Final Thoughts
NZXT has a really solid case in their H500i. You would be really hard pressed to find another case that offers such style, function, and features for only $99.
Lets first talk about the style of the case, just looking at the H500i you can tell it is an NZXT case. It has that sleek design we are used to seeing from NZXT and I really like that they kept the top and front of the case as a single piece. This allowed them to have that perfect 90 degree angle at the front. Beyond that you have a nice tempered glass side panel and interior lighting included.
On to function this case is so easy to build in. We really did not run into a single issue when installing our system in the H500i. Everything fits as it should and the included instructions are easy to follow as well. The cable routing channels and tie-downs make keeping all of your cables organized quite easily. The case is also large enough for tall air coolers, long graphics cards, and you can fit a 280 mm radiator in the front.
The H500i comes with NZXT’s smart device which works with their CAM software. Pre-connected to the device are the two fans in the system as well as the two RGB LED strips. With the CAM software you can control these items. This is definitely nice as many people buy RGB LED strips for their build, but with the H500i you have two included. On top of that the smart device supports up to three more fans so you can connect all of the fans in your system to it and control them via the CAM app.
There really is not much to not like about this case, but I did find two small issues. The first is with the hard drive cage. One it only supports 3.5-inch drives, so you are limited to only two 2.5-inch drives in this case and two you have to fully remove it to install your drives. Having trays would have solved both of these problems. Also an ATX motherboard is a tight fit in this case so you could run into issues connecting cables to the headers towards the bottom of your board.
NZXT really has put together a great case for $99, again there are not many cases that offer this much at that price point. Also if you do not need the smart device or RGB lighting NZXT has the H500 (non-i) for only $69.99. Overall ThinkComputers gives the NZXT H500i Case a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Sleek design
– Tempered glass side panel
– Smart device included
– Two RGB strips included
– Cable routing channels
– Panels are designed to sit inside the frame of the case
– Price
Cons:
– Need to remove HDD tray to install drives
– HDD tray only supports 3.5-inch drives
– Tight fit for ATX motherboards
