Review: NZXT S340 Elite – Large Glass, Much Behind It

In cooperation with Razer, NZXT first released a special edition and now, almost 3 years after the Source 340, the S340 Elite is on the market. The former version cost about 70 Euro. Whether a price increase of almost 40 percent is fair and what the housing can do, you can find out in the test.
Measuring 203 x 474 x 432 (W x H x D), the S340 Elite belongs to the midi tower category. It has the same size as its older brother and NZXT leaves nothing to be desired in terms of quality. The case is kept in plain black, but in the Elite version it gets an eye-catcher of the extra class.

Scope of Delivery

The NZXT S340 Elite arrives well secured. All to protect the large glass side window. As with every case, I struggle with the packaging and try to unpack it as intact as possible. We did it! Let’s see what’s inside. Without dismantling both side parts in connection with a screwdriver we don’t even get to the inside.

Design

We tested the case in plain matt black. The housing is available in the colours matt white, matt black, matt black with blue or red accents. The matt black case doesn’t set many accents, apparently NZXT doesn’t want that either. The S340 Elite convinces with its huge glass pane. Hardened glass with a little tint – sounds at first glance like a dream of Casemodder and users who like tidy cabinets and outstanding cable management. It’s the same! Even without much bling bling and with a relatively good cable management one would rather put the case on rather than under the table. Glass? You can see every fingerprint on it. YES! A first touched disc captures fingerprints and dust almost intentionally. Fortunately, the washer can be easily removed by loosening a few screws and even by hand. This allows the window to be cleaned quickly. I can’t think of a better way.
If I look at the front panel, I can’t quite understand one thing. Why is there a large slot at the top of the front cover after the I/O panels? At first I thought that the case had to be placed the other way around – wrong thought. The predecessor had exactly the same opening and it’s the successor, but you have to like it anyway.

Workmanship

You can search for features that reduce the quality of the housing for a long time. All edges are carefully finished. In the interior, all parts are neatly fastened with rivets – there is no squeaking or rattling.
Before we take care of the installation, let’s take a look at the possibilities for cable management. After removing the side plate, the cable duct and the corresponding terminals are immediately noticeable. Great! Even in configurations with many cables, we don’t need an infinite number of cable ties. And even in case we needed any, they’re still included. Only the quality of the clamps leaves a little to be desired. They are very easy to open. If a few more cables need to be secured, closing is more difficult. The clamps must be brought into the correct position with a little pressure on the lock, otherwise they will open by themselves.

Equipment

Even with enclosures, the trend is towards virtual reality. If you have a VR headset, like the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, the S340 Elite from NZXT is just right for you. The I/O panel offers not only enough USB ports but also an HDMI connection. For this you don’t have to pull the cable through the case yourself, but simply take the existing one and connect it to your graphics card later. If you have a VR headset, it is best to also use the magnetic holder. This is adjustable in size and even long cables can be easily arranged with it.

Speaking of the graphics card. As a midi tower, the case can accommodate graphics cards up to 364 millimeters long. Through minor adjustments, a CPU fan with a height of up to 161 millimeters can now be installed. In addition, all common motherboard sizes are supported: Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX and ATX. Two 2.5 inch drives can be installed below the mainboard to provide sufficient storage space. Behind the large glass pane, another 2.5-inch drive can also be beautifully displayed. If that’s not enough, you can mount a 3.5-inch drive in addition to the power supply and two more 3.5-inch drives under the radiator area.

To protect the components from dust as efficiently as possible, dust filters are located on the underside and on the front. These can be simply pulled out for cleaning. Now only two 120 millimetre fans provide the air circulation. There’s one in the stern and one in the lid. Both blow the air out of the housing. In the S340, the predecessor, there were still four fans in the game. The 3-pin connectors are already connected in advance via a Y-adapter and can be supplied with power directly at the power supply unit via Molex.

But anyone who has installed high-end technology can install additional fans. Two 120- or 140-millimetre fans can be fitted in the front. Another 120 mm fan can be added to the lid or uses 140 mm fans there as well. Alternatively, the housing is also compatible with 240- or 280-millimeter radiators and is therefore also suitable for water cooling.

Conclusion

The S340 Elite is a very solid case. For about 100 Euro there is a lot to see and do. Casemodders, who like to showcase their hardware, have a magnificent view through a large all-glass pane. With me the cable management is not yet first cream, the computer stands nevertheless on the table and does not have to hide itself. For this price I would have wished for one or two more fans or a tool-free mounting of the drives, but as you know you can’t have everything.