NZXT’s S340 Elite Refined For Virtual Reality PCs
Virtual reality hardware is readily available now, and several companies are building hardware components that complement the technology. Even case manufacturers see opportunities to innovate.
Take a look at NZXT’s S340, for instance. The company launched the S340 mid-tower case two years ago in September 2014; it featured elegant styling, a large clear window, a walled-off compartment to keep your power supply and cables hidden, and multiple SSD mounting points that put your drives on display. Fast forward two years, and NZXT is still selling the affordable S340 case, but it now offers a premium edition called the S340 Elite.
The NZXT S340 Elite builds on the standard S340 platform. The company replaced the acrylic window with a 4mm thick tempered glass door and added cable management clamps to ensure that you can make your build as tidy as possible. The S340 Elite also features one additional SSD mount compared to the standard case.
The addition of front accessible VR plugs is perhaps the most notable change to the case design. The S340 featured top-mounted HD Mic, headphone jack, and two USB 3.0 ports; for the S340 Elite, NZXT added two USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI pass-through port, which simplifies plugging in a VR headset. It essentially does the same thing as the VR breakout boxes that EVGA and Gigabyte sell.
The S340 Elite also comes with a magnetic cable management device that NZXT calls the Cable Management Puck. The puck is designed to allow you to wrap up the HMD’s cables, and it acts as a hanger for the HMD itself. You can also use it to hang your gaming headset.
NZXT plans to release three color options for the S340 Elite. You will be able to choose from matte black, matte white, or matte black with red accents.
The premium components and added features come at a price, though. The S340 is a relatively inexpensive case that NZXT sells for $70, whereas the S340 Elite carries a price tag of $100. The black version of the case is available now in the U.S. and will be available elsewhere in October. You can pre-order the other two color options, but NZXT did not provide a shipping date for them.
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Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years.
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thundervore Hmm, if a customer was to install a SSD in that side mount on the PSU shroud with the cables running optimally, wouldn't the logo of the SSD be upsidedown?Reply
I like their dual 140 and full dust filter approach in the front, the cable snaps are a nice thought but I would have preferred the straps like in the Phanteks cases. 4 USB ports and a passthrough HDMI? looks awesome!! -
CrescentFreshed @thundervore no. there's a pathway from the SSD to go toward the front of the case or a pathway toward the back of the case for the cables. If you choose to go the back way, the SSD would have to be upside down. This is a pretty cool video where BitWit builds a PC using the case. Pretty cool! https://youtu.be/XBHRDuUHe4sReply -
thundervore Reply18659642 said:@thundervore no. there's a pathway from the SSD to go toward the front of the case or a pathway toward the back of the case for the cables. If you choose to go the back way, the SSD would have to be upside down. This is a pretty cool video where BitWit builds a PC using the case. Pretty cool! https://youtu.be/XBHRDuUHe4s
After watching the video it shows a new problem. The cables of the side mounted SSD runs through the 3.5 HDD cage so customers cannot populate both 3.5 drive cages and the side SSD.
Seems the upside down logo will only affect certain drives like Kingston UV400 -
CrescentFreshed Reply18659812 said:After watching the video it shows a new problem. The cables of the side mounted SSD runs through the 3.5 HDD cage so customers cannot populate both 3.5 drive cages and the side SSD.
Seems the upside down logo will only affect certain drives like Kingston UV400
Yeah, as much as i think this case is really cool and possibly one of the best looking, I thought that SSD cable routing through the drive bay was really dumb. How could they not just add an additional 1/2 inch to supplement the space? They know how finicky the market is about cable management.
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Decends I do not see how the SSD cables can't fit between the two hard drives. All you have to do put in hard drive one, lay the cables flat as they pass over the bottom drive (just dont use one of those power cables with that black fabric material, use the flat cable instead) and a flat sata cable, then put in the top hard drive above the laying flat cables.Reply -
CrescentFreshed Reply18659933 said:I do not see how the SSD cables can't fit between the two hard drives. All you have to do put in hard drive one, lay the cables flat as they pass over the bottom drive (just dont use one of those power cables with that black fabric material, use the flat cable instead) and a flat sata cable, then put in the top hard drive above the laying flat cables.
I think the problem is that it wasn't thought out too well in terms of design. It's definitely possible, just seems sorta half assed in the design. I'm still buying it. I also don't care to show off my SSD so it never really bothered me to begin with.