[section_title title=Conclusion]

Conclusion

The NZXT Noctis 450 has been quite a tough one on me personally over the last few weeks, for a number of reasons actually. The general design with the HDD trays, the PSU cover and the lovely illuminated LEDs have really stood out to me as great features, but I do feel that the overall aesthetic with the over the top aggressive panels is too similar to the NZXT Phantom range. Although the panels are noticeably different and with more growl, I don’t necessarily see that as a “good” thing. However looks and design come down to a person’s personal preference and tastes; everyone is entitled to their opinion, including us, but feel free to tell us that we’re wrong!

In terms of build quality and features, the Noctis 450 is pretty spot on for its price range and has some very great things going on. The PSU cover is a welcomed edition and with many brands adding them into their case designs now, I feel this trend is going to continue as after all, people seem to care more about looks and design over performance; not everyone, just a general vibe we have been feeling. Unless of course the added ferocity of the NZXT Noctis 450 panels adds a few extra MHz to your CPU? Thought not!

There is a lot of cooling potential with the Noctis 450 however with plenty of water cooling support; 2 x 360mm radiators can be fitted easily enough and with tons of clearance available, you should be able to squeeze in push/pull fan configurations depending on the size of your chosen radiator. Certainly this case is superb for AIO coolers and has more than enough space for the largest air coolers, with our Noctua NH-D15 looking nice and neat inside. GPU’s are also covered with up to 11.5” of space with the HDD bays installed, or a massive 16” of un hindered space with them removed; fantastic for the enthusiast really and allows for different combinations such as SLI or CF configurations due to the 7 x expansion slots at the rear of the case.

At a reasonable price of £109.99 from Overclockers UK, it’s a very viable option for those looking for a nice illuminated aggressive looking case, but if you are already considering the Noctis 450 then you aren’t going to be disappointed if you already like the design, as everything else is fairly superb. £110 isn’t a small amount of money for a mid-tower case and there are lots of alternatives currently out there, but with a PSU cover adding to the bill, the industrious aesthetics and the generous inclusion of 4 x NZXT FN V2 case fans to aid in cooling is totally respected by us. It does feel a little like a H440 upgrade with a much more aggressive look, but make no mistake about it, the Noctis 450 is its own case and it’s here to carve up not only your desk, but the market in overly powerful looking cases.

Huge thanks to NZXT & Overclockers UK for sending today’s sample in.