The simple pleasures of the NZXT Source 220

CB Droege 2 Dec, 2011 at 4:09pm ET Article published in Tech

That's a USB 3.0 port

The first thing that struck me about the Source 220 was the clean lines and minimalist design. For the most part, the case is a simple black box. The few adornments allowed by the Source 220 stand out and really show off the purity of the case’s design. The face is composed of panels of punctured black sheet metal, and the thin frame is slightly off color—with the merest wedge shape at the top which flows into the back bezel. The bezel is at a similar slight angle to accommodate the front ports, which are set as unobtrusively as possible into the top right corner. The power and reset buttons are nearly invisible where they rest in the lower panel. The case has no lights and no frills. It’s not showy or ostentatious. It decides to do a job, and it does it without grandstanding.

Specifications

MODEL	Source 220
CASE TYPE	Mid Tower
FRONT PANEL MATERIAL	Steel/ Aluminum-like finish
DIMENSIONS (W x H x D)	195mm x 450mm x 495.5mm
VGA Clearance Maximum	230mm w/ hard drive, 330mm w/o hard drive
CPU Heatsink Support	160mm
Wiring Space	20mm
COOLING SYSTEM	FRONT, 2 X 120mm REAR, 1 X 120mm @ 1200rpm (included) TOP, 2 X 120/140mm (1x 140mm included) BOTTOM, 1 x 120mm
DRIVE BAYS	3 Tool-less EXTERNAL 5.25″ DRIVE BAYS 8 Tool-less INTERNAL 3.5″ HDD Drives
MATERIAL(S)	Steel with painted interior
EXPANSION SLOTS	7
WEIGHT	6.5kg
MOTHERBOARD SUPPORT	ATX, MICRO-ATX
External Connections	1 x Standard Audio/Mic, 1 x USB 3.0,1 x USB 2.0

Also note the space for cables under the right side panel, and the CPU cutout for you freaks with 30 lb CPU coolers.

For as small as it looks, the case is roomy inside. There is space for a standard ATX motherboard with all card slots open, three optical drives, and eight drives. The drives all rest securely in screwless mounts, and the PSU rests on the bottom of the case, at the rear, with a vented opening below.

More HD space than you need. Unless you're Nick Mertes.

There is space for all of the test components I use, including an oversized CPU cooler and a long graphics card. I don’t have a mega-huge graphics card to try in it, but it seems to me that there is room for one of these as well if you don’t mount a fan to the inside of the left-side panel.

This is without using the extra cable management space

The case only comes with two fans—a 12cm on the rear panel, and a 14cm on the top, but there are plenty of spots, in good locations, to place more on your own: two more 12cm in the front panel and one in the bottom, an additional 14cm in the top, and the left-side panel can take either size. The included fans are high quality, and very silent. My tiny CPU fan made more noise than these whisperers.

The only light on the case itself is the little blue ring around the power button

Overall the case is high-quality and good value. If you’re looking for a flashy or shiny case, you’re looking in the wrong place, but if you’re a serious builder with a classic eye and a limited budget, this might be something to consider.

The NZXT Source 220 is available on Newegg for $59.99.

 

Comments

1. 
   2 Dec 2011 ~ 4:21pm QCH I like the looks... simple but still has features I like.
2. 
   2 Dec 2011 ~ 4:24pm RyanMM Jiminy Christmas, this chassis is a great example of everything that is wrong with current chassis design trends. Ugh.
3. 
   2 Dec 2011 ~ 4:29pm Thrax Simple, cheap, decent airflow, good cable management. Nice case for the price.
4. 
   2 Dec 2011 ~ 4:38pm Basil Really like the simple looks but at almost £50 there's no way I'd buy one.
5. 
   2 Dec 2011 ~ 5:11pm primesuspect Man, it's so much more expensive in the UK
6. 
   2 Dec 2011 ~ 5:25pm Annes

   RyanMM wrote:

   Jiminy Christmas, this chassis is a great example of everything that is wrong with current chassis design trends. Ugh.

   
   Are you talking about looks? Functionality? Features?
7. 
   2 Dec 2011 ~ 5:34pm fatcat You can get the NZXT Source 210 (same exact case minus one 140mm fan and USB3.0) for $30
   
   I have one (210), best $30 case there is. Better than the Antec 300 which sells for 2x the price.
8. 
   2 Dec 2011 ~ 5:43pm primesuspect Greg, where are you seeing $30?
   
   Newegg has it for $40...
9. 
   2 Dec 2011 ~ 6:05pm fatcat

   primesuspect wrote:

   Greg, where are you seeing $30?
   
   Newegg has it for $40...

   
   http://www.directron.com/nts210b.html?gsear=1
   
   which also offers USPS shipping, unlike that egg place
10. 
    3 Dec 2011 ~ 10:59pm Tim Looks like a good case for my next gaming PC build in the spring, after Ivy Bridge and 7000 series GPUs come out.
11. 
    4 Dec 2011 ~ 12:56pm ardichoke Ooh... this looks like a candidate for my home server rebuild.
12. 
    4 Dec 2011 ~ 6:39pm LazarusXero Perfect choice for the computer I'm building for my mother's Christmas present... Thanks for the heads up!
13. 
    9 Dec 2011 ~ 3:53pm LazarusXero

    fatcat wrote:

    You can get the NZXT Source 210 (same exact case minus one 140mm fan and USB3.0) for $30
    
    I have one (210), best $30 case there is. Better than the Antec 300 which sells for 2x the price.

    
    I recently bought the 210 and just installed all of the components for my mother's Christmas present. It is a simple case, but had all the things I needed. The enclosure doesn't feel cheap at all and it came with enough screws to install everything I needed.
    
    The only drawback (and it's not much of one) was that of the 7 fan installation locations, only one of these were able to install a 95 mm fan. This probably isn't too much of an issue for most people, but I had a 95 laying around and decided to throw it in instead of throwing it away. The only location for this fan was the rear panel and so I had to move the pre-placed fan somewhere else. This meant I had to cut some zip ties and re-route the wiring for the fan. No big deal though.
    
    All in all, I like the 210 alot and will probably look at one of these cases (the 210 or 220) for my next bargain computer build. Thanks for the heads up, guys!
14. 
    9 Dec 2011 ~ 5:09pm QCH

    LazarusXero wrote:

    I recently bought the 210 and just installed all of the components for my mother's Christmas present.

    
    And does it work?
15. 
    9 Dec 2011 ~ 5:27pm LazarusXero

    QCH wrote:

    And does it work?

    
    Of course it works... I was taught by the bestest computer fixers that I know.
16. 
    9 Dec 2011 ~ 5:41pm QCH

    LazarusXero wrote:

    Of course it works... I was taught by the bestest computer fixers that I know.

    You called Big Dave?