NZXT H7 Flow RGB Review

Mitch Gassner Posted: May 7, 2023 1:00 PM ET Category: Hardware Reviews 0

When NZXT debuted the H7 Flow in 2022, it was a solid upgrade from the H710 series it was replacing. It's a year later, and NZXT has added another case to its H7 lineup - the H7 Flow RGB. Available in NZXT's standard choices of matte black or white, the $159.99 H7 Flow RGB is priced $30 higher than the original H7 Flow. Is it $30 well spent, or is NZXT just trying to milk every dime from an older design by adding a little bling?

NZXT has a dizzying number of options in its H-Series of cases, with a total of 12 options across five lines. The H7 Series has four options: H7, H7 Flow, H7 Flow RGB, and H7 Elite. Since all of the cases use an identical chassis, the different options boil down to what type of front panel and fans you want and whether or not the case has an RGB controller included.

As the infographic shows, the H7 Flow RGB is a middle-of-the-road option with RGB fans to jazz up the H7's minimalist aesthetic a little, while the perforated metal panel gives you better airflow than the front glass panel found on the H7 Elite.

When checking out the exterior of the case, the tempered glass panel - tinted on the black case, clear on the white) - immediately gains your attention. The panel covers the entirety of the motherboard side of the case, including extending down to cover the PSU shroud. This gives the side of the case a clean appearance and lets you showcase the components inside the case.

On the opposite side of the case, you’ll find a metal panel hiding the back side of the motherboard from view. A metal panel is standard practice for this side of the case, but NZXT could have differentiated the H7 Flow RGB by adding a second glass panel. I know what you’re thinking - who wants to see cables? Typically, you wouldn't, but in this case, it's a missed opportunity to showcase the fantastic cable management features (something we’ll talk about in a bit) of the H7 Flow RGB.

Fortunately, NZXT allows as much light as possible to shine through the top and front panels of the H7 Flow RGB. Besides a solid portion reserved for the I/O ports (NZXT keeps things simple with a power button, two USB Type-A ports, a single Type-C port, and a headphone/microphone combo jack), the removable top and front panels are perforated metal backed by thin mesh filters. The remainder of the top panel and the entire front panel are perforated metal backed by a thin mesh filter. Both filters have a small plastic frame; the front filter is integrated into the front panel, while the top filter attaches directly to the chassis. The perforations on the panels are sized to maximize airflow without compromising durability, and the mesh filters can be removed to allow even more light and air to pass through if you aren't afraid of a little extra dust.

I did have one minor issue with the top panel. Although the I/O ports are integrated into the frame of the PC, the entire top panel detaches from the case and requires anything plugged into the I/O ports to be unplugged before removal. I know it's a minor issue, but for someone like myself who had to swap out fans and CPU coolers multiple times, it quickly becomes an annoyance.

The back and bottom of the H7 Flow RGB are pretty standard. The bottom of the case has two slide-out filters, a large one for the power supply and a small filter at the front of the case, the latter being a vestigial feature needed for the rest of the H7 series. At the top of the back panel is the I/O hole positioned next to an air exhaust area large enough for a 140mm fan. Below that are seven horizontal expansion slots, with the power supply mount taking up the remaining space at the bottom of the panel. Even though the case is wide enough, there aren't any vertical expansion slots. Like all other H-Series cases, an optional vertical mounting kit can be purchased to replace the horizontal slots. Although the optional kit is an elegant way vertically mount a GPU, it is rather pricey and prohibits using any expansion cards that need access to the case's exterior.

NZXT has gone beyond toolless to ensure easy removal of all the H7 Flow's removable panels. Instead of thumb screws, the front, top, and side panels are all held in place with multiple ball and socket fasteners. Unless you plan on pushing your PC off your desk, this design will keep everything together, but NZXT still hasn't fixed an issue I had with the ball and socket fastener that showed up during my review of the H510 Flow back in 2021. The ball doesn't always fit tightly into the socket design, and this can cause loose-fitting pieces. That lack of precision opens up the possibility of unsightly seams along the edges where two panels meet, as it did with the top panel in my case.

Along with the sloppy ball and socket design, I had another issue with the right side panel. The panel fastens to the chassis at each corner and the center of the top, bottom, and rear of the panel. For some reason, there isn't a middle fastener on the front edge of the panel. That may not seem like a huge issue, but that means any bundle of cables sticking out too far (the cable management channels are all positioned near the front of the case) can cause the front of the panel to bulge out, leaving a small gap between the panel and the chassis.

With the exterior tour concluded, we’ll focus on the case's interior. Although the H7 Flow RGB is deep enough to support an E-ATX motherboard, the iconic NZXT cable bar limits your build to an ATX form factor. The cable bar is designed to not interfere with your graphics card, so the H7 Flow RGB can support up to 400mm long GPUs. A radiator will take up some of that space if you choose to install one at the front of the case, so keep that in mind if you are planning an elaborate build with multiple radiators.

Along with the cable bar, there is a single cutout at the top of the case running the entire length of the motherboard and multiple small cutouts at the bottom of the motherboard tray to pass cables to the back of the case. This leaves the motherboard side of the case with a clean look that would make any DIYer proud to show off their rig.

As for cooling options, the H7 Flow RGB is wide enough to handle up to a 185mm tower cooler. A removable bracket at the front of the case can hold up to three 140mm fans or a 360mm radiator, and the rear exhaust area can hold up to a single 140mm fan. You can also bolt down two 140mm or three 120mm fans to the top of the case. A 280mm/360mm radiator can also be installed in the top position with just enough room for fans to not interfere with the motherboard. A 360mm radiator could use a push-pull configuration with the bottom set of fans hanging below the top of the motherboard, but you can't pull it off with a 280mm radiator.

The H7 Flow RGB ships with three F140 RGB Core fans in the front of the case. The third fan extends below the PSU shroud, but a cutout leaves enough room for a push-pull radiator configuration (this would be limited to 25mm fans and radiator). In a disappointing move, NZXT uses the non-RGB F120Q in the rear exhaust spot. Adding a non-RGB fan to an RGB-branded case just doesn't feel right, and it would have really rounded out the RGB look if they had gone with another F140 Core RGB fan.

Moving to the back of the motherboard tray, there are two 2.5" SSD holders on the tray itself and a 3.5" drive cage tucked away in the PSU shroud. We also find a masterclass lesson in cable management design. There are a total of three cable guides running vertically along the motherboard tray. Two of these flank the opening hidden by the cable bar, and the third runs along the back edge of the case. A fourth cable tray runs across the top of the case. All of these trays come with velcro fasteners already in place. It still takes a little bit of time and effort to get all of your cables heading in the right direction, but the finished look is immaculate.

The only failure on the cable management side of things is the lack of a fan controller. NZXT didn't have to add one of their big fancy controllers like you’d find in the H7 Elite, but a rudimentary fan controller with at least enough ports to handle the included fans would be a great value-added component. It's just something I would expect to see in a case this expensive.

The H7 Flow RGB is everything you’d expect from NZXT's H7 series. When the H7 series debuted last year, it was a solid refresh of the aging H710 lineup. The H7's design made some minor tweaks to the minimalist design that had so many PC enthusiasts flocking to the H710, and the Flow's air-focused front panel solved the complaints about low airflow. The toolless panels make tearing apart the case easy as pie (although I wish the ball and socket design were a little more uniform), and the H7 Flow RGB has some of the best cable management features I’ve seen in any case.

A year later, though, the H7 Flow RGB isn't a refresh of the line. All it does is add three RGB fans to the H7 Flow. Don't get me wrong, the F140 RGB Core runs quietly and looks fantastic, and at a regular price of $21.99 a piece, a $30 bump in overall cost from the H7 Flow to the H7 Flow RGB is a good deal. But I want more. I want that rear fan to be RGB, and a $160 case should come with a fan controller.

So, is the H7 Flow RGB a better buy than the H7 Flow? If you don't have a set of RGB fans already sitting around, the H7 Flow RGB is the way to go. If you have some fans, though, you might as well save the $30 and go with the original H7 Flow or find an even cheaper look-alike.

Part-time game reviewer, full-time gaming geek. Introduced to Pac-Man and Asteroids at a Shakey's Pizza in the '70s and hooked on games ever since.