NZXT Switch 810
Mar 25th, 2012 | By ChrisRemoving the side panel requires taking out three thumbscrews, and then popping the panel out as you would with nearly any other case. Both side panels function this way. Inside, the Switch’s white paint scheme flows smoothly throughout the solid aluminum structure. Rubber grommets pucker the motherboard tray; cable management will be a breeze, ensuring the Switch maintains its clean lines and modern conservatism. There is the strong impression that plenty of thought was put into the construction. Placed in the center on the backside of the motherboard tray is a unique addition that will soon to become a simple favorite of mine – a seven three-pin fan hub, powered via a four-pin Molex connector.
Starting at the front, the three 5.25″ optical drive bays lay vacant with their locking mechanisms dormant, and the 3.5″ SATA hot swap bay. Below that sits two removable hard drive caddies – both capable of containing three hard drives. One fan mount resides on each of these caddies (one fan is included with the Switch), and can be rotated upwards to provide directional cooling.
At the rear, we again see the included movable 140mm fan (an alternate 120mm fan may also be installed here), the four rubber grommets for liquid cooling tube routing, and the nine I/O slots secured via thumbscrews.
The top of the chassis is the main heat exhaust, giving any enthusiast the option to install three 120mm or 140mm fans – one 140mm is already included. In order to install a fan towards the front, above the 5.25″ bays, the top two 5.25″ bays must be removed. This is easily done by removing two screws and sliding these removable bays out, and gives adequate room to install a 360mm LCS radiator up to 65mm thick, granted there is only a single row of fans installed.
The power supply is to be set on elevated rubber pads to help alleviate vibration. There is support for two more 120mm or 140mm intake fans along the bottom, but the bottom hard drive caddy must be removed first. There is huge potential to install a 240mm LCS radiator here, if any enthusiast concluded that a triple radiator at the top of the chassis is not enough.
Now that we know how the interior feels like, let’s install the system and see how easy it is.