NZXT Noctis 450 Review
Category : Cases
Published by Luca Rocchi on 15.06.15
With their Noctis 450, NZXT offers a small refresh of the H440. Despite the completely different shape and design, the interior is very similar to the previous model. Compared to H440 only minor changes have been made. This make perfect sense, since the H440 was already a good case. Nevertheless we're curious to find out more about the different improvements.
Rating |
| |
Cooling |
Features |
Layout |
Build Quality |
Value for Money |
| Pros |
+ Compatible with 360 and 280mm radiators
+ Compatible with high-end tower coolers
+ Fan controller |
+ Tool-free |
+ Interior
space |
+ Build quality on
a good level |
+ Good price and rich bundle |
| Cons |
|
|
- No 5.25" slots |
- Side panels not so solid |
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Preview
Specifications
| Model: |
Noctis 450 |
| Case Type: |
Mid tower |
| Dimensions: |
220 mm (W) x 567 mm (H) x 544 mm (D), 9.5Kg |
| Material: |
SECC Steel, ABS Plastic |
| Color: |
Black |
| Drive Bay: |
5.25": |
0 |
| 3.5": |
6 |
| 2.5": |
2 |
| Expansion
slots: |
7 |
| Form factors: |
ATX, mATX, Mini-ITX |
| Cooling: |
Front: |
2x 140/3x120mm (3 x 120mm FN V2 Fans Included) |
| Rear: |
1x 140/120mm (1 x 140mm FN V2 Fan Included) |
| Top: |
2x 140/3x120mm |
| Bottom: |
/ |
| Side: |
/ |
| Link to the product: |
Noctis 450 |
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Features
Dust filters
All the big openings of the Noctis 450 feature washable dust filters
which are easy to remove, thanks to the convenient retention system based on small magnets. |
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| |
Tool-free installation
The installation of the components inside the Noctis 450 is simple and quick thanks to docking systems and
tool-less mounting systems, something that we have seen on high-end PC cases. |
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| |
Well-thought cable managment
On the Noctis 450, NZXT used rubber grommets of good quality and we
certainly appreciate the strength of the rubber as even with some good pressure or force on the cables, the rubber never
slipped out of place. |
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| |
Watercooling ready
The NZXT Noctis 450 is a case also designed for custom water cooling setups,
as inside the case, there is plenty of room for radiator installation. |
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| |
LED and Fan Hub
NZXT Noctis 450 features a practical fan controller located on the rear of the case. You can attach up to 8 fans to the PCB, whereas maximum output power is 30W. In addition there is an LED controller integrated into the top of the case that will allow you to drive the two LED strips positioned an the bottom of the case. |
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Product overview
Overview |
|
|
| |
|
| The NZXT Noctis 450 is a mid-tower,
that features a rather eye-catching design with sharp and edgy lines. Apart from that this enclosure
is quite big for a midi tower. A closer look at the front reveals there are no
5.25" slots. In fact, there is one large dust filter and behind
there is a total of three fans. Even the top shares the same sleek style and
at the front of it you can find the I/O panel with two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports and power on / reset buttons.
When we start taking a look around the 450 we find removable side
panels, that haven't been equipped with a thick layer of
noise-dampening material like the old Noctis 450.
The NZXT Noctis 450 is a well-designed case and uses the most common and best solutions.
In fact, we
found dust filters everywhere where there are fans, which is at
the bottom, the front and the rear. A fact we really like about the 450
is, that it's available in two different colors: black with red lighting and white with blue interior light. |
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Installation
Overview |
|
|
| |
| Since this is no small midi tower, there is plenty of space on the inside. One of the most interesting features with this case is the large PSU cover, which allows building very neatly looking systems. A closer look at the the motherboard tray shows pre-soldered standoffs, so that you can fix your motherboard without any hassle to the tray. There is also a big opening behind the socket, which allows you to install after coolers without having to remove the motherboard. On the tray, there are three openings for routing cables and there is a lot of space between the motherboard tray and the right panel. HDDs and SSDs can be installed without any difficulty, since there are carriages for that purpose. The most interesting aspect of this case is definitely the area dedicated to the power supply and the PSU cover. Therefore NZXT has designed the Noctis 450 not only for gamers but also for modders. |
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Ventilation options
Overview |
|
| |
|
| As far as cooling is concerned, the Noctis 450 offers quite a lot. The front has enough space to be equipped with three 120mm fans (all included in the delivery) and the back side comes with a pre-installed 140mm fan. The top of the case can be equipped with up to three 120mm or two 140mm fans. Apart from that you can install 360mm or 280/240/140/120 millimeter radiators as well. As previously mentioned, there are dust filters covering every single fan slot. We also like the fact, that there is an integrated fan controller, which lets you control up to eight fans.
If you own a large graphics card or a huge cooler, graphics cards can measure up to 305 millimeter in length, when the HDD cage is inside the case and up to 405 millimeter, when the HDD cage has been removed. Aircoolers can be up to 180 millimeter tall. |
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Temperatures
Overview |
|
| |
For testing purposes
we are using an ASUS P8Z77-I ITX motherboard, an Intel Core i5-2500K
CPU, which is cooled by a be quiet! Dark Rock 3 cooler as well as a
Club3D R9 290X royalAce graphics card. To put the CPU under full load,
we are running prime95 for 10 min and in the case of the GPU, we are
using Furmark also for 10 minutes with an ambient temperature of 26°C. |
|
All noise dampening panels installed |
Idle (°C) |
Full (°C) |
|
Intel Core i5-2500K |
36 / 37 / 37 / 35 |
54 / 53 / 54 / 52 |
| Club3D R9 290X royalAce |
38 |
74 |
|
Less is better |
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Conclusion
The NZXT Noctis 450 is a mid-tower
PC case designed for those that aim to have a fresh rig compatible with all-in-one watercooling solutions as well as
an ability to install high-end components. NZXT decided
to use a black matte finish on this model of good quality and not so easy to scratch.
The available interior space is adequate for a case compatible with ATX motherboards
and we really like the PSU cover plate that you can find in many NZXT cases. Since the cooling seems to be the key point of this case, NZXT included a total of three 120mm and one 140mm fans inside the bundle. Overall, the Noctis 450
allows you to mount up to seven fans of different size that can be managed with the fan controller placed behind the motherboard tray.
The final price of the NZXT Noctis 450 is about 140 euro at the
price search engine Geizhals. In our opinion, the price matches the overall quality of the product. This
PC case is a good solution for those who want a product suitable for water cooling
systems or high-end rigs.
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