NZXT is a Los Angeles-based company established in 2004 that prides themselves on their unique and functional product designs geared towards gamers and PC enthusiasts. From cases and peripherals to power supplies, NZXT has put their unique design capabilities into all of their product lines.
Today, we are taking a look at a product from NZXT’s Crafted Series, the Vulcan.
At a glance
The Vulcan is a mid-tower microATX case. The Vulcan’s unique lines, matte black finish, and mesh trim give it a very industrial look. The chassis is rigid and has a strong feel to it.
The exterior
The front bezel is constructed from plastic and black mesh. A look behind the bezel shows removable air filter material that will prevent dust and debris from entering the front of your case. Also located on the face of the bezel are two fan control knobs. Each channel can support two fans and up to 8 watts. An orange led accent light runs along the right of the bezel’s face. The top portion of the light serves as an HDD indicator light while the remainder serves as the power indicator. This can be toggled on and off by a switch located at top rear of the case.
The connectors on top
On the top of the bezel you will find power and reset switches, two USB 2.0 ports, external audio jacks, and an eSATA port. The power/reset buttons feel sturdy and are constructed of stylish brushed aluminum. All of the I/O ports on the bezel feel durable and are in a convenient location if your case sits on the floor next to you.
There are additional intake vents on the sides and bottom of the bezel. These vents do not have filters and may allow dust into your PC.
One 120mm fan is included
The rear of the Vulcan
On the top of the Vulcan you will find a plastic and black mesh bezel that provides mounting support for dual 120mm exhaust fans (one included). The included fan has four orange LEDs that match the front bezel’s glow. The top mounted handle can be installed by securing it with four screws. The handle feels secure, has a non-slip finish. I would have liked the handle more as a detachable feature that could be easily locked on when you need to carry the case and detach when it is sitting on your desk, but this is still a very attractive feature for gamers that frequent LAN parties or otherwise need to move their PCs around often.
At the rear of the Vulcan you will find four expansion slots with black mesh covers as well as perforation next the expansion slots to help exhaust warm air from the case. There is also room to add an additional 80/92mm fan. At the top of the case you will find pass-through holes for an exterior mounted water cooling solution. These will accommodate 1/2in outer diameter tubing. Here you will also find the LED toggle switch to shut off the front and fan LEDs. I had a little trouble getting the LEDs to turn on when the switch was installed—I had to wiggle the wires, but I was able to get it working. The power supply mount area allows for drawing air from inside the case or from below the case through a filtered intake. The bottom intake is small, however—only about the size of a 92mm fan. As most modern power supplies have a standard 120mm intake fan, some of the potential will go to waste with this small intake area. The bottom of the case also has four rubber padded feet to keep the case silent when sitting on hard surfaces.
The side panels of the Vulcan are stamped out to provide additional area behind the motherboard tray for hiding wires as well as to allow for a tall CPU heatsink. The mesh window allows for viewing into the case as well as promoting airflow. In addition, the panel also has mounting holes for a 200mm fan (not included).
The inside
The Interior
The motherboard tray supports mATX form factor motherboards with four expansion slots. There is a large opening to install/remove a bolt-thru heat sink without removing the motherboard itself. There is a little motherboard tray rigidity sacrificed for the convenience, but this can be a real time saver. There is also a cut-out on the motherboard tray to feed PSU wires behind the motherboard for easy routing.
Mounting a 3.5" drive
There are two 5.25 inch bays accessible by removing the mesh bay covers. Optical drives or other bay devices can easily be installed tool-lessly with the provided easy to grip screws. Two 3.5 inch bays, accessible by removing the mesh bay covers, are situated directly beneath the 5.25 bays. They use the same tool-less installation design.
You can fit two large video cards in this little guy
Two additional internal 3.5 inch bays can be installed to the floor of the Vulcan with four screws. These bays implement a screw-less design which makes swapping drives a breeze. Drives are installed in reverse, making wire management simple and giving your finished build a clean look. Not installing these bays would leave room for easily adding a radiator for a water cooling system.
Between the 3.5 inch bays areas there is approximately 14 inches of open space able to accommodate the largest graphics cards currently available. This also allows half of the front intake 120mm fan (included) to push air directly to your graphics card(s).
The Good
- Ample space for to install the latest and longest video cards
- Motherboard cutaways for easy heat sink installation and wire routing
- Convenient tool-less and screw-less designs for optical drives and HDDs
- Black painted interior lends a nice look to the case
- Sturdy handle makes this case very mobile
- Built in fan control
- Great cooling potential for such a small case
The Bad
- Some intake areas are missing filters that may allow dust to enter your chassis
- No rear exhaust or 200mm side fan provided
- LED toggle switch took some wiggling to get it to work
- Small PSU intake on bottom of case
All in all, the NZXT Vulcan is a well designed small form factor case that is packed with features. For the price (currently $69.99 at Newegg), this case is a true value and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a portable mATX solution. We’re happy to award the Vulcan the Icrontic Outstanding Product award!
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