The NZXT Manta mITX Case Review
by E. Fylladitakis on June 16, 2016 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Mini ITX
- NZXT
- Case
Conclusion
The assessment of the NZXT Manta is multifaceted. Although it is a Mini-ITX case that is almost the size of a full tower yet lacks external drive bays, the designer was not really trying to make it compact. On the contrary, the volume of the NZXT Manta is massive for a Mini-ITX case, rivalling the size of full ATX designs. It is, for lack of a better phrase, a shorter version of an advanced gaming case, designed for high performance and compatibility with liquid cooling options. With the Manta, NZXT is not trying to enter the living room by designing a compact case that rivals the size and shape of gaming consoles - this is aimed at fully grown gaming PCs based on the mini-ITX form factor. Their approach is a large but elegant case with curved, smoothed panels, a design that is based on their highly popular Lexa series that found its way into many living rooms.
In terms of quality, the NZXT Manta is a very robust and well-made case. There were no significant weak spots that we could find about the chassis or the plastic parts. The paint finish is exceptional and likely one of the best that we have ever seen. We would have liked to see a less reflective side panel, but strong reflections are a known side effect of curved acrylic panels.
The functionality and versatility of the Manta has left us with mixed feelings. It is a roomy case that can easily fit an advanced gaming system and even two liquid cooling radiators but, at the same time, it cannot fit tall air coolers despite its very wide proportions and offers very limited drive support options for this large a case. NZXT is strongly trying to promote it for it elegant appearance, but they have not added rubber grommets to the holes around the motherboard tray. Furthermore, the aesthetic improvement of the steel bridge cover to the right of the motherboard rather than simple holes is questionable, as cable management behind it is strongly limited by the connectors of the SSD drives. General cable management behind the motherboard tray is very easy due to the numerous cable tie points and the massive clearance that the curved panel provides, but the visible uncovered openings from the left side of the case are a visual dissonance, especially if the interior is going to be strongly illuminated.
Due to its capacity and very appealing external design, we do believe that the NZXT Manta will find itself a strong fan base. People who simply want a slightly smaller and elegant tower case for their system or those who want to showcase their top tier PC into their living room will find the Manta to be an excellent choice. The only real enemy of the Manta is its own retail price. Currently selling for $130, the retail price is very steep and will trouble many potential customers, especially when there is a very large number of Mini-ITX cases selling for less than half that price.
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Flunk - Thursday, June 16, 2016 - link
I like the look of this, but it's just too big for a mini-ITX case. It's bigger than NZXT's own S340 full ATX case, which is much more practical.freeskier93 - Thursday, June 16, 2016 - link
I'm really baffled by this, I even pulled out the tape measure to measure my s340 and sure enough, basically the same.Lugaidster - Thursday, June 16, 2016 - link
Manufacturers don't get mITX at all. Anandtech doesn't either, apparently. Here's what enthusiasts look for in SFF cases:- Full-length video card compatibility with full wattage support
- Minimal Size
- Enough cooling for 250W GPU
- Decent cooling (though size is more important) for a maximum of 90W TDP in the CPU
- Low noise
And here's why, enthusiast mITX systems are based on Intel systems for the moment, and with the exception of a very specific X99 Asrock motherboard, all systems use 65W-90W Intel CPUs. Overclocking is secondary to noise and size as long as the system is capable of cooling a powerful enough system.
If the system uses full ATX PSUs it's already too big. Those are not needed for a SFF system even if going for an LGA2011 CPU with a Titan GPU, SFX-L serves the purpose just fine, and SFX does even, if you can bear the noise of the PSU when going full tilt.
Please, review cases that are smaller and give ratings accordingly. This particular case is a mess aesthetically and doesn't serve the purpose of a SFF system.
You should take a look at the Ncase m1 (oldie but goodie) or the Dan a4-sfx for inspiration on what enthusiasts look for in a SFF case.
Taverius - Thursday, June 16, 2016 - link
Mmnope. I have an ax760i psu and a k-series in mine. You don't speak for all of us.Lugaidster - Thursday, June 16, 2016 - link
I'm speaking for the frustration I see in communities of SFF systems when designs like this one appears. I won't post links, but hop around SFF forums in HardForum or more dedicated communities and you'll see what I mean. There's a reason the Ncase M1 has such a huge following despite it's price-tag.There's clearly demand for proper SFF systems that try to push the envelope with regards to the amount of horsepower you can put in the smallest possible enclosure, but manufacturers keep pushing fat cases that don't take advantage of the minimal designs mITX allow while maintaining compatibility with high performance parts.
I complain on this review because the case clearly isn't SFF and because the testing done doesn't reflect the type of components you'd want to put in an enthusiast case: 120W GPU with a 150W CPU is not representative, a 100W CPU (and this actually considers moderate overclock, the i7-4790K is 88W) with a 275W GPU is more like it.
JoeyJoJo123 - Thursday, June 16, 2016 - link
I agree with the sentiment of SFF, the I believe the crux here is that this case isn't targeted for small form factor buyers, even though it's restricted to Mini-ITX.Bear with me. Yes it's a Mini-ITX tower, but no it's not small form factor.
This is really intended for people that:
1) Already know they're never going to need anything more than 1 PCI-E slot for anything.
2) (Most important) Want to have a different case shape than a traditional "box".
As others have noted, this is bigger than some midtower ATX cases on the market, and if a user wanted to spend a limited budget more wisely, they'd get a comparable ATX motherboard (which are typically cheaper than Mini-ITX motherboards) and get a smallish ATX midtower (which could fit even more components than a Manta can and is cheaper). So ultimately, they're really only buying the case for the unique shape.
Lugaidster - Thursday, June 16, 2016 - link
Yes, the case is indeed odd, but the review treats it like a SFF case because it tests for components that supposedly would be on a SFF system, like a 120W GPU (I won't repeat myself on why I think the methodology for SFF reviews is flawed).If this case is indeed nothing more than a small tower, like you say, we should see it being compared against other tower systems with thermals according to that type of systems.
JoeyJoJo123 - Thursday, June 16, 2016 - link
I do agree there.The cases really should be compared, not in terms of motherboard size compatibility, but in terms of case volume. I don't think a case of this kind of volume should be compared to a Node 202, for example, even though both are Mini-ITX cases. The inherent difference of volume speaks to different form factor categories, and therefore different customers.
BrokenCrayons - Thursday, June 16, 2016 - link
[H]'s forum is about the last tech forum I'd submit as a place from which to draw a credible sample. The people there are nice and some are pretty informed, but it has its own community-pervasive distortions.TheinsanegamerN - Friday, June 17, 2016 - link
Some of us are still waiting for the A4-SFX to come out. That thing is gonna be sweet when it finally comes out