Introduction: NZXT HUSH
I can still clearly remember my "old" computer from last summer. One year isn't really that long ago, but I have gone through four cases, three motherboards, three processors, and four video cards since then. Back in the summer of '06 I had an old steel case with modified openings on the top and front to accommodate the last two of my five 120mm cooling fans. My memories are slowly fading, but one thing will never be forgotten: that computer would make an airport seem quiet.
In the past year the industry has benefited from more efficient components and better equipment, which in turn has allowed computer enthusiasts to enjoy their personal computer without earplugs. You can’t win the hearts of computer enthusiasts, system builders, and hardcore gamers by simply releasing one good product and calling it quits to hardware improvements, so it’s a good thing that companies such as NZXT have built a reputation based on producing one great new product after another. In this review, the brand new HUSH mid-tower ATX case from NZXT’s Silent Series is examined.
Game On, In Peace.
Introducing the NZXT HUSH, a chassis designed from grounds up to be quiet while having ample cooling. Game and work without all the noise, thanks to the sound dampening foam that is used on the top, side, and bottom panels of the case. Worried about cooling? Not to worry, the HUSH is equipped with two 120mm fans running at low speeds while still achieving high levels of air flow. High end gaming requires faster hard drives and power supplies, so we've installed rubber padding near fans and hard drives to further reduce the sound level. The HUSH also ships with USB 2.0, Firewire, and HD audio support. Bring more silence to your gaming experience with HUSH.
HUSH Features
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8800GTX compatibility: Dual NVIDIA 8800GTX in SLI may be installed with three 3.5" HDD space.
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Standard Dual 120mm Fans
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Silent dampening foam reduces noise levels inside case
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Rubber padding on hard drive and fans
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Steel Chassis
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Screwless design for 5.25" and 3.5" devices
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Brushed Aluminum in Silver or Black, pick the style you like
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USB 2.0, Firewire, and HD Audio support
NZXT Specifications
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Model: HUSH Classic Series Silent Computer Chassis
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Case Type: Mid tower Steel Chassis
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Front Panel Material: Plastic/Aluminum
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Dimensions (W x H x D): 191.5 X 435 X 513.5 mm
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Front Cooling System: 1 X 120 mm Blue LED Fan (included)
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Rear Cooling System: 1 X 120 mm Fan (included)
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Drive Bays: 11 Total Drive Bays
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4 External 5.25" Drive Bays
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2 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays
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5 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays
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Screwless Rail Design
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Material: Steel Construction
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Expansion Slots: 7 Total
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Weight: 6 KGS / 13.3 LBS
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motherboard Support: ATX, Micro-ATX, Flex-ATX, Mini-ATX
About NZXT
NZXT, a company built upon gamers' dreams, hopes to create products that put consumers first. Our objective is to provide every gamer with a case that they can identify with. Combining unique design and case performance, consumers will finally be able to find a quality case that will represent their own style and personality.
In the future, NZXT wishes all gamers who desire a personalized case to find it at NZXT. With the unveiling of every product, NZXT improves upon on weaknesses and strives for excellence. Achieving perfection is not an easy task, however, NZXT is determined to meet and surpass consumer expectations.
Our dedicated sales and customer service team will also work diligently to earn your trust and loyalty. All our products are built with high quality material and engineered in the best conditions.
NZXT Headquarters and Factories are located overseas in China and Taiwan. NZXT was established in 2004.
Taiwan Headquarters
6F, No.1, SEC 1, CHUNG SHAN RD.
PANCHIAO CITY, TAIPEI, TAIWAN 220
886-2-89535000 EXT: 201 (TEL)
Closer Look: HUSH Exterior
NZXT has become a dominant name in the computer chassis industry in a very short amount of time, all thanks to their aggressive approach to design and fashion. The NZXT HUSH Silent ATX Case combines a very attractive yet realistic appearance while offering premium features at a balanced price. Focused towards gamers, system builders, and power users, the HUSH is perfect for the mid-level price-conscious consumer.
Utilizing fiber-optic quality clear plastics and a small number of blue LED lights, the HUSH is able to accent the angled contours with a very visible blue aura. The trend to use clear fiber optic tubes to transfer and focus distant light has continued in the HUSH, which has a blue LED power light which lit the wall on the opposite side of the room with a perfect blue circle.
Built around a steel SECC chassis, the NZXT HUSH uses aluminum panels and a plastic front bezel to complete the look. NZXT's Classic Series is better known for cases which are modern yet not over-the-top in designed appearance. NZXT can a large selection of cases which cover every personal taste, but for most consumers it will be the mid-level Classic Series that will hold their next system.
The NZXT HUSH Classic Series Silent Computer Chassis is finished in gloss black. The painted aluminum panels are not perfectly smooth, which causes the paint to resist the "piano black" glossy finish which the front bezel has.
The windowless side panel and lack of top and side fans ensure that the HUSH does not let noise slip past the interior. This design also emphasizes a direct front to back flow of cooling air.
Detailed Exterior Features
NZXT's HUSH Classic Series Silent Computer Chassis does offer some deviation from the otherwise all-black finish found around the exterior. Once the bezel door is open, the exposed intake fan grill has silver accents which team with the two silver finished power and reset buttons. The bezel door hinge is the last item with silver finish.
While many manufactures still waste money on locking mechanisms for the bezel door, the NZXT HUSH has what most users have requested for a long time now: power buttons accessible without opening a door. Even to this day, many top names still make the mistake of thinking we would actually use those bezel door locks. I'm willing to bet the farm that 99% of the consumers never touch the key to the lock.
Firewire (IEEE-1394) and dual USB ports are available at the lower side of the NZXT HUSH. Color-keyed headphone and microphone jacks finish out the I/O panel.
At the rear of the NZXT HUSH Classic Series Silent Computer Chassis you will find the only exhaust opening available. A single 120/92/80mm fan may be installed into the exhaust position, however NZXT starts you off in the right direction with two 120mm cooling fans installed at the lower front and rear of the case.
No-frills hard rubber feet are attached to the underside of the HUSH. While I personally believe that the soft rubber/silicone feet found on some other cases are a nice feature, these ones won't be falling off. Conversely, they aren't the cheap hard plastic feet found on your cheaper production cases.
The underside of the front bezel exposes some of the electronics, but also supplements the air intake to maintain a front to back cooling path.
Closer Look: HUSH Interior
The NZXT HUSH Classic Series Silent Computer Chassis remains composed once you remove the service side door panel. Among the first unique features you will see are the twist lock drive mechanisms. These are becoming popular among a few manufacturers outside of NZXT, so you have not seen the last of them with the HUSH.
Additionally there is a closed-cell foam noise dampening foam insulating the bottom of the case. Unlike some more expensive cases we have reviewed which neglect this surface, NZXT didn't go cheap just because the HUSH is a mid-level case.
Apparently NZXT engineers are the only one's to understand that sound travels in every direction, and that noise can best be dampened at jointed interfaces such as the bottom of the tray (which transfers noise to the feet and then to the surface they rest on). Cancelling reverberation is key, and NZXT has done it right.
Although the doors are easily the largest panel to transfer noise, the NZXT HUSH has lined each door (both service side and opposite) with noise cancelling foam. The combination of locations indicates that NZXT is making sure noise reduction get's done correctly.
Detailed Interior Features
Getting deeper into the details, you can see from the image below that not only are both doors and bottom covered with sound dampening foam material, but the backside of the front bezel has also received treatment. You can see from the drive bay opening that each plate as well as the entire backside of the bezel has received noise dampening foam, which is extraordinary. Now this is a true commitment to silence; not even Antec or Lian Li have gone this far to get the job done right.
Inside the NZXT HUSH Classic Series Silent Computer Chassis you will find very few sparkle and shine features, which have helped to keep costs down and function up. The steel drive cage uses a screw-less and tool-less design, utilizing a drive pin retaining bracket on each side to secure the hardware components in place. The only drawback to this is that both side panels must be removed to unlock the retaining pin bracket.
The turn-key locks make removing hardware a snap... I mean twist. By twisting the knob 180° the black plastic drive-pin retaining bracket can be pulled off and away from the cage, removing the placement pins in the process.
The rear panel is very Spartan, with only a single 120mm cooling fan included. To my surprise there are no grommets or holes for liquid cooling equipment, despite having the room for them to the left of the expansion bay screws.
From the image above you can see that the sound dampening foam at the top portion of the NZXT HUSH case. One concern with this much foam insulation is heat retention. Since the frame is SECC construction (steel), and there are only two cooling fans (intake and exhaust), special care must be taken to ensure that components are properly positioned and spaced apart in the drive bays.
NZXT's HUSH Classic Series Silent Computer Chassis has done a great job offering truly silent computing. With exception to particular aftermarket fans, there is really very little chance for someone to have audible noise emitted from inside this case.
Final Thoughts: NZXT HUSH
Throughout this entire review I found myself wondering why NZXT didn't include liquid cooling grommets or simple knock-out holes on the rear panel of the HUSH. After all, nobody does silent better than liquid cooling. This may not be the norm for manufacturers, yet, but ever since the Antec P182 Performance One ATX Case included them it has proven that for next to no additional cost they can be implemented; which allows a whole new range of users.
Conversely, NZXT has done silent the way it should be done. Other have tried, and for some reason we as consumers let them give us half-hearted effort. But it took the NZXT HUSH to show me that they could do it better, and do it right. The noise dampening effects of the HUSH are truly second to absolutely none, but there is still some room for improvement in future industry design. Features like rubber fan mounting plugs and fan offset boxed to keep noise more distant from the outside of the case. The list can grow if you let the imagination run with the idea, and eventually someone will include every feature possible to build an absolutely noise-free case.
Perhaps this could be the mid-level platform for NZXT to come back and offer a high-level premium release. Imagine an all-aluminum case with a few extra features (like those mentioned above) and a redesigned bezel, and there you have the perfectly silent case. For now though, the NZXT HUSH meets the critical demands of a price-conscious consumer segment who still insist on good looks in an affordable, yet silent computer case.
Conclusion
NZXT is all about the look. It takes a case like the HUSH to prove that they can also be all about the functionality, too. Just as with past NZXT products, the packaging is more then enough to tempt you towards the HUSH. The presentation is better than most, which helps to add interest to an already appealing price tag.
The HUSH isn't all function and no fashion. NZXT took the time to give the HUSH a solid front bezel and gloss black aluminum panels. There isn't a window since the sound dampening efforts would be wasted, but nobody wants to look at foam and steel anyway. It turns out that the HUSH carries its own in terms of appearance, and the wow factor is saved for functionality.
With a SECC construction the HUSH is solid and strong. Thankfully a plastic bezel and aluminum panels help to lighten the load, which actually makes the case surprisingly lighter than expected. Fully-covered interior panels have sound dampening foam to ensure noise is kept to a minimum, and extra efforts such as the backside of the front bezel receiving the same treatment only ensure that HUSH means keep quiet.
So was it silent? You better believe it. With proper planning, a system builder could easily design a perfectly silent case with no audible noise. Just choose power supplies like the Thermaltake Toughpower W0133RU 1200W which uses a silent 140mm cooling fan and perhaps a silent running 120mm fan to sit atop a Thermalright SI-128 CPU Cooler and you will have nothing to distract you when quite time matters most.
NZXT has focused on delivering value, in addition to the long list of features I have previously mentioned. You might try to compare this case to others, but before you do just remember that the NZXT HUSH is priced for mid-level consumers. Although still new to the market, NewEgg.com has begun to list the HUSH for $89.99.
There were very few items I could find serious fault with, and quite to my surprise the NZXT HUSH turned out to offer a lot more features than I initially thought. More than just an attractive mid-level case, this is a fully rounded building block for everyone from system builders to gamers. Certainly even the hardware enthusiasts and case-modders can see great potential in the HUSH, without coming out of pocket too much.
Pros:
+ Extremely well built SECC chassis
+ Excellent noise reduction
+ Thorough application of insulation
+ Convenient bezel/button design
+ Full aluminum finish
+ High-quality features at a bargain
+ Plenty of working room
+ Attractive gloss black finish
+ Screwless component retaining brackets
+ Affordable and well designed
Cons:
- Cooling could be improved
- Screwless system should only use one side
- Needs liquid cooling ports or knockouts
Ratings:
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Presentation: 8.75
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Appearance: 8.75
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Construction: 9.0
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Functionality: 9.25
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Value: 8.75
Final Score: 8.9 out of 10.
Quality Recognition: Benchmark Reviews Silver Tachometer Award
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