does include a number of built-in cable clips to keep them neatly in place, though. In the area next to the rubber-framed cable openings, the motherboard tray is bent inwards to create some extra room. All of the cables that aren’t needed can be tucked away in the void next to the PSU.
Rare is it that we're able to create a clean and tidy interior so quickly. NZXT's H440 makes a good-looking build possible for any level of enthusiast, though.
Hard Drive Installation
Most of the hard drives are installed on their own sledges. They’re accessed from the right side of the case, which is somewhat unique. The idea is that you want an area on the side of the case, next to the window, hidden by the side panel. Each sledge is screwed to the case separately. We had to tighten all their screws a little, but once that was done, they sat securely in place.
All five hard drive bays have small rubber grommets that are held in place by glue, but can be moved to accommodate 2.5-inch drives, for example. The advantage of this approach (at least compared to the drive cages we're accustomed to) is that each bay can be removed separately to create space for longer peripherals or cooling solutions.
Even if you yank out every single hard drive bay to make room for a radiator or completely unobstructed airflow, there’s still the option of installing a 3.5- or 2.5-inch drive on the bottom of the case.
Additionally, two 2.5-inch drives can be installed in part of the empty space hidden from outside view, next to the PSU.
Motherboard, Graphics Card, and CPU Cooler
The motherboard spacers came installed from the factory, saving us the trouble of screwing them in ourselves. The H440 accommodates CPU coolers up to 18 cm-tall, which is enough for any model in our test lab.
There's a big opening in the motherboard tray that makes switching out CPU coolers with backplates a breeze. You won't need to pull your platform out for a cooler swap.
As it ships, NZXT's H440 accommodates graphics cards of up to 30 cm-long. This number increases to 40 cm once you pull out the appropriate hard drive bay.
Our benchmark system features an Intel Core i5-4670K and Radeon HD 7970 graphics card. The CPU is cooled by a Thermalright True Spirit 140, which offers a great price/performance ratio. We're expecting impressive thermals, even under load, thanks to the H440's design and the reference-class Radeon HD 7970 that exhausts waste heat externally.
We benchmarked NZXT's fans at 12 V, since the H440 doesn't include a controller. Even still, noise levels should remain fairly conservative as a result of low rotational speeds and the case's sound dampening material.
| NZXT H440 Benchmark System | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i5-4670K (Haswell), 3.4 GHz base, 3.8 GHz maximum Turbo Boost, 6 MB shared L3 cache |
| CPU Cooler | Thermalright True Spirit 140BW |
| Motherboard | ASRock Z87 Pro4, X87 Express |
| Memory | 2 x 4 GB Kingmax Nano at DDR3-2133 |
| Graphics Card | HIS Radeon HD 7970 |
| Hard Drive | Samsung HD322GJ (System Drive) |
| Power Supply | Enermax Revolution 87+, 850 W |
| Operating System | Windows 7 Home Premium |
We’re using our usual combination of Prime95 (Small FTTs) and MSI Kombustor (Furry and Tessy tests) to apply a load. Once we crest the 60-minute mark, we measure temperatures.
Temperatures
It would have been nice if the small board with its 10 three-pin fan power connectors offered more than just a 12 V setting. A 9 or 7 V option might have allowed us to run the case's fans a little slower. Still, the H440 stays pretty quiet thanks to its moderately low 1000 and 1200 RPM fan speeds. It doesn't hurt to have all of that sound dampening material in there as well.
| Temperatures under Full Load: NZXT H440 (Case Fans at 12 V) | |
|---|---|
| Ambient Temperature | 22.0 °C |
| CPU (Core i5-4670K) TCore Ø | 64.8 °C |
| Radeon HD 7970, Fan 40% = 2371 RPM | 74-75 °C |
| Hard Drive | 24-25 °C |
Sound dampening materials don’t just keep noise from getting out; they also serve to insulate the chassis. This can result in higher interior and component temperatures. NZXT knows this and compensates, though, including plenty of space for additional fans in the event that you feel the four bundled ones aren't enough.
Even in its stock configuration, the H440 posts some nice performance numbers. Taking ambient temperature into account, it manages to keep our system at about the same temperatures as the more mesh-heavy Cooler Master Cosmos SE. At a comfortable ambient temperature of 22 °C, our little Haswell-based space heater stays under 65 °C, and our 230 W graphics card peaks at 75 °C with its fan speed at 40 percent duty cycle. The 3.5-inch hard drive positioned right in front of the fan predominantly comes in at 24 °C.
Noise
| Noise: NZXT H440 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 12 V, Case Fans Only | 12 V, Whole System Under Full Load | |
| Front (50 cm) | 38.7 dB(A) | 43.0 dB(A) |
| Top-Left Diagonal (50 cm) | 38.6 dB(A) | 43.1 dB(A) |
| Bottom-Right Diagonal (50 cm) | 38.1 dB(A) | 42.5 dB(A) |
As usual, our graphics card is the largest contributor to system noise. That's hardly surprising, given that we're using a reference-class Radeon HD 7970. The Tahiti-based board pushes overall system noise to peaks ranging from 42.5 to 43.1 dB(A). Even though the H440’s sound dampening material results in slightly higher graphics card fan speeds compared to non-dampened cases, it still manages to help muffle sound levels outside of the enclosure.
It's important to note that the sound dampening material is especially effective for diminishing high-frequency noise, which is the most annoying kind. The sound pressure measurement numbers don’t tell the whole story. Subjectively, fan noise is neither loud nor annoying.
The NZXT FN V2 fans, running at up to 1200 RPM, generate a noise level between 38.1 and 38.7 dB(A). Those numbers are certainly too high for an ultra-quiet case, but they are completely acceptable for a gaming chassis. Even if you use passively-cooled components, that's what you're going to hear. Again, the option to slow down the case fans for more casual use would have been nice.
Fortunately, even though the fans generate a bit of motor noise, vibrations aren't propagated through the H440's frame. The fact that the fans aren't decoupled from the case with grommets ends up not mattering.
We can already hear it now. Some enthusiasts are going to love NZXT’s decision to get rid of 5.25-inch drive bays on the H440; others will hate it for depriving them of the option to mount additional peripherals like fan controllers and reservoirs. NZXT certainly makes good use of the reclaimed space though, providing a unique, well thought-out, and feature-rich case that’s built solidly and attractive to boot. Those top and front covers are particularly nice-looking thanks to their smooth lines and large metal surfaces.
In addition to a side window, NZXT's H440 features full sound dampening. Thoughtful accents like the bent motherboard tray allow data and power cables to be routed more easily. Cable management is one of this enclosure's strong suits. Many small, well-placed openings make it possible to optimize routing without much effort. Along the same lines, the PSU has its own compartment at the bottom of the case that’s hidden from view and illuminated by a stylish NZXT logo. Not only can you hide unused power supply cables in there, but also other loose leads as well.
The covered areas next to the side window conceal the separately-removable hard drive bays too, which can barely be seen from the outside. Since there aren’t any external 5.25-inch drive bays, the hard drive bays are spaced farther apart than usual, allowing for largely unobstructed airflow generated by three bundled case fans up front. And if you want to use a graphics card longer than 30 cm, simply remove one of the hard drive bays. Or, if you're using a 36-cm radiator, pull them all out. Even then, there's still space for one 3.5-inch or two 2.5-inch drives at the bottom of the case.

NZXT's H440 has several other handy features. For instance, there’s a small board with power connectors for up to 10 three-pin fans and additional spaces for SSDs on the PSU cover. Lighting inside of the case is stylish, while outside it's functional, helping you see the expansion slots and I/O shield.
We like that we can use CPU coolers up to 18 cm-tall and, with the previously-mentioned caveats, radiators up to 28 or 36 cm-long.
Really, we're not left with much to complain about. You don't get a ton of room for cable routing behind the motherboard tray due to the sound dampening material. But bends in the tray and hidden cable space in the PSU compartment make up for this. We really did miss the option to control case fan speed. They aren't overly noisy, since the fans don’t transfer vibrations to the frame, but a controller would have been an appropriate inclusion. Finally, the front dust filter is a bit difficult to access. You have to remove the entire front cover before it can be freed from its magnetic supports.
Bottom Line
NZXT’s H440 is perhaps the most uncompromising built-for-looks PC case currently available. It features an elegant design with lighting that looks good and serves a practical purpose. The large window lets your go-fast components take center stage, as the power supply and storage devices are strategically hidden behind solid side panels. Finally, cables can be hidden from view almost entirely.
Enthusiasts who can live without 5.25-inch drive bays and are in the market for a quiet (albeit not silent) enclosure with lots of features will find NZXT's H440 to be both unique and elegant. The white-black model will run you $140 on Newegg, as the black-red version sells for $120. Even though we wish it had a fan controller, we're perfectly comfortable recognizing the H440 with our Tom's Hardware Smart Buy award.































