It's inexpensive and not a bad looker, but this case's build quality lets it down
Written By
Published on 30 March 2013
To help us provide you with free impartial advice, we may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site. Learn more
1 / 4
Our rating
Reviewed price £39 inc VAT
The NZXT Source 210 Elite isn’t a bad-looking case, but its build quality is decidedly budget.
Its front panel is fairly minimal, with just one USB3 and one USB2 port and separate headphone and microphone jacks nestled above the case’s three 5.25in external drive bays. It was a struggle to get our optical drive into the 5.25in bays, as it was such a tight fit we had to knock the drive in with the heel of our hand. The tool-less drive retaining clips feel very flimsy and cheap.
The case has eight internal 3.5in drive bays, but there’s not enough room for graphics cards longer than 280mm. The drive bays’ tool-less mounts held our hard disk firmly in place, and there’s room in front of the drive cages for another couple of cooling fans. The case comes with two fans preinstalled, one large 140mm fan on the top and a smaller 120mm fan on the rear, but there’s room for to seven fans in total if you need additional cooling.
Inside, we liked the case’s folded-over edges to cut down on sharp surprises for your hands, and its pre-cut cable holes are useful for routing cables effectively to improve airflow, but most of the case’s internals are made from thin metal and have a lot of flex in them.
The Source 210 Elite is cheap, but it feels compromised. The SilverStone RL01 is a superior case and is cheaper, while the Corsair Carbide 200R is worth the extra few pounds.
Written by
Katharine Byrne
When Katharine's not glued to her Wii U and 3DS, she's usually found darting between tiny smartphones and huge pieces of home cinema equipment.She’s tested everything from laptops and monitors to motherboards and projectors, but she currently specialises in smartphones, games and AV.
The best external hard drives you can buy Whether you need a drive for backups or extra space for apps, games and files, these external hard drives provide the storage boost you need
