NZXT announced an upgrade to its mid-size, mid-range S340 case today: the S340 Elite. The new version sports a massive 4mm-thick tempered glass side panel, considerations for VR gaming and a larger number of SSD trays. NZXT also unveiled a new internal USB hub. Let’s take a closer look at the announcements.
Design and upgrades
The most obvious change from the vanilla S340 is the side window. Following industry trends, the Elite’s entire left side has been replaced by a 4mm-thick sheet of tempered glass, held on by four wide screws. That makes it much easier to peer inside and see what’s going on, but also brings some durability concerns — you wouldn’t want your gaming rig at the bottom of the pile when you’re transporting a bunch of PCs to a LAN.
Another potential point of interest for system builders is the VR panel. Rather than relying on a custom front panel, there are hookups for HDMI and USB ports at the top of the case. There’s also a magnetic puck, which can be used to wind up and store cables while they’re not in use. From the photos, the puck can also be used to hang your headset — so its magnetic attachment must be pretty strong.
Cable management has also been the subject of attention, with new built-in cable ties that should make tidying up all those cables a little less painful.
Elsewhere, there are features that we’ve appreciated in the Manta and other NZXT cases — filtered intakes, a shroud that keeps the PSU and its messy cables out of sight and support for NZXT’s own Kraken liquid cooling systems, up to 280mm.
The shape of the S340 Elite is also worth mentioning — it’s a nice humble cuboid, with no curves to speak of. If you like NZXT’s builder-friendly accoutrements but don’t like the curved bodies of the Phantom or Manta, then the S340 Elite should appeal.
Specifications
| Case Specs | |
| Dimensions | W: 203mm H: 474mm D: 432mm |
| Material(s) | Tempered glass side panel, Steel, ABS plastic |
| Total Weight | 8.13kg |
| Motherboard Support | Mini-ITX, MicroATX, ATX |
| External Features | 1x Audio/Mic, 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, HDMI with VR Support |
| Cooling | |
| Front | 2x 140mm or 2x 120mm Radiators up to 280mm |
| Top | 1x 140mm or 1x 120mm (included) |
| Rear | 1x 120mm (included) Radiators up to 120mm |
| Bays & Expansion | |
| Internal 3.5” | 2+1 |
| Internal 2.5” | 3+1 |
| PCI Expansion Slots | 7 |
| Clearance | |
| CPU Cooler | 161mm |
| GPU | With Radiator: 334mm Without Radiator: 364mm |
| Cable Management | Lowest Point: 17mm Highest Point: 168mm |
UK pricing and availability
The S340 Elite is available for pre-order now via Scan.co.uk for £89.99, with stock expected by mid October (the 14th, as of this article’s publication). That’s for the matte black model, the matte white and matte black & red models will come about two weeks later.
Compared to other NZXT cases, the £90 price point seems resaonable. It’s £25 higher than the two-year-old Source 340, but the upgrades sound like they could be worth the expense — at least for VR users. The popular H440 and our favourite, the Phantom 530, cost just £10 more, while the Manta’s unique curved design brings it to £110. There’s not much in it, for sure.
NZXT have impressed us with their Manta and Phantom cases — indeed, our current test rig is in the Manta case — so it’ll be interesting to see if they can replicate that feat with the lower cost S340 Elite.
NZXT Internal USB Hub
NZXT also announced a standalone product, an internal USB hub. This provides five USB ports, three internal and two external, and affixes magnetically to most metal cases. There’s a Molex connection for providing additional power, and no drivers are needed for it to work — just plug and play. That’ll be arriving at e-tailers soon, and will cost £18.
Wrapping up
What do you make of the announcement? Let us know in the comments below.
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