Wikipedia

NZXT

NZXT, Inc.is an Americancomputer hardwaremanufacturer based inLos Angeles,California.The company manufacturescomputer cases,components, and accessories for the PC gaming market.[1][2]

NZXT, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryComputer hardware
Founded2004;21 years ago(2004)
FounderJohnny Hou
Headquarters
13164 E. Temple Ave
City of Industry
California
,
United States
Key people
Johnny Hou
Products
Websitenzxt

The company has faced controversy surrounding its Flex PC rental program, which has drawn criticism for alleged anti-consumer practices, misleading specifications, and pricing structures. This has led to significant backlash from the gaming community[3][4]

History

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NZXT was founded in 2004 by Johnny Hou to produce products specifically for the DIY PC building community. The company's first product was the NZXT Guardian, which was a case featuring a plastic front bezel resemblingTransformerstoys and lighting effects.[5]Over time, they gradually expanded to other categories of computer hardware includingcomputer power supplies,[6]computer cooling,motherboards,[7]andstreamingdevices.[8][9]

On July 30, 2024, NZXT offered PC rentals.[10]Scharon Harding ofArs Technicanoted that the service did not allow for ownership, and over a two year upgrade cycle, would cost as much as "a quality PC that you could own and continue getting value from beyond two years."[11]Michael Crider ofPCWorldraised similar concerns about pricing, however noted it could be an option for people who could not afford a "top-notch gaming PC".[12]

On November 30, 2024, YouTube channel Gamers Nexus criticized the Flex rental program for false advertising claims, rapidly changing prices and specifications,[3][4]without changing model names and related performance benchmarks,[13]and anti-consumer terms of service,[13]which would allegedly allow the company to sell the data stored in the rented computer.[14]The channel would also drop NZXT as an advertiser, cancelling an ongoing advertising contract.[15]Further accusations involve targeting minors via focused social media video advertises and without properly verifying the applicant ID before starting the renting program.[16]NZXT shared a social media post in response that they are aware of the claims made.[15]

Products

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NZXT is most known for itscomputer cases,but also sellsmotherboards,power supplies,cooling products,LEDlighting, and other accessories marketed towards PC gamers. The company designs and develops their products inLos Angeles,with manufacturing being inShenzhen.[17]

Cases

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NZXT has been making PC cases since 2003, when they released the Guardian.[18]In 2013, the Phantom 630, 530, and 410 were released.[19][20][21]

The S340 was released in 2016 and later featured a collaboration withRazer.[22][23]The S340 was refreshed in 2016 with the S340 Elite, which featured atempered glassside panel instead of theacrylicpanel of the previous S340.[24]A limited Hyper Beast edition of the S340 Elite was later released.[25]Also in 2016, NZXT released the Manta - A mini-ITX chassis that featured radically different design compared to their case lineup at the time.[26]Later NZXT and Razer stopped their partnership though.

A new line of cases was released in October 2017, consisting of the H700, H400, and the H200. They are minimalist in design, and are constructed from steel withtempered glassside panels.[27]The "i" variants of each case come with decorativeLEDlighting and afan controller.[28][29][30]

An empty H500i case

A cheaper case, the H500, was added to the lineup in May 2018.[31][32]

The H-series cases were refreshed in May 2019. The new revisions introduced a front-panelUSB-Cport. One of the refreshed cases, the H510 Elite, added a second glass panel on the front of the case.[33][34][35]

In February 2020, NZXT released the H1 compact form factor case.[36]Several months later reports began to emerge of H1 cases catching fire, which were first reported on November 30, 2020, by Gamers Nexus, a PC hobbyistYouTubechannel.[37][38][39]On February 2, 2021, NZXT removed the H1 case from their product lineup, until a permanent solution could be made.[40]

Cooling

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An NZXT X52 240mm water cooler

NZXT has multipleall-in-one water coolerproducts under theirKrakenlineup. The first of these was released in 2013, in both 140mm and 280mm sizes.[41][42]NZXT has since released multiple updates to this lineup, including new coolers in 120mm and 360mm sizes, and improvements to the pumps and radiators.[43][44][45]Most recently, they released a new cooler, the Z73, which includes a customizable LED display, and updates to the rest of their AIO lineup.[46]

Motherboards

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NZXT released their own line ofmotherboardsfor theIntelZ370 chipsetin January 2018. It was praised for its minimalist design, as the circuitry is not exposed, but was initially criticized for its high price.[7][47][48][49]The lineup was refreshed in October 2018 to support theZ390 chipset.[50][51]The NZXT branded Z390 motherboards were manufactured byElitegroupwhile a Z490 one is made byASRock.[52]

Power supply units

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NZXT began sellingpower supply unitsin 2010, before ceasing sales of them in 2016. They re-entered the market in July 2018 with a series ofmodulardigitally-controlled power supplies.[53]

Lighting

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NZXT started making their own line of lighting products including RGB & fan controllers, underglow, LED strips, RGB cable combs, and the hue 2 ambient v2 desktop lighting system.[54]

CRFT

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NZXT released the first product on their CRFT line, a series of themed limited edition PC cases, in May 2018.[55]They first started with a partnership case withPlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds,before moving to a "Nuka-Cola"Falloutthemed case withBethesda Softworks.Another PUBG and Fallout series case were released as well asWorld of WarcraftandTom Clancy's Rainbow Sixthemed cases.[56]

Audio

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NZXT started selling their line of audio products in November 2019; they released their headset, audio mixer, and headset stand.[57][58]

Gaming accessories

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NZXT introduced their line of gaming accessories starting with the puck in January 2017 used for cable management and a headset mount.[59]They expanded it later to include mousepads, a sling bag, and mechanical keyboards.[60][61]

BLD

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In 2017, NZXT launched a computer building service called BLD.[62]The service asks about what games would be played on it, budget constraints, and customization options before generating a PC build. The build is sold pre-assembled. They offer 4 categories of PC builds: Starter, Mini, Streaming, and Creator. In March 2023, NZXT revamped their brand of gaming computers into "Player".[63]

Flex

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In summer 2024, NZXT launched Flex, a computer rental service based on BLD.[64][65]This service attracted substantial criticism and controversy over allegations of predatory rental fees,anti-consumerpractices, and invasivedata privacypolicies.[3][4][13]The company has updated the branding of Flex and its computers to better separate BLD and Flex computers as they feature different components.[66][67][68]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Grever, Steve (8 February 2012)."NZXT Switch 810 Full Tower PC Case Review".PC Perspective.Retrieved29 March2024.
  2. ^Hall, Charlie (6 June 2017)."New PC builder promises 60 fps or your money back".Polygon.United States.Retrieved29 March2024.
  3. ^abcRoth, Emma (Dec 1, 2024)."Gamers Nexus claims NZXT's Flex PC rental program is a 'scam'".The Verge.Retrieved2024-12-02.
  4. ^abcGamers Nexus (2024-11-30).Do Not Buy NZXT | Predatory, Evil Rental Computer Scam Investigated.Retrieved2024-12-04– via YouTube.
  5. ^Sanghani, Purav (5 April 2004)."NZXT Guardian".AnandTech.Retrieved29 March2024.
  6. ^"NZXT - PSU Review Database".Spain: RealHardTechX. Archived fromthe originalon 2 April 2014.
  7. ^abShields, Joe (9 January 2018)."The NZXT N7 Z370 Motherboard Review: A New Player in the Motherboard Market".AnandTech.Retrieved29 March2024.
  8. ^Walton, Jarred (13 January 2015)."NZXT Launches DOKO In-Home Streamer".AnandTech.Retrieved29 March2024.
  9. ^Portnoy, Sean (17 January 2015)."NZXT Doko is a $100 PC streaming device for your living room".ZDNet.Retrieved29 March2024.
  10. ^"Flex a PC Gaming Subscription Service"(Press release). NZXT. July 30, 2024.
  11. ^Harding, Scharon (Aug 2, 2024)."NZXT wants you to pay up to $169/month to rent a gaming PC".Ars Technica.Retrieved2024-12-02.
  12. ^Crider, Michael (Aug 2, 2024)."Would you rent a gaming PC? You can now with NZXT's Flex program".PC World.
  13. ^abc"NZXT responds to damning Gamers Nexus video accusing it of running a" predatory, evil "rental scam".Beef Suplex Gaming.2024-12-01.Retrieved2024-12-01.
  14. ^"New Video Claims NZXT PC Rental Program Is" A Scam, "Company Says It's Looking Into It".GameSpot.Retrieved2024-12-03.
  15. ^ab"NZXT responds to damning Gamers Nexus video accusing it of running a" predatory, evil "rental scam".TechSpot.2024-12-02.Retrieved2024-12-03.
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  25. ^"Introducing the S340 Elite Hyper Beast".NZXT.2017-04-18.RetrievedMarch 14,2020.
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  27. ^Lynch, Steven (October 17, 2017)."NZXT Outs New H-Series Cases".Tom's Hardware.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  28. ^Peak, Sebastian (February 14, 2018)."NZXT H700i Tempered Glass ATX Mid Tower Case Review".PC Perspective.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  29. ^Mai, Terrence (December 27, 2017)."Case of the Year: NZXT H700i".PC Gamer.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  30. ^Lathan, Patrick (November 1, 2017)."NZXT H700i Case Review: Better Without the" Smart "Device".Gamers Nexus.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  31. ^Chacos, Brad (May 22, 2018)."NZXT H500i review: A $100 case loaded with premium features".PC World.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  32. ^Peak, Sebastian (May 22, 2018)."NZXT Announces H500 and H500i Cases with Tempered Glass".PC Perspective.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  33. ^Bonshor, Gavin (May 30, 2019)."NZXT Refreshes H Series, New H510 Elite Chassis With RGB".AnandTech.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  34. ^Shields, Joe (May 27, 2019)."NZXT Refreshes H Series Chassis With USB Type-C, Smart Device v2".Tom's Hardware.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
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  36. ^Carver, Garrett (February 25, 2020)."NZXT H1 Review: SFF Excellence, PSU and AIO Included".Tom's Hardware.RetrievedFebruary 25,2021.
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  38. ^Liu, Zhiye (November 28, 2020)."NZXT Issues H1 Product Recall Over Safety Concerns".Tom's Hardware.RetrievedFebruary 25,2021.
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  40. ^Ridley, Jacob (February 2, 2021)."NZXT halts sale of H1 PC case for second time as long-term fire hazard fix is developed".PC Gamer.RetrievedFebruary 26,2021.
  41. ^Sklavos, Dustin (December 26, 2012)."Closing the Loop: Contained Liquid-Coolers from Corsair and NZXT Compared".AnandTech.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  42. ^Nyhuis, Brian (September 12, 2013)."NZXT Kraken X40 & X60 CPU Water Cooler Reviews".Legit Reviews.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  43. ^Forrest, Derek (March 6, 2018)."NZXT Adds Larger, More Affordable AIO CPU Coolers To Kraken Lineup".Tom's Hardware.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  44. ^Lilly, Paul (March 6, 2018)."NZXT's Kraken X72 is the company's first 360mm all-in-one liquid cooler".PC Gamer.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  45. ^Sebring, Chad (November 13, 2014)."NZXT Kraken X31 140mm AIO CPU Cooler Review".TweakTown.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  46. ^"Review: NZXT Kraken Z63 and Z73 are among the best AIO coolers out there".Windows Central.2020-01-28.RetrievedMarch 14,2020.
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  48. ^Dingman, Hayden (January 10, 2018)."NZXT's debut motherboard is one of the most breathtaking motherboards ever".PC World.RetrievedJune 11,2019.
  49. ^Soderstrom, Thomas (January 9, 2018)."A New Player in Motherboards: Our NZXT N7-Z37XT Review".Tom's Hardware.RetrievedJune 11,2019.
  50. ^Gayde, William (October 8, 2018)."NZXT releases their second ever motherboard, the N7 Z390".TechSpot.RetrievedJune 11,2019.
  51. ^Grubb, Jeff (October 10, 2018)."Asus, NZXT, and more launch Z390 motherboards for 9th-gen Core CPUs".VentureBeat.RetrievedJune 11,2019.
  52. ^"Anandtech: The NZXT N7 Z490 Motherboard Review: From A Different Direction".RetrievedOctober 17,2020.
  53. ^Shilov, Anton (July 17, 2018)."NZXT Enters PSU Market with E-Series ATX Power Supplies Featuring Built-In Monitoring".AnandTech.RetrievedJune 11,2019.
  54. ^"PC Case Lighting | LED Lights for Gaming Setup | NZXT".nzxt.Archived fromthe originalon April 4, 2016.RetrievedDecember 9,2020.
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  64. ^Hagedoorn, Hilbert (2024-08-01)."NZXT Launches Flex PC: Subscription-Based Gaming PC Rental with Upgrades".guru3d.Retrieved2024-12-04.
  65. ^"NZXT Announces NZXT Flex a PC Gaming Subscription Service".NZXT.2024-07-31.Retrieved2024-12-10.
  66. ^NZXT (2024-12-04).Addressing Your NZXT Flex Subscription Concerns.Retrieved2024-12-09– via YouTube.
  67. ^Davis, Wes (2024-12-08)."NZXT's Flex PC rentals are still 'misleading' and 'predatory,' claims Gamers Nexus".The Verge.Retrieved2024-12-09.
  68. ^Gamers Nexus (2024-12-06).NZXT Says We're "Confused".Retrieved2024-12-09– via YouTube.

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