Installation
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.
