NZXT S340 Elite Review

Conclusion

It’s fair to say that we loved the S340 chassis when we reviewed it almost exactly two years ago, and at around £55 we said it was an absolute steal and probably represented the best value gaming/enthusiasts case under £80.  So then it’d be natural to assume that we would love the Elite version wouldn’t it?  After all, it’s got so many extras.  The thing is, those extras come at a cost as at £95 the Elite version of the S340 is almost twice the price of the original.  As you know we’re not ones for repeating ourselves here at OC3D, so rather than plough back through the original spec of the S340, let’s take a look at what that additional dosh gets you.

So what do you actually get for your money?  Well first of all you get all the great features brought to you by the original S340.  There are however a few additions.  Firstly there’s the simply massive, full height, full width tempered glass side panel, to show of all the shiny goodies nestling in the Matte Black interior, not least of which will be the additional show off mount for an SSD along with an extension SATA power cable to keep the wiring to it looking tidy.  A smaller but no less important detail perhaps is that the rear PCI slot covers are now of the vented replaceable type and not the push out sort, so they can be re screwed in if not being used.  It’s a small detail we know, but we’re glad NZXT made the choice they did, as push out tab PCI covers would simply not be acceptable on a £95 case.

Then there’s the VR and audio options that come with the Elite.  These mainly revolve around the front of the case and include the addition of 2xUSB3.0 and more importantly a front I/O HDMI socket to make attachment of VR headsets as easy as it can possibly be.

Last but by no means least there’s the puck.  What’s the puck?  Well if you’d read the review you’d already know, but if you haven’t then best we’d explain.  Basically the puck is a sexily slick black rubber device that by means of magnets integrated into the molding, can be attached to the front or side of the Elite, or for that matter any ferrous surface.  The puck is actually two parts joined together, and it can be used as such or, if the heart and extended lengths of head-set of VR goggles desires. it can be split into those equal parts and used as a cable tidy as well as a headset/goggle support.  Of course, being made of soft rubber, there’s no way it’s going to be marking the lines of the case.

In summing up the S340 Elite we’d say it’s one real weakness is that for the price it has comparatively limited water cooling credentials.  Yes you can get a 240 or 280mm rad in the front, or for that matter even a pair of X41s if you wanted to AIO your CPU as well as GPU, but for us, if you’re prime directive is that you want a case that has great, not just good water cooling credentials out of the box there are other places you could be looking.  If however you want a case, which let’s face it, looks fantastic, and you like the idea of on case head set/VR goggle storage as well as plug and go HDMI then the S340 Elite is an absolute belter.  Whether it’s worth the extra money over the standard S340 will depend very much on what your priorities are. 

When it comes to awards we thought the combination of the front VR facilities and ingenious cable tidy puck made the Elite a no brainer for the Gamers Choice award. 

    
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