The NZXT H7 is in quite the predicament. The H7 Flow is by far the better PC case. It has better thermals, is the same price, has all the same features and has a completely clean side panel thanks to the large intake vent upfront. If you want something a little fancier, the NZXT H7 Elite has more tempered glass than you'll know what to do with. After unscrewing and removing the second and third slot cover, our ATX build slipped right into the H7 Flow with zero issues. Placing the radiator on the top panel while using its fans as exhaust provides voltage-regulator cooling benefits, though at some cost in CPU temperature. Sadly, when looking at the H7 and H7 Elite, thermal results were less impressive, especially with regards to the Elite. Even with its additional fans, the H7 Elite does not run much cooler than NZXT’s standard H7, with both cases exhibiting GPU thermals that are 5 degrees hotter than the H7 Flow. If you want low system thermals, the H7 Flow is clearly the case you should be buying. However, it’s a shame the case doesn’t have full E-ATX support, with the width limit set at 272mm. The main holes at the front of the case have a large cover to hide them as well. Overall, it’s an easy case to keep tidy, with plenty of stowage for excess cables, lots of anchor points and cable ties. Build quality is also excellent throughout, with minimal panel gaps and all the parts fitting snugly together.

Then, our testing of GPU thermals. The HAF 500 fed our GPU the coolest air, followed by the H7 Flow without the top exhaust filter fitted in place, and then the H7 Flow with top exhaust filter... With the front panel being perforated, the H7 Flow’s right side panel can be completely closed off. Unlike the H7 and H7 Elite, the H7 Flow does not require a perforated right side panel for airflow, allowing NZXT to ship this model with a plain right side panel.

Testing the H7 Flow: Reaching Your Flow State

In all, the H7 is slightly smaller than the H710, and it is significantly lighter. The H710 was 12.1 kg, and the new H7 is 10.26kg. That said, both cases support the same levels of CPU clearance, front fan/radiator clearance, and cable management space. The only compromise with the new H7 is that is has 13mm less GPU clearance, not that 400mm of clearance isn’t enough for practically all modern GPUs. The H7 Flow hangs in with the HAF 500 for middling noise levels, beat only by the O11D EVO’s reduced fan set. But that’s with all cases being measured from the front-left and front-right corners. What’s not shown in these numbers is that the H7 Flow became noticeably louder from above the top panel after removing its top filter, which is an angle that we didn’t have other data to compare. Cooling:3 x 120mm/3 x 140mm front fan mounts ( 1 x 120mm fan included), 1 x 120mm/140mm rear fan mount (120mm fan included), 3 x 120/2 x 140mm roof fan mounts (fans not included) The NZXT H7 has some tough competition, namely the Corsair iCUE 5000T RGB, which is slightly larger (and heavier) but has more space inside for water cooling and larger motherboards. The Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic range is popular for good reason, thanks to its stylish design and solid thermal performance. What stopped them from launching meshed versions alongside the older cases? For a comparison, Fractal has their Define and Meshify(recent Pop Air too) series.

Obviously, the H7 Flow has a perforated front panel, allowing the case’s front fan (or fans) to intake air directly from the front. This maximises the H7 Flow’s air intake, making it the best performing H7 chassis in terms of cooling performance. Aesthetically, some users may prefer the H7 or H7 Elite, but for those who want the best cooling, the Flow will be the way to go. As we demonstrate in our video the three models of NZXT H7 are based on the same core chassis and they are defined by the front panel and the configuration of the fans. The showstopper is the H7 Elite which has three RGB fans at the front of the case that provide an impressive lightshow. Cooling Performance FYI, their H700s were their 'fix' to this via a brute force method of 'just add more fans', while maintaining the stylish and air flow choking design of the previous cases. It worked, though it could've been better if they'd just done the H7 Flow right then and there. The graphics card temperatures saw the Elite's multiple front fans offer the lowest temperature of 71 degrees, followed by the H7 flow and the H7 was 4 degrees warmer due it having just one fan. Conclusions It was clear from the first moment the three models of H7 have been improved, starting with the addition of a Flow model that has a front panel that clearly has the potential to work well. In addition we were delighted to find the panels are tool-free as that makes life considerably easier.

The Interior Features: Easy Peasy Building

The H7 flow offered the best CPU temperature thanks to its open front end, but was only a degree ahead of the H7 Elite, which had three front fans to aid cooling despite its front section being closed. The extra SSD trays snap onto the round holes of the power-supply shroud…or pretty much any other vent holes you can think of. But we’d rather place them here. There are MANY other cases like this to choose from, and they are MORE AFFORDABLE. Some of them are preinstalled with more fans; this case comes with 2 fans, when the older H710 came with 4. Even with an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X processor, you'll see a good 5% reduction for average temperature in games. It's still not quite as good as some other PC cases, namely the be quiet! Silent Base 802 or NZXT H7 Flow, but it's good to see lower temperatures all in keeping the same overall look of the existing H710. Our starting point for this review of the H7 family starts in 2019 with the H510 and H710, which were interesting cases that leant heavily on looks and styling, and rather less on performance.

When letting each case run with their maximum out of the box fan RPMs, the H7 and H7 Elite deliver identical thermal results, proving that the Elite’s additional fan do nothing to lower overall system temperatures. This is a poor showing for the H7 Elite, and highlights the real strength of the H7 Flow. It bests the Elite with fewer fans and a lower price point. Practically speaking, the thumbscrew that secures the drive cage is what limits power-supply length to 233mm. A second set of tab holes and screw holes allows it to be moved about 19mm farther forward, but placing it there reduces the lower portion of the front radiator mount by the same distance. The 3.5-inch cage’s optional 2.5-inch mounts aren’t even included in the H7 Flow’s official specs, as those specs instead refer to a second set of 2.5-inch trays that we’ll cover momentarily. If you were looking at the front of the H7 and though “but where’s the airflow going to come from?”, the H7 Flow is the case for you. The H7 Flow is the same case as the standard H7, including the same fans out of the box, internal layout, and price point. There are only two differences between the H7 and H7 Flow, and those differences are the case’s front and right panels.I've gone into some detail about the NZXT H7 series refresh in my NZXT H7 Flow review, but the goal NZXT's designers had in mind was to keep the same look but refine the cooling performance. This was carried out by adding a new side vent for the front fans to gain access to more cool air, as well as a redesigned top panel.

Removing all the panels exposes just how open the H7 Flow is internally, with its forward fan mounts a full 2 inches behind the front panel.At 1000 RPM fan speeds, the H7 Flow continues to impress. Again, it sits towards the bottom of our graphs, delivering results that are amongst the best cases that we have tested. Again, this is a huge achievement for a chassis that ships with only two fans out of the box, and adding additional fans could result in further improvements to the H7 Flow’s cooling performance. The snap-off top panel also includes a filter, but this one connects to the chassis underneath. The filter covers a mount that can hold three 120mm or two 140mm fans, as well as any radiators of corresponding proportions. While NZXT’s H710 chassis has proved to be popular over its lifespan, the PC market has changed a lot since this case was introduced. For starters, CPUs and GPUs are more power-hungry than before, making airflow a greater concern for PC builders. This change to the PC market has forced NZXT to include more fan mounts on the top of their H7 series cases, adding support for top-mounted 360mm liquid cooling radiators while redesigning their front panels to enable increased system airflow. The NZXT H7’s design is very skeletal– especially the front panel, which is nearly all perforated. Because of that, I wasn’t expecting a quiet case, but I was wrong– very wrong. Now, this case isn’t quite church mouse-level silent, but for an airflow-focused case, I’m quite impressed. The only case that goes toe-to-toe with the H7 Flow on our chart is the Hyte Y60, but two of its three included fans are in the basement, and it has a whole lot more glass going on to keep the noise down. Thermal Results for the NZXT H7 Flow