NZXT Panzerbox Mid Tower Case Review

Exterior Impressions


Yep, it looks a bit like a tank. Once we got the Panzerbox out of its packaging, we were immediately surprised by the short and wide stature of the case. It’s simple black aluminum exterior gives it that classy appearance, while its semi-transparent mesh front provides a glimpse at the aggressive looking 190mm intake fan. There aren’t any flashy LEDs, or overly aggressive design characteristics. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, but we think that NZXT did a good job with the simple aesthetics of the Panzerbox.

Even more surprising than its dimensions however is it’s weight. We couldn’t believe how light the Panzerbox was. Sure, we’ve seen plenty of lightweight aluminum cases over the years, but the Panzerbox really goes a step further. We’ll take a closer look at the internal construction of the Panzerbox in the “Interior Impressions” section, but we can say that NZXT’s selection of mesh panels and minimalistic interior components plays a huge role in it’s weight.


From the side, we’re greeted with a relatively simple side panel. We’ll get more into it shortly, but a small vent is present on the panel to allow cool air to reach the PSU. There aren’t any window options available for the Panzerbox, so those wanting to see their hardware will have to get crafty and modify the side panel.


From the rear, we’re greeted by a very unique layout. Although the Panzerbox is technically a bottom mounted PSU case, it quickly becomes evident that this is anything but your average PSU mounting location. The PSU sits in a vertical orientation directly beside the expansion slots, giving the case that extra wide appearance. There is also about 3 inches of extra space at the top of the case above the motherboard that was thoughtfully provided to allow for internal radiator installation. We’ll get more into this shortly.

We were also pleased to see that NZXT opted to keep the case 100% painted black; a popular feature becoming ever more common these days. In the past, enthusiasts would go to great lengths painting the inside of their cases to get that “dark” appearance, so its nice to know that the Panzerbox will be painted black throughout right out of the box.


Toward the top of the rear, we see a pair of watercooling grommets and a pretty standard 120mm exhaust fan in the usual location. Due to the wide stature of the Panzerbox, NZXT could have taken the cooling setup a step farther and used an oversize 140mm fan. We’re confident that there would have been plenty of space for one in this location. On the flip side though, keeping the fan a standard 120x25mm size allows buyers to easily swap it out for a fan of their choice.

The watercooling grommets are a pretty standard size that should allow the use of 3/8” and 1/2“ ID tubing. We’d also like to make special mention of the very soft rubber compound used for the grommets. It should be very easy to pull tubing in and out of the grommet without popping it out of the case.


Farther down, we see that NZXT includes vented expansion slot brackets. Keeping the rear of the case breathing, especially the expansion slot area is very important as toasty video cards do not always exhaust air directly out of the case very well. We’ll see how the Panzerbox is able to keep a pair of HD3850 cards cool in the “Cooling Performance” section.

The vented expansion brackets are also removable, which is ideal. There is nothing worse than having to deal with “punch-out” brackets that cannot be reused when swapping around expansion cards. The openings in the brackets are numerous and fairly large, so they should allow some hot air to escape around the video cards. This will be very important in the Panzerbox, as the large 190mm intake fan will be directing a lot of air to this area of the case.

When it comes to PSU mounting, there are mounting holes to allow two different orientations in the Panzerbox. This will be somewhat irellivant to PSUs with a rear exhaust fan, but for PSUs with a bottom mounted fan, it is quite an important consideration. We’ll get more into why this is critical in our “Cooling Performance” section, but mounting a PSU with its fan facing the expansion slots will cause it to draw in a lot of warm air. This is especially true when used in conjunction with high end or multiple video cards. If the PSU is mounting in the opposite orientation, the fan will face the vented opening on the side panel and will be allowed to draw in cool air from outside of the case. There are pros and cons to both mounting orientation that we’ll outline shortly, so stay tuned.