NZXT S340 Build

Post

philip Sept. 23, 2014

NZXT kindly sent us the new S340 case. Priced at $70, it was the perfect addition for a modest budget gaming build. We wanted to build a <$900 build using an overclocked Pentium G3258, so we felt the S340 would be a perfect fit. Read on for the full details and part list breakdown...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor	$69.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler	$28.82 @ Amazon
Motherboard	MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard	$89.99 @ Newegg
Memory	Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory	$87.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Intel 520 Series Cherryville 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$69.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$49.00
Video Card	MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB LIGHTNING Video Card	$330.00
Case	NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case	$69.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply	$59.99 @ Amazon
		Total
	Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available	$855.76
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-23 17:04 EDT-0400

Here you can see the new NZXT S340. It's a very cleanly styled ATX case that is priced aggressively at $70.

The front of the case is simple with no frills. If you wanted to paint or mod the case, this is about as clean of a slate as you could possibly hope for.

Front panel buttons and IO are on the top front of the case. Note the large slot that provides space for front airflow. This also makes it extremely easy to remove the front panel, exposing room for two 120mm fans or a 240mm radiator.

We've done quite a few liquid-cooled systems recently, so this time around we opted to keep everything air cooled. The Hyper 212 EVO is an extremely popular cooler, making it an easy choice. Sure, there are coolers +/- $5 that may perform slightly better, but at only $30 the 212 is still a great performer.

The S340 includes a PSU shroud that also mounts two 2.5" SSDs. I'm a big fan of separating the power supply from the rest of the components, whether via a shroud or in a separate compartment. It makes for an extremely clean presentation of the core components.

For the storage, we went ahead and included both an SSD and a hard drive. The SSD fulfills the boot drive and core files role, while the platter drive provides space for games.

Also included in the PSU cover are vents for the 3.5" drives.

Cable management with the S340 is extremely easy. Beside the motherboard tray is a raised section that provides extra clearance and cable tie anchors for the 24-pin motherboard power cable. The extra space meant were no concerns with bundling cables and making the side panel bulge out.

Many of our previous builds were liquid cooled, so we felt it was time to return to an air cooled build. At $30 the Hyper 212 EVO is an inexpensive but very effective cooling solution.

We reused a GTX 770 from a previous build - nothing beats (effectively) free parts! However, shortly after filming the GTX 970 and GTX 980 were released. The GTX 770 is still a decent choice, but had we been able to predict the GTX 970 release we may have held off for a week to include that instead.

Overall the build went together very quickly and easily. With lots of attention to so many small details, the NZXT S340 makes for a great case to use in a build. We'll be running a few benchmarks on the system to evaluate functional and thermal performance over the coming weeks (similar to our Colossus Micro build thermal benchmarks, so keep an eye out for that content.

Comments Sorted by:

KtheNU 10 points 53 months ago

I thought the description said "NZXT kindly sent us the new $340 case", my reaction was "and you're trying to build a computer in there sub $900, YOU CRAZY!".

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Eschaton 6 Builds 7 points 53 months ago

haha me too. I'm not normally one to believe that submliminal messaging is a big deal in marketing, but this is one time where NZXT might want to consider renaming their product, lol

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Mikemk 6 points 53 months ago

I was even more confused upon reading "new S340 case. Priced at $70"

Is it $340 or $70?

Then I realized that was an S.

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tomcaza 7 points 53 months ago

lol, still going cross eyed trying to figure out what you're saying dude!

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Respect__ 2 points 53 months ago

Pretty nice build

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djdirka 2 points 53 months ago

Wow! Thanks for the build tutorial and another completed build! For the price, this build looks like a KILLER performer. Wish I could get my hands on it ;)

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jamescraigsupreme 2 points 53 months ago

Hey PCPartPicker! :D Could you please make a new video about a $400 gaming pc? That would really help us alot! Thanks! :D

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Mikemk -1 points 53 months ago

Does such a thing exist? It might run minecraft...

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xRelapze 2 points 53 months ago

I have a $300 build that max's Dota 2 and SKyrim @ 1080p with 40-60 FPS. Don't underestimate budget builds, man.

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Infernovii 1 point 53 months ago

Hey would you mind linking me your build? I mainly play those 2 games and looking to build a rig that can run those 2 for as cheap as possible.

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jamescraigsupreme 1 point 53 months ago

This is a $450 gaming pc build, it can max out those 2 games (Dota 2 and Skyrim) and it can also max many other steam games. I also think that it can play alot of games @1080p medium settings at 30+fps or @720p medium settings 40-60fps, I'm not sure about it but this a good build. You'll only need to add few more bucks but it is worth it! Hope it helps. :D

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/jamescraigsupreme/saved/7Gqrxr

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xRelapze 1 point 53 months ago

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/xRelapze/saved/sXyH99 Here you go! :D

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thevipper7 1 point 53 months ago

yo if you got $250 a psu around 350w~450w, atleast 1 stick of 4gb ddr3 a hdd and willing to go caseless or have 1 laying around then just go pentium g3220 or 3258 if your willing to flash bios and get a sub $50 mb and get a 750/750ti or 760/760ti and the system will run anything but might not be able to max it though due to no oc unless your psu has good rail's and is 400~450w 350w just get's it running also this would be good to upgrade dell's,hp etc

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senstalex 2 Builds 1 point 53 months ago

The best way to save money is to go with used parts on ebay. I have a 300$ build with a gtx560 and amd 965 black ed quad core and that was 2 years ago when i bought it. runs skyrim.. etc perfect.

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ProEngPC 8 Builds 1 point 53 months ago

I think that's only possible if you exclude the cost on the operating system.

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xRelapze 1 point 53 months ago

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/xRelapze/saved/sXyH99 Correct. But, you can always go Linux.

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jamescraigsupreme 1 point 53 months ago

Would you also link me your build? I love budget builds! :D

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xRelapze 1 point 53 months ago

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/xRelapze/saved/sXyH99 Price went up slightly. It was $299.56.

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jamescraigsupreme 2 points 53 months ago

Thanks.

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swiftfishy 2 Builds 1 point 53 months ago

mind putting together a Editing rig for under $900?

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Hexavier 5 Builds 1 point 53 months ago

That isn't too hard. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/V2Zy8d

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ITneto 1 point 53 months ago

Amazing part list

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swiftfishy 2 Builds 1 point 53 months ago

fairly nice, im building it for a friend... he was looking for a rendering/ video editing build for under $900. the xeon is nice, but i think the gpu is overkill for it, would you change the gpu and add it to the cpu or more ram? or keep it as is for really good rendering?

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actechy 7 Builds 2 points 53 months ago

You're right, more RAM would definitely be preferable for rendering. I'd go to at least 16GB of memory and drop the graphics down to a 770, if you're looking at that list.

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HigherState 1 point 53 months ago

I would bump the CPU up to a 1230V3. The extra threads would help tremendously. Take the $50 from elsewhere. Its worth it.

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spudicusmaximus 1 point 53 months ago

Looking forward for the benchmarks on this build. I'm looking to build a ~1000 gaming rig myself, been playing too much TESO for my own good.

To be honest I've been out of the loop on hardware for a little while, so I don't know how all of the cpu's stack up anymore. I was planning on using a quad core i5 3570k. Since it's going to be a gaming rig, I'm not overly concerned on raw CPU horsepower, as it's really depends on the video card.

So it will be interesting to see how this CPU does on the benchmarks, the price point is definitely nice.

I was also planning on a Raid 0 SDD setup for the main drive, I hate loading screens ;)

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CaptainSiscold 1 Build 1 point 53 months ago

From what I've heard, the unlocked i5's are great for gaming (and come to think of it, pretty much everything except video editing). Though I personally would go with the i5-4670k or 4690k, as they're both newer than the 3570k.

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spudicusmaximus 1 point 53 months ago

Yeah, but less I spend on CPU, the more I can spend on GPU!

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CaptainSiscold 1 Build 1 point 53 months ago

That is true :P Either way, you'd still be good with that CPU for a while, especially with an overclock.

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ProEngPC 8 Builds 1 point 53 months ago

Just finding a 3570k and motherboard that supports it may be difficult. That model has been discontiued for over a year now.

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DinoDan 2 Builds 1 point 53 months ago

I know you mentioned you will be doing thermal benchmarks like you did in the colossus build but I was wondering/hoping you would do some actual in game benchmark testing.

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DinoDan 2 Builds 1 point 53 months ago

Do you plan on Overclocking this prior to doing your benchmarks?

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BaSkA 1 point 53 months ago

It's amazing how a 4GB 970 is pretty much the same price as the 770... and they discontinued the 770.

What should I do to my 4GB 770 now? Go SLI or sell it and get a 970? (I can sell the 770 for 500$ LOL).

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Brandino312 2 Builds 1 point 53 months ago

You might think the value is at 500$ but who will actually pay you that? But if you could get 500$ just get the 980.

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BaSkA 1 point 53 months ago

Forgot to mention I don't live in any real country (like the US, Canada, Australia, any country in Europe), I live in a place where anything technology related is 3 to 4 TIMES (believe me) the real price here. So, if I were to get a 970 in the US it would be $400, right? If I were to buy one here, it would be about $1100 + conversion. So yeah, I can sell my old 770 1 year of usage for $500.

About the 980... I don't really want to get it because I'd need a better PSU which is then more costs... I'll be importing the video card so the cheaper the better. As the 970 is so amazing, I think it has a good bang for the buck.

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Jwood013 1 Build 1 point 52 months ago

The 980 uses a Maxwell GPU which is very power efficient. You'll be fine with the current PSU more than likely.

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CKAMP 1 Build 1 point 53 months ago

I Don't think anyone will buy a 770 for anywhere close to 500$. Try selling on ebay for 280 or around there... I'd say that's just about the furthest you could go.

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BaSkA 1 point 53 months ago

If I were to sell it in the US, I'd be asking for 250~300 as you said.

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CKAMP 1 Build 1 point 53 months ago

Oh wow, I feel for you mate. Yeah If that's how it is where you live, then I suspect That you could get around 500.

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Ace_Killa 1 Build 1 point 53 months ago

Have the same Mobo, CPU, and CPU cooler. Yet my idle temps are around low 40s Celsius and around mid 50s Celsius :/ Always felt like this was above average temps and yes it is OC to 4.2 Ghz.

Still all in all a good budget build and fun to have.

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Grimboom 1 point 53 months ago

The funny thing is, now you can get a gtx 780 for less than that 770

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capz 1 point 53 months ago

Is the G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor any good for gaming if you dont overclock it?

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klrman 1 point 53 months ago

A question for the most experienced here. Would a budget build like that still be blazing fast for youtube HD viewing and web browsing? I just want to build my brother the fastest internet speedster for the lowest price as he really doesn't use it for anything else. Also want to make the system reliable and stable.

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7acen7Dragon 1 Build 1 point 53 months ago

The case is nice but my only complaint is the lack of 5.25 ports. :l

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Diwashb 1 point 53 months ago

Now you should up the graphics card to the 970. Then up the processor to the i5-4670k and holla you got a 1k gaming rig

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Romz 1 point 52 months ago

Nice build :)

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tyung3 2 Builds 1 point 52 months ago

You could throw a R9 290 in here and drop the price even lower for anyone trying to mirror this build. Newegg had a deal recently for the MSI version for $209.99 after MIR and Visacheckout.

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dnw5032 1 point 52 months ago

Wait wait wait, so a NXT case, 8gbs of Ram, a GTX 770...AND A DUAL CORE? WTF IS WRONG WITH YOUR PEOPLE

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Angrybear52 1 point 52 months ago

Correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't the Pentium CPU bottleneck the GPU? It seems that you would be better off spending a little more on the CPU to avoid bottlenecks.

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kiloo08 1 point 52 months ago

I love this build! Alot!

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richard99 1 point 52 months ago

e~ how about your optical drive?

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brendanshepalo 0 points 53 months ago

This looks like an amazing build, and the fact that Phillip made it, it is probably a great computer. But there is one thing, I want to get this build but i'm afraid that when I get the parts either they will be broken from shipping, or when I do get to building it I will break the parts, or It will completely fail on me. So would you guys be able to pre-build it for me? Thanks

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1Rogue 2 Builds 5 points 53 months ago

This is a site devoted to being able to build your own computer; everyone has those fears initially, you just need to dive in.

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brendanshepalo 2 points 53 months ago

thats what i was talking about thank you.

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Ace_Killa 1 Build 2 points 53 months ago

Trust me everyone is in the same spot in their first builds. Scared and worried about the investment. Order from the right companies, check their return policies a head of time (especially Newegg and their dam Market) and you'll be good.

Popped my cherry with the help of this community, tomshardware and other sites and glad I did! I was scared, but you get over it when you have to reapply thermal for the 3rd time :P or cleaning up wires and tuning up your case.

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ProEngPC 8 Builds 1 point 53 months ago

If you're in Canada, send me a PM. I have a small business that does builds like this (and far more exotic) for clients. I can also do it for clients in the US, but the shipping and customs charges may not make it a worthwhile solution for a fairly low-budget build like this one.

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Mikemk 0 points 53 months ago

If you want a prebuilt computer, may I suggest Toshiba, Lenovo, ASUS, Dell, HP, Origin, Maingear, Digital Storm, or any other prebuilt company? There's no point in going to this website if you do not wish to build a computer.

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brendanshepalo 1 point 53 months ago

That isnt what i was asking, i was wondering if i can select all the parts on here, and then have them build it for me then they ship it

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Demonite99 2 points 53 months ago

If you are worried about the parts being damaged during shipping you can always RMA the parts and just have replacements sent to you if they are damaged. There are also many builders on the site that are willing to skype and guide you through the building process so you don't mess up. If you are really that afraid that you will mess up there are builders on the site that will build it for you as long as you pay for the parts and a builders fee, but i don't know if the guys from PCPP themselves will build it for you.

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brendanshepalo 1 point 53 months ago

how do i contact the people to skype them?

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Demonite99 2 points 53 months ago

well i guess if you want to start from the begining you could go to the forum section of this site and create a topic asking to build you a parts list. On there you can also just type up that you would like some help building the pc and ask if anyone would mind helping you through skype, im sure there will be. This way you can view different part lists and decide which one best fits you, but be sure you are specific about your budget and what you will be using the build for.

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asesnic 1 Build 2 points 53 months ago

PCPartPicker will not build your PC for you. However, NeweggTV and LinusTechTips have great tutorials.

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Ace_Killa 1 Build 1 point 53 months ago

What I recommend is video searching one for each part if you are that scared. But honestly the scary part is the CPU, mobo, and maybe CPU cooler the rest are easy.

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Mikemk 1 point 53 months ago

When who ships it?

This website doesn't sell parts, it just checks compatibility and finds the cheapest price elsewhere.

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Demonite99 1 point 53 months ago

Well I meant if he buys from newegg or other stores. I never said if he buys it off PCPP i just said he can RMA parts if they're damaged during shipping sorry for the confusion, but I know this site doesn't sell parts I simply meant to tell him if he's worried about damage while shipping it can easily be fixed.

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johnwaskins -4 points 53 months ago

Why the GTX 770, instead of the GTX 970?

You get better performance for nearly the same cost. You could even afford an ASUS GTX 970 STRIX, one of the quietest video cards on the market right now that still performs great, for just 20$ more.

And the Corsair Vengeance RAM could go for a less-marketed brand, like G.SKILL, ADATA or Kingston.

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Talsek 5 points 53 months ago

Did you watch the video?

It was released after filming.

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johnwaskins 0 points 53 months ago

Just got to that part of the video now. I started replying before seeing the whole thing. >.<

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