The H5 Flow has been a staple design for NZXT over the past couple of years. First released in 2022, the H5 Flow has been hailed by many a PC builder as a top-tier case entry for NZXT. With a smart airflow design and a unique angled fan system, the H5 Flow offered an effective cooling system. With solid clearance for most full-size GPUs and coolers, the H5 had several things going for it.
Always forward-thinking, NZXT is looking at what made the H5 great and working hard to refine and improve the existing design to offer even better airflow and cooling. Enter the newly redesigned H5 Flow, an improved version of the existing 2022 model. The newly released 2024 edition comes in two flavors, the standard H5 Flow (the focus of this review) and the H5 Flow RGB. Offering a new take on the mesh side walls, PSU shroud and fan layout, the H5 Flow 2024 aims to offer a solid improvement over the original design. Will the new redesign be enough to justify this latest rendition of the H5 Flow? Grab that coffee and find out in our NZXT H5 Flow PC Case review.
Specifications
- Current Price: $94.99 (NZXT)
- Motherboard support: E-ATX (up to 277mm wide), ATX, Micro ATX, Mini-ITX
- Enclosure Type: Mid-Tower
- Dimensions: 18.31” H x 8.86” W x 16.9” D
- Weight: 16.04Lbs
- CPU Cooler Height: Up to 175mm
- GPU Length: Up to 425mm
- PSU Length Up to 200mm
- Drive Bays: 2x 2.5”, 1x 3.5”
- Fan Support: FRONT 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm; TOP 2x 120mm or 2x 140mm; BOTTOM 2x 120mm; 1x 120mm
- Radiator Support: FRONT up to 360mm; TOP up to 240mm or 280mm with low profile RAM
H5 Redesigned
The H5 Flow 2022 offered some standard options for its time with a front, top and bottom mesh panel design to help create key airflow points. While many of these make a return, the 2024 iteration takes this design and adds a new, tighter mesh screen in these locations as well as over the PSU shroud and lower backplane cover panel. Referred to as the ultra-fine mesh system, the idea is to create a better airflow system while also doubling as a dust filter.
The redesigned panels look quite sharp and with the addition of the lower side panel mesh (both front and back), the new H5 Flow offers more points of entry for air intake and exhaust. Gone also is the unique angled fan located in the lower front section (in front of the PSU shroud) of the H5 Flow 2022 and in its place is a wholly new design. While the original PSU shroud was a solid metal construction effectively isolating the PSU from the rest of the system, the H5 Flow 2024 opts to leverage a mesh shroud over the PSU for better airflow.
To further increase airflow, two 120mm fans can be mounted to the top of the shroud and act as additional intakes for the main chamber specifically targeting the GPU increasing the overall active cooling pushed to the hardware. Thanks to the aforementioned lower mesh side walls these fans can pull in additional airflow from the sides of the case. It's a smart design and adds to the already sleek aesthetic. An interesting note on the front side wall is that it is angled and while it does look unique it's also built to help further optimize airflow intake for the system.
Another improvement for the H5 is a redesign of the front panel enabling it to support up to a 360mm cooler, up from the previous 280mm housing of the previous generation. This is a theme throughout this redesign as NZXT is trying to leverage every square inch of the case to optimize hardware installation. The H5 Flow 2024 can also house a larger GPU up to 425mm over the 365mm. More impressive is that they managed to increase hardware capacity while maintaining relatively the same dimensions.
The overall redesign of the H5 Flow offers a refined airflow system and better housing for hardware and still manages to maintain its compact and efficient design. It's a solid redesign that allows the H5 Flow to maintain some of the key features that made it stand out during its original release while also offering up some new and innovative ways to build on the existing design.
Build and Function
One of the key elements that made the original H5 Flow so well received was its balancing act of compact physical size while also allowing for full-size hardware installation. As previously stated, NZXT has doubled down on this concept. The 2024 H5 Flow once again manages to offer a relatively compact design while also leaving enough room to install some impressive components.
During the installation, there were no notable issues installing the motherboard or cooler. While I did dry fit a 360mm cooler in the front panel slot for testing (no problem installing it by the way), for this build I opted to go with the Dark Rock Pro 5 air cooler mostly because it is huge and I wanted to see how it fit in a more compact case. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was still lots of room on all sides to plug in the various power and comms cables. Even the CPU power cable, which is always interesting to snake up through the backplane and over the top of the motherboard, still had enough clearance in the H5 Flow.
As for mounting the PSU in its housing and running cables, NZXT has done a great job of leaving lots of clearance on the backside of the backplane for easy cable management. Even after running all the aforementioned cables, it was exceptionally easy to close the back panel. As for running cables to the bottom and sides of the motherboard, It was a fairly straightforward affair with one notable annoyance.
While there was great clearance on the bottom of the motherboard, the side that handles motherboard power, Sata cables, etc, has a slick-looking cover that hides most of the cable. It is detachable for easy installation of said cables but requires removing a few screws and must be done before installing the GPU as the cover sits behind it when everything is buttoned up. Forgetting to do it in that order, however, can be a pain (or so I am told… of course I did it right the first time) and can cause some frustration as when the cover is on, feeding cables becomes much more tedious. It's a small annoyance but if sharing it saves someone some pain, it's a note worth making.
The H5 Flow also comes stock with two F120Q fans (like the original H5), one positioned for exhaust on the rear panel and one for intake on the front panel. The H5 Flow RGB opts for the F360 RGB core single-frame fan instead of the front intake fan. The F120Q fans work quite well and offer a quiet cooling option. While I will eventually install additional intake and exhaust fans, for this initial build I opted to work with the provided cooling system.
In the NZXT internal tests, they noted a 2-4 degree difference in CPU and GPU cooling between the 2022 and 2024 models of the H5 Flow. While I didn’t have an original 2022 model to pull data from, I did notice in testing with the single intake and exhaust fans that the system had no notable issues with cooling. GPU and CPU temperatures were well within their normal range and even the air being exhausted out the rear panel wasn’t notable hot.
The reality is that the H5 Flow had previously excelled at airflow especially considering its compact design. This new redesign with the additional fan mounting points along with the new mesh design and airflow access points simply refines an already excellent design. At the moment it is one of the better compact designs I’ve worked with and one of the easier ones I’ve built in.
Final Thoughts
The NZXT H5 Flow is a smart redesign of an already excellent case. It offers some solid upgrades in the form of new PSU shroud and fan mounting points. The fact that NZXT managed to make even more space for hardware while maintaining the same relative size is another impressive feat of engineering and treads dangerously close to full TARDIS status. Overall, the H5 Flow 2024 Edition is a solid upgrade and worth considering in your next build if you’re looking for a compact, sleek design that still has room for all your favorite hardware.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.
