NZXT Noctis 450 Mid-Tower Case Review

By Steven Kean June 3, 2015

NZXT Noctis 450 Final Thoughts and Conclusions

Overall, if you are familiar with the NZXT H440 series, then you are familiar with the internal design of the Noctis 450. NZXT retained what worked great with the H440, and made a few changes to make the Noctis 450 stand out. NZXT kept the power supply shroud with their name, the two 2.5″ SSD tray design, 3.5″ hard drive trays and the integrated LED functionality.

So what did NZXT change on the Noctis 450? Obviously the exterior got a redesign. From a solid and plain flat top and front panels to one that includes large wire mesh for airflow and plastic elements to provide a new look. They also took the 8 fan hub and updated it to include PWM capabilities. This is one of the best updates they could do for the case. The exterior redesign is great, and one I much prefer over the plainness of the H440, but the PWM fan hub is the best change they made.

Depending on your cooling needs, the Noctis 450 should meet almost every possible cooling configuration. There are three 120mm fans on the front, which can be changed out for a 360mm radiator, room for three more 120mm fans on the top panel or a 360mm radiator, and a 140mm fan on the rear panel or a 140mm radiator. AIO liquid coolers would fit nicely in any of these locations, or a custom loop would be perfect as well. NZXT has designed the 3.5″ hard drive trays to be removable opening up plenty of room for a custom liquid cooling loop.

The lighting of the NZXT Noctis 450 is easily controlled by a button on the back of the case. The Black version has red LED’s which light up a dark room pretty well. NZXT has changed the lighting from a single On/Off option to allowing the user to from all LED’s being off to four different lighting settings; another great update!

If you take a look at the Noctis 450 and the H440 series, the interior design is nearly identical. The same suggestions I had with the H440 Razer apply to the Noctis 450. Starting with the 2.5″ SSD trays, I like the design, but the power connections can be difficult a simple spliter or adapter could be provided to help with that. Then the 3.5″ drives could be compressed to save space, allowing for a radiator and more hard drives to be used at the same time. These are minor things, just something that would make life easier for some.

Both the Glossy White with Blue LEDs (part number: CA-N450W-W1) and Black with Red LED’s (part number: CA-N450W-M1) of the NZXT Noctis 450 are currently available for purchase for under $139.99 with free shipping. For that price you are getting a great case that is well built and designed to last many years. NZXT does provide a 2 year warranty on their case though, should there be an issue with the LED’s or other aspects of the case.

Legit Bottom Line: The NZXT Noctis 450 is a great mid-tower case. The cooling options range from up to seven 120mm fans, or up to two 360mm radiators and one 140mm radiator. The interior is spacious enough to install a quad GPU solution, while the LED lighting will light up the area and make the system stand out.