The first thing that struck me about the Source 220 was the clean lines and minimalist design. For the most part, the case is a simple black box. The few adornments allowed by the Source 220 stand out and really show off the purity of the case’s design. The face is composed of panels of punctured black sheet metal, and the thin frame is slightly off color—with the merest wedge shape at the top which flows into the back bezel. The bezel is at a similar slight angle to accommodate the front ports, which are set as unobtrusively as possible into the top right corner. The power and reset buttons are nearly invisible where they rest in the lower panel. The case has no lights and no frills. It’s not showy or ostentatious. It decides to do a job, and it does it without grandstanding.

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

For as small as it looks, the case is roomy inside. There is space for a standard ATX motherboard with all card slots open, three optical drives, and eight drives. The drives all rest securely in screwless mounts, and the PSU rests on the bottom of the case, at the rear, with a vented opening below.

There is space for all of the test components I use, including an oversized CPU cooler and a long graphics card. I don’t have a mega-huge graphics card to try in it, but it seems to me that there is room for one of these as well if you don’t mount a fan to the inside of the left-side panel.

The case only comes with two fans—a 12cm on the rear panel, and a 14cm on the top, but there are plenty of spots, in good locations, to place more on your own: two more 12cm in the front panel and one in the bottom, an additional 14cm in the top, and the left-side panel can take either size. The included fans are high quality, and very silent. My tiny CPU fan made more noise than these whisperers.

Overall the case is high-quality and good value. If you’re looking for a flashy or shiny case, you’re looking in the wrong place, but if you’re a serious builder with a classic eye and a limited budget, this might be something to consider.

The NZXT Source 220 is available on Newegg for $59.99.