Does NZXT H2 have cooling issues?

[Maxert]

First of, Hello everyone! This is my first post. Everytime I search for PC hardware and stuff on google, Tomshardware comes up on my search list so i decided that it's a good community to discuss things. =]
------------------------------

NZXT's H2 is a real beauty. I know there're alot of people who will suggest me Define R3. But beauty is subjective and H2 really caught my attention.

But Cooling as well as Beauty is my priority. I feel that cooling might be a problem?

1. No side fan mounts. Fully enclosed sides.
2. 2 fans in the front are blocked by the door (i know there's ventilation but i'm pretty sure it could be potential problem)
3. Noise dampening foams. Heat are 'cushioned' and stored inside the case, instead of conducted away from the metal cases. (This one's just my theory, not sure if this makes sense)


There are so much things in the H2 that i love, and mostly because of dust filters for all intake vents, dust is an issue for me.

If I were to have installed all fans in every possible place. Have Cooler Master 212 Evo on CPU and possibly a GTX Kepler midrange card (GTX 650, 660 (Ti?) , 670 (Ti?) or Fermi 560 Ti, from good brands that has dual fan cooling options (Hawk, Direct CU II, ect)

Is H2 going to stay cool?

I might have to turn my PC on for 6-10 hours to render some 3D animation (i do it as hobby) and also HD video rendering after done with a project in Premiere.

ps. I still have 1 month to build and research components, I'll take my time to read all of your advice here in Toms Hardware.

God Bless.

=]

 

[Maxert]

Other PC case suggestion are welcome. and I didn't choose H2 for it's silence.

 

[Silvune]

2. The front door can be moded to increase the amount of air that can be drawn through the bottom of the door.
See the last page of this review:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/nzxt-h2

3. I seriously doubt that bare metal on side panels with no direct contact with heat producing components has any kind of heat conducting capacity, so I don't think the foam would contribute to a hotter environment in that way.

You didn't say what your CPU is. But apart from that I don't think your system as described will get that hot and has enough self-cooling ability/capacity that you don't need the best airflow/cooling capacity in the world, in terms of case, to keep it all cool enough.
However it is worse than competing cases:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5462/antec-three-hundred-two-stay-cool-budget-enthusiasts/5

I think if you want to avoid dust then getting a case with side fan mounts can be counter-intuitive because they rarely come with dust filters. And possibly adding dust filters spoils the look of the case.
On the other hand if you are going for a positive pressure airflow system (where more air is forced into the case than is exhausted) then having more intake fans might help.

Silverstone Temjin TJ04-E (cheaper alternative Kublai KL04).
Cooler Master CM 690 II (Advanced, Lite) and derivatives:
Rosewill Blackhawk, Enermax Fulmo (Basic and Advanced), Nexus Prominent R, Anidees AI6, Gelid Darkforce...
NZXT Tempest 410 Elite shares same internal design as the H2 and has the same front fan mounting and dust filter system, more orientated towards cooling.
Xigmatek Midgard II.
Corsair Obsidian 550D, 650D.
Antec Solo II, P183 V3.
Fractal Design Arc Midi.
Always worth looking at Lian Li / Lancool cases in your price range.

 

[Maxert]

2. The front door can be moded to increase


You didn't say what your CPU is.
.
.
.

Silverstone Temjin TJ04-E (cheaper alternative Kublai KL04).
Cooler Master CM 690 II (Advanced, Lite) and derivatives:
Rosewill Blackhawk, Enermax Fulmo (Basic and Advanced), Nexus Prominent R, Anidess AI6, Gelid Darkforce...
NZXT Tempest 410 Elite shares same internal design as the H2 and has the same front fan mounting and dust filter system, more orientated towards cooling.
Xigmatek Midgard II.
Corsair Obsidian 550D, 650D.
Antec Solo II, P183 V3.
Fractal Design Arc Midi.
Always worth looking at Lian Li / Lancool cases in your price range.

Thanks, My CPU will be the i5 ivy bridge, if I loose patience it's going to be i5 2500K.

Thanks for all the Cases, I'm googling them right now to find more info. =]

 

[whatsthatnoise]

I use the H2 for about a year and there's no heat issue at all, even with just the stock fans.

While there is no side fan, there is an optional 120mm bottom and 140mm top fan. Both add a lot of airflow if needed. You can also replace the stock fans with high CFM fans, attached to the fan control. Which enables you to run silent on idle and high airflow on load. That being sad I often forgot to switch the fans from low (40% RPM) to mid (70% RPM) while rendering/gaming and never had a temp issue. I never really used the high setting (100% RPM). Note that I added that bottom and top fan, and replaced the stock fans after a while. Not that they are bad, but if you are willing to spent some money, there are better options available.

Also the "front fans aren't getting enough fresh air myth" is just that ... a myth. No need for modding the case it just works. 😉

Btw, I recently modded my H2, out of curiosity and here's the result. 😀

It's a good case to work with and the dust filters being so easily cleanable is just a godsend.


PS: You can however remove all the tool less drive bays (the black ones) behind the front fans that you are not using for HDDs to get some better airflow, I wouldn't say they are blocking the air coming from the front fans, but they are definitely in the way and if not needed anyway ...