NZXT Hades
Feb 6th, 2010 | By StevenStuffing the Core i7 platform into the Hades was pleasurable, all of the motherboard mounts lined up perfectly. Using the Corsair HX620, cable length wasn’t an issue. I was even able to run the eight pin AUX power behind the chassis and connect to the top of the motherboard. It should be mentioned that some care is required in running cables through the passages, the rubber grommets are very easy to dislodge and are difficult to put back in place. Although the edges of the chassis are rolled, NZXT does recommend assembly with gloves. I didn’t manage to find any sharp edges, but when assembling it’s always best to err on the side of caution. Trust me on this; I’ve ended up in the Emergency Room several times from being careless while building a system.
Hard drive installation was a breeze, attach the devices to the supplied brackets and use the finger screws to securely mount inside the Hades. CD/DVD ROM installation was simple as well; I removed the drive cover from the front of the chassis and lined up the holes and fastened the tool less mounts with a single turn. Notice that there is not enough space to actually mount a radiator in the top of the chassis, as it will cover about two inches of the motherboard after installation. Bummer, as I was intending to install a water cooling system.
Around back, the numerous pathways for cables become visible. Here we can see the large opening which has allowed me to place my CPU bracket with ease.
Once everything was installed, I tried to close the chassis up, but ran into a snag. The Domino A.L.C. that we will be using during testing was hitting against the 200mm fan located in the case door. There was no way the system was going to close with both installed. Keep this in mind if you have a large CPU cooler, as it may conflict with case closure.
Just for a quick peek at the LCD temperature readout I turned on the system power. Let’s find out how the Hades performed in our testing.
