Lighting & Comparing the NZXT S340 Razer Edition

With everything wired up, let’s see how that lighting looks.

The right choice of components can make a themed build pretty easy to do. The Gigabyte Sniper B85 motherboard pictured has a row of green LEDs along the right edge, and the BitFenix Spectre Pro fans do a good job of matching the theme as well (NZXT also makes FN V2 fans with green LEDs). The chassis lights aren’t on yet though – just a press of a button on the back…

That’s more like it. Obviously, this photo is a little overexposed to emphasize the lighting, but it’s quite striking when viewed in the dark. The LED “underglow” bars are very bright even in daylight, and at night they wash everything in that Razer green glow.

Adding the tinted side panel subdues the overall glow a bit – it would be hard to see a system inside without some additional lighting to highlight any color choices. Since green motherboards are relatively scarce nowadays, the heavy tint might help another board blend in better anyway.

It’s no secret at this point the S340 hits quite a few positive targets for a chassis at this price point. This is the Razer edition though – are the cosmetic improvements enough to justify the $30 MSRP premium over the standard versions of the NZXT S340? For the record, we’re talking two LED light bars, a green-backlit Razer logo in front (and a switch to control the two), a painted logo on the cable management bar inside, and a custom touch to the USB 3.0 ports and power LED. Those hoping for a green version of the matte black/blue/red color editions of the S340 might find this all a bit too much and just pull out some neon green spray paint – that cable management bar does remove quite easily…

Razer fans already invested in that ecosystem probably couldn’t care less. For what it’s worth, the Razer edition does seem to have a bit more thought and finesse applied to it than the other S340s. The matte paint seems ever so slightly more “premium,” and you’d need a laser cutter to etch out Razer’s complicated triple-headed snake logo in the front panel (good luck cutting that out with a Dremel). The light bars are a step above the typical aftermarket solutions, with excellent diffusion and color. Little touches like the USB 3.0 plastic color are quite unique. In the end, paying extra to showcase some brand loyalty is an option most of us choose, whether it’s computer cases or shoes/cars/sports teams/drinks/etc. For those wanting that option for their computer case, it’s an easy choice over the other S340 chassis.