NZXT H1 Mini PC Review

Do you want to assemble a powerful mini gaming PC based on the NZXT H1 mini ITX case?

NZXT H1 case is a product of the imagination of designers and engineers who want to offer something new compared to conventional solutions. It’s a beautiful vertical mini case, just a little longer than the severe and powerful graphics card you can install in the H1.

At NZXT, they concluded that they needed an extremely compact case with support for mini ITX boards, a convincing but, on the other hand, simple design. The H1 mini-tower has two sides of perforated sheet metal with dust filters and one transparent one made of tempered glass.

However, the NZXT has also equipped this case with an SFX power supply of a suitable 650W and 80+ gold certification, enough to cope with the RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT. In addition, the H1 comes with AIO water cooling with a 140mm heatsink and a PCI-e 3.0 16x graphics card riser.

What would it look like if we put strong components in this housing? What would be the performance and temperature of such a system? If you are interested in one such gaming configuration, keep reading.

NZXT H1 Mini PC Configuration

 

NZXT H1 Case

NZXT H1 Exterior

The new H1 is a powerful yet compact ITX case. The vertical design and full-size graphics card support make it ideal for gamers who want a unique, attractive, and powerful gaming PC. The I/O back panel is at the bottom of the case, allowing all external cables to pass through the bottom of the case. This way, your gaming table will look tidier.

The main problem with this design is that you must bend all the cables and can’t use the USB ports on the back of the motherboard. Unfortunately, this is a compromise you must agree to because of the unique design of the H1. You have to use the connectors on the top of the case.

 

From the top, in addition to the power button, come the following connectors:

• USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A,
• USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C,
• 3.5mm Headset Audio Jack

NZXT H1 Interior

The case is separated into two chambers, one for the graphics card and the other with the motherboard and processor, ensuring optimal system cooling. The H1 has an independent fresh air supply for the graphics card and processor. Thanks to its vertical design, the H1 will take up very little space on your desk without compromising on the choice of the graphics card, as it will also stand vertically in the case.

All internal cables are factory-installed and routed through specific routing channels, so you don’t have to worry about good cable management. Thanks to the inventive design, you have 305 mm (12 inches) available in a separate chamber for installing a graphics card, which is enough for even the most severe graphics cards.

You can install two disks (SATA HDD or SSD) in 2.5 ” format without using tools. Thanks to the well-conducted cables, the built-in power supply unit, and the AIO system for CPU cooling, it is much easier to assemble a gaming computer.

 

PSU

The NZXT H1 has an integrated 650 W modular power supply and 80 Plus Gold Certification. It is a rebranded Seasonic SGX-650 power supply unit of compact dimensions but strong enough to cope with serious graphics cards. The basic characteristics of the integrated power supply are:

• Model: 650W SFX-L (Rebranded Seasonic SGX-650)
• Modular: Fully Modular
• Fan: 120mm
• Certificate: 80 Plus Gold
• Operating Temperature: 0-40 °C
• MTBF @ 25 °C, excl. fan 100,00 hours
• Protection: OPP, OVP, UVP, OCP, OTP, SCP
• Warranty: 10 Years

140mm AIO Liquid CPU Cooler

The H1 also comes with an integrated 140mm AIO water cooling system. The basic characteristics of this AIO system are:

• Radiator: W173.5 X H138.5 X 22 mm (W6.83 X H5.45 x 0.86 inches)
• Pump: W65 x H65 x D27mm (2.55 X 2.55 x 1.06 inches), 4200 ± 420 RPM
• CPU Socket: Intel: 115X, AMD: AM4, and former
• FAN: Aer P140mm, PWM fan: 500 ~ 1,800 ± 300 RPM
• Noise: 21 ~ 38dBA

 

NZXT H1 Mini PC

The configuration I based on this attractive little case includes the following components:

• Motherboard: Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra mini-ITX
• CPU: Intel Core i7 10700K
• GPU: Gigabyte RTX 3070 Gaming OC 8G
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 X 8GB) DDR4 3600 MHz
• NVMe SSD: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB

When building this configuration, you don’t have to worry about the PSU and the cooling of the CPU because you get it as an integral part of the H1 case. The great Intel 8-core Core i7-10700K is a CPU that also has an integrated UHD 630 graphics card, but don’t expect too much from it for serious gaming, even at low resolutions.

I install the CPU on a great Gigabyte Z590I Aorus Ultra mini-ITX motherboard with the best chipset for the Rocket Lake platform. Thanks to the unlocked multiplier on the CPU, the powerful mini-ITX motherboard, and AIO CPU water cooling, you can play around with the OC, but don’t expect miracles. First, in such compact housing, take care of the heating, which will not be small.

The processor without OC and under full load consumes 180W, with a clock speed of 4.6 GHz. The temperature isn’t less than 83°C. Of course, there’s a higher cooling noise from 45 dB to 48 dB following the high temperature. So, be careful when OC and count on even more cooling noise. The mini system is almost inaudible when you aren’t gaming or doing a demanding task.

Noise and heating

Unfortunately, the excellent Gigabyte RTX 3070 will not reach its full potential due to the great warm-up, which isn’t negligible. Under load, in CyberPunk 2077, the temperature reached 78°C. At this temperature, count on higher noise. Although the graphics card has a powerful cooler with three fans, it’s not easy to curb high temperatures and noise due to the limited space.

With this mini configuration, you can expect excellent gaming performance in 1080p and 1440p with ultra-detail. But be prepared to compromise between performance on the one hand and warm-up and noise on the other.

The motherboard has only two RAM slots, which this time I filled with 2 x 8 GB of fast DDR4-3600 memory that works in dual channel mode. If you want reserves for the future,  insert 2x16GB of RAM and stay still for a long time. I chose Samsung’s NVMe SSD 970 Evo Plus for the primary drive, with 1 TB. The motherboard supports the installation of another NVMe disk, which will be enough if you want to expand the storage space.

In addition to the two NVMe SSDs, you can install on the motherboard, there are two more 2.5 “HDD or SSD drives, which will surely be enough for this mini ITX gaming configuration.

Gaming benchmark

Conclusion

NXZT H1 mini gaming PC isn’t something the average user will choose because such configurations always entail a higher price for most components. The mini ATX case is perhaps most important as it will determine which computer components you will choose and your future upgrade options.

The advantages of the mini ITX gaming configuration are:

• compact and attractive design,
• less occupied space on the gaming table,
• easy portability and
• performance on par with gaming systems in more oversized PC ATX cases.

The NZXT H1 is an attractive mini gaming case that can accommodate powerful processors and graphics cards, but with a few trade-offs. Too strong a configuration can lead to higher temperatures and increased cooling noise. Another downside to the H1 is the hard-to-reach motherboard ports on the bottom of the case.

On the plus side, you get a quality case with an integrated power supply, AIO CPU water cooling, and a PCI-e graphics card riser. Also, remember that this gaming system is quiet for less demanding tasks. If you opt for an integrated graphics processor due to the shortage or higher price of the discrete graphics card, you will be more than satisfied with the almost silent operation.

Of course, nothing stops you from basing your NZXT H1 mini PC on the new Alder Lake platform with the ASUS ROG Strix B660-i board and the Intel Core i7-12700KF.

NZXT also offers midi compact cases while maintaining excellent design and build quality. It gives you more freedom in choosing components and their better cooling inside a larger housing. I recommend looking at one such gaming PC based on the NZXT H510 Elite case.