Building in the NZXT H6 Series

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This guide will go over the process of building in the NZXT H6 Series of cases.  Please keep in mind, the following guide is based on one builder's experiences with parts immediately on hand.  Your build may vary greatly from this, and we would actually encourage it.  If you've got a build you're particularly proud of in your NZXT H6 Series case, please feel free to share it with us over our social media accounts:

Building in the NZXT H6 Series is an incredibly easy, straight forward experience that is not only inviting for first time builders, but incredibly flexible for experienced builders looking to build a statement piece.  For this guide, we'll be taking a look at some key features of the H6 to get you started on your build.

Preparing your Build

Like with any PC build, it is always best to make sure all of your components are properly working before starting in the case.  This can be done by assembling your PC outside of the case, usually on top of your motherboard box in a process called breadboarding.  The main purpose of this is to make sure everything is working before we work in the case just in case a part arrived with an issue that would need to be replaced.

We'll cover breadboarding as a whole in another guide in the future, but the first step here will be the same as breadboarding your PC which will be preparing your motherboard.

Preparing the Motherboard

H6-MB-Prepared.png

It is recommended to prepare your motherboard and any attached components before working in the case as this will make later installs much easier.  This process will usually include the following:

  • Install the CPU into the CPU Socket
  • Install your RAM according to the motherboard user's manual
    • For most two-stick, dual channel configurations you will install the RAM in slots 2 and 4.  For our build, we will be using a four-stick, dual channel configuration.
  • If you are using any M.2 SSDs, install these according to the motherboard user's manual
  • If your CPU cooler includes backplate or special mounting hardware, install this now.
  • If you are using a tower CPU cooler such as the NZXT T120 Series, it is recommended to install your cooler now

With your motherboard prepared, go ahead and set it aside while we prepare the case itself.

Preparing the Case

H6-Exploded-View.png

Unlike with the motherboard where we were adding parts to prepare it, preparing the case itself means to strip it down to basics in order to most effectively access every nook and cranny of the case to make our build as easy as possible.

Start by loosening the retention screws at the rear of the case holding the Left tempered side panel and Right metal side panel.  Please note that these screws are captive screws, so they will not come out once loosened and instead will fall limp once unlocked.  With these screws loosened, we'll remove these two panels by pulling them from the top-rear of the case and set them aside.  For the glass panel, it is recommended to place this on a soft, flat surface to prevent any damage to the panel.

H6-Glass-Warning.pngNote:  Please be careful when removing the left-side tempered glass panel.  The panel slots into the bottom of the case and can shatter if stressed along this edge.

For the Top and Front-Right mesh panels, these will be entirely friction-fit to the case using a set of clips and ball joints.  These can be easily removed by finding an exposed edge where one of the larger panels was removed or using the lip found at the rear and bottom of the case and pulling outward.

H6-Remove-Front.PNG

Finally, we can remove the Front tempered glass from the case in order to gain better access to our internal components during the build.  To do this, unscrew the three screws located along the top edge of the glass panel, followed by the screw at the top-left of the panel outside of the case and lastly the screw at the bottom-right of the panel inside of the case.  Once all 5 screws are removed, lift the panel up to unlock it from the side of the case and remove it.  Like with the Left side panel, it is recommended to place this panel on a soft, flat surface to prevent any damage.

H6-Accessory-Box.jpg

The last thing to remove will be the Drive Cage and Accessory Box from the right chamber of the case.  To do this, loosen the retention screw like you did with the side panels and lift the Drive Cage up to unlock it from the rear of the case and pull it out.  Inside of the Drive Cage, you will find the Accessory Box which will include various screws, fasteners, and zip ties needed for your build.

Installing the Motherboard

With the case and motherboard prepared, the next step is to go ahead and install the motherboard.  Start by checking the case itself to make sure that the right stand-offs are pre-installed.  By default, the NZXT H6 Series cases will be configured for both ATX and ITX motherboards.  If you are using an mATX (Micro ATX) motherboard, you'll need to relocate some of the pre-installed standoffs from the lower mounts labeled to the upper mounts labeled in order to properly mount your motherboard.

IO-Plate-Example.jpg

If your motherboard does not include an integrated I/O plate, you'll need to make sure that this is securely installed to the rear of your case at this step as well by pressing it into the cutout from the inside of the case.  Please be careful when installing an I/O plate, as these are usually made of stamped metal and can be very sharp.

Many motherboards, including our NZXT N Series Motherboards will include an integrated I/O plate, making installation much easier.

H6-MB-Installed.jpg

Line the motherboard up with the I/O plate or cutout at the rear of the case, then lower the motherboard so that the standoffs all properly align with the screw holes on the motherboard.  The NZXT H6 case will include a raised center standoff that will help align the motherboard in place.  Once the motherboard is in place, secure it to the case using the included 6-32 x 5mm mounting screws found in your Accessory Box.

Installing Fans and Radiators

H6-Fan-Compatibility.PNG

The NZXT H6 Series includes a few options for installing fans and radiators in the case, which will be broken down in the chart below:

  Fan Radiator
Front-Right

Up to Three (3) 120 mm fans

No
Top

Up to Three (3) 120 mm fans
or

Up to Two (2) 140 mm fans

120, 240, or 360 mm
or
140 or 280 mm

Rear One (1) 120 mm fan 120 mm
Bottom Up to Two (2) 140 mm fans No

You may also notice that the H6 Series cases will include 3 fans pre-installed in the Front-Right section with the exact model depending on the type of case you have:

  • NZXT H6 Flow - Three (3) NZXT F120Q 120 mm Quiet Airflow Fans (Case Version)
  • NZXT H6 Flow RGB - Three (3) NZXT F120 RGB Core 120 mm Fans (Case Version)

For those who want to go with different fans up front, any standard 120 mm case fans should fit without issue.  For this build, we'll be going with the NZXT F120 RGB Duo 120 mm Fans.  Please keep in mind however that due to the height clearance you cannot install a radiator on the Front-Right section.

H6-Bottom-Fans-Installed.jpg

At the bottom of the case there is space for a pair of 140 mm fans as well to provide a direct flow of cool air directly to the Graphics Card and any other installed expansion cards.  For our build, we'll be going with the NZXT F140 RGB Duo 140 mm Fans.  Like with the Front-Right section, due to a width clearance you cannot install a radiator on the bottom section.

H6-Rear-Fan-Installed.png

At the rear of the case you'll find a single 120 mm fan and radiator mount.  This mount can be used to easily install either a compact 120mm liquid cooler with its appropriate fan(s) or a single 120 mm fan like the NZXT F120 RGB Duo fan to give your system a much appreciated exhaust for hot air.  In addition to this, you'll find a tie-down point to help with cable management for any fans or radiators installed in this section.

H6-AIO-Rad-Installed-Top.jpg
When installing a radiator, it's best to start with opposing corners in an X-shaped pattern to secure the radiator, then do the inner screws.

Lastly, at the top of the case you'll find the top fan mounts.  These will not only support up to three (3) 120 mm fans or two (2) 140 mm fans with no issues, but can also support liquid coolers up to 280 or 360 mm in length.  If you're going with a tower cooler like the NZXT T120 cooler we do recommend leaving this space clear as it can pull fresh air away from the CPU cooler and impact performance, however if you're using a larger AIO cooler then the top mount has plenty of flexibility for most AIO liquid coolers such as our Kraken and Kraken Elite Series.

H6-AIO-Rad-Installed.jpg
Be sure when mounting the fans to the radiator that the cables are facing towards where the rear of the case will be.

For our build, we'll be going with the NZXT Kraken 360 RGB in White, but we'll be swapping out the fans for the F120 RGB Duo Fans like we did earlier to match the rest of the build.

Mounting your AIO Liquid Cooler

While we covered mounting the radiator in the last section and the backplate while preparing the motherboard, we still need to mount the cold plate cap from our cooler to the motherboard itself. 

H6-Thermal-Paste.png

If your cooler does not have pre-applied thermal compound, you'll need to apply an appropriate amount directly onto the Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS) on the CPU.  There are many methods to do this, however the method we'll be using is a pea-sized amount in the center of the IHS.  If you have a new, never installed NZXT Kraken series cooler, you can skip this step because your thermal compound will already be pre-applied and ready to go.

H6-AIO-Screw-Order.png

Make sure that the appropriate mounting hardware is installed on your AIO's cold plate cap (for NZXT Kraken coolers, these will come pre-installed with the Intel mounting ring.  If you have an AMD CPU, please refer to the user's manual for how to swap the mounting ring).  Align the CPU cooler with the standoffs on the motherboard, then secure the cold plate cap according to the user's manual included for the cooler.  For NZXT Kraken series coolers, we recommend securing all four screws loosely to the standoffs, then tightening them in an X-shaped pattern starting from top right, bottom left, top left, and finally bottom right.  Make sure that you only tighten these screws until all four are finger tight as overtightening these screws can result in system instability.

Installing the GPU

H6-Vertical-Vs-Standard.png

Vertical vs Standard GPU Mount

When installing a graphics card or GPU in the H6 Series, you'll have one of two options:

Between the two mounting times, which choice you go with will usually come down to personal preference rather than one of performance.  Vertical Mounting makes it easier to better show off your GPU's fans and faceplate, which can be very attractive for your build depending on the GPU you've gone with.  It is worth keeping in mind however that a Vertical Mount will block any remaining PCIe slots on your motherboard and does require the use of an additional mounting kit (sold separately).

H6-GPU-Prepare.png

When installing the GPU, start by identifying the number of slots that you're going to need for your particular GPU and the slot which lines up with the installed motherboard's top most PCIe slot.  For our build, we'll be using a 2-slot GPU starting with the second slot cover as shown above.  We'll also need to make sure that the plastic mermaid clip located at the right edge of the PCIe slot is open.

H6-GPU-Installed.jpg

Align the GPU with the PCIe slot, then firmly press the card into the slot until the mermaid clip locks into place.  Secure the GPU using the screws removed from the PCIe slot covers and the card should be securely mounted to the case.  Many GPUs may also include supplemental power cables either in the form of one or more 6+2 Pin PCIe cables or a 16-pin 12VHPWR cable (pictured above, our GPU uses a pair of 6+2 cables with only the 6-pin part used on one of the two).

When using the Vertical GPU Mounting Kit, you'll instead need to remove all of the rear PCIe slot covers.  For more information on using the Vertical GPU Mounting Kit, please refer to the product user's manual.

Installing 3.5" and 2.5" Storage Drives

A convenient features of the NZXT H6 series is an easily removable drive cage that can be used to install both a single 3.5" storage drive as well as a pair of 2.5" storage drives.

H6-HDD-Cage-Example.png

When installing drives, make sure that all connectors are facing the open sides of the drive cage.  If you are not planning to use any 3.5" or 2.5" drives within the PC, you can also choose to either re-install the drive cage or leave it removed from the case.

For our build, while we are not using any additional storage drives we will be re-installing the cage in order to hold our NZXT RGB & Fan Controller for the fans we added to the case.

Installing the Power Supply

To install the Power Supply Unit or PSU, start by identifying the type of Power Supply that you are using.  The H6 Series is compatible with most ATX style Power Supplies, which will fall into one of three categories:

  • Modular - All cables from the PSU can be removed and used as necessary.  This allows for easy cable management as you only need to use the cables that are necessary for the build.  This is the type of PSU we will be using for our build.
  • Semi-Modular - Most cables from the PSU can be removed and used as necessary, however key cables such as the 24-pin ATX Power and 4+4pin CPU Power may be integrated to the power supply and not removable.
  • Standard (aka Non-Modular) - All cables from the PSU will be integrated to the unit and not be removable.

Align the PSU so that the fan is facing the outside of the case and the switch and AC power connector are facing the rear of the case.  Using the four PSU mounting screws included either in the case Accessory Box or with the power supply itself, secure the power supply to the case as shown below.

H6-PSU-Rear.jpg

Next we'll need to identify which cables are going to be necessary for our build.  This can be done by checking through all of the hardware we have installed in the PC, so for this build we'll need:

  • One (1) 24-pin ATX Power Cable (to the Motherboard)
  • One (1) 4+4-pin CPU Power Cable (to the Motherboard)
  • Two (2) 6+2-pin PCIe Power Cables (to the GPU)
  • One (1) SATA Power Cable (to the RGB Controller, RGB & Fan Controller, and Kraken 360 Cooler)

Each of these cables will need to be connected both at the PSU and at their target parts.  If you have a non-modular PSU, it is recommended to bundle and zip-tie any unused power cables so that they do not get in the way later in the build.  For Modular and Semi-Modular PSUs, you can simply leave these cables disconnected.

Finishing the Build - Cable Management

The last step when putting your PC together is to connect any remaining cables to the motherboard as well as any other necessary hardware.  The easiest of these to start with will be the Front Panel I/O cables from the case itself:

  • F_PANEL Cable
  • HD_Audio Cable
  • USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type A) Cable
  • USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type C) Cable

H6-Front-Panel-Connections.PNG

You may notice that the manual specifically refers to the F_PANEL cable as "For Intel Standard F_Panel Header".  If you are an AMD user, it's very likely your motherboard is physically compatible with this header as most motherboard manufacturers have adopted this particular mounting pattern over the past few motherboard generations (starting as early as the X370 chipset).  If you are unsure if your motherboard is compatible, please reach out to the motherboard manufacturer or our Customer Support team.  Alternatively, you can check out our guide linked below which covers this particular topic:

NZXT Support - H-Series Breakout Cable

The appropriate place to plug each of these cables will vary from build to build, however for most ATX and mATX motherboards these will tend to follow the same pattern:

  • F_PANEL - Bottom-right corner of the motherboard
  • HD_Audio - Bottom-left corner of the motherboard
  • USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type A) - Bottom edge of the motherboard, near the F_PANEL connector or right edge of the motherboard, near the SATA connector(s)
  • USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type C) - Right edge of the motherboard, near the 24-pin ATX Power connector

Next we'll want to connect any USB 2.0 Internal Connections coming from fan and lighting controllers or the AIO liquid cooler (if applicable) to the motherboard, followed by the SATA Data connections from the motherboard to any installed SATA storage drives.  If you're using any 5V ARGB or 12V RGB hardware in the PC such as light strips, backplates, etc., this is also a good time to connect these to their appropriate ports.  If you're not using a dedicated fan controller like we are using our build, you'll also want to make sure that you connect the 12V power cables from all of your fans to the appropriate headers on your motherboard.  For more information on these connections, please check the user's manual included for your motherboard as well as any additional components.

From here, you'll need to connect any remaining power connections such as the 24-pin ATX Power Cable (generally on the right side of the motherboard), 12V CPU Power Cable(s) (generally on the top-left corner of the motherboard, PCIe or 12VHPWR Power Cable(s) (generally on the furthest right side of the GPU), and finally any SATA or Peripheral power cables that are needed.

At this stage, once all the cables are connected you can put the panels back on and start the PC without issue...however you may notice that the system itself may look like a bit of a mess as-is.  At this step, this is where most users will want to tidy up their system through Cable Management.

Thankfully, out of the box the NZXT H6 Series includes quite a few options to cleanly route, bundle, and manage cables while only needing a little time and some additional supplies.  For cable management, the most common used tools will be:

  • Cables Ties, also known as "zip-ties" or "twist ties"
  • Cable Straps, also known as Velcro straps
  • Electrical Tape
  • Cable Sleeves
  • Shrink Wrap
  • Cable Wrap
  • Flush-angle cutters, wire cutters, or scissors

For this guide, we'll keep it simple with some zip-ties (included in the accessory box), the built-in cable straps, a few additional cable straps, and a pair of flush-angle cutters.

H6-Tie-Strap-2.jpg
Zip-ties and Velcro straps are invaluable resources for clean cable management.

Start by gathering similar cables coming from nearby places in the case, then bundle them together using zip-ties or cable straps.  For this build, we've already gone ahead and gathered some of these cables into a few groups using zip-ties:

  • The lower fans' RGB & Fan Cables (4 cables)
  • The front fans' RGB & Fan Cables (6 cables)
  • The top fans' RGB & Fan Cables (6 cables), Rear Fan RGB & Fan Cables (2 Cables), and the Kraken Breakout Cable (2 Cables)
  • The Front I/O Panel Cables (4 cables)
  • The GPU's PCIe Power Cables (2 cables)

H6-Cable-Bundle.jpg

How you bundle your cables is entirely up to your personal preference, however a clean way to keep cables from multiple devices together is to introduce a new zip-tie every time a new cable is added to the bundle and/or add a new zip-tie every 4-6 inches.  It's also not recommended to zip-tie PSU power cables to non-PSU power cables and to instead use cable wraps, as this can make maintenance and upgrading components easier.  For this build, we've opted to zip-tie related parts together (such as the top fans and Kraken breakout cables), but used cable straps for unrelated parts such as the CPU Power and Rear Power Cable.

H6-Bottom-Tiedown.jpgTie-downs like the metal loops shown in the picture above are a great point to add either a zip-tie or cable strap to hold down grouped cables to the case and keep them out of the way.

From here, we can make sure that cables are cleanly routed to the right-side chamber of the case and start strapping them down to the case itself using the built in cable straps as well as various tie-down points within the case itself.  When grouping cables in the back area, it's best to start by grouping cables based on hardware followed by from where they're coming from.  For example, the Top Fan and Kraken cables are grouped together and run up to the top cable straps where they join the rear fan cables and 4+4pin CPU Power cable before moving down the center cable channel where they are tied down using additional cable straps.

H6-CableManage.jpg

The H6 Series includes cable straps along the Top and Front-Right edges of the motherboard.  How you se these straps is up to your personal preference, however for this build we've gone with the following routes:

  • Route 1 (Top Group > Center > Bottom) - 4+4-pin CPU Power + Rear Fan Cables > Top Channel, Top Fans + Kraken Breakout > Top Channel > Center Channel > PSU, RGB Controller, Motherboard, SATA Power
  • Route 2 (Front-Right Group > Bottom) - Front Fans > Front-Right Channel, Front I/O Cables > Front-Right Channel > Motherboard, RGB & Fan Controller
  • Route 3 (Middle Front-Right Group > Power Supply) - 24-pin ATX Power Cable + 2x 6+2 PCIe Power Cable > Front-Right Channel > Power Supply
  • Route 4 - (Front-Right > Bottom) - SATA Power Cable, Front-Right Channel > Bottom > RGB Controller, RGB & Fan Controller

H6-Complete.jpg

With all of our cables run and tied down, it's time to re-attach any removed panels from the case and set your up PC at your desk so we can admire our work.

H6-Complete-IOManage.jpg

Before we completely close the book on our H6 Build, one last thing to point out is that Cable Management doesn't have to be limited to the inside of your PC but can extend to your desk as a whole.  Thankfully a little bonus feature of the H6 Series is that the case includes a set of external tie-down points on the case itself.  Taking advantage of these tie-down points, you can tidy up your PC cables instead of having a chaotic mess of cables coming out from the rear of your PC.

Do you have any questions not covered by this guide or need further assistance?  Please feel free to reach out to our Customer Support team and one of our friendly support agents will be there to assist you.

Are you looking to keep up on all things NZXT?  Go ahead and join the Official NZXT Community Discord to keep up to date on our latest products, upcoming sales, and join in on discussions on everything from PC hardware to gaming.

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