The front face and the top plate are made from fancier, prettier aluminum, giving the case a very premium feel overall. The basic frame is made from steel, and each side houses a half-glass, half-perforated steel. This is a 14.3 liter Mini-ITX case that costs just $130 in its base variant, and it packs great looks, excellent cooling potential, and a flexible internal design. If you're after great looks and great performance with loads of room for high-end parts, Cooler Master's flagship HAF is hard to beat. The only downsides of the HAF 700 Evo are its $500-plus price, the fact that it weighs over 50 pounds empty, and the dust filter is behind the front panel, which is difficult to remove. Plus, with 18 fan mounts, airflow can get even better. It lands at or near the top of our testing charts, thanks to two huge 200 mm intake fans and a trio of smaller 120 mm spinners. There's also room for up to 12 drives and EATX server-class motherboards, plus clearance for the largest graphics cards and coolers.īut Cooler Master didn't forget about performance with its HAF 700 Evo. And if you don't like the look of the fully vented front and you aren't that concerned about keeping your temps a low as they can go, the non-Flow H7 model has a solid front, but with everything else we loved about the H7 Flow.Ĭooler Master's HAF 700 Evo packs in loads of unique features, like an edge-lit RGB glass grille front with a circular LCD display, an infinity mirror to hide ugly bits of the interior while showing off your pretty components and five front USB ports. That, combined with the boxy look and perforated front means this case isn't the prettiest on our list, but it can certainly look good with some tasteful lighting delivered via your components, extra fans or a light strip. The primary missing feature here, which will feel refreshing for many builders, is the lack of any RGB to light up your system. It's also a pleasure to build in, with good cable management and a $130 MSRP that's quite reasonable in this era of seemingly ever-increasing prices. With just two of the company's F120Q Airflow case fans behind a skeletal frame with a perforated front panel, the NZXT H7 Flow manages to deliver excellent temperature and noise level numbers in our testing, beating or competing well against pricier chassis with more fans and glass panels. We hope Fractal's bold move inspires other case makers to try something different. But if you're after a case that matches the pretty furniture in your living room, has lots of room for storage, and won't break the bank at $130, nothing else comes close to the North. If you don't like the case's looks, then the company's Meshify 2 Compact (below), is probably a better option for you. The glass side panel may help a bit on the noise front, but likely at the cost of at least some thermal performance. Just note that it can get noisy when delivering those temps. Available with either a mesh side (as we tested) or tempered glass, and in white with chrome accents on the IO and feet, or black with some seriously pretty brass, this is arguably the prettiest PC case ever produced, period.Īnd thanks to its pair of 140mm fans and an included side bracket (for the mesh model) that can hold another pair of 140mm fans (not included), the North has excellent thermals as well. We aren't sure who asked for a PC case that mixed mid-century modern design (wooden slats and all) and high airflow, but we sure are glad that Fractal Design answered with the excellent North mid-tower.
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