NZXT Source 530 Review
Category : Cases
Published by Marc Büchel on 26.06.14
Source 530 is a tower case from NZXT offering quite a few features as well as a lot of flexibility in terms of cooling. Other than that manufacturing quality appears to be on a high high level and overall this is already more than reason enough for us to have a closer look at this case.
Article in English |
Artikel in Deutsch |
Article en français |
Articolo in italiano |
NZXT has recently announced its newest member of the Source PC case series, the Source 530, and today we will check out if this full-tower PC case lines up with our expectations and if it is indeed a worthy member of the Phantom lineup. On the following pages we will show you the strengths and weaknesses of the NZXT Source 530 case. With this model NZXT completes the Source range, ensuring full compatibility with all form factors, from the ITX to EATX form factor.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 3 - Front / Back | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Right side |
[pagebreak]
Preview
Specifications
| Model | Source 530 |
| Case Type | Full tower |
| Dimensions | 235 x 507 x 510.5 mm(W x H x D) |
| Material | Steel, Plastic, Mesh |
| Color | Black |
| 5.25'' drive bay | 3 |
| 3.5'' drive bayBaie 3,5" | 3 |
| 2.5'' drive bayBaie 2,5" | 2 |
| Expansion slots | 7 |
| Form factors | ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX, EATX (322x272mm) |
| Cooling | 2 x 120mm or 2 x 140 mm Front, 1 x 200mm (optional) 1 x 120mm or 1x 140 mm Rear (1x 120mm included) 2 x 120 mm Bottom 3 x 120 mm or 2 x 140mm Top (1 x 120mm included) or up to 360mm in size radiator |
| Weight | 9.2 kg |
| I/O ports | 2 x USB 3.0 Audio in / out |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 3 - Front / Back | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Right side |
[pagebreak]
Front
Overview |
|
| Taking a closer look at the front of this standard ATX case shows that NZXT is using high quality materials. The front panel is completely made from mesh and it features three external bays for 5.25-inch devices which are easily removable by pushing the latch to the right part. It also features a space for 2 x 140 or 120mm fans or single 200mm fan. The top part of the front panel features the HDD activity LED, two USB3.0 ports, microphone and headphone jacks as well as the NZXT logo. On the right side of the front panel are the power and reset buttons as well as the button which turns on or off the LEDs placed at the I/O back panel area. |
Back
Overview |
|
| Next to the usual slot bezels, of which there are eight in this case and two rubber grommets holes in case we want to install radiator out side, there is another pre-installed 120 millimeter fan, which can be swapped with a 140mm fan and has been placed right behind the CPU cooler. Right below the last slot bezel there is space for an ATX power supply. Other than that, NZXT provides their cases with very decent screw threads, which make the thumbscrews fit perfectly. |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 3 - Front / Back | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Right side |
[pagebreak]
Right Side
Overview |
|
| The right side panel looks really unspectacular and does not even have vent holes. As soon as we remove the panel things start to look a bit more interesting. The first thing we have noticed is the huge cut-out behind the motherboard. This allows you to easily install a CPU cooler with backplate even after you have mounted the motherboard into the case. Furthermore, there are numerous cable tie loops which help to arrange cables in a neat way. Overall, the space behind the motherboard tray is good, but we would like to see at least few millimeters more. We also found two nice features in right part of the case, one is the fan hub, which can support up to ten three-pins fans and is powered by a single 4-pin molex connector and the second feature is the hidden 2.5-inch drive bay. |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 3 - Front / Back | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Right side |
[pagebreak]
Left Side
Overview |
|
The left side panel features a huge window made
of plexyglass. In the bottom part there are three cages which can take
up to six 3.5- or 2.5-inch hard drives. The single bay in the bottom is not removable but the other two are easily removable
and one of them features an orientable fan cage which allows you to install one more 120mm fan.
In total, this case supports up to nine fans, Right above the drive bays,
you can find three tool-less clips made of plastic but the latches to fix the device
are made from steel. There are no issues with oversized graphics cards
as we tried both the R9 290X and the ASUS GTX 780 Ti DirectCU II which are large enough. A closer look at the bottom left corner reveals the location
for the ATX power supply. The bottom of this case has a dust filter, which makes sure
that the PSU and the lower fan stay dust-free. The front of the power supply
features a place for another two 120mm fans with a big dust filter
which covers both fans. When compared to the older Source 350 model, which we previously reviewed, there are
quite a few differences, including the space for HDD / SSD is placed in different area
and the dust filters are larger in size. |
|
|
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 3 - Front / Back | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Right side |
[pagebreak]
Top
Overview |
|
| As we have already mentioned, you can install either up to two 140 or three 120 millimeter fans at the top. Obviously, if you like water cooling systems, you can install up to 360mm long radiator at the top. |
Bottom
Overview |
|
|
|
| The bottom side of this case is quite simple and as we mentioned before, there are two removable dust filters, one under the power supply and the other to cover the two 120mm fans. The bottom part also features four solid feet with rubber coating. | |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 3 - Front / Back | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Right side |
[pagebreak]
Conclusion
| General | + | - | |
| The NZXT Source 530 PC case is a great addition to the well known Source Series from NZXT. The build quality reflects the NZXT standard and the product is very good in almost all aspects. However, the Source Source 530 is not perfect, as we would have liked to see more space behind the motherboard for a better cable management. We particularly enjoyed the presence of large magnetic dust filters and a very good bundle. The Source 530 comes bundled with two 140mm fans and one 120mm fan which are pre-installed at the front and the back of the case. | - Design
- Bundle |
||
| Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics | + | - | |
| The build quality with this case is on a really good level. For example, NZXT
did not hopelessly save weight on the side panels. Furthermore, putting all the components in place is very comfortable, since there is plenty of space everywhere. We liked the rubber grommets and the
use of large dust filters. For our configuration we used an all-in-one water cooling system from NZXT which fits perfectly at the top part of the Source 530. |
- Build quality - Dust filters | - Space behind mobo tray | |
| Design | + | - | |
| The Source 530 is a full-tower case for ATX motherboard. The finish of the front is well done. Overall, the design is timeless and the case would look decent on, as well as underneath, any desk. We would even go to the point to say that installing a 5.25 inch drive would ruin the looks of the front. Even on the inside, NZXT has used a cool solution for 2.5-inch drives, in order to keep the clean design. | - Design | ||
| Recommendation | + | - | |
| Should you be looking for a full-tower case with a cool design, a good bundle, good manufacturing quality and a very reasonable price tag of US $119.99, then you will not make a mistake by choosing the NZXT Source 530. | -
Gaming-PC - Enthusiast build |
- Price | |
| Rating | |||
| The NZXT Source 530 gets a good four out of five stars. | |||
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 3 - Front / Back | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Right side |