$99 seems to be the sweet spot for PC cases. At this price you are high enough that you are getting a quality case that is well thought out and has a lot of features, but at the same time you may lack a few things present in higher priced cases. Today we are taking a look at NZXT’s H500i, which is a very sleek mid tower that offers a tempered glass side panel, two RGB LED strips, support for ATX motherboards, and a built in RGB and fan controller. Is this the perfect case at that $99 price point? Read on as we find out…
Special thanks to NZXT for providing us with the H500i Case to review.
Specifications:
| Dimensions | W: 210mm H: 435mm D: 428mm (without feet) W: 210mm H: 460mm D: 428mm (with feet) |
| Material(s) | SECC Steel and Tempered Glass |
| Weight | 7 kg |
| Motherboard Support | Mini-ITX, MicroATX, and ATX |
| I/O Ports | 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 1 x Audio/Mic |
| Filters | Front right side panel, bottom front and PSU intake |
| Expansion Slots | 7 |
| Smart Device | 3 x Fan channels with Max 10W per channel output* 1 x RGB LED port support up to 4 x HUE+ LED strips or 5 x Aer RGB fans Built-in noise detection module *Note: If a splitter is used, fan control is regulated depending on the fan connected to the 4-pin port. Do not use low-noise adapters. |
| System Requirements | PC with open internal USB 2.0 port and Windows® 10 operating system recommended. Internet connection is needed to download CAM. Some CAM features require Internet access, a valid email address and acceptance of our current Terms of Service. |
| Vertical GPU Mount | Support 2 slot GPUs Riser card with 30cm length recommended. Riser card not included. |
| Drive Bays | 2.5”: 2+1 3.5”: 2+1 |
| Radiator Support | Front: Up to 280mm Rear: 120mm |
| Fan Support | Front: 2 x 120/2 x 140mm Top: 1 x 120mm (1 Aer F120 Case Version included) / 1 x 140mm Rear: 1 x 120mm (1 Aer F120 Case Version included) |
| Fan Specs | Aer F120 (Case Version) Speed: 1200 + 200 RPM Airflow: 50.42 CFM Noise: 28 dBA Bearing: Rifle Bearing |
| Clearance | Cable Management: 19-23mm GPU Clearance: Up to 381mm CPU Cooler: Up to 165mm Front Radiator: 60mm Rear Radiator: 60mm Reservoir & Pump: Up to 180mm (Along cable bar), Up to 86mm (Along bottom panel) |
| Warranty | 2 Years |
| Model Number | CA-H500W-W1 |
| EAN | 5060301694105 |
| UPC | 815671013798 |
Packaging
The H500i comes in NZXT’s very sleek packaging with a full-size photo of the case on one side and a close-up photo of the top corner of the case on the other side.
Looking at the other sides of the case there is a list of features and specifications on one side. On the last side we find information about CAM, the adaptive noise reduction in the case, and a few other features.
Opening the box up we can see that the case is nicely packaged with large pieces of Styrofoam. The case itself is in a plastic bag and there is plastic on the tempered glass side panel to protect it from getting scratched.
