First Impressions And 360° Picture Gallery
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.
