NZXT Switch 810 review

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Verdict:

It’s a veritable behemoth, but the Switch 810 has everything you could want from a case

Review Date: 20 Feb 2012

Price when reviewed: £150

Supplier: http://www.ebuyer.com

Reviewed By: Tom Morgan

Our Rating 5 stars out of 5

ExpertReviews Award

It’s not the most subtle of designs, but NZXT’s Switch 810 full tower has just about everything you could want from a computer case.

Its expansive exterior has four external 5.25in drive bays, including one hot-swappable hard disk caddy and one optical drive cover to preserve the styling. The front I/O panel contains two USB3 ports, two regular USB2 ports, an SD card reader and twin audio jacks, as well as a button to turn on a light at the back of the case, which is great if the case is kept in a dark place, such as under a desk.

Inside, there’s room for six 2.5in or 3.5in disk drives, and these can be installed within tool-free drive caddies. The Switch 810’s cable management is impeccable. Each pre-cut hole is protected by a rubber grommet and all the internal cables are suitably long, which means that perfectionists will have no trouble keeping their system tidy.

Cooling performance is also top-notch, with the cavernous interior being cooled by four 140mm fans. There’s room for a further six fans, or a combination of fans and water cooling radiators. A slotted roof can be adjusted to provide more effective cooling or less noise, but in practice we didn’t notice much difference between the two.

At £150 it’s a very expensive case, especially considering the amount of plastic used in its construction (without a fan controller the noise could be a problem), but its impeccable layout and small design touches are hard to fault. If you’re looking for a new home for a high-end system, the Switch 810 could be just what you need. Although the Corsair Carbide 500R is a great alternative for less.

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