NZXT’s latest cases in the H range have taken their inspiration from both the previous H spec cases and their S340 line, creating a mid tower case that has a lot of extra features and some great space-saving and air-flow options.

The new H series cases come in two flavours; the standard H210 and the H210i. The difference comes in the ‘CAM-powered’ i model, which features NZXT’s lighting and fan controller on the case itself, alongside fans and LED strips built in that are ready to use with full RGB control.

The first thing you’ll notice, though, will be the great looking tempered glass side that attaches via a single thumb screw in the back of the case and sits flush with the case, making it easy to take off but also making it look flush with the case and more streamlined than previous models. With a smooth black front and no fancy designs elsewhere, the whole case ends up looking streamlined.

Venting is dealt with by a square section on the top of the case and the usual vents at the back. 2 fans are already included in the top and one at the back, with the H210i model housing RGB fans. The bottom of the case contains a PSU shroud that runs along the whole of the length and is also well ventilated, with holes at the bottom and the top.

The case is built with Mini-ITX motherboards in mind, being a mid tower (at 210 mm x 349 mm x 372 mm), but many motherboards are coming out in this size now since there seems to be a need for smaller cases. Still, this gives you a nice sized case with plenty of options to move existing builds to it or choose from a wider range of motherboards for a new build.

On top you’ll find clues to the fact that this is a current generation case, with the inclusion of a Type-A USB 3.1 port sitting next to the more standard Type C port and Headset audio jack.

Inside, two Aer F120mm fans are included for better airflow and two can be fitted in the front, with a dust filter included for good measure. As with previous H models, the cable management is impressive. There are bars that run through the PSU casing and up the back of the case, hiding all cables from view in all but a few areas. This is something I’ve found from almost all the NZXT cases I’ve used and I’m equally impressed with the H210 cable management.

Unlike the larger cases, like the H700, there is no room for a full size water cooler in the top of the case, but you can slide a half-size one (two fans width) in the front in place of case fans and there’s a useful slot and bracket to enable you to do this, Again, this will depend on the motherboard you use and things are still a little cosy, but it may be worth doing if you want to overclock your CPU.

Smart functions are a big part of the 210i model case and this can support fan speed as well as RGB LED port support with up to 4x HUE 2 addressable LED strips or 5x Aer RGB or Aer RGB 2 fans. It’s an impressive setup when you have all RGB units in the device working together to create a unified effect.

The H210 and H210i are smart and compact and well worth the lower price but for my money I’d recommend the slightly higher priced i model for the integrated Smart fan and RGB management and the included LED strip. Either model, though, will give you an impressive and neat build.