Wait, $50 for THIS!?

NZXT S5 RGB Review Summary

Verdict: At roughly $49–$50, the S5 RGB offers unusually strong value. It’s a compact mid-tower with three preinstalled side-intake fans, good hardware compatibility, and a clean finish. Its main drawbacks are poor dust filters and the lack of built-in GPU support. Cooling is acceptable, though temperatures can run warm—especially with a powerful GPU.

Main Features and Strengths

• Preinstalled 360 mm reverse-blade side-intake fan with a long cable and standard four-pin PWM and 5V ARGB connectors.
• Clean, simple design with smooth paint, subtle logo details, and glass panels that meet without a visible gap.
• Panels are easy to remove and stayed in place even when the reviewer compressed poorly managed cables behind the motherboard tray.
• Front I/O includes an illuminated power button, purple USB ports, and 20 Gbps USB-C.
• Good GPU clearance and support for a 360 mm top radiator. CPU cooler clearance is 162 mm, slightly less than that of some competing mid-towers.
• Plenty of motherboard cutouts and cable-tie points, though cable management is basic and there are no rubber grommets.
• The ventilated PSU shroud supports two 120 mm fans, but their usefulness may be limited by the power supply’s proximity.
• The angled side fan supplies fresh air to the GPU. Fan screws are included, but there are only eight; the reviewer recommends fans with an attractive visible frame.

Standard vs. Deluxe

• The standard S5 RGB includes the case and three side fans.
• The S5 RGB Deluxe costs $10 more and adds a rear exhaust fan and a bottom intake fan.
• The reviewer considers the extra $10 worthwhile: the added fans improve gaming temperatures, and the Deluxe is ready for a build with a top-mounted 360 mm AIO.
• Product photos may make the standard and Deluxe configurations look identical.

Drawbacks

• The top and bottom dust filters are poor: they restrict airflow, and the top filter’s magnetic strips interfere with fan or radiator screw placement, leaving parts of the filter raised.
• There are no rubber pads under the power supply.
• Storage is limited to one SSD bracket, plus an awkward 3.5-inch drive mount in front of the PSU that requires turning the case over to secure.
• The ventilation pattern is inconsistent.
• No included GPU anti-sag support, despite mounting holes suggesting a bracket was considered during development. The tested graphics card sagged and felt wobbly; the reviewer recommends a separate support.
• Extra bottom-intake airflow can be noisy if the fan runs much above 1,000 RPM because it sits close to the mesh.

Cooling and Testing

Testing was normalized to 40 dB.

• In gaming, the CPU ran hottest among the compared cases as heat from the GPU accumulated in the compact interior.
• Removing the top filter improved CPU temperatures by about 1.2–1.4°C and GPU temperature by almost 1°C.
• Adding the Deluxe’s bottom intake and rear exhaust lowered gaming CPU temperatures by more than 4°C and GPU temperature by almost 3°C.
• In Blender, the stock case ran warmer than three other mid-towers but cooler than the EX5. Running the AIO fans at full speed reached 50 dB and improved temperatures by nearly 3°C.
• Extra bottom and rear fans did not improve Blender temperatures. Removing the top filter helped more, suggesting that the filter meaningfully obstructs airflow.
• The reviewer’s view is that the stock setup may be sufficient for CPU-heavy workloads, while a heat-producing GPU makes additional exhaust airflow more valuable.

Comparisons

• Montech TG3: Larger and offers slightly more hardware compatibility, but costs enough that the S5 RGB Deluxe is an alternative at similar value. The TG3’s cooling performance surprised the reviewer; a fuller comparison was still forthcoming.
• The S5 was also compared with the TG3, Lancool 207, and other mid-towers in cooling tests. No numerical score or formal rating was given.

Overall View

The reviewer calls the S5 a strong budget mid-tower, praising its price, design, and two-tier fan options. The two main complaints are the dust filters and the missing GPU support bracket.

Recommendation: The S5 RGB is a particularly good buy at this price. The reviewer favors the Deluxe version for the extra $10 if gaming or GPU cooling is a priority.