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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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.ÂÂLast year, we took a look at the NZXT H510 Flow, which delivered good thermals. However, the perforations on the top panel were limited to one 140mm fan. With the H7 Flow, we get a perforated top panel that extends far enough for 3x 120 or 2x 140mm fans, or one 360mm radiator. The fan support in the front has also been increased from the H710, from two 140 to three 140mm fans (or up to three 120mm). The rear supports either one 120mm or one 140mm fan.
The dust filter at the bottom of the intake duct wouldn’t make much sense if the face panel didn’t also have a filter, so NZXT equips the H7 Flow’s snap-off front with a snap-in plastic-framed filter that covers the entire ventilated section. 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. We'll map the results against some recently tested large ATX cases, some of which have at least a modicum of EATX support: Cooler Master's HAF 500, Corsair's iCUE 5000T RGB, Lian Li's O11 Dynamic EVO, and In Win's N515.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. And behind the motherboard is where NZXT's years of experience truly shine. The cable management with this case (and other NZXT H7 series cases) is in a league of its own. It's exceptionally good and makes it possible for even novices building their first computers to put together a tidy rig. With the top filter installed, the H7 Flow’s CPU temperatures are a close match to those of Corsair’s iCUE 5000T, beating both the Cooler Master HAF 500 and Lian Li O11D EVO. In Win’s N515 leads in CPU temperatures due to its different radiator placement, but the H7 Flow almost caught it when we removed the exhaust filter from our configuration. 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 As expected, NZXT’s H7 Flow delivers much lower CPU and GPU thermals than the standard H7, so much so that the case is one of the best performing cases that we have tested with 600 RPM fan speeds. While the case does not offer cooling that is on par with Fractal’s Torrent chassis, it gets remarkably close for a case that only ships with two fans out of the box. If we added a few more fans to this chassis, maybe we could expect CPU/GPU thermals to lower even further.Â
The NZXT H710i measured in at an average of 73 C for gaming on the aforementioned CPU. Stress testing through benchmarks saw temperatures approach 90 C at bursts before settling in the mid-80s. The NZXT H7 saw a reduction in the temperature of about 5% across the board. Gaming saw an average of 71 C, which is better than the outgoing case, but still short of the N7 Flow. The NZXT H7 Flow is capable of handling not one, but two 360mm radiators — one on the front and another up top. The rear panel has a 140mm fan and radiator mount, atop of seven horizontal PCI slots. There aren't any vertical slots with the NZXT H7 series. Finally, we've got the single tempered-glass window panel, which showcases everything instead within the case.The excellent cable management, better thermals, and updated design make the NZXT H7 series one to watch out for. 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. 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 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. 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.
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 good for those who want to create a statement visually with the front window, whereas the normal H7 would have been good for those who don't wish to pay as much if the H7 Flow didn't cost the same. This makes it the best NZXT H7 option for those who don't want more than one tempered-glass panel (and the included RGB/fan controller hub). 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 first thing that we will note with our 600 RPM fan tests is that NZXT’s H7 Elite would not let its fans run at speeds of below 750 RPM. This is a quirk of the case’s fan controller and software, and for this reason we have not placed data for the H7 Elite into our 600 RPM fan graphs. Simply put, adding 750 RPM fan speed data would be unfair to the other cases that we have tested. NZXT’s user-friendly approach shows during setup. The H7 Flow gave me an extra advantage of installing six fans, ahead of installing my motherboard. It’s roomy enough for builders to experiment with different fan placements. I had no trouble fitting my ATX size Z690 Elite AX DDR4 motherboard on pre-screwed standoffs. Let alone a liquid AIO cooler on the roof of my H7 Flow. Those pop-out panels reveal tight columns to screw radiators on.If we are completely honest, we were tempted to add the Flow’s front panel to the Elite to see how much thermals improved, but we did not have time to test this before NDA. Perhaps NZXT should release a H7 Elite Flow model, that ships with the H7 Elite’s RGB lighting and addition fans and the H7 Flow’s perforated front panel. It is clear that NZXT’s H7 and H7 Elite front panels are restricting airflow. 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. At the bottom of NZXT’s H7 lineup is the standard H7, a model that features a plain front panel design that will be familiar to most NZXT users. When compared to the higher-end H7 Elite model, the only major differences are the H7 Elite’s tempered glass front panel, the Elite’s inclusion of additional fans, and its inclusion of a fan/RGB controller.
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