| NZXT Source 210 Elite Computer Case |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases | |||||||
| Written by Austin Downing | |||||||
| Thursday, 11 August 2011 | |||||||
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NZXT Source 210 Elite Final ThoughtsNZXT has a great case on their hands with the Source 210 Elite by providing almost everything an enthusiast could want without being expensive. This means that enthusiasts have the ability to route cables through the back of the case, use the biggest of CPU coolers, expand their cooling if needed, and even install the mighty GTX 580 inside of this case. All of this is wrapped up in a beautiful, sleek exterior, with toolless drive bays, and even front panel USB 3.0. Still the Source 210 Elite is not perfect and there are some areas that could use improvement. First it would be nice if more fans were included initially, especially as an intake in the front so that more air is brought in helping to cool the system. What I would like to see more though would be easily removable filers for the each of the fans to help keep dust out of the system and out of enthusiast components. Still for $50 these omissions are easy to overlook with all of the other positive aspects of the Source 210 Elite.
ConclusionPerformance in a case is about being able to silently keep components cool. Although no formal testing was done with the Source 210 Elite I can say that the temperatures attained when stress testing were well within normal spec for the E8200 that is contained within this machine. When it comes to noise I compared the Source 210 Elite to my Silverstone RV02 I use for my personal computer. The Silverstone RV02 is quiet for the amount of air it moves but still makes a small whooshing noise. In contrast to the noise that the Silverstone makes the Source 210 Elite is near dead silent with the loudest component in the system being my CPU heatsink. NZXT kept it simple with the Source 210 Elite using a sleek black exterior with a matte finish on the front of the case. For some this may bring up fears of a very mundane looking case but instead NZXT has produced a case that blends in without being boring. This is achieved with the use of odd angles around the front that help break up the otherwise simple front exterior. At the same time the front has been offset to keep everything being to flat and lined up. The appearance of this case is stunning and something that I would like to see more companies take design notes from. The construction of the Source 210 Elite is superb, not $50 superb, but any price superb. There is no flexing in the case, all of the joints are well done, and it really feels like the Source 210 Elite is protecting your investment inside of it. The Source 210 Elite is one of the most functional cases I have used in a long time. It will easily serve as a home NAS enclosure, a small home server, a gaming machine, or just an office workstation. This is because the Source 210 is setup to take almost any of combination of hardware, from the mighty Nvidia GTX 580 and a Intel Core i7 2600k to eight hard drives and a low power Xeon, the Source 210 Elite will easily fulfill any role it is give. At $49.99 the NZXT Source 210 is a fantastic deal for any enthusiast. Users will be able to grow into their system as it is needed. Anything from more hard drives, a larger CPU cooler, or even a SLI/CrossFireX setup can be fit inside of the Source 210 Elite. Overall the NZXT Source 210 Elite is the near perfect, it provides space to expand, can hold the largest of video cards, and looks great. Because of this Benchmark Reviews awards the NZXT Source 210 Elite our Golden Tachometer award. Pros:
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Comments
Thanks for the review.
this case looks quite nice actually...
IF you want cross mount Hard Drive cages there are many choices, few incluse USB3.0 and 8 Hard Drives.
It's got the plain appearance of a Lian Li without the cost.
In the US the Rosewill cases come closest.
It's not a Silverstone TJ08.
It's not a BitFenix Shinobi.
It's not a Zalman Z9/Z9 Plus.
When you look hard though it offers a lot for a little and grow room.
I will have one I think.
Another thing - I'm >REALLY< glad this case doesn't have a side plexi window - I have never really understood the point; is the owner or his friends and family going to spend that much time peering in at the non-moving, cold cathode blue/red/green/UV interior?
Otherwise, for the price, NZXT has done it again! I'm currently using their BetaEVO case and I freekin' love it. I got it for about $35 after rebates, promos, and free shipping, and I don't see replacing it in the near future.
Anyway - a great review (as always) of a pretty nice lookin' and functional case...
One thing you need to consider is that adding another $5-$10 would push them up to the $60 price point. Plus the thing is some people may not need those amenities in their cases so for them the extra money they would pay may deter them from buying it.
Each case is an adventure to become yours. Or a box to stuff under your desk. I can see this one working either way.
Not a parts swappers case, just easy to upgrade at need.
mobo Asrock 970 extreme3