How Great Is The NZXT Manta? | Comparing Popular Reviews

The NZXT Manta upsides

NZXT Manta looks beautiful and is extremely well made in terms of aesthetics. The windowed side panel, in particular, looks amazing. The problem is that Manta is either too big for a Mini-ITX enclosure or fails to include a Micro-ATX motherboard.

We're not sure why the cooling system's mounts are so cramped for room. A 120mm, 140mm, or 240mm radiator will fit easily, but a 280mm cooler will be difficult to install. The thing with the 2.5-inch drive mounting method is little bothersome and demonstrates how tiny nuances make a big difference in the overall experience when purchasing a case.

Far and away, depending on who you ask, the Manta is a hit or miss case design. Whether you like the look or not, NZXT deserves kudos for trying something new and unusual. This is a risk, but risks like this assist to keep our sector new, original, and ever-changing.
Aside from the case size, I think the change to an SFF design is a fantastic idea. As things grow smaller, PCs must decrease to keep up. The Manta, contrary to popular belief, is not intended to be a living room box.

Instead, it is an enthusiast piece that can easily fit onto your desktop, look great, and yet leave room for other things. I love how easy it is to access all of the case's components; the side panels unscrew and then retain the screws for you, the front panel slides straight off, and so does the top. You can simply get access to regions you don't want to work to get to, allowing for simple setup modifications. Some of their lineup's best aspects, in particular, made it into the Manta.

Is the Manta a buy?

The NZXT Manta is a breath of new air in the mini-ITX world, both strange and lovely. Sure, it's not as portable as its competitors, but the Manta makes good use of its big proportions, with enough of room for components, connections, and cooling.

If you don't mind the constraints of the mini-ITX platform and don't mind a larger, curvier PC, the Manta is a good option.

The NZXT Manta downsides

To be fair to chassis manufacturers who aim for smallness in Mini-ITX designs, this is hardly a compact case. Despite being a Mini-ITX enclosure, it's nearly the size of a mid-tower, and the extra room aids in the build process. This isn't the case for you if you're seeking for anything extremely small.

Another disadvantage is the restricted storage capacity. Inside the Manta, you can only fit three 2.5-inch SSDs or two 3.5-inch hard drives. That's plenty to combine a pair of RAID 0 SSDs for speed and a large hard drive for storage. The Manta also lacks an optical drive slot, for those of you who still use CDs and DVDs. Though the trend in aftermarket chassis is obviously away from optical-drive bays, the Manta is large enough that NZXT might have included one in the design.

To add to that, the center channel cover is a brilliant piece of steel, but it should be modified to accommodate larger radiators in the top and more area for wires to flow through. Also, the motherboard cut out should be little longer on the bottom side. It should be simple to fit practically any back plate, but it was not. The main issue for me is the absence of water cooling support.

The Manta can be a great buy

There are smaller Mini-ITX cases on the market, but none compare to the Manta in terms of ease of use and build quality.