Ok, so after some hands on time with the case while planning out my build (the layout of components, including water cooling), and despite the fact that I am still trying to get Newegg to pay for the shipping to return the damaged/used case they sent me (I will not pay $60 just to get a non-broken item that I already paid for, it's a matter of principle), I would give the case a solid and well-earned 9.5/10.
My "Pros":
- Truly a beautiful case, pictures just don't do it justice (even my girlfriend, whose eyes glaze over the second I mention anything about computers, loves it!)
- It is incredibly modular, with a vast amount of options for setting up just about anything from a ten-fan air-cooled monster to a liquid-cooled beast with as many as 3 radiators (420mm top, 240/280 bottom, 140/120 rear) and possibly more if you can fit one to the inner hard drive bay fan(s)
- Wire management is almost too easy! Seriously, even a full system's worth of cables, an 8x fan controller, and 14 fans' cables can be made invisible!
- NZXT has been one of the best companies I have ever dealt with. They don't treat you like an idiot, rather it is like one enthusiast talking to another! 10/10!
- So many neat little touches, it's obvious that this was built by enthusiasts and not marketers or the like (I.e. The multi-fan port, Sleeved Extension Cable for CPU power is included, thumbscrews everywhere, matching interior/exterior, LEDs lighting rear I/O ports, integrated but removable dust filters, and so forth)
- NZXT makes it almost too easy to have a professional looking build with their own individually Sleeved Extension Cables in a multitude of colors, matching black&white fans in 120mm and 140mm with up to 110cfm of airflow, excellent fan controller options, and so forth
- The white HALE90 series of Power Supplies match the case perfectly and are themselves very solid units
My "Cons":
- Would have liked to be able to fit a 3x140 radiator thicker than 30mm up top in push/pull without having to cut into the case
- It could really use just one more 5.25 bay (top is unusable with rad, fan controller takes up another, and one/two bay res takes up the rest; the only options for an ODD in this situation is either an external drive or one of the Silverstone 5.25 bay device that fits one slim slot type ODD and 4x 2.5 drives; the 2nd option is nice as it means that taking out bays for bottom rads will still leave storage space... But I would have liked to see such a thing come with the case)
- The top vents are kinda cheap feeling
- Limited options for mounting a water pump and reservoir if not using a bay unit; I have a Swiftech Micro Res v2 and I am struggling to figure out where it will fit, much less a pump (I want to have the bottom open for a single or dual rad)
Overall, the pros outweigh the cons by a significant margin, and I would buy the case again, and I would (and do) recommend it to anyone looking for a case. Two friends, one with a Cosmos II and the other with an 800D, both liquid cooled, think that they would have been able to make a better loop in a Switch 810 than their respective cases (Cosmos II has been significantly modded to fit 2x360mm rads, and the 800D has been altered significantly for inclusion of 1x420mm and 1x360mm rads).
I would really like to see NZXT provide even more support for the modding community by offering individual components of the case for sale. I personally would like to be able to buy a second top so that I can cut it up (add hex-mesh where the vents are), a second front panel (again, cut out space in front of fans for mesh), and a second set of 5.25 bays so that I can cut out room for a 60mm rad in push/pull. That way, I have all the original parts in pristine condition and my warranty is intact, and the resale value doesn't take a giant hit, but I am still able to modify the case.
Another option I would like to see is a Power Supply Cover, both plain and with mounting provisions for pump(s) and reservoirs. It would be very well received, I think, and eliminate the difficult choice in mounting options (as in there aren't many).
That is my perspective on the case.
