The NZXT 8 500: A Worthy Successor to the Iconic S340 Case

As we welcome our Channel, I'm excited to dive into the latest addition to the NZXT family - the 8 500 case. As a fan of tech testers, I'll be sharing my hands-on experience with this new case, which promises to deliver on its predecessor's design and quality while introducing some exciting improvements.

One of the standout features of the 8 500 is its affordability, priced at an impressive €80 (approximately $90 USD). This makes it an attractive option for those looking to upgrade their gaming rig without breaking the bank. The case stays true to the same concept as its predecessor, the S340, which was one of the first cases to introduce the PSU shroud that removed optical drives, showing us that quality and design don't have to come at a high price.

The 8 500's exterior design is minimalist, with no optical drives in sight. This focus on simplicity allows for a clean and uncluttered look, making it an excellent choice for those who value aesthetics. The case is made entirely out of metal, giving it a premium feel that belies its affordable price tag. One notable detail is the absence of gaps or inconsistencies on the front side, showcasing attention to detail in every aspect.

The interior of the 8 500 also receives high marks, with clean lines and ample space for airflow. The half-glass design on one side adds a touch of sophistication, while the opening for the top fan ensures that heat is efficiently dissipated. One area where the case falls short is in its cable management system, which, although well-designed, might not accommodate custom cables.

In terms of compatibility, the 8 500 can fit a full ATX motherboard, as well as air coolers up to 165 millimeters tall. The top fan mounts support both 120mm and 140mm fans, while the GPU bracket accommodates only 38cm-long cards with space for radiator sizes up to 280mm. Storage options are also available on the PSU shroud, featuring two brackets for SSDs and mechanical hard drives in the bottom of the case.

Now, let's talk about some of the components that came with our test build: an NZXT 7 Motherboard (a bit of a stretch, given its age), Intel Core i7-8700K CPU, Kraken X52 CPU cooler, Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB RGB Memory, GT X1080 from Asus as the GPU, and a custom NZXT power supply. When it comes to performance, many cases receive criticism for being closed boxes with limited airflow. Fortunately, the 8 500 performs admirably, showcasing only a 5°C Delta in CPU and GPU temperatures during testing.

Finally, if you're looking for a case that checks all the right boxes - quality, affordability, and design - then the NZXT 8 500 is certainly worth considering. Its robust build quality, ample space for customization, and impressive performance make it an excellent choice for any builder. So, what do you think about the 8 500? Share your thoughts in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi guys this is not a from tech testers and welcome to our Channel today I'm going to be taking a look at the brand-new NZXT case the aged 500 non Iverson buzzed again the NZXT 8 500 is the successor of the iconic NZXT s340 case now this case deserves some respect it was one of the first cases that introduced the PSU shroud that remove the optical drives that showed us that you can have a good quality case with a brilliant design without spending a ton of money and the 8 500 stays true to the same concept it comes at 80 euros which is respectively 80 US dollars and that makes it a very affordable case and it follows the same as 340 basics it comes with a PSU shroud doesn't have any optical drives it is very minimalistic outside as well as inside and you see it has that half glass design on the side even though that's considered a cost-cutting measure it looks really good now the quality of this case is pretty decent considering the price it is made completely out of metal the edges in the corners are done really nicely there's no gaps there's no inconsistencies on the front side which is very simple the only thing we can notice is a very discreet as the XT logo and on the top in the front part we can see a power button there is USB 3 connections as well as the audio connections in the back we have an opening for the fan the top fan which can be a 120 or 140 millimeter fan now the right side of the case is also very simple the only thing it has its openings for ventilation as well and that makes it the only place where this case gets air from and on the left side we have the half glass design which I really really like especially how it opens and closes without any hassle so the instant of the case is also pretty clean it's pretty much a canvas for your own creation it fits a full ATX motherboard it can fit any air cooler as long as it's under 165 millimeters tall it can fit an all-in-one water cooler up to 280 millimetres radiator size on the top it fits in one 20 or 140 millimeter fan in the back if it's a 120 millimeter found only for the GPU there is 38 centimeters of space minus the space you need for the radiator and the fans of your water cooler okay let's look at the storage possibilities for this case on the PSU shroud we have two brackets for SSDs and in the bottom of the case we have two slots for mechanical hard drives which is pretty much enough for most of people the hard drive cage seems like an afterthought it doesn't have any easy-to-use drive trays and installing them can be pretty annoying especially if you do it after installing your power supply we also see that there isn't any dampening going on and that means that if you have a very loud hard disk it might resonate through okay let's look at a bill here and we went for the NZXT and seven motherboard which is a bit ridiculous because it's a 300 year old motherboard but it actually makes sense because this is a 8 500 and non eversion now the difference between the non I and the I version is that this one does not come with a smart hub and this motherboard actually has the same functionality as the smart hub of the I cases let's look at the rest of the parts we have the intel i7 8700 k cpu we have an kraken X 52 CPU cooler we have a 32 gigabytes of coarser vendors for RGB memory we have some air fans to make everything nice and RGB we have GT X 1080 from Asus as a GPU and we have and actually NZXT power supply here that you sadly cannot see in the back of the cable management system is designed well and it will fit any typical system you might build into this case but if you plan on using any custom cables keep in mind that they might not fit into the canals made specially for cable management let's talk about the performance of this case many cases receive criticism for being closed boxes and 8500 falls into the same category it only has one strip on the side for the intake but we built a pretty high-powered system here with an 8700 K and a GTX 780 and the case performed pretty well we noticed only a 5 degree Delta in both CPU and GPU and the full load which means they were only 5 degrees warmer 5 degrees Celsius warmer then on the test bench and considering this is such a closed case that's a pretty good result which means that if you use any combination of the CPU and a GPU you don't have to worry about the cooling possibilities of this case to conclude 8500 is a great eighth year case it has decent quality it comes in various colors it is big enough to fit any typical consumer system but not too big to look silly on your desk it performs really well and it is a worthy successor of the NZXT s340 now when it comes to cases everything is about looks so if this is the design you're going for definitely consider this case for your next build so this is it guys for this video I hope you enjoyed it tell us what you think about the case in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe bye you\n"