The NZXT H1 PC case is more than just a look-alike of the somewhat unfairly-regarded Xbox Series X. More than just a case, this is a mini-ITX gaming PC starter kit, and a genuinely great one at that. There is so much ingenuity in the design, and the all-important small form factor accessories are so slick, that it would be supremely unfair to claim that it simply mimics the design of Microsoft's next-generation console.

And perhaps inaccurate. Certainly the H1 was released after the Series X was announced, but I would be impressed if they could design, manufacture, and release an entirely new case so quickly, as well as the speed of the NZXT engineering team. Especially one built so intelligently. And while the overall cuboid tower design is reminiscent of the future of the Xbox, it is certainly much larger than Microsoft's new machine.

That doesn't mean it's big, and the orientation of the NZXT H1's chassis is much taller than it is wide, but still allows for a very small form factor Mini-ITX footprint. one of the reasons the NZXT H1 was able to keep the spread down is that you don't have to worry about housing There are things you don't need to worry about accommodating. There is no need to accommodate third-party CPU coolers or provide easy access to install your own PSU.

This is the main reason for the seemingly high price of this case, and why it is a great starting point for building a mini-gaming PC. $350 (£300) is certainly a hefty price, but the PSU and all-in-one liquid chip chiller will charge close to $200 by itself. Everything else is R&D costs.

The cooler is designed to fit snugly inside the H1, and the radiator flips up for easy access to the motherboard and CPU bracket. It also has a cooling capacity of 140 mm and there. Thermal management is important for a small form factor gaming product, and the H1 needs to shed a lot of heat from its compact core.

The smart chassis design does not end with the extras installed, but starts with providing toolless access to the case, both from the case exterior and when dropping components into the H1.

However, smart chassis design does not necessarily equate to smart packaging.

I am not the type to read manuals. I just like to get down to business, break things down first and ask questions later. But once out of the box, I had no idea how to actually open NZXT's classic minimalist case, and having spent a long week trying to pry the H1 out of UK customs, I was hesitant to remove the side panel to see how it was put together. understandably so.

The fact that the manual detailing how to remove the side panels and the wrap-over enclosure is contained in a box inside the chassis makes things difficult. Thankfully, a PDF of the manual is available for download on the product page, which allowed me to pry open the rear panel with its fitting tempered glass and vents without tools and slide out the metal sheath over the steel frame.

With the chassis open and the bare bones of building a small form factor gaming PC in hand, the NZXT H1 became a pleasure. Every step of the build process made sense, and it became clear that a PSU and cooler in the case was absolutely necessary. In a standard, huge ATX case, you can simply stuff the cables behind the rear panel and forget about the mess of wiring hidden behind. But in a small form factor machine, every inch is precious and can make a tangible difference in the thermal performance of the rig.

With the PSU tucked into the top of the H1 and behind another holeless compartment cover, the critical power cables are just the right length in the case and do not need to be folded back to fit. The cooler is also designed to fold down once a compatible motherboard and processor are installed, with the 140mm radiator, coolant tubes, and necessary wiring attached to the steel frame.

Custom PCIe 3.0 x16 riser cables are in place and a dedicated graphics card compartment is provided that is nearly as tall as the case itself. This means that any 2.5-slot graphics card will fit comfortably inside the H1.

The all AMD configuration I built into this top-notch case, consisting of one of the best Mini-ITX Ryzen motherboards on the market, the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3, was very easy. fittings pre-installed, but an alternate AMD bracket is included in the package. With a Ryzen 5 3600X installed there, an Intel NVMe SSD and Crucial memory, we were almost ready to go.

The final piece of the puzzle is one of my favorite GPUs, the Radeon RX 5700. This GPU fits perfectly in the graphics card compartment, meaning that this sleek build is a powerful little gaming PC.

And it all went in surprisingly quickly and booted up for the first time. While this was purely due to luck and had nothing to do with the H1 PC case, the pre-installed components made for a surprisingly easy and speedy build. In fact, my only difficulty was securing initial access, wasting time trying to find where I had placed the ASRock X570 back plate (FYI, it is permanently attached to the board...) ), was to figure out where the front panel connectors on the board were and where the wires from the chassis were. It doesn't feel good to have to admit that I had already plugged both in correctly, when in fact I thought they were USB 2.0 headers and connectors.

My only real concern about the H1 itself is that in its quest for minimalism, NZXT has not given much away in terms of connectivity. The top panel only has a power button, a 3.5mm audio jack (microphone and headphone splitter included), one Type A USB port, and one Type C USB port The Mini-ITX board does not always have enough connections from the I/O panel to make up for the lack of chassis, but the H1 will probably require digging an old USB hub out from under a drawer.

But with everything inside and the panels back in place, this mini black monolith is a great small form factor. I am very impressed with the build quality of the H1 and the insight that NZXT has created a simple starting point for assembling a mini-gaming PC. It takes the hassle out of selecting the most difficult SFF components, allowing you to focus on the parts that really matter for your gaming performance.