NZXT H500 Airflow

[LukeMurtagh1995]

Hello all,

I am currently deciding between the Meshify S2 and the NZXT H500. I really like the appearance of the second but realise the first will have better air cooling capabilities. I have however seen reviews of the H500 which shows that the cooling isn’t too far behind that of the Meshify S2. Despite this I have been advised on other forums that going for the H500 would be a disaster. Could anyone explain to me why this would be? I realise the H500 would give me higher temps but are they going to be so high I will run into thermal throttling? If the the temps were so bad wouldn’t stress tests by reviewers show this?

Edit: In some tests, for example those conducted by GamersNexus, the H700 (which is really just an enlarged H500) actually did better than the Meshify S2.

Second Edit: If the H500 wouldn’t give good airflow would the H700 be a better choice?

Specs:
CPU: i7-9700K.
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15.
Motherboard: Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero (WiFi).
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200.
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO 500GB M.2 SSD and Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD.
GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080TI 11GB FTW 3 Ultra.
PSU: Corsair RM1000i 1000W 80+ Gold.
Case: Corsair 780T.

Thanks.

 

[exiledscouser]

I'm having the same decision as you, i've also got the Corsair 275r on my list which someone on here recommended. From some Gamersnexus reviews the for CPU temp the H500 runs about 7°C above ambient warmer than the Meshify S2 both in stock configs. The H500 is a prettier case but I think I'm leaning towards the Meshify as i think i can live with the looks. I like minimalist understated cases.

I'm looking to transplant my system to a new case so it has to comfortably hold my 280mm AIO CPU cooler, it doesn't fit properly in my current case due to RAM clearance issues so it's a bit of a bodge job that I really should fix. Space is an issue so mid-tower cases are the biggest I want to go with

 

[malccy]

I recently built with the H500i and although it looks great, cable management great etc the cooling setup is not the best. Putting two 120 mm fans in the front of case makes zero impact to the cooling. This is not just my experience but also many peoples. I would say though that with 2 x 120mm fans at front, 1 x 120 mm at back and 1 x 120 mm at the top my 8700 i7 runs at 4.2ghz (all time) and is p[resently at 42 degrees with my 1080 ti sitting at 23 degrees. In a way I have just contradicted myself but overall I think the case is not worst for cooling but the front ventilation could be improved upon. Hope this helps.

 

[Disco_P]

Any consideration towards the phanteks p600s? Would definitely be my next case if the pc-o11 dynamic didn't exist

 

[McPhee]

There's nothing "wrong" with the airflow in the H500. It just requires a bit of experimentation to work out how best to set up the airflow for your components. Some people have had better success with front intakes and rear/top exhaust, others with front/top intakes and rear exhaust, and some with just the rear exhaust fans.

Pretty much every case that strays from the front intake, rear exhaust norms gets trashed by people who can't look beyond that convention. Ignore it. If reviews show the case to have adequate (best-in-class isn't really necessary for most) airflow and its the one you like aesthetically, then buy it.

 

[Disco_P]

This GN video has comparison between most of the cases mentioned here, written article too: https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwrevie...al-rgb-case-review-airflow-mesh-panel-testing

 

[raptor4216]

I've had the H500i for about 6 months and really like it, looks great and easy to build in. I started with the default 2 exhaust fans negative pressure setup and have since added 2 more fans to the front but temps stayed roughly the same. I will probably go back to the 2 exhaust setup soon but with some better third party fans to quieten it down a bit. I've not got any crazy high end / high heat parts in there but am running a 6600K with a modest overclock and it never goes above 50 degrees.

People with extreme overclocks and most youtube reviews of the H500 moan about the lack of front airflow but IMO normal users are unlikely to have any issues.

 

[VoG]

Well it's a cheap enough case so worst comes to the worst just mod the front to increase air flow, i have, ive got a 9700K @ 4.8 ( iffy air cooler ) & an RTX2070S in mine & thought it best to sort the air flow out.