If you are planning on picking an NZXT H7 Series case for your next build, or if you already have one and are getting ready to put your system together, this guide will include a few tips to get you started.
Getting Started: Stripping the case to basics
Thanks to the tool-less assembly of the NZXT H7 Series, it's easy to strip the whole case down to the bare chassis to allow for easy access to all of the parts of the PC.
To remove the panels, start by removing the side panels of the case using the grips molded towards the rear of the system, followed by removing the front by using the grip located towards the bottom of the case and finally the top using the grip found at the front or back of the case. All of these panels will be held on using ball joints, so no extra tools are required.
Be sure to also remove the Hard Drive Cage from the bottom of the case, as this not only will give you better access when working in the bottom of the case for your power supply cables or easily install drives, but it's also where we'll pack in the included accessory box for your case.
You can also easily remove the front fan bracket by undoing two screws found at the top of the bracket. If you have the Elite version of the case, you may also need to remove a small cover plate that helps tidy up the wires before removing the front bracket. This makes not only installing fans easier, but can also help when installing front mounted radiators up to 360 mm in length.
Lastly, the included cable bar can be easily removed by undoing the two retention screws found behind the bar itself, after which give it a solid pull and it should unlock from the top ball joints and easily slide out for greater access while routing cables.
Make use of the cable management guides
Speaking of routing cables, all of our H7 Series cases have built-in cable management guides to help with managing all of the cables in your build. These guides also include a number of Velcro straps to help hold down cables along with pre-molded guides and some additional tie-downs for those looking to use zip-ties to further reduce cable clutter.
We've done some of the work for you
If you have the H7 Elite* or H7 Flow RGB versions of the case, you'll find that we've already gone ahead and pre-installed the front fans along with some of the cable routing ready to go out of the box. If you're a first time builder or a veteran builder looking to save some time and work, these pre-installed fans give you a great start to your build.
*The H7 Elite pictured above is the -01 model released in Spring of 2022. Newer versions of the H7 Elite will include the NZXT F140 RGB Core Fans. For more information, please see the guide linked below:
NZXT Support - Why is my H7 Elite case different?
Where should I install my fans and radiators?
Due to its large size, the H7 Series of cases will include quite a few options for radiator mounting within the case. If you are using a single radiator in your build such as an NZXT Kraken Series AIO liquid cooler, we do recommend mounting the radiator at the rear of the case for smaller coolers such as the NZXT Kraken 120 or at the top of the case for larger radiators like our NZXT Kraken 280 or NZXT Kraken Elite 360 coolers.
As for fans, once again the H7's size lends itself to greater flexibility when it comes to picking out fans for your build. The front of the case can support up to three (3) 120 mm or 140 mm such as the NZXT F-Series fans, while the top can support up to three (3) 120 mm or two (2) 140 mm fans. Lastly the rear of the case can support either a single 120 mm or 140 mm fan. You're also not limited to NZXT branded fans, so feel free to pick out fans that best fit the look you're going for with your build.
For orientation, for optimal airflow we do recommend mounting your fans with the Front acting as an Intake with the top and rear acting as an Exhaust. For more information on the orientation of your particular fans, please refer to the fan user's manual.
What motherboards can I use?
Out of the box, the H7 Series will be pre-configured and ready to go for most ATX and ITX motherboards like our NZXT N Series Motherboards, however the case will also support mATX (Micro ATX) motherboards by just switching the lower row of standoffs from the mounting holes marked A to the holes marked with a U.
It is worth noting that while the case can fit many E-ATX motherboards, this will require removal of the cable bar and may not have the cleanest look and will not have full width support for mounting. Because of this, we do not officially provide support for building in the H7 series using E-ATX motherboards.
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.
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