By: Devin Chollak
January 27, 2012
I am always amazed at how the political and economic system works in the United States. While I am not suggesting Canada is leaps and bounds better, it is interesting how the United States government would even consider the SOPA and PIPA bills. On the technology side, blackouts were the main method of protesting, and in the end, it proved to be highly influential. Not only did it draw tons of support, but most importantly, it made many people aware of the issues and reduce the likelihood of similar future incidents from happening. With that in mind, probably completely unintentional, the NZXT Source 220 is like the blacked out version of the NZXT Source 210 Elite. Having a completely black theme without the option for a white variation, I guess the value budget consumer will have to lose out on customization. By having no other options, you might get the feeling of being forced to accept the chassis as it is; however, I am pretty certain that there will be significantly less controversy over the Source 220 than the previously mentioned bills. Today, I am not here to talk about either the SOPA or PIPA bills. Instead, we have ourselves a revision of the NZXT Source 210 Elite to discuss. Now of course, just like I would hope with any revisions to SOPA or PIPA, there should be some significant improvements over the previous version. One last note, I do not support SOPA or PIPA, and I am very thankful for the turn of events related to those bills.
Traveling up from the origins of SOPA and PIPA, the NZXT Source 220 arrived at our Calgary, Alberta offices without any damage to the box. As expected, the Source 220 was shipped in its retail packaging; most computer chassis do not require additional padding for transport. Coming up from California, I'm sure it didn't appreciate the -35 degrees we were having here for the last week or so. It really doesn't matter if I state it in Fahrenheit or Celsius, I'm sure anyone can understand that is pretty darn cold. Luckily, NZXT made the computer case cold weather proof, so there were no worries about it being damaged by the freezing weather (Actually, Devin, it arrived way before the epic cold wave. - Editor). In this weather, I am pretty convinced I could remove all the fans and stick the computer outside without any worry of cooling problems.
I find it really odd that the retail box for the NZXT Source 220 depicts it as white on the box, where as the white version of the Source 210 Elite shows it as black. I really think NZXT should flip these around, as it isn't very logical. Following a nearly identical packaging design as its predecessor, the Source 220 is held securely in the box between two Styrofoam brackets wrapped in a clear plastic bag. Matching the same design, there was no additional packaging for the chassis, and you won't have to worry about peeling off any annoying plastic tape. With everything looking pretty standard to me, I think it is time to glance over the specifications and features from the manufacturer's website before digging into the details.
Features
- Brushed aluminum finish and matte steel mesh designed for glossy look and airflow
- 5.25” and 3.5” Screwless
- Design for easy setup or removal of optical drives and HDD
- USB 3.0 for up-to-date high speed data transfer
- One 120mm and 140mm fans included for maximizing cooling potential
- CPU cut-out for easy installation/removal of heatsinks
- Easy cable management for routing cables to enable better airflow inside your system
Specifications
MODEL: Source 220
CASE TYPE: Mid Tower
FRONT PANEL MATERIAL: Steel/ Aluminum-like finish
DIMENSIONS (W x H x D): 195mm x 450mm x 495.5mm
VGA Clearance Maximum: 230mm w/ hard drive, 330mm w/o hard drive
CPU Heatsink Support: 160mm
Wiring Space: 20mm
COOLING SYSTEM:
- FRONT, 2 X 120mm
- REAR, 1 X 120mm @ 1200rpm (included)
- TOP, 2 X 120/140mm (1x 140mm included)
- BOTTOM, 1 x 120mm
DRIVE BAYS:
- 3 Tool-less EXTERNAL 5.25" DRIVE BAYS
- 8 Tool-less INTERNAL 3.5" HDD Drives
MATERIAL(S): Steel with painted interior
EXPANSION SLOTS: 7
WEIGHT: 6.5kg
MOTHERBOARD SUPPORT: ATX, MICRO-ATX
External Connections: 1 x Standard Audio/Mic, 1 x USB 3.0,1 x USB 2.0
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
