I’ve never been a huge fan of aquarium-style PC cases. You know the type, the cases with front and side glass panels and air intake coming from side-facing fans. Yes, they look nice, but I always fear that thermals will suffer. With its unique design and promise of good airflow, the NZXT H6 Flow RGB would be my first foray into the world of dual-chamber PCs, and I can’t say that I was disappointed. Read on to discover why the NZXT H6 Flow RGB has left such an excellent first impression.
Specifications
- Current Price: $134.99 (Amazon)
- Case Type: Dual-Chamber Mid-Tower
- Color: Black or White
- Dimensions (HxWxD): 435mm x 287mm x 415mm (17.13in x 11.3in x 16.34in
- Weight: 9.4kg (20.72lbs)
- Motherboard Support: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
- Max GPU Length: 365mm
- Fan Support
- Front-Right: 3 x 120mm (3 x F120 RGB Core included)
- Top: 3 x 120mm / 2 x 140mm
- Rear: 1 x 120mm
- Bottom: 2 x 140mm
- Max CPU Cooler Height: 163mm (6.42in)
- Radiator Support
- Top: Up to 360mm
- Rear: 120mm
- Front I/O Ports: 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1 x Audio Jack
- Drive Bays: 2 x 2.5”, 1 x 3.5”
- Warranty: 2 Years
NZXT H6 Flow RGB - Design and Features
With its dual-chamber design, the H6 Flow maximizes internal visibility with an all-glass front and side panel. NZXT has opted to go without a support beam at the front left of the case, so a small seam where the two pieces of glass meet is the only obstruction of your view into the case. For those worried about structural integrity, the front glass fits into a small groove at the bottom of the case and is attached at the top of the case with five small screws. Even without the glass in place, the frame could hold a 360mm radiator and fans without any sag, and I could put a decent amount (very unscientific, I know) of force on the frame before it started to yield. With all of the glass in place, the case feels very sturdy, though I wouldn’t want to push it by placing any substantial amount of weight on the top.
As you work your way around the case, you'll see the same level of quality you'd find on the rest of NZXT's H-Series cases. The frame is solid, and each panel fits snugly in place. As mentioned, the front glass panel sits in a small groove and screws in at the top. The side glass also sits in a groove, but the top is held in place with a couple of ball and grommet sockets, with only a single thumb screw needed to hold it permanently in place. The remaining panels - the fan cover, top, and right cover - are all held in place with ball and grommet sockets, with the right side panel getting the same single screw treatment as the glass side.
The input/output panel is integrated into the one-inch thick bottom of the case. The panel includes a power switch, three USB ports (two Type-A and one Type-C), and an audio jack. With more peripherals shipping with a USB C to C cable, I really would have liked to see a second USB Type-C port here instead of two Type-A. Functionally, though, I like the panel being at the bottom of the case. Any I/O cords can be routed under the case instead of having them hanging down from a top port, and the bottom location means the panel doesn't pull your eyes away from the main attraction - the case's solid glass front.
The other standout feature of the H6's design is the positioning of the case’s intake fans. A departure from the side-facing fans of a typical dual chamber - or fish tank case, if you will, like the Lian Li O11D or NZXT’s own H9 Elite- the H6 Flow’s three intake fans are stacked at a 45-degree angle in the right front corner of the case. While the atypical placement does leave the top of the case as the sole location to place up to a 360mm radiator (you can also fit a 120mm radiator on the back panel), angling the fans does give a less restricted path for air to flow into the case.
Thanks to the H6 Flow’s dual chamber design, there is also room to add two 140mm fans (not included) at the bottom of the case. Unlike the gimmicky fan built into the bottom of the NZXT H5, these two fans mount horizontally directly underneath the graphics cards. As GPUs have grown in length and thickness, many mid-tower case designs have had problems getting fresh air to the GPUs. Even without fans installed to maximize the air intake, the perforated bottom of the H6 Flow helps to ensure old air isn't recirculated into the GPU.
The top of the case is large enough to fit three 120mm or two 140mm fans. Up to a 360mm radiator can also be placed along the top of the case. Although I had no issues fitting my 360mm radiator in the case, I had issues fitting in a 280mm radiator. I ran into interference from the motherboard’s heatsinks when trying to center the 280mm rad. The only way I could fit it in was to move it all the way to the front of the case, and I didn’t like the asymmetrical look. As for air coolers, with 163mm of clearance, all but the largest air coolers will fit inside the H6 Flow.
Because of the front fan placement, the second chamber of the H6 Flow RGB is short on space compared to other dual-chamber setups. The PSU compartment is positioned above a removable drive bay at the rear of the chamber and can hold up to a 200mm long power supply. The drive bay is almost an afterthought and is only able to hold a single 3.5” drive and two 2.5” drives. This may have been an issue six or seven years ago, but with the move towards NVMe drives, this is probably just fine for the enthusiast builder; I can’t remember the last time I didn’t remove the 3.5” bays from a build.
NZXT H6 Flow RGB - Installation and Cabling
The front chamber of the H6 Flow is a builder's dream space. Even without removing the front panel, there is ample room to work with. I didn’t have trouble getting my hands into any corner of the case, and I was able to install the motherboard, GPU, and AIO cooler without a single drop of blood loss. My only real issue was with the cabling at the bottom of my ATX board. The full-sized board sits right at the cable slots, so getting the cables to pass through and then immediately bend to go into the ports. Fortunately, USB and RGB cables aren’t known to catch fire like 12VHPWR cables, and once everything was in place, the small spacing makes for a very clean look.
I didn’t have the same issue with cabling along the top or front of the motherboard. The top of the case has ample room to work in, and most of it ends up being covered up by an AIO cooler if you go that route. And although it is weird to see an NZXT case without the iconic cable bar, the angled panel allows for easy cabling with only a minimal amount of the cable showing when all is said and done.
Moving around to the back chamber, cable management is a mixed bag. The reduced size of the back chamber does create a challenge, leaving you with less space to manage extra PSU and fan cables. NZXT hasn’t done much to mitigate the problems, either. There are several velcro straps along the top and side cable runs, but there aren’t any plastic channels to help hold things together, leaving the user to use extra zip ties (several are included with the case) or additional velcro ties to tidy things up.
You can help yourself out by choosing as small a power supply as possible and going with fully modular cables if you can. I don’t have any SSD or mechanical drives in my system anymore, so I was able to remove the hard drive cage, which turned out to be a lifesaver in the end. I didn’t have what I would consider an easy time cleaning up my cable runs, but at the end of the day, I was able to get everything nice and tidy.
Final Thoughts
I am very happy with the H6 Flow RGB. NZXT has found a way to keep the minimalist look of its H-Series lineup and add a little oomph to make the H6 Flow RGB stand out from the crowd.
If you’re looking to show off all of your expensive hardware and RGB, you will be hard-pressed to find a better case. The spacious front chamber gives you plenty of space with minimal cables showing. For those who want clean cabling on the back side of the case - even though you can’t see it anyway - it can be done in the H6 Flow; you’ll just have to spend more time than usual to get clean runs.
Some RGB enthusiasts may not like the way the angled front fans give less of an in-your-face shine than the side-facing fans of other dual-chamber cases. I personally like how the subdued glow acts as an accent that doesn’t overpower the view of the actual hardware; I don’t like staring directly at the sun, either. Just be prepared to add some extra fans to light up the entire case if that’s what you are looking for.
The H6 Flow RGB isn’t just a showpiece, either. The angled front fans do a great job of pushing air deep into the case, and the bottom air intake does wonders in reducing hotspots around the GPU. I didn’t have the time to do a complete suite of testing on the H6 Flow, but a quick Cinebench R20 and 3D Mark run looked promising. My CPU ran about 2? cooler than it did in my previous case, an NZXT H7 Flow. As for the GPU, my RTX 3080 was able to sustain a 210MHz boost (2175MHz) at 55?, with the limiting factor being max voltage. I have never hit that with any closed case, with temperatures always being the limiting factor in the past. Again, this wasn’t a full set of tests, so take it for what it is, but I will call this a success.
