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As expected, NZXT’s H7 Flow delivers much lower CPU and GPU thermals than the standard H7, so much so that the case is one of the best performing cases that we have tested with 600 RPM fan speeds. While the case does not offer cooling that is on par with Fractal’s Torrent chassis, it gets remarkably close for a case that only ships with two fans out of the box. If we added a few more fans to this chassis, maybe we could expect CPU/GPU thermals to lower even further. At 1000 RPM fan speeds, the H7 Flow continues to impress. Again, it sits towards the bottom of our graphs, delivering results that are amongst the best cases that we have tested. Again, this is a huge achievement for a chassis that ships with only two fans out of the box, and adding additional fans could result in further improvements to the H7 Flow’s cooling performance. Our starting point for this review of the H7 family starts in 2019 with the H510 and H710, which were interesting cases that leant heavily on looks and styling, and rather less on performance.
The graphics card temperatures saw the Elite's multiple front fans offer the lowest temperature of 71 degrees, followed by the H7 flow and the H7 was 4 degrees warmer due it having just one fan. Conclusions NZXT can fix the H7 with some tweaks that fall far short of an overhaul but right now they still have work to do. In all, the H7 is slightly smaller than the H710, and it is significantly lighter. The H710 was 12.1 kg, and the new H7 is 10.26kg. That said, both cases support the same levels of CPU clearance, front fan/radiator clearance, and cable management space. The only compromise with the new H7 is that is has 13mm less GPU clearance, not that 400mm of clearance isn’t enough for practically all modern GPUs. I've gone into some detail about the NZXT H7 series refresh in my NZXT H7 Flow review, but the goal NZXT's designers had in mind was to keep the same look but refine the cooling performance. This was carried out by adding a new side vent for the front fans to gain access to more cool air, as well as a redesigned top panel. Practically speaking, the thumbscrew that secures the drive cage is what limits power-supply length to 233mm. A second set of tab holes and screw holes allows it to be moved about 19mm farther forward, but placing it there reduces the lower portion of the front radiator mount by the same distance. The 3.5-inch cage’s optional 2.5-inch mounts aren’t even included in the H7 Flow’s official specs, as those specs instead refer to a second set of 2.5-inch trays that we’ll cover momentarily.
Testing the H7 Flow: Reaching Your Flow State
Obviously, the H7 Flow has a perforated front panel, allowing the case’s front fan (or fans) to intake air directly from the front. This maximises the H7 Flow’s air intake, making it the best performing H7 chassis in terms of cooling performance. Aesthetically, some users may prefer the H7 or H7 Elite, but for those who want the best cooling, the Flow will be the way to go. Those changes to the panels are welcome, however they fix problems that should never have existed in the first place. When we dug in further and found the specification of the fans made little to no sense it felt like 2019 all over again. While NZXT’s H710 chassis has proved to be popular over its lifespan, the PC market has changed a lot since this case was introduced. For starters, CPUs and GPUs are more power-hungry than before, making airflow a greater concern for PC builders. This change to the PC market has forced NZXT to include more fan mounts on the top of their H7 series cases, adding support for top-mounted 360mm liquid cooling radiators while redesigning their front panels to enable increased system airflow.
With the top filter installed, the H7 Flow’s CPU temperatures are a close match to those of Corsair’s iCUE 5000T, beating both the Cooler Master HAF 500 and Lian Li O11D EVO. In Win’s N515 leads in CPU temperatures due to its different radiator placement, but the H7 Flow almost caught it when we removed the exhaust filter from our configuration. The NZXT H7 has some tough competition, namely the Corsair iCUE 5000T RGB, which is slightly larger (and heavier) but has more space inside for water cooling and larger motherboards. The Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic range is popular for good reason, thanks to its stylish design and solid thermal performance. Even with an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X processor, you'll see a good 5% reduction for average temperature in games. It's still not quite as good as some other PC cases, namely the be quiet! Silent Base 802 or NZXT H7 Flow, but it's good to see lower temperatures all in keeping the same overall look of the existing H710. As its name suggests, the H7 Flow also has a large mesh on its front panel and in the roof section, so it’s geared towards offering high airflow with low fan speeds. There are a few useful features on the case’s exterior, such as tool-free side, front and roof panels that simply pop into place.FYI, their H700s were their 'fix' to this via a brute force method of 'just add more fans', while maintaining the stylish and air flow choking design of the previous cases. It worked, though it could've been better if they'd just done the H7 Flow right then and there.
Sadly, when looking at the H7 and H7 Elite, thermal results were less impressive, especially with regards to the Elite. Even with its additional fans, the H7 Elite does not run much cooler than NZXT’s standard H7, with both cases exhibiting GPU thermals that are 5 degrees hotter than the H7 Flow. If you want low system thermals, the H7 Flow is clearly the case you should be buying.The H7 Flow’s bottom panel features slide-out filters for both the power supply and the intake gap. While the front filter and its corresponding hole seem unnecessary on a case that has a fully vented face, the same underlying chassis also fits the unvented face panels of its two sibling models. With the fans peaking at a speed of 1,200rpm, they’re not particularly powerful, so it wasn’t a surprise to see the H7 Flow return middling results with the CPU and GPU delta temperatures. However, the flip side is that it’s extremely quiet, even with the fans at full speed. The CPU delta T of 48°C was on par with the Antec NX700 and Corsair 5000D Airflow, while the Antec DF700 Flux, Fractal Design Meshify 2 and Cooler Master MasterBox 500 were a little cooler. However, the NZXT was a couple of degrees cooler than the Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact.
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