NZXT is progressively becoming one of the more well-known case manufacturers, and with over 20 cases in their lineup it is easy to see why. Today we have one of the mid tower cases in their “Crafted” series, the Hades. The NZXT Hades is a 9-bay mid tower with a mesh front door and plenty of high-CFM fans in addition to its long list of features, which we’ll dive right into.

Features

• Latest Hardware Support: VGA clearance room for 300mm cards like the ATI
  5970.
• CPU Heatsink Clearance: 131.5mm w/ 200mm Sidefan; 165mm w/o side fan.
• Dual 8W per
  channel fan control allows control over the dual 200mm fans that spin up
  to 150 CFM each.
• A three C/F temperature display at front panel allows the user to see
  temperatures inside the chassis even with the door closed. A slant on
  the door allows for easier viewing from above.
• Punched side panel: Besides aesthetics, the side mesh and extrusion
  allows for an even greater ease of wire management on the right side
  panel.
• Wire Routing: Motherboard punched holes allow for quick CPU bracket
  removable and optimal wire routing.
• NZXT Solid State bracket allows for two SSD drives to be installed.
• Pre-drilled water cooling holes on the backplate.
• Front mounted 2 USB, Audio, and E-SATA ports.
• Mounting holes for dual radiator at the top.
• Removable filter at the bottom PSU.

Specifications

• Case Type: Mid Tower Steel
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 200 X 430 X 501 mm / 7.87″ x 16.9″ x 19.7″
• Cooling System:
  • Front: 1 X 200mm red LED (included)
  • Rear: 1 X 120mm (included)
  • Side: 1 x 200mm (included)
  • Top: 2 X 120/140mm (1 include 140mm)
• Drive Bays:
  • 9 Drive Bays
  • 5.25″ : 4 External Drive Bays(9 total Internal)
  • 3.5″ : 4 Internal Drive Mount Brackets(3 when SSD caddy is used)
  • SSD : 2 Via plastic Drive Caddy
• Material: Steel with Black Finish
• Expansion Slots: 7
• Weight: 6.95 kg
• Motherboard Support: ATX / mATX / Baby AT

Looking at the box you can see the product picture next to a close-up of the front red LED fan, with a futuristic skyline background; these are aesthetics that can easily catch anyone’s eye.

On the back of the box you can see the aforementioned features list with two more product pictures; note the quarter-sized hole at the top which indicates it had a fun time in shipping. Let’s take a peek inside and see if anything got harmed.

Looking good — the hole was just above the front of the case the way it was shipped.

The bundle found inside the case offered three small pieces of heat-resistant tape for the thermal sensors, a 4 to 3 pin fan adapter, a four pin speaker, thumb screws and plenty of miscellaneous screws and standoffs. NZXT also generously included several small zip ties for any wire management needs, and 3.5″ to 5.25″ drive adapters with rubber spacers to keep up to four hard drives running quietly.