| NZXT Source 210 Elite Computer Case |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Austin Downing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday, 11 August 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NZXT Source 210 Elite Computer Case Review
Manufacturer: NZXT Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by NZXT. When buying a case enthusiasts must balance between cost, aesthetics, and build quality. Normally you can only have two of these three things but on rare occasions companies produce a case that has all three properties in one case. NZXT has given enthusiast one of these rare cases with the NZXT Source 210 Elite which at $50 combines all three of these traits into one case. Benchmark Reviews will see if the Source 210 Elite is really the holy grail of mainstream cases or will this perfect looking case fall apart when scrutinized? Although a majority of the spotlight falls on cases like the Corsair 800D, Thermaltake Level 10, and the Silverstone TJ11 at $300 or more these cases are out of the reach of a majority of consumers. The real market for cases is in the sub $100 range and unfortunately at this price point quality, and features range drastically from case to case. NZXT has brought out the Source 210 Elite as the computer enthusiasts answer to all of this. It has everything an enthusiast could need in a case, including a full steel construction with a beautifully finished interior and exterior, USB 3.0 on the front panel, eight 3.5" toolless drive bays, and great expandability for cooling should the need arise. So without further ado let us take an in-depth look at the NZXT Source 210 Elite case.
When reviewing a case you have four major things you need to look at. First, you need to look at build quality because no one wants to spend hours putting hardware in a case only to find defects or to have parts that will fail months later. Secondly, you need to look at cooling because as the heat output of components goes up, so do cooling needs. Third, you need to look at the acoustics of your new case because as anyone who has worked on or near servers knows adequate cooling can come at an acoustic cost unless a company put expenses into preventing this. Lastly, you need to look at the ease of build, which depending on your system may or may not play a big role in your choice of case. If you like, I spend lots of time inside of your case modifying parts then you want a system that you can easily move around in while making modifications. On the other hand if you want to setup your system and leave it then this becomes less of an importance and therefore can be moved lower on the requirements for your case. NZXT Source 210 Elite Features
NZXT Source 210 Elite Specifications
Closer Look: ExteriorNZXT has crafted a beautiful exterior for the Source 210 while at the same time keeping a very functional front end. It provides space for expansion of cooling and has a beautifully finished black exterior.
Immediately from the outset it is clear that NZXT went for a much more subtle appearance than many of the cases on the market opt to use. In order to break up the otherwise simple exterior NZXT has chosen to bevel the edge of both the top and bottom of the Source 210.
From the rear you can see that NZXT has included breakaway openings for water cooling should users opt to use that method of cooling for their system. Also it should be noted that only seven expansion slots have been included and so users wishing to do anything more than dual SLI should find problems when using the Source 210 Elite.
From the top you can see that the front of the case is designed to help break up the otherwise square front for the NZXT Source 210 Elite. Towards the back one of the two included fans can be seen. Users can augment the 140mm fan that is included with another 120/140mm fan of their choice.
On the bottom NZXT has given users room to mount longer power supply units upside-down so that they can draw fresh air in. Even better if space permits a 120mm intake fan can be installed to draw even more cool air into the enthusiasts system. NZXT has also added feet that raise the system off of the ground allowing for easier breathing of components on the bottom.
The last thing that is notable is the front panel which includes a both a headphone and microphone port along with a USB3.0 and 2.0 port for easy connection of external drives and devices. Closer Look: InteriorThere are two parts of the equation to a well setup interior. The first half is the ability to expand. Although users may start off with one video card, and two HDD's, in the future they may want to upgrade to four HDD's and a SLI/CrossFireX setup as their needs evolve. The other half of the equation is the ability to adequately cool a user's system. This can be done initially by providing the all of the fan's a user could need or allowing users to upgrade the cooling ability of their system as their needs evolve.
NZXT has given users plenty to work within the Source 210 Elite. To start unlike many cases in this price range NZXT has opted to paint the interior of the Source 210 Elite to match the exterior. Next NZXT has provided a very large, well designed cutout so that users can easily add the backplate needed for many of today's most popular tower style heatsinks. Finally NZXT has provided cable management cutouts to allow users to run cabling through the back of the case so that there will have unobstructed airflow through the system.
NZXT has included two fans with the Source 210 Elite. In the rear there is one 120mm and up top one 140mm fan. The rear 120mm fan, model FN-120RB is rated for 47.27CFM @ 1300RPM while generating 25.35dBA of noise. Installed in the top is the 140mm fan model FN-140RB which is rated at 62.5CFM @ 1300 RPM while generating 26.52dBA. While running both fans are dead silent but could hinder a user's system if they are attempting to overclock without first augmenting the cooling ability of the Source 210 Elite.
In the front of the case are openings to allow users to install two more 120mm fans of their choice. Even more impressive is the fact that the Source 210 Elite can hold eight hard drives in its toolless bays. This opens the possibility of a cheap home server or NAS that can be built into this case. Users should be aware that with all drive bays full the maximum size of video card that can be used is 230mm.
The 5.25" drive bays using a simple hinged mechanism to hold each drive in place. It work wonderfully and is very simple leaving less room for things to break. Detailed Interior FeaturesAlthough in the big picture some cases can look great the fact is that the little things in a case can cause the most problem. It is in this section we will look at the areas that can problematic in cases especially the less expensive cases.
The area designated for the power supply is arranged in such a way to increase its longevity by protecting it from heat and physical damage. This is done by keeping the PSU from moving with metal braces that will support the PSU when a user moves the case. Also users will be able to mount their PSU's upside down allowing for fresh cool air to be drawn in through the bottom and exhaust out of the back.
One of my biggest gripes I have with the lower priced cases is when companies use breakaway covers for the expansion slots. The mechanism used can cause warping in the case and make it difficult to install GPU's or other components. It also means that if users make changes to their components they can no longer replace those covers to make sure dust does not get into the system. NZXT avoids this by screwing in each of the covers and even painting the covers and the screws to match the rest of the case.
I specifically took a picture of this to point something out. Case manufactures need to start including SuperSpeed USB 3.0 headers with every case. I have reviewed $200+ cases that have ruined the aesthetics of the build by requiring users to snake cables out the back of the case. NZXT has avoided this by including the USB 3.0 header as standard on the Source 210 Elite.
With 3/4" behind the motherboard tray there is room for even the mighty 24-pin ATX 12v connector to run through the rear of the Source 210 Elite effectively. NZXT Source 210 Elite Final ThoughtsNZXT has a great case on their hands with the Source 210 Elite by providing almost everything an enthusiast could want without being expensive. This means that enthusiasts have the ability to route cables through the back of the case, use the biggest of CPU coolers, expand their cooling if needed, and even install the mighty GTX 580 inside of this case. All of this is wrapped up in a beautiful, sleek exterior, with toolless drive bays, and even front panel USB 3.0. Still the Source 210 Elite is not perfect and there are some areas that could use improvement. First it would be nice if more fans were included initially, especially as an intake in the front so that more air is brought in helping to cool the system. What I would like to see more though would be easily removable filers for the each of the fans to help keep dust out of the system and out of enthusiast components. Still for $50 these omissions are easy to overlook with all of the other positive aspects of the Source 210 Elite.
ConclusionPerformance in a case is about being able to silently keep components cool. Although no formal testing was done with the Source 210 Elite I can say that the temperatures attained when stress testing were well within normal spec for the E8200 that is contained within this machine. When it comes to noise I compared the Source 210 Elite to my Silverstone RV02 I use for my personal computer. The Silverstone RV02 is quiet for the amount of air it moves but still makes a small whooshing noise. In contrast to the noise that the Silverstone makes the Source 210 Elite is near dead silent with the loudest component in the system being my CPU heatsink. NZXT kept it simple with the Source 210 Elite using a sleek black exterior with a matte finish on the front of the case. For some this may bring up fears of a very mundane looking case but instead NZXT has produced a case that blends in without being boring. This is achieved with the use of odd angles around the front that help break up the otherwise simple front exterior. At the same time the front has been offset to keep everything being to flat and lined up. The appearance of this case is stunning and something that I would like to see more companies take design notes from. The construction of the Source 210 Elite is superb, not $50 superb, but any price superb. There is no flexing in the case, all of the joints are well done, and it really feels like the Source 210 Elite is protecting your investment inside of it. The Source 210 Elite is one of the most functional cases I have used in a long time. It will easily serve as a home NAS enclosure, a small home server, a gaming machine, or just an office workstation. This is because the Source 210 is setup to take almost any of combination of hardware, from the mighty Nvidia GTX 580 and a Intel Core i7 2600k to eight hard drives and a low power Xeon, the Source 210 Elite will easily fulfill any role it is give. At $49.99 the NZXT Source 210 is a fantastic deal for any enthusiast. Users will be able to grow into their system as it is needed. Anything from more hard drives, a larger CPU cooler, or even a SLI/CrossFireX setup can be fit inside of the Source 210 Elite. Overall the NZXT Source 210 Elite is the near perfect, it provides space to expand, can hold the largest of video cards, and looks great. Because of this Benchmark Reviews awards the NZXT Source 210 Elite our Golden Tachometer award. Pros:
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Comments
Thanks for the review.
this case looks quite nice actually...
IF you want cross mount Hard Drive cages there are many choices, few incluse USB3.0 and 8 Hard Drives.
It's got the plain appearance of a Lian Li without the cost.
In the US the Rosewill cases come closest.
It's not a Silverstone TJ08.
It's not a BitFenix Shinobi.
It's not a Zalman Z9/Z9 Plus.
When you look hard though it offers a lot for a little and grow room.
I will have one I think.
Another thing - I'm >REALLY< glad this case doesn't have a side plexi window - I have never really understood the point; is the owner or his friends and family going to spend that much time peering in at the non-moving, cold cathode blue/red/green/UV interior?
Otherwise, for the price, NZXT has done it again! I'm currently using their BetaEVO case and I freekin' love it. I got it for about $35 after rebates, promos, and free shipping, and I don't see replacing it in the near future.
Anyway - a great review (as always) of a pretty nice lookin' and functional case...
One thing you need to consider is that adding another $5-$10 would push them up to the $60 price point. Plus the thing is some people may not need those amenities in their cases so for them the extra money they would pay may deter them from buying it.
Each case is an adventure to become yours. Or a box to stuff under your desk. I can see this one working either way.
Not a parts swappers case, just easy to upgrade at need.
mobo Asrock 970 extreme3