NZXT S340 Review

Performance Analysis

Since there's no on-board fan control in the S340, the fans run at a fixed speed by default, and NZXT goes to the trouble of connecting them to a Y-splitter, meaning you only need a single Molex connection spare to power both. Noise from the two fans is fairly low – you can pick out a quiet airflow noise, but it's nothing too severe. Our GPU could also be heard, but as the S340 is a fairly sealed chassis this wasn't overly distracting.


In terms of performance there are few surprises, with both CPU and GPU temperatures coming out mid-league in our charts – you can't ask for much more than this from just a pair of 120mm fans that don't spin all that fast. The dual exhausts focus cooling on the CPU, which reaches a delta T value of 52°C, the same as or close to a number of NZXT cases, including the Source 530, which also features dual 120mm fans in the same positions.

The GPU also reaches a delta T of 52°C; a little lower down the charts in this case but still perfectly acceptable given there's no intake fan, and again very close to the result of the Source 530. All in all, the S340 is capable of cooling a fairly powerful, overclocked system without issue, though as we said before multi-GPU users will probably want to add some intake airflow up front as well.

Conclusion

While the S340 may be perceived to be lacking in features by some, thanks to the absence of an ODD mount and relatively low count of hard drive and fan mounts, it is inarguably a very well designed case. It may not be the best performing chassis, but it can still tame an overclocked system with fairly little noise output. By not cramming the case full of drive mounts, many of which will go unused, NZXT has been able to maintain high levels of build quality and optimise its use of space, leaving plenty of room for hardware and keeping the visible internal section wonderfully neat – systems built in here are just begging to be shown off, which is a lot more than can be said for the majority of cases at this price point, and even above it.

The S340 is also one of the easiest cases to work with we've ever used, meaning its relatively low price is well suited to novice users. While acknowledging that it won't be for everyone, we really like the approach NZXT has taken here – the S340 is a stylish, modern chassis with a very attractive price tag. There are some decent options for even less cash, but if you can stretch your budget a little to snag this case we don't think you'd be disappointed – it's our new favourite entry-level chassis.