Review Of The Nzxt M59 Case

INTRODUCTION
To me, NZXT抯 lineup of cases is rather typical for most case manufacturers with several product lines with different characteristics and price levels. A couple of months back I took a look at the NZXT Beta which is a case from one of NZXT抯 lower priced series. The case which I will review today, the NZXT M59 is part of their 揅lassic?series which is a step up from the lower budget models.
The NZXT M59 is a medium range case which is oriented towards PC builders interested in modding. Here are the specifications:

NZXT M59 (Classic Series)
Size Medium tower
Dimensions 449 x 190 x 508 mm
Weight 6.5kg
Materials Steel SECC
Compatible motherboards ATX, Micro ATX
Expansion bays 4 x 5.25?external
7 x 3.5?internal
Supports 2 units of 2.5?with the provided adapter
Expansion slots 7
Maximum size for cards PCI 10?(260mm)
External ports 2 USB 2.0
eSATA
Microphone
3.5mm (Audio AC97 and HD)
Cooling system Front: 120mm fan (not included)
Side 120mm LED fan, 1200rpm, 23dbA, 42CFM
Back: 120mm fan, 1200rpm, 23dbA, 42CFM
Top: 2 120mm or 140mm fans (not included)
Extras Pins for liquid cooling, wiring management system, illumination of the 5.25?bays, inside painting.



As you can see from the specifications you get a lot of nice features with this case even though it is only a medium range case. I am especially intrigued by the cooling system which can be really extensive if you install fans at all the possible places.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
NZXT uses the catch phrase 揅ool Clean Black?on the card board box in which the M59 case comes in. I am prepared to agree.

The included accessories are: a printed manual; anchorages for the 3.5 units and all the screws of different types.

NZXT M59 IN DETAIL, THE OUTSIDE
If I had to choose two things worth mentioning about the design of the NZXT M59, then I would choose the front and the side window. These two characteristics really define the case and make it stand out from the crowd.
The front of the M59 is mostly made of plastic. NXZT has placed the power buttons and the front connectors in the middle angled slightly upwards. Above the connectors there are some 5.25?expansion bays and below the connectors there is a metallic grid behind which a 120mm fan is placed by default.

The front expansion bays are illuminated by a LED light at the top of the case.

The left side is equipped with a window of rather big dimensions which really shows off the inside of the case. NZXT has also added a 120mm LED fan which is located on about the same height where the graphics card will be placed.

As you can see from the shot of the back of the case, the PSU is placed at the bottom of it. At the very top you can see the two pre drilled holes for installation of liquid cooling. Directly below those two holes there抯 a 120mm fan. The backside is covered with a metal grid in most places to facilitate the cooling of the case. In the ceiling of the M59, NXZT has made it possible to mount two 120mm or 140mm fans. As I said above, the power supply goes in the bottom of the case. As you can see from the image below, there抯 a metallic grid intended to work as the air intake for the PSU. This air intake is protected by a dust filter which is a nice detail.

The rubber feet of the M59 give the case a bigger elevation over the floor than what I am used to see with other cases. I guess the intention with the higher feet is to facilitate for the PSU to draw in fresh air from the floor.
NZXT M59 IN DETAIL, the INTERIOR
I took of both sides to investigate the inside of the case. Apart from the window and the fan on the left side there抯 not much to talk about.

A good thing about the included case fans is that they have several different types of connectors which facilitate the wiring and the administration of the fans.

I really like that the interior of the case is painted in black because it will make the system look cooler through the side window once it抯 running. Another detail which I appreciated at first sight was that the motherboard back plate is very well thought through with hollows for the cable management and another hollow for where the CPU will be placed which makes it easier if you ever need to remove the CPU cooler.
I wouldn抰 say that the case is small inside but the max graphics card length it can support is 290mm, which means that Radeon 5970 will not fit.

You can fit in a total of seven 3.5?units in the front bays which is not bad at all. I like that NZXT has turned the bays 90 degrees which makes it easier to work with the drives (5 units fit in this drive bay). NXZT has included a 2.5?adapter which may come in handy if you want to build a system with a SSD startup drive.

The NZXT M59 has four 5.25?bays of which 3 are equipped with anti-dust filters. The forth is covered by a black plate which is intended to be fastened on the drive front. This means that you can use a drive of any color and it will still look good.
There抯 quite a lot of wiring coming from the front connectors and the power and reset buttons, we抣l see later if it causes a problem.

The PSU will rest on four rubber pivot points which serves as vibration dampeners. Above the PSU you can see the seven expansions slots. Note that all the expansion slots have back plates that allow air to pass through. On top of the expansion slots there抯 another 120mm fan of the same type as the one in the left side.

It抯 possible to place two 140mm or 120mm fans in the ceiling of the case.
The M59 has a cable management system as you can see from the image above. There抯 room for another 120mm fan in the lower part of the front, just below the front panel connectors.
INSTALLING HARDWARE IN the NZXT M59
The installation of the hard drive is facilitated by two adapters which you fasten on the sides of the hard drive and then you just slide the drive into place. The installation of the optical drive is similarly easy thanks to the screws which you can fasten with your hands, i.e. no screw drive is needed (check the accessories above).
The installation of the rest of the components didn抰 give me any problems at all. The case feels fairly spacious and all the small smart innovations in this case helps a lot, like the fact that there抯 hole in the motherboard back plate where the CPU goes.
I would say that I ended up with quite a clean looking installation thanks to the cable management system. Check out the images below to see what the case looks like in operation. I personally liked the blue LEDs in action.
In operation both case fans were so quiet I didn抰 feel it was necessary to use any kind of fan control system.
CONCLUSIONS
This is the second case from NZXT that I have reviewed and I am as impressed with this one as I was with the first. I feel the biggest benefit with the NXZT cases is all the smart innovations which make them so pleasant to work with.

Another remarkable thing about the M59 case is of course its somewhat unusual design. I抦 sure that it抯 not for everyone but I love the aggressiveness in its design. It looks especially good when it抯 running in a dark room.