What would you like to see in the next case from NZXT?

primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
edited April 2010 in Science & Tech
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Comments

  • JengoJengo Pasco, WA | USA
    edited March 2010
    I'd like to see some cases with a little more color, The designs currently available on some of those cases look really cool, i just wish there was something more colorful/glossy.

    A lot of us have colorful motherboards and other peripherals, it would look awesome if we could get some colors to match with our mobos, gpus, cables etc.

    Dont get me wrong, black and silver is cool and all, but in a world where only black/white/silver exist some color will really stand out and add some flare. If its done right color makes all the difference.
  • edited March 2010
    Simple, elegant, useful.
    Simple, keep is simple stupid! I don't need horns or knobs and crap. I want simple. Its A BOX! Simple exterior, with a window would be a nice touch. It would need to be Aluminum. It would also need to have proper air flow.

    Useful, you have no idea how many cases utterly piss me off! With 1200W PSU's I want to see my shiny GPU, and Mobo not a million wires! By adding 1.5" depth, you can easily run all wires behind the motherboard tray. With SATA power and cables always in the same location, using a SATA dock for HDD's would be great. Lian-Li is FREAKIN sweet at this. Also, i don't want my GTX280 to block HDD ports, make it a descent length. Please get rid of those crappy doors, I do NOT want to have to open a door to open/close

    Elegant, OK this is up for interpretation, but seriously, everyone will agree with me on this one. I want panels that fit, that don't warp (DAMN YOU ANTEC). I want a solid well build case that someone with a brain actually sat down with and was like damn this is good! I think i went through five cases in 2 years. I finally got a Lian Li and have had that for 3 years straight.

    Just my 2 cents. And I DON'T care if you disagree with me YOUR WRONG I'M RIGHT! So go pound sand!
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    1. Detachable front panel cables: I know front-panel cables are a convenience for many, but I never use the front connectors for anything. It would be amazing if I could remove them to clean up the case's interior. I cut them off on my Antec 900.
    2. Filled fan bays: I keep Icrontic's Hades at my apartment where it serves as the case for our Core i7 920 test bench (a review is coming in the next week or two). I love this case, but I think it's cheap and annoying that one of the two top exhaust fan bays is empty. Having a matching fan installed, or even packaged in the box, would be greeeeeeat.
    3. Removable drive bays: It would be outstanding if every hard drive bay on a future case were actually a front-accessible removable drive bay. Each bay cover would swing open, and the enclosure could be ejected to install a single HDD or a pair of SSDs.
    4. Toolless PCI retention: I don't really enjoy fiddling around with screws to secure a GPU and having the ability to pop the card in and out on the drop of a dime without tracking down a screwdriver would be great.
    5. Internal USB Ports: Having a place to stick a flash drive for ReadyBoost without clogging up my motherboard's backplane would be awesome!
  • rolleggrollrolleggroll Next to a bowl of rice
    edited March 2010
    Most of the popular cases on the market have the same basic color scheme. Black / White / Silver with either a bright Blue / Red / Green LED or trim. I want to see some pastel colors, or neon colors. That probably won't happen but I can dream.

    On a more serious note, I would like to see more user-friendly manuals or notes on the Case itself. Why not have some of those static-stickers all over the case indicating where to install the "standard" atx board, or Power supply goes here. Something to help those that are not so tech savvy. Maybe a new line of do-it-yourself for the the first time kinda case.
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    What would I like to see in the next NZXT case?

    Lets start with what NZXT got right with the Hades and make sure we keep that. First, a huge area behind the mother board tray with easy access to tuck cables away. I am a cable management nut, the cleaner the install the better and the NZXT guys really nailed that with the Hades, big fat area behind the mobo. I love the cutout to access the cpu cooler's backplate as well. Keep that as well. Also, keep it black, style wise, it just works. Also, keep that amazing airflow with the multiple included fans.

    Okay, onto wish list items. I don't need a clear window stock, but, I wish a case manufacturer would design the side for a drop in clear window replacement.

    For those fans, NZXT also makes an solid fan controller, why not pre install it, pre wire all the case fans, obviously keeping the cables out of plain sight, ready to go with a single connection from the power supply, nice, tidy, all ready to go without any extra fuss from the user.

    Antec has had its CP form factor PSU's out for a little while. Time another case vendor accommodate those monsters. Have a metal knockout to install the CP-850 or CP-1000 in the power supply bay.

    Eliminate front panel fire wire connections from here to eternity.

    Make sure that all front panel connecting wires are long enough so they can be routed behind the tray and back through any access slots to the mobo.

    Putting a front door on a case makes for a nice look, but I often find it just gets in the way. Have a convenient removal option for customers that may want to leave it off. Mind you, I don't want to see an ugly empty hinge still on the side either.

    100% tool-less access to both side panels, I don't want to fuss with a single screw, and I want to be able to easily be able to take them both off and reinstall them with the case positioned
    vertically.

    If it will not fit a HD Radeon 5970 its not big enough.

    LED's on fans, a simple on off switch, perhaps on the fan controller would be nice.

    Drive bay's, I kind a dig Antec's tool free design on the skeleton, a single metal peg goes into one of the drives screw holes, slide it back it snaps in, pop it out with the push of a quick release.

    Please don't include a worthless IO plate that nobody will ever use.

    I think thats about does it? Hope I'm not being too demanding?
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    *Bottom-mounted PSU.
    *Drive bays along the entirety of the front of the case because I always need more HDD space.
    *At least 5 case fans, all with dust filters.
    *Less of this random angular stuff, a simple rectangular case with rounded edges/corners would be fine, I like to keep it simple. I'm partial to cases that have a panel which hides the optical drives in the front as well.
    *Drive rails everywhere, screws were so 1990. External hot swap drive rails, a-la some server cases, might be overkill, but would also be AWESOME. Otherwise, rotated 3.5" bays are nice, it would be good to have an opening for cable management behind them though so you can essentially make a U-turn with the cables and run them behind the motherboard tray. Thus the cables stay mostly concealed.
    *Lots of space behind the mobo tray for cable management.
    *4 front USB ports would be nice since my mobo has headers for them. Also, I like Thrax's idea of an internal USB port for a ReadyBoost drive (or any other USB device you want inside your case)
    *Front audio jacks are always a plus, but make sure they are well made. In my current case (not an NZXT to be fair here) they tend to randomly lose connection.
  • edited March 2010
    Something simple, elegant, and stylishly integrating a radiator, reliable pump, & small reservoir capable of cooling a 4GHz i7 + 2x 5970 to 20C above ambient silently. The goal is to better, and more quietly, utilize the space than the huge aftermarket CPU heatsinks & ridiculous-looking dual slot coolers.

    Make me a case with half of a good watercooling system in it, make it look decent, and I'll pay $300 for it.
  • mertesnmertesn I am Bobby Miller Yukon, OK Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    First of all, I absolutely LOVE the rotated 3.5" bays. I'd love to see more of them and lose a couple of 5.25" bays in favor of 3.5". I would also like (as mentioned in the Beta Evo review) some extra width to accommodate the SATA power and data cable lengths. Those cables aren't flexible near the ends.

    Another idea would be a drive bay expansion for existing cases. Take a look at the NZXT Whisper and notice the bottom section where the PSU goes. There are 9 drive bays down there. I would love to have an additional box to stick under my Evo to hold my ever-growing RAID array (the RAID card supports 12 drives, why can't I find a case that does?).

    Removable motherboard tray. Doesn't have to swing down, and I'd prefer that it didn't because of large heatsinks.

    Forget "front doors". Can't stand 'em. They get in the way when I want access to my optical drive.

    No more tabs that I have to break off. My motherboard provides a suitable I/O shield. Use non-attached covers for the card bays.

    It's great that motherboard standoff points have been labeled, but how about making the stamped text a little more readable? Some coloring would go a long way for this.

    Definitely agree with Thrax about the tool-free card retention.

    I loves my NZXT cases!
  • edited March 2010
    I just built with the NZXT Gamma so this is fresh on my mind.
    - 3 more inches front to back for support of ATI 5800 and 5900s
    - An addtional quarter to half of an inch between the plate the motherboard is mounted to and the side of this case to support thicker (more expensive) power supply cables behind the motherboard.
    - A additional inch of case width to support Large tower heat-sinks AND side fans.

    It already had almost everything ardichoke wanted except for dust filters, so AWESOME.

    I picked up the Gamma as a build for a friend, and it is the best case I have seen in it's price range, and even 4 times as much cost.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    For those who are commenting without registering: You are not going to be eligible for the prize if you don't register for the forums! I cannot send you a private message if you don't have a forum account!
  • BasilBasil Nubcaek England Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Right this is pretty much my dream case, in all honesty it'll probably seem like a nightmare to some of you. :D


    1) A top mounted PSU.
    Yes I know all the cool kids are all bottom mounted now but feck that, top mounted works, why screw with it?

    2) 3.5" bays on the coronal plane.
    Because forward facing 3.5" bays should have died with the floppy disk drive.
    Supply a 5.25" blanking plate that can have a 3.5" section punched out and anyone who _really_ wants to can use a 5.25" bay reduced with an adaptor.

    3) Removable surplus bays
    I do not need 6+ HDD bays and 4+ 5.25", let me pull out the extras without resorting a hacksaw/dremel.

    4) Predrilled and deburred holes for cable ties along the internal edges
    I like my cable ties, finding something to anchor them on can be 'fun' though.

    5) Internal USB ports with a locking mechanism like coolermasters "storm guard"
    Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery right? Internal USB ports that allow the cables to be locked in postion would have all the pro's of stormguard whilst reducing the number of cables snaking their way to the backplane. For bonus points label them keyboard/mouse/etc.

    6) Keep it simple.
    No hinged doors, no LEDs, no 'tool less' plastic clips that fall apart, no case windows or multiple grills for fans.

    Just give me a stout, plain case using easily replaceable thumbscrew fasteners with a pretty paint job.
  • edited March 2010
    - PSU at the bottom and the CPU socket at the bottom too (i.e. motherboard installed on the left side of the case upside down).
    - opening on the motherboard tray behind the CPU socket to replace the heatsink support plate without removing the motherboard
    - ready cabling behind the motherboard tray for routing the power, SATA cables from/to the drive slots, PSU, GPU, and motherboard.
    - great airflow from front to back with no side openings with easy to clean air filters on the front intakes.
    - high quality and durable front panel that is easy to remove and install without opening the case
    - two 120mm front intake fans (one top, one bottom), one 120mm rear exhaust fan at the bottom (not counting the PSU exhaust), plus one or two 120mm top exhaust fans.
    - four USB ports, headphone, microphone ports on the front panel.
    - Media Center compatible IR sensor and remote control with remote on/off/sleep buttons.
    - LCD Display on the front panel with power, sleep, disk access indicators and other capabilities with Windows software similar to Logitech G15 keyboard.
    - brushed aluminum black, no finger prints.
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    I'd like a mATX cube that will fit in my airline carry-on. I'd like to see you take the NZXT Rogue and:

    * Shave at least two inches off the width and height
    * Shave at least four inches off the depth.
    * Lose the window, the door, and the side fans.
    * Move the rear 120mm fan down an inch or two and make its mount part of the motherboard tray.
    * Reduce internal bays as necessary to achieve the above goals.

    The Rogue is just too big. The Antec Aria fits in my airline carry-on duffel with all the gear I need for a LAN party (excepting monitor.) Unfortunately, Antec doesn't seem to be expending any effort modernizing that chassis.

    -drasnor :fold:
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    1. A little bigger case, close to a full size tower isn't going to hurt any one.

    2. Top mount PSU with rear mounted HDD options included

    3. No front door

    4. Removable 5.25 from IO panel and no IO on the case

    5. Cable management cut-outs a larger width

    6. No screws; just clips, pegs, and holes

    7. pre-cut holes for half inch water cooling tubing.
  • GattsuGattsu Orlando, Florida Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    One of the neatest features I have seen on a case, was the ability to remove a section of the motherboard bay to allow access to the rear of the cpu, without having to remove the motherboard from the case. That way you can swap out heatsinks without having to take apart your whole rig. I would love to see more cases with that feature.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    ^ The NZXT Hades has this feature. :D
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Space and layout for proper cable management and a well-engineered airflow (and ample space for radiator mounting). I've also become a big fan of the 90 degree rotation that the Raven RV-02 uses.

    Agree as well with more support for the new Antec PSUs.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    I would love to have a minimal micro-ATX sized case that actually has fan holes large enough for cooling. Really, what I'd like to see is a micro-ATX case with a single 120mm intake fan and a single 120mm exhaust fan, with a SOLID SIDE PANEL (no fan holes). The case should have one or at most two 5.25" front bays, one 3.5", a multicard reader and two front USB ports.

    Internally, side slide-mounted hdd cage that is accessible from both sides of the case, so that an HDD can be mounted in the case and plugged in from the hidden side (for cable management). space to run the cables behind the motherboard tray is a must.

    These are all features that are available on the big full-ATX cases (especially the blingy ones), but I have yet to see a compact, simple-looking micro-ATX case with such features.
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    • Removable Motherboard Tray
    • Metal side panel (as in the pegs that connect the side panel to the side of the case)
    • A ton of space behind the motherboard tray
    • Drive bays that are hot swappable or the ability to wire up a bay and be able to insert a drive without having to open the case to plug the cables in.
    • Matt finish- I prefer gun metal/ dark brushed aluminum color
    • Plenty of fan slots that have fans in them.
    • Large enough case to allow for the biggest GPU out there.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Others have said pretty much everything that I would want, but I'll reiterate because it gets the point across:
    *Completely tool-less installation, from hard drives to add-on cards. (well, sometimes the user will be a tool, but you can't help that)
    *Pre-populated fan slots and controller (awesome idea Cliff)
    *Space behind the motherboard for cable management
    *Removable I/O panel seems to be an awesome compromise, because I still use the I/O panel on mine for ipod or charging certain devices that migrate frequently.

    That is all; move along.
  • MAGICMAGIC Doot Doot Furniture City, Michigan Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    If i could build a custom case it would be/include:
    Black brushed aluminum construction
    Wide enough to accomidate large cpu/gpu coolers
    Inverted ATX layout w/ psu on bottom
    Support for 140mm fans throughout
    Front accessible/hot-swappable SATA bays for HDDs and optical
    Removable bezel/top panel
    Noise insulated throughout
    Removable motherboard tray
    Convenient passthrough for cables
    Tooless
    Integrated fan controller
  • edited March 2010
    something that looks like the duet! best design so far, just seems like the case isnt state of the art
  • edited March 2010
    I would like to see the size of cases like the Lexa S, M59, etc. be a bigger to make it a little easier to route cables, install top fans, etc. The current series is just a tad too small.

    Personally I would really like to see a refresh of the Khaos and the Rogue (maybe another EVO version). I think NZXT should build these with steal frames and aluminum panels similar to the CM ATCS 840 or the Corsair 80D to keep costs more reasonable but still provide a steller looking product. I would like to see the cable management improved and I would like to see the swing out motherboard tray in the Khaos modified to accomodate large tower coolers. I also thing the dual PSU support should be ditched to provide more room around the motherboard tray and perhaps room for a top mounted radiator.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Just a reminder to those posting under Guest accounts, you have to register for the forum and comment from an account to be eligible for the prize!
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Make sure the case is long enough for the longer video cards (I have to do a bit of wiggling to get a 5870 in my current case.

    A lot of motherboards are using horizontal facing SATA ports, but it's quite difficult to plug anything in to them if the case isn't quite long enough.

    The front panel connections are starting to include an ESATA port. It might be nice to have some sort of power connection in case you wanted to temporarily connect a drive to transfer files off of.

    If you're going to put holes in the motherboard "tray" to route cables behind, you need to put more space behind the motherboard. My current case isn't quite wide enough to route all the cables back there that I want to.
  • TurboPenguinTurboPenguin Orangevale, CA
    edited March 2010
    imple, elegant, useful.
    Simple, keep is simple stupid! I don't need horns or knobs and crap. I want simple. Its A BOX! Simple exterior, with a window would be a nice touch. It would need to be Aluminum. It would also need to have proper air flow.

    Useful, you have no idea how many cases utterly piss me off! With 1200W PSU's I want to see my shiny GPU, and Mobo not a million wires! By adding 1.5" depth, you can easily run all wires behind the motherboard tray. With SATA power and cables always in the same location, using a SATA dock for HDD's would be great. Lian-Li is FREAKIN sweet at this. Also, i don't want my GTX280 to block HDD ports, make it a descent length. Please get rid of those crappy doors, I do NOT want to have to open a door to open/close

    Elegant, OK this is up for interpretation, but seriously, everyone will agree with me on this one. I want panels that fit, that don't warp (DAMN YOU ANTEC). I want a solid well build case that someone with a brain actually sat down with and was like damn this is good! I think i went through five cases in 2 years. I finally got a Lian Li and have had that for 3 years straight.

    Just my 2 cents. And I DON'T care if you disagree with me YOUR WRONG I'M RIGHT! So go pound sand!

    BTW repost, i wasn't logged in...
  • BasilBasil Nubcaek England Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Forgot to add that I want some 2.5" bays in there.

    SSDs are here/coming and I want to be able to buy an OEM SSD and fit it without needing a mounting kit.
  • BobbyDigiBobbyDigi ? R U #Hats ! TX Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    I would like to see a case built as a desk. Or more a desk with a cabinet with all the fixins of the inside of a computer so you can mount everything inside the cabinet, fans mounted on the sides and back. This would open up options like flush mount USB ports on the top of the desk or a flip up panel revealing a disk drive or card reader.

    The more I type this the more I like it. Maybe I'll build one of these.

    -Bobby
  • ZadokZadok Ft. Wayne, IN
    edited March 2010
    I've only done a few builds and never really thought about case features much, also I know nothing about NZXT so I'll just list a couple of things that I've seen or read above that I'd like.

    1) Don't have hinged doors or decorative extensions off the main case. I've seen to many of my friends cases get quickly broken .

    2) The side facing HDD snap slots are really nice and makes installing them very convenient.

    3) No plastic quick snaps for the motherboard. I always end up needing to remove them for different reasons and they are a pain to get out.

    4) The distance between USB ports perticularly on the front panal should be wide enough for them all to be in use at the same time without having to jam your thumb drives or cables in. I have trouble plucking my USB phone charger and my thumb drive into the front ports at the same time because the phone charger cord had a thick grip at the USB end.
  • edited March 2010
    I would really like to see a case with compartments for various components. One down low for the power supply and maybe a few drives, another one for the motherboard and video card. It's kind of hard to explain but have a look at Antec's P180 series for an idea. NZXT has always been killer at cooling so they could easily improve upon this design.

    Keep doing what you're doing with cable management. The Hades seems to be doing everything right.

    Rotate the drive cage/bay 90 degrees and allow for drives to be installed backwards to keep things clean.

    Keep the front clean but practical. No doors but excellent air flow like on the Tempest.

    All black interior as usual.

    I'm a function before fashion kind of guy but keeping things neat inside is always a plus since it allows for air flow. Keep up the good work!
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