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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. The flaws of NZXT’s standard H7 are the same as the flaws of the H7 Elite, though these fans are more pronounced with the H7 Elite. The extra money that NZXT has spent on fans has done little to improve the case’s thermals, making the H7 Elite a case that we cannot recommend. The question that you need to ask is whether or not the H7 Elite’s aesthetic is worth its compromised performance. To us, it isn’t, and that’s why we want to see the H7 Elite with the H7 Flow’s front panel. While there aren't any RGB LED strips, the included three RGB fans upfront create enough light to shine on internal components. There are also a further three fan mounts on the top panel where an additional three blowers with integrated RGB LEDs can be installed. 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. With pricing that’s identical to the standard H7 and much better thermal performance, it cannot be denied that the H7 Flow is the best case within NZXT’s H7 lineup. In our testing, it proved to be one of the most capable cases that we have ever tested at low RPMs, and that was with only two pre-installed fans.
H7 | Minimalist Gaming PC Case | Gaming PCs | NZXT H7 | Minimalist Gaming PC Case | Gaming PCs | NZXT
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. Cooling-wise, NZXT’s H7 Flow is the clear highlight of the H7 lineup, offering cooling performance levels that are amongst some of the best PC cases that we have tested at low fan RPMs. Even with its four 140mm fans, the H7 Elite cannot best NZXT’s H7 Flow with its two 120mm fans. That said, the H7 Elite can barely best the standard H7 despite is upgraded fan setup. There’s a reason why NZXT created the H7 Flow, and that reason is airflow. The front panels of the H7 and H7 Elite restrict airflow, and that’s the price that you have to pay for that design aesthetic.
As good as the H7 looks and as easy as it is to use, there is no getting around the fact that the H7 Flow exists and that it delivered much better thermals. Even if we added two more intake fans to the H7, its performance wouldn’t improve that much. How do we know this? Just look at our H7 Elite results. Even with more fans (that are also larger), the difference in thermal performance between the H7 and H7 Elite is minimal, and the H7 Flow outperforms both with ease. Thermal performance is slightly improved compared to the H710, but falls short of the H7 Flow. The front-facing tempered glass window acts as a hindrance for the front fans to pull in cool air. It's not an issue that leads to thermal throttling and degraded performance, but it's certainly something to plan around.
H710 Series | Gaming PC Cases | Gaming PCs | NZXT H710 Series | Gaming PC Cases | Gaming PCs | NZXT
The fans and air vents also make the NZXT H7 Elite a champ when it comes to thermal performance. We saw some fantastic results on our 12th gen Intel Core i9 tests, with the CPU running up to 5 degrees cooler than most other cases in-office, beyond the H7 Flow. The large front fans beyond looking great all lit up, provide great airflow, second only to what we found in our testing of the NZXT H7 Flow, something I did not expect. “The fans and air vents also make the NZXT H7 Elite a champ when it comes to thermal performance.” Looking at the glass front panel of the NZXT H7 Elite, you will see a crystal-clear tempered glass sheet that spans the full height of the case, giving a full view of the three NZXT RGB 140mm fans. These large fans keep things whisper-quiet, as well as keep the air moving throughout your system. The fact NZXT went all out with the fans means you won’t need to worry about upgrading later on, with the fans being fully controlled by the NZXT CAM software, giving ample control of how they look and how they fit the rest of the system.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.
H7 Review – Go with the Flow | KitGuru NZXT H7 Review – Go with the Flow | KitGuru
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. 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. There is a ton of information in these charts and the obvious takeaway is that the Flow front panel works best when combined with the 140mm fans running at high speeds. That will come as no surprise but when you refer to our video you will hear the huge changes in noise levels and there are times when the H7 can be very noisy indeed. In other words, the H7 can work well however you will need to strike a balance between noise and cooling. Closing Thoughts 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 NZXT H7 Elite is the range-topping model that launched alongside the H7 Flow and H7. This case is special in that NZXT included an additional tempered glass panel for the front of the chassis. There are also three RGB-equipped fans installed on the front panel hooked up to an RGB and fan controller, only available with the H7 Elite. Now that we have the differences out of the way, let’s talk about what’s common amongst these new H7 series cases. For starters, all of these cases are easy to build in. Side panels are easy to install/uninstall, fans and liquid cooling radiators are easy to mount, and cable management is a breeze. We expect these three cases to be incredibly popular within system integrators, and with PC builders who just want something that’s simple to use. For testing, I turned to my trusty 3700X, 3070, and 32 GB RAM build combo, with two NVMe drives installed into the motherboard. Though I didn’t use any myself, the H5 Elite does provide enough room for up to two 2.5″ drives or, for those still using one, a 3.5″ drive. I think that should be enough room for most users, though if you’re still holding onto multiple 3.5″ drives, you may need to look elsewhere.
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