Official NZXT Switch 810 thread - Page 601

Hey guys.

I have been stalking this thread for a little bit looking mostly at the pictures people post. So I am now seriously considering this case out of a few different ones I have been eyeing to upgrade to for more watercooling support versus the 650D I have now, but I have a few questions/concerns.

First, I would want black. Would you guys recommend the regular black or the matte black? I am inclined to go for the matte black, because it looks a bit less plasticy to me. But I am wondering what owners of either think.

Second, I am wondering about quality. The case itself looks really superb, however it also seems to be made out of a lot of plastic from what I can tell. Is it solid? Any issues with plastic parts breaking? Also, how much space is between the motherboard tray and back panel for cables? Any problems with scratching over time or anything goofy like that?

Third, just wondering how heavy the case feels overall. My 650D is really heavy with even a CPU only loop in, but it is also a steel case.

Fourth, as far as I can tell, there are 4 - 5 1/2" bays, but the top one might be blocked with a radiator fan setup. Would that leave enough room for me to still be able to put an FC5-V2 fan controller there? Until I get a tube reservoir (or whatever they are called) instead of the bay, all 4 of my bays would be occupied.

Fifth, as for radiator placement, in the top, if I were say only doing push or pull, but not push/pull, how would you recommend placement of radiator + fans? I would probably grab something like an EX360 and use my AP-15 fans. Would you put the radiator up in that top compartment with fans underneath pushing, or something else?

Thank you so much all. Hopefully this wasn't too long.

Sir B

I have had both cases you speak of, although the 650D was sold a while back. As far as paint, I have had both Gloss and Matte black Switch 810's and I prefer the Matte much, much more. It doesn't show nearly as much dust and fingerprints.

Quality is good, but it is not on the same level as the 650D. Understand that for the price and amount of features, something had to give. The paint, even on the new revisions, isn't nearly as durable as some other cases I have used. As a matter of fact, my Matte black already has chips missing from the corners of the side panel from putting it on and off too many times. Also, the general structure of the case is not great, possibly because it is so large. The whole thing is fairly easy to "bend". The plastic parts are really quite nice though, I have no issues with those.

If you find the 650D heavy, this is heavier to you, 'nuff said.

A fan controller will fit just fine in the topmost bay with the radiator in. As far as the top rad, it has to go inside. Putting the fans in the top of the case would probably work best. There is only ~30mm of room up there, maybe a little less. You could still do push/pull with the EX360 easily, with 30+mm to spare.

Hi, i got the matte version. I like it better because it doesnt get fingerprints on them. Look at my build log

Some of my plastic broke because i was careless but I just glued it back. If you're not as clumsy as me, you dont have to worry about anything.

There's enough space in the back panel for cables, dont worry.
The top bay will definately fit your FC5-V2 fan controller with a EX360 on top.
If you look at my build, I have a fan controller at the top too, with a RX360 rad.
I dont know about placement of fans, I just did push/pull and you should do that too since EX360 is pretty thin

I just got this case in matte black. I've got a bunch of pics up in another thread in another forum. Check them out here if you're interested (also a video of my initial impressions when I first opened the box). Here's my best answers to your questions:

1. The matte black is very nice overall. The inside is great, and the plastic is great. It's got a bit of a texture to it. It felt almost like a chalkboard at first, but you get used to it. The metal parts are a different shade than the plastic. This doesn't bother me, especially because it has to hit the light just right to be able to tell, but it definitely is different. This might bother some people.

2. There is nothing structural about this case that isn't metal. Only the front and top are plastic (and the fan filters). Where the plastic is used, it is very high quality. It doesn't feel like it's going to snap or anything like that, although the larger parts like the top louver will bend if you try to make them. If you check out my initial impressions video in the link above, my honest to goodness first impression was that the case was very high quality. I really enjoy the build quality compared to my last case (which was hefty steel as well). The only thing I'd be concerned about is the click-release mechanisms. Mine are just fine, but I feel like you should be careful with them if you want them to last 10 years.
There's enough room behind the mobo tray. One of my SATA power connectors got suck in the wrong orientation and I couldn't get the side panel on right. But, it was a really, really simple fix - just stick your hand back in and wiggle things around. There's way more room behind the mobo tray than my last case. Generally speaking, cable management is great in this case.
Regarding scratches... I do have some scratches on the right-side of my case (the side the rubs on my wall when I move the case from it's usual spot). I was kinda bummed about this, but hey, nobody ever sees that side anyway so *meh*. I would try to be careful with it if you want it to look its best for a long period of time.

3. The case, empty, feels pretty light for it's size. Loaded up, it's pretty heavy. The box shipped was like 36lbs, and I think the case itself is around 30.

4. There are 4 bays if you count the removable hot-swap bay. I've heard some success stories about fitting a fan controller in the top bay with a 360 radiator mounted in the roof, but my understanding is it's fairly case-by-case. The radiator definitely encroaches into the top drive bay. As a matter of fact, some of the SE models have holes cut in the top of the roof of the drive bay (which is at the top of the 2nd bay down) to accommodate more airflow for the fan that overlaps this area.

5. If you have an EX360, you could do push/pull/push-pull any way you want. There's a ton of room at the top. Personally, I'm going for an RX360, and I'm planning on putting the rad inside and the fans outside the roof (I like the way the fans look just under the top louver) in pull only. This is really subjective though, depending on what you like personally.

Hope you'll be joining us here soon
Edited by jamsomito - 7/15/12 at 9:16pm

Any suggestions here?

Well, I'm no expert here - you may want to heed advice from some of the other members. I've done some research and it looks like you'll only get a couple/few degrees difference in your loop temps. Obviously pulling in fresh air will be "optimal" for your loop temps. Personally, I'd use it as an exhaust because that's the way my case is already set up - why fix it if it ain't broke? Also, it seems to me like if you have high pressure fans, the effect of "smothering" your exhaust with the open louver doesn't seem like it would be much if at all.

I think ultimately there's going to be a lot of personal preference involved in your choice. Just my $0.02.

Use it as an exhaust, the vents wont really block any heat. Hot air rises, so it's better to use it as exhaust

Alrighty...tyvm for the suggestions, I'll do that!

Wow, looks nice, do you have a build log?

watching drama on your ipad?