NZXT Noctis 450 Mid Tower Case Review

Outside the NZXT NOCTIS 450
The overall look of the new NZXT NOCTIS 450 computer case is different it does serve two purposes. Its looks from the ascetic side is done with metallic sheeting but the sheeting is mounted away from the internal venting of the case to make the case breathe easy. While it looks like it is obstructed it really is done quite nicely with its looks if you can get over the Origami look of folding on the top and front of the case. It almost seems like you can open it up, clam-shell style but it doesn’t. It seems to be a two part operation to get fit and form at a the price point that the manufacturer must attain. It’s not a down side to the case it is just something to mention as you gaze at the case for the first time. The window is not your atypical rectangle or square but a polygon type of shape that follows the theme of the build. The overall case follows a Minimalist style with a touch of Art deco feel and I like the combination well, but of course, Art is in the eye of the beholder.

Featured Image 1

As is evident in this picture below the side panels have a tight fit and leave not much tolerance in the overall fitting of the pieces together. The Case window is higher quality than others that have come before and not so easy to scratch but I would still wipe it with nothing more coarse than a Kleenex tissue. From this view you can also see how the top and front metallic covering is set away from the air intake to insure overall breathing. This can also help with keeping dust at a minimum since most of the dust being pulled from the outside is more likely to fall on the metal outer shell and miss going through the thin opening of the metallic filtering underneath it. The panels are nicely painted and the color match throughout the overall casing is flawless.

Side view Windowed

As we view the lower picture we see the front of the NZXT NOCTIS 450 case front. There is not any placement for a 5.25″ optical drive bay and that can be a down or up side for the buyer depending on the build the person is doing. Most people now-a-days are buying the USB type separate CD/DVD/Blu-Ray solutions and so NZXT concentrated more on the water cooling aspect of this case and deleted the use of a door or drive bay. The case has a phantom like look but still is a case all its own and it really does have some curb appeal from my opinion but yours may be different. New cases seldom find all people happy with its design elements and it’s up to the buyer to like or dislike the look but overall for me it was like listening to a Van Halen Album for the first time. I really didn’t like it at first but in time I fell in love with it, and this case was a lot like that.

Front View

It become evident that the front and top are almost identical in styling with just a little more shape at the back side of the top. The top side is also where the controls are located with 2 x USB 2.0s and 2 x USB 3.0 and in and out audio buttons. The power button is nicely ringed in blue led lighting when in the on position and there is not a reset button on this model. Another noteworthy aspect of this case is the rear part of the top is raise slightly to give plenty of room for airflow and is about 4mm off the top of the case at the rear point of the top shell.

Top Side

The mainly blank and back motherboard tray side of the NZXT NOCTIS 450 is still not boring in the least. The fit is spot on and the look of the frontal and top shell as well as the lighted power button ring and the bottom rail lighting add the needed pizzazz that the case needs from all angles no matter the direction the viewer is looking. The side panels are the typical mount and slide forward locking system and the two thumb screws hold the panel tightly against the front of the forward panel. The hand hold at the back is made to give the owner an easy way to pull back on the case panel to disengage it from the frame. The paint is very well matched throughout the build and the usually boring side is full of nice looks and much needed styling.

Side view back

Starting on the top left of the back panel of the case we find the LED control switch. If you don’t want the lighting you can merely press it to turn off the LED s in a night owl situation where others may be trying to get some much needed rest for the next day’s agenda. The I/O board hole is perfectly aligned and the fan is adjustable up and down for both 140 and 120mm fan or Radiator placement. The seven PCI Slot are enough for the average SLI configuration and the exterior water ports are rubber grommet-ted for safety from any metal cutting action that could bend or cut into water tubing. Also below is the removable power supply mounting bracket that can allow a person to remove or replace a Power supply easier and is just a really nice feature that NZXT did not have to add to the deal but we are glad they did. It gives the case more prestige and easier maintenance for the enthusiast that is constantly upgrading things in a system and sometime adding a newer and more powerful power supply is needed. This helps tremendously in that aspect and it fits well and works great.

Rear View

The view of the bottom is configured front top position and at the top of the picture you can see the hand hold that allows a person to pull the front panel away from the case. Be careful with this part because the panels fit tightly together so if you are just removing the front panel it is best to just pull enough to unlatch the bottom two mounting points and then move around the side of the case panel to finish the removal.

The next protrusion you find is a lower hard drive mount for both a 2.5″ or a 3.5″ data drive. This part can also be useful to mount a reservoir or a water pump if you are doing a custom loop build. The rails down the side make the light that illuminates the bottom part of both sides of the NZXT NOCTIS 450 and the feet are very solid and rubber coated with a thick rubber that secures it to the floor and allows for less vibration resonance from inner moving parts to pass to the floor. Before we get to the below power supply fan filter you should notice the four cable tie routing points that make wire maintenance easier and more effective for enthusiast that need cable management in their builds.

The bottom power supply filter is the drawer style, removable “slide out the back” designed filter element and ventilation openings that give plenty of air to both a short power supply or a long one. While I have seen a lot of different designs for bottom filters this one is not on the top of my favorite lists but it is second place position. Don’t get me wrong the filter slides effortlessly out of the way and is easily cleaned with soap and water or a tough air pressure unit but still, pulling it from the back can be problematic at times.
Bottom side

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