Fire or No Fire: New NZXT H1 Riser X-Ray & Testing (NZXT H1 PCIe Riser Fix)

[@GamersNexus]

To support work like this and get something in return, you can back us on Patreon! We just published a brand new bonus Q&A over there: patreon.com/gamersnexus You can also support our efforts and get something useful in return by buying a GN Tear-Down Toolkit, Mouse Mat, or other product from our store: store.gamersnexus.net/ Watch the most recent installment about the NZXT H1 government recall: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWq9fnxsgqmao9k And our video where we originally confirmed the problem: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJu4pJaJh7GqodU Our thanks to Creative Electron for the X-Ray analysis: creativeelectron.com/

[@robsumn56]

Pog

[@CaliforniansDESERVEtheFIRE]

Did patrick work at a black cat tent?

[@carlwells9504]

Got my mouse pad thanks, quality product!

[@emboop2346]

Thanks for continuing coverage on this issue

[@TheGroberUnfug]

Supporting you is inherently useful to all of us. Thanks for giving us even more i guess? \

[@menhirmike]

I just love that you used the footage of emptying an entire tube for the Kryonaut sponsor segment.

[@GamersNexus]

We bought the whole tube, we're going to use the whole tube.

[@extramedium3561]

went straight to the comments.was not disapointed.

[@Aldranis]

Wait, you aren''t supposed to use the entire tube of thermal paste?

[@catbertz]

More is always better! 🍺😁

[@LogiForce86]

@@GamersNexus What is your opinion of the new Kryonaut Extreme? I recently replaced the Evga 2080 XC Ultra's paste because it had gone LIQUID and had poor covering. I don't know what happened to the paste but the silk screen seems to not have been applied properly, also the screws weren't well tightened. It wasn't something I'd expect from a respectable manufacturer from Evga. Thermals dropped significantly when Kryonaut extreme was applied. With default settings in Precision X1 and boost lock enabled the idle temperature was 53 degrees in Windows with the fans off. Albeit I did have a dynamic wallpaper with Wallpaper Engine enabled that drew some GPU usage. In any case I am curious to hear about GN their opinion on the pink stuff that is Kryonaut Extreme. I just love the color because it is easy to clearly see if you have proper coverage. What about you?

[@EthyrielY]

I know this has been said before, but it’s amazing that GN has been able to have such a positive impact with regards to getting the old riser recalled. Huzzah for independent journalism!

[@p3chv0gel22]

Huzzah!

[@StayMadNobodycares]

Huzzah! I had to Google what Huzzah meant first.

[@PEZ1514]

Its sad it landed on him to protect peoples lives.

[@DeepSpaceNetwork]

Huzzah!

[@chalor182]

Yup. Can't say this enough. Everyone should take a minute and be thankful that journalistic integrity exists still, and then support GN by buying some things because that's how ahit stays free and independent.

[@RymeofDawn]

Xray stuff was pretty cool. Should do more in the future where applicable

[@Waldherz]

Much better than schlieren images. Cuz those never really showed anything that wasnt logical and expected anyways.

[@jb34304]

@@Waldherz Well that type of imagery isn't designed for this. The GPU fan/thermal experiments are a different story, as they were measuring something that is usually transparent to the naked eye.

[@SupremeRuleroftheWorld]

the "holes" around the hole are via's. they connect the top layer (usually ground) with the bottom layer wich is also usually ground around the hole. this is much more obvious to see with the screw holes on most motherboards.

[@GamersNexus]

Thanks! I had heard the term "via" and was aware of the concept from reading, but never bothered to look up a photo. That makes a lot of sense. Thank you for taking the time to comment!

[@fiskfisk33]

Yup, this is the correct answer!

[@dumle29]

@@GamersNexus It should be noted that due to the large pad around the screw-hole, the larger hole diameter, and the via-stitching (in this case for structural reasons) means that *any* non-GND power planes should be fairly far away, and while it is hard to prove a negative I'd feel fairly safe with the new risers. It's honestly hard to end up with a bad board like the first type, especially when you're not making a "one size fits all" board. If you want a look at the issue from a layout-pov then I did make a "short" video on it when you released the first video :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWS0oGqenc6Hn6s

[@remox3448]

Definitely right! If you end up working with x-rays more, you can see them provide grounding through multiple layers and planes in more complex PCBs. You can sometimes see them exposed on motherboard mounting holes. The pattern is for physical protection (like threading in an improper screw cough cough), as well as emf benefits in some instances

[@DJLrunie]

One other use for the via's is to transfer heat from one side of the PCB to the other. In this riser PCB it's not necessary but PCB's used for certain power supply modules use large copper pads with loads of via's to transfer the heat away from MOSFET's and other components.

[@MacBjorn]

I have received and installed the new riser. Everything working fine. I was one of the first people to originally contact NZXT after this issue was flagged. So that may explain why I already got my fix.

[@timhartherz5652]

What happend to the Old one, did they want it back? Probably not, since shipping would be rather expensive for a product that basically has no worth, costs for repairing them with a new PCB would be more than the Product is worth. I cecommend destroying it by cutting the cables before giving it to recycling, so nobody bothers to fish it out of the trash.

[@MacBjorn]

@@timhartherz5652 trash can

[@shawng746]

Likewise. Same for me. I contacted them before anything was officially announced. I have my new riser installed and things are working without issue now. I was having issues before, but wasn't able to determine what was causing them before Steve and GN brought this to our attention.

[@ThePlatinumKiller]

Nice dude I got mine last week I was also one of the first people to contact them, it seems to be working fine with no fires. Hope the same is true for you.

[@MacBjorn]

For what it's worth, it's still one of the best itx cases. I love it.

[@chrishexx3360]

It’s like Tech Jesus also moonlights as the Batman of PC consumerism. He’s the hero we need.

[@ebridgewater]

But do we deserve him?

[@Cypeq]

We don't, we don't deserve hero like that.

[@aaronjerome5084]

In high school that was my nickname was always fixing everyone's electronics and had long hair. I feel that Steve is way more deserving of name.

[@muazyusof765]

Either you dia a hero,or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain

[@g00gleminus96]

So we'll like him, and subscribe to him. Because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a vocal guardian. A vigilant protector. A PCMR knight.

[@parasecglenkwyst4835]

"I'm the chosen Patrick" What an opening

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

So disappointed they didn't put a heavenly choir on!

[@1nfiniteloop]

There can only be ONE Patrick :)

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

@@1nfiniteloop Oh dear, I feel a religious schism coming on! "He's the Patrick", "No, HE is the Patrick!", "He's the Patrick, I should know, I've followed a few", "He's not the Patrick, he's just a nerdy boy!"

[@xpyr]

@@michaelhoffmann2891 Nice Life of Brian reference!

[@SparkY0]

As a further fire-prevention method it appears NZXT has removed all GPU's from the market, using the rock solid logic "Nobody will use the old riser if there's nothing to plug into it".

[@auwdioslave]

As stated by earlier comments, the "tubes" around the large mounting holes are vias in the PCB. These are small holes which are drilled through the PCB before the plating process. Just as the large screw hole, they get plated with copper during electroplating. Plated mounting holes are often used to create an electrical connection between the ground potential of a circuit and the housing in which it is mounted. This is done to improve safety and can reduce the electromagnetic interference around the board. Adding vias through the pad surrounding a plated mounting hole is done to ensure a proper connection, even if the plating in the actual mounting hole is damaged by the screw.

[@johanwesselink2861]

Probably also to improve EMI (electro magnetic interference). Nice explanation

[@Echristoffe]

Also if the pad need to make connections between metal and screw you can have already solder balls to improve the connection quality

[@pradeepraghuraman4430]

Imagine if it caught on fire again "You had one job"

[@stepbruv8780]

You are fine(fire)

[@tomhsia4354]

Samsung: Welcome to the club! Fire extinguisher is by the door.

[@brp_]

@@tomhsia4354 Haha, I was gonna say, the Note 7 wasn't that long ago even though it feels like it.

[@zorbalight3933]

@@brp_ It was the 8 iirc.

[@tomhsia4354]

@@zorbalight3933 It was the Note 7.

[@TheWingusDingus]

"The Chosen Patrick" all are blessed by the divine one's presence.

[@EdwinDavenport]

NZXT customer service has been top notch with me. I purchased two H1 units from them directly. Still waiting on one PC Riser but they have been empathetic and responsive. But I appreciate you, Steve! We need an advocate.

[@dood49]

My new riser was shipped out yesterday, thank you for the hard work and holding them accountable for sending out safe hardware!

[@ericbaker8807]

"Steve Burke | Host, Lead Fire Starter" Ain't much, but it's honest work

[@BlackTownie999]

Proof that real journalism isn't actually dead...GN gives us all hope.

[@Arek_R.]

It's very nice that Steve has learnt about PCB specifc wording and can explain everything correctly.

[@Arek_R.]

"Tubes" ok maybe not everything xD

[@GamersNexus]

Trying to learn more every day we do the job. It's impossible to know everything about this industry, but making an active effort to improve in vocabulary!

[@Arek_R.]

@@GamersNexus Those tubes are called "Vias" - plated holes having electrical purpose.

[@catbertz]

@@GamersNexus Gotta squeeze electrical engineering classes in-between your Chinese classes! 😂

[@andersjjensen]

Title: "The chosen Patrick" That one had me in stitches!

[@alexmills1329]

Steve is tech Jesus so whichever Patrick he picked is technically the chosen one.

[@martinocko9]

those ''tubes'' are vias, if they werent there you might be able to delaminate the plating, basicaly they are supports

[@movax20h]

Yes, and no. They are usually called vias, but technically vias are the plated holes that go entire depth of the stackup, and are there for electrical purposes only, and at the end are usually covered by soldermask, and before soldermask, could also be plugged (tented). Or not. The ones here, around the mounting holes, will be called vias by most people, but primary purpose of them is mechanical stregthenning, they will be non plugged , and will not be covered by soldermask. I am not sure what is the proper name for them, but sometimes people call them just vias or sattelite vias or sattelite suppoer vias. I don't use them for mounting holes usually, only for big screw terminals and connectors that are screw in on PCB, this is to carry a bit more current, and as an extra reliability, in case the pressure of the screw damages or makes some cracks in the copper.

[@WAF74]

@@movax20h "in case the pressure of the screw damages or makes some cracks in the copper." Isn't the degree that NZXT torques down their screws a bit of a meme with Steve? Maybe they really are trying to address all their issues!

[@MikeStavola]

@@movax20h we call them PTH reinforcements. Used to tie everything together electrically and/or mechanically.

[@movax20h]

@@MikeStavola Yep. That is a fitting name for it. I like it.

[@jalien21]

I think this is correct. electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/240092/why-do-some-pcbs-put-vias-around-mechanical-through-holes

[@InderjeetSingh-im3eh]

Excellent news to hear that your focus on the end user has paid off. I've said this before but this is one of the many reasons I am one of your Patreon backer.

[@matuzaato]

I knew you were extremely good, but this whole saga really has elevated my opinion on the work you do here, I can't help financially, but you have my thanks and appreciation for the whole team

[@thechemist1049]

Got my replacement cable installed like 5 days ago, had the nylon screws in and got those within a week of them being announced. Have zero complaints.

[@catbertz]

Nice coverage! Great to see a quality replacement part. I'm open to the idea that NZXT *initially* got screwed with a bad third party sourced board, but everything after that is on them. As soon as problems and fires popped up, they needed to jump fast and transparently. Lack of communication and coverups are always worse than the original problem.

[@edwardallenthree]

Yep! A life lesson for all of us.

[@Mrflash222006]

It’s a total redesigned part, plated through hole with ground plane, the via’s around it are to increase the grounding (tied into the PCB) and also add mechanical strengthen

[@danmcdonald3723]

Thank you so much to the Gamers Nexus team for doing the due diligence on these cases and the fire hazards and the fixes. I found this case late last year and was eyeing it and slowly falling in love with it, and when I was finally ready to buy it, that's when I saw that it was out of stock everywhere. I had no idea why, but it looked like their stock had been completely sold out. I found one last case on ebay and snapped it up, only to find out the day it arrived via mail that the reason it had disappeared was the fire hazard. It's been sitting empty since then, with me unwilling to build anything or continue buying parts until I knew what was up. This video has now given me the peace of mind to move ahead with getting the new replacement riser and using this beautifully designed case (other than the crappy PCB construction from a third party). You all have done a wonderful thing here, and the praise you're getting is well-deserved. We'll never know how many fires you kept from starting and how many lives you saved, but I'm sure if it's even one, it was well worth it.

[@DerMannInDerWand]

Fantastic work on this one! Great journalism, the way you're actually making a difference time and time again in this industry is amazing. Also, I really liked the x-ray stuff - if you have ideas for ways to use it in other content, I'd be thrilled to see it!

[@TheMalicioustoast]

Just my experience here, I ordered the H1 in October, made a new build with it in November, and have been using it since. In February (yes I procrastinated in getting help) I contacted NZXT support and got a response the following day. After providing proof of purchase I was told I would be receiving the nylon screw repair kit and would receive a new riser cable once they had them. Next day I got an email saying they were shipped and was given a tracking number. I have since received the screws and replaced the metal ones, all within a week of reaching out to them. Despite the riser cable issue, I am very happy with the help I have received from NZXT support and hope everyone who had to go through them to receive the repair kit and new riser cable has been fortunate and is now able to use their H1 case without any fear or a fire hazard.

[@lunascomments3024]

I happy with your experience man. I hope this will be a good lesson for them. If steve didnt expose them, your case might catch on fire. also, I am thinking that because of this whole fiasco, NZXT support is getting better (*cough* reputation). I hope youre enjoying the case now!

[@nachtmarv]

I don't know why, but the chosen patrick doing his testing has a huge ASMR vibe

[@reptilez13]

This is awesome. As someone whose learning board repair and things, this was above and beyond and def interesting and beneficial. Xrays? Yes please lol

[@drewsof]

Patrick’s ASMR segment gave me the best nights sleep I’ve had in months

[@sovereign1160]

I'm sure you get this all the time, but your dedication to excellence if really above and beyond. No one is making you do these sorts of watchdog things for the industry, let alone following up with them for so long, even when it's just the boring "the fixed it" follow ups to encourage manufactures to admit and solve their issues. Really A+ journalism.

[@CobiesTech]

I requested for the nylon screws 3 weeks ago and finally received them today. I understand its a stop gap , but im satisfied that the first wave of screws came in, and i expect the riser repalcement comes on the expected delivery times

[@georgem.6136]

The Xray was very cool, glad to see they handled the issue!

[@galacticviper4453]

Ik this is a year old (litterally, to the date lol) but I just would like to thank you guys for everything you do for the tech community. As has been shown in other areas of industry, it would be a disaster without people like you keeping the big companies in check. Thank you.

[@brace4ace45]

Kudos to Steve amd the team for shedding some light on this and bringing ethics where it's needed. 8:40 the "tubes" around the screw hole are called vias. They pass the ground connection to the other side of the PCB. Sometimes they connect to internal layers as well supporting the same task. I like to also think they add a little structural rigidity in an area that can likely become over compressed due to different torquing/tightening by different end users in regards to strength and paranoia. I myself am a bit paranoid, so I tend to over torque on things that don't have a torque spec involved. I believe the solder balls are there so that the screw being installed becomes an easier test point when using a multimeter. Motherboards also have these balls on standoff holes, front and back for the mounting screw and standoffs alike.

[@icedcoffee2279]

I'm glad they fixed the fire issue, I really love the aesthetic of this case.

[@outhy_r]

The “tubes” are called “Vias”. They are small holes that are drilled through the board and electrically plated to connect different layers of the PCB together. In this case they are forming a circle around the large plated hole that is used for the screw and will provide both additional electrical path for the Ground connection, but probably more significantly will provide mechanical robustness for the integrity of the surface pad as the screw is inserted and removed multiple times over its life

[@cody7941]

Gamer'sNexus, a.k.a. "PCMR Safety & Efficiency Committee"

[@mistakenotou7681]

Accurate

[@s8wc3]

PCSHA

[@ryanmorten6153]

You all did amazing and responsible work here. Your reviews are literally comprehensive enough that you potentially saved peoples homes and maybe even lives... hopefully people let that sink in for a second.

[@Zosu22]

Unfortunate that we even need to have content about this in the first place, but regardless thank you for what you do for the community!

[@artisan002]

Definitely digging the x-ray stuff. Particularly informative.

[@LiLBitsDK]

yeah must be next purchase for GN :D big xray machine in the back of the office

[@artisan002]

@@LiLBitsDK Heh. Toootally affordable. Of course, it beats a CNC machine and laser cutter that never get used for reviewing *anything*.

[@LiLBitsDK]

@@artisan002 I am sure the office party will be quite fun too

[@KouroshFarrokhzad]

I'm always impressed with the depth and detail of the work in your investigative videos. You've outdone yourself with this to the benefit of the entire community. Congratulations to Steve and the whole team at GN!

[@Christopher_S]

I love how you got this X-Rayed. Fantastic idea and it great to see the internals of this! Great job!

[@JamesMarsdenTAKTAK]

EE here - The holes are called 'vias'. Traditionally, they were used in order to move PCB traces, or 'nets', between layers of the PCB. Making it easier to route higher density PCBs. They also serve other purposes: * Via 'stitching' is used to offer a more solid connection into the copper plane which they're assigned to (predominantly ground or power planes), this can also help with EMC and reducing hyper-local ground offsets. * Bolster the mechanical rigidity of the copper pad to prevent delamination or crush damage to the substrate. * Thermal wicking between surfaces - For example, some ICs have a metal pad underneath to aid with removing heat from the die. The pad under the device then usually has several vias to help with moving that heat to another copper surface. Effectively using the board itself as a heatsink. In this instance on a mounting hole, they're there to provide a better electrical connection to ground, reduce the risk of the copper annular ring delaminating AND avoid crushing the PCBA when a ham-fisted gorilla goes to over-tighten a fastener :)

[@nikomo]

The "tubes" are plated vias - a hole is drilled through, after which copper is added via a deposition process, and then more copper is added to that base via an electroplating process. In this case, it has been done to provide low impedance to the case. The screw will have the best contact on the top of the board, but the ground plane seems to be on the bottom. These vias provide the shortest possible path from the screw to the ground plane. The solder dimples are simply formed by opening up the solder mask, so the solder paste squeegee applies paste at those locations. Surface tension takes care of forming the shape.

[@quentinfeerylawrence]

Electronics Engineer here, the piping or vias around the mounting hole are there to provide a consistent ground plane through all layers of the PCB even if the plating on the top or bottom side of the board gets damaged, eg if the plated hole was stripped of its plating in the center due to wearing from a screw the vias would ensure that the ground plane is not broken.

[@pelor92]

Electrical engineeer with pcb design experience here... The tubes that run the length of the board (called "vias" in jargon) are used to add more mechanical strenght to the joint (since they are copper plated) the pcb material will creep over time (basically squish and deform permanently) under the screw pressure, making the board thinner and thus the screw will not hold down the board correctly. They are very important in high vibration environment (think automotive) since the board vibrating due to the loose screw can be damaged. In a PC case, they are always a good practice, but probably not strictly necessaty (there won't be much vibration)

[@movax20h]

I am also a PCB and electronics designer as a hobby. I have a question. Should that mounting hole be actually connected to circuit ground? I think not, because of amount of current that could potentially flow via unknown path (and need to add things like coatings, screw torque, etc), instead using anti-parallel path back via motherboard. That could both lead to worse signal integrity, heating up of the screw or contact points, as well be a bit unsafe when we are dealing with almost 10A of current (i.e. some gnd wires break in the raiser cable). And could mess up with the low side current measurements and overcurrent protection devices.

[@pelor92]

@@movax20hThere is no hard and fast rule unfortunately and really depends on the overall system design. In a complex circuit like a motherboard you will most definitely have more than1 ground, also ground and Protective Earth (PE) will be different (typically mounting holes along with connector screens are connected to PE that is connected to ground in a single point through either a ferrite bead or a low value resistor/zero ohm link) . that said in a good design the engineer should know exactly where its current will flow (path of least resistance/impedance) and that should never be through a screw. especially in a mobo, where you can potentially have several hundred amps going around your ground impedance should be so low that the path through the case should not give you any ground loop problem

[@ijustsawthat]

The riser now has the GN - Patrick & Patrick seal of approval.

[@trash3570]

Think I need another Patrick’s approval before I’ll feel safe

[@benjaminoechsli1941]

@@trash3570 The Patrick, the Patrick, and the other Patrick.

[@depressedteitoku6878]

I live in Malaysia and got my replacement riser cable from NZXT about 2 days ago

[@michaelsdailylife8563]

The "tubes" you referred to I believe were vias and they have several uses: #1 They allow the pcb designer to connect different layers of the board. Around the screw hole they are typically filled with solder or plated all the way through as the outside layers of the board are typically ground planes. By filling the vias with solder or plating them, this stiffens the board around the screw and keeps the clamping force of the screw from crushing the fiberglass board. Think of them almost as support columns. #2 They are used to increase the maximum current flow through a pcb. Connecting multiple layers acts like using a bigger wire. #3 As a tertiary use they are used to sync heat away from a source, although they are not being used as such here. Typically this is done with surface mount LED chips. They will have vias directly under the LED that will be filled with solder and will draw the heat away from the chip to the outer layer on the other side of the pcb. For LED's the outer layer on the other side will typically be aluminum and then this aluminum layer will be in contact with a large aluminum heat sync on the exterior of the device.

[@Nunman1962]

I received my PCIe 3.0 riser cable last week. I cut up the old riser cable and threw it in the trash. Disappointed they didn't do this to start with, but I still like the case and plan on using it. Thanks to Steve and the 'Patricks' for their work and making NZXT for doing the right thing!

[@brianmccullough4578]

I specifically bought an H1 as a BBQ. I love to smoke salmon in my H1....that burnt electrical taste, really does it for me

[@hardrivethrutown]

It's great to see you making a difference and making tech more safe

[@Trumanlol86]

Great conclusion to this saga. Excellent top tier journalism as always. Thanks Gamers Nexus crew!

[@peanutbutter6862]

you are darn right on customer support. It took them 22 days to get back me about a warranty issue on my h510 front panel. 22 days. After I said even after all these burn videos GN did on you guys, you think you would try to do better. I got a response to fix my case.

[@andrewoskam3165]

Great investigation Steve and Crew. Wonderful to see you guys doing the community a service and keeping companies honest while also keeping us and our beloved computers safe. Please keep up this kind of content where possible.

[@ryans3199]

Definitely enjoyed the X-ray testing, that's a new feather in the cap for GN. You guys are thorough, which is why I come here.

[@decretumdeluxe9670]

The Chosen Patrick seems much more confident now than before, good job Chosen Patrick, keep it up!

[@deechvogt1589]

Very cool X-ray pics. Please keep us in the loop on these type of issues. Thanks again for the valuable DYI PC space product review and performance video. You are the Consumer Reports of the DYI Space. Keep up the excellent technical reviews and product safety journalism. Way to go Gamers Nexus team!

[@OM222O]

Hi steve, those "tubes" are called Vias and they're usually used to bridge different layers electrically, however they're also used near mounting screws to strenghten that area of the PCB and distribute the load more evenly.

[@thejo6331]

The tubes (vias) around the perimeter are to tie the two outer-most ground planes together, essentially creating a Faraday cage. This is dual-purpose: it contains EMI from the fast-switching PCIe signals on the inner layers of the PCB, and it also protects those same traces from the relatively-noisy EMI environment that is a PC case. Some DIMM modules have the same type of thing implemented to help improve signal integrity, so it's nice to see it utilized here as well.

[@pepperthekobold]

Glad to see this resolved. I'd actually like to buy an H1 to do a build for my brother, due to its small footprint on a desk. I'm glad I heard about this before I pulled the trigger. Now I'll just have to wait and see if they become available to purchase again.

[@vsevolodnedora7779]

"higher traffic lower hole" The context is important as never before :)

[@TheSwiip1]

To the 8:15 question. The tubes you see are vias to connect different layers of the pcb together. Normally used around the PCB to have a good ground plane connection.

[@lord1todd]

The X-ray view was pretty cool. It added a much deeper perspective into the two different riser's construction.

[@iyates]

I love my H1 case, and I'm glad NZXT is addressing the issue. Thanks for covering this topic!

[@heyarno]

Nice probing job by the chosen Patrick. Very calm and precise.

[@RussLudwig]

Thanks to GN for all the hard work on this issue! Fingers crossed it is fixed. Very cool looking at the cable's x-ray images btw

[@Poofu]

Electrical engineer here, those tubes are vias that connect the top ground plain to the bottom ground plain for a more solid ground connection. They drill a small hole through the board and plate it to connect the 2 layers.

[@RootcityMusic]

bro thank you so much for making these videos. I'm a new PC builder and this is the kind of stuff I wouldn't notice and I would just think it's my fault. thanks for looking out for us, really appreciate it!

[@DoctorX17]

Glad y'all nudged NZXT to fix this properly and verified afterwards. Also, love the X-Ray inspection... Always super cool to look inside things that way. Hope to see how they do on customer support though -- hopefully better than other things

[@theigpugamer]

Even though I don't have an nzxt case neither do any of my friends but I still really appreciate you took so much intiative and efforts and resolved this public hazard which could have been deadly Great job Steve Edit - I wish I had some money to follow you on patreon or biy some merch but still

[@mikedragon3367]

thank you so much for all your hard work i love my h1 and thanks to you i bought one unopened and immediately took the screws out and replaced them with zip ties and applied for the replacement part

[@ghomerhust]

excellent. hopefully this is an "across the board" replacement and customer service does a good job of getting replacements out to folks who turn in for the recall. im glad they did the right thing and had a proper PCB made for this use case. and yes, the x-ray views of the boards were really neat, ive never seen anyone do that before on PCB analysis. as always, top shelf work from GN

[@yuriantunes2916]

The holes are called vias, they are used to interconect layers(planes) of the pcb, in this particular case they are connecting all the ground "planes". As each one can guide only a small amount of current and heat, we stack a bunch of them like that to divide the current and heat among them. As a short curriculum i'm gratuated in industrial automation in a federal university and i work designing and manufactoring electronic circuit boards for the security sector.

[@siyuanliu8043]

The "tubes" around the screw hole are for structural support. Those on the edge of the board are called via stitching. They connect layers together and help with EMI, think it as PCB Faraday Cage. In many cases, a passive board doesn't necessarily _need_ them, but since those shown in video shouldn't cost anything extra.... There can also be via shielding, which I didn't see in the video.

[@CirynthLighthammer]

GN once again being awesome. Thank you guys for this one !

[@hooskworks]

The holes around the perimeter of the board and mounting hole are called vias. You use them to electrically connect between layers of a PCB whether it's a trace or a plane. An interesting feature is the vias that look to be around the perimeter of the PCB. This is a nod in the direction of good grounding topology for high frequency current flowing. Low frequency current flowing in planes tends to spread out to create a constant current density and incurr the lowest resistance (more realistically impedance since we care about frequency here). Now ther via stitching between layers really comes Into its own for high frequency current. At high frequency current travels by the shortest route it can between two points even if the plane it's travelling through is large. Therefore, you really care about distance travelled and frequency because the frequency determines the impedance of the path per unit length and then the length determines the total impedance (due to inductance) the current experiences. Using a plated through hole with large plated and via stitched areas around it for a mechanical mounting point is a bit odd if I'm honest. If they intend it to be a connect back to the chassis then I can somewhat understand but a plated through hole would probably sufficient. What does bother me is they've gone to all that effort of using a bit plating area and then cut off a portion of it. Makes it look a bit sloppy from a PCB design point of view.

[@simonaszalatorius7161]

Just a hobbysit here, but I think the little holes around the mounting holes (vias) are used, so that the pad doesn't rip off as easily and for a low impedance connection to both ground planes for the mounting screw.

[@ethnsn]

Thank you guys, I really appreciate all the work you've done and putting this issue to light

[@Distinctly.Average]

The small via holes in the mounting hole pads are designed to electrically connect the mounting hole pad to the pad on the opposite side of the board. In the case of a multi layer board with an inner plane layer the vias may also be used to connect the mounting hole pad to that inner layer. In the past it was much less common to see mounting hole pads with these via holes. Instead the mounting hole was built as as a large plated through hole to connect to the opposite side and/or inner layers of the board. However, as in the examples you show, note that the more modern type mounting holes do not have plating in the large diameter screw hole and thus the need for the vias to provide the electrical connection. Plating removal in screw mounting holes is primarily done for one reason. The sharp threads of a screw in the hole can cause small particles of metal to come off the plated hole. This is particularly true when boards might be removed and re-installed during testing and/or repair. These small particles can come out and appear on the circuit board or float around in the electronics enclosure. In the advent of surface mount components with vary narrow lead spacings these small metal particles from the screw holes can lead to shorts on the circuit leading to either intermittent circuit operation or outright failure.

[@Berfs1]

Not an electrical engineer, but I do believe those mini holes around the shielded hole in the PCB, are there for properly securing the plating/shield. You can even see some punched holes from the visible part of the riser cable, and I believe under that is rods to secure the shield into the PCB. Edit: by the way, thank you so much for doing all that you have to make sure this fire risk is eliminated!

[@Davesretrodungeon]

Loved the xray images of the riser cable, really showed the quality difference from new to old where it looked like NZXT where trying to cut corners to save a buck

[@Michael-OBrien]

08:41 - that is a fiducial on the corner, used for machine vision to define coordinates on the PCB for accurate positioning of features from drills to silk screens to keep outs etc.. The tubes are vias and are just there to help keep the ground planes at the same potential across the length of the board.

[@veganporkkebab389]

Can’t afford PC or give any donations or buy loot boxes but it’s nice to watch this.

[@infasis]

No one should buy lootboxes

[@veganporkkebab389]

From observing social media donations and buying skins is a thing now everyone is doing and encouraging. Envy so many wealthy people out there they can throw away money like that.

[@infasis]

@asdrubale bisanzio lol

[@andrewb6]

The multiple vias through the PCB around the screw holes serve multiple goals. Electrically, it provides additional connections the top and bottom surface copper planes. This lowers impedance for power delivery, allowing for more stable voltage during activity bursts. The vias also serve to dissipate heat, at a low level. The copper vias, when the copper tubes wall is thick enough, offer additional resistance to PCB crushing when a screw is tighten too much. Many vias, in case you were unaware are precisely made copper tubes, cut to exact length, and inserted into a drilled hole, and held in place by light friction until the solder connects it more solidly to the outer PCB copper layers/traces. Electroplating vias is possible, but more expensive, and often unnecessary.

[@todayonthebench]

Those "tubes" on the board are called vias. They are mainly put around screw holes to do the following things: 1. Make the board more rigid, since the vias are more rigid than the board laminate itself, this helps prevent the screw from backing out over time. 2. Helps the board from delaminating over time, ensuring that the board doesn't wear out as quickly. 3. Decreases electrical resistance if one uses the screw as a power terminal, for a ground point like this, then this feature isn't all that important.

[@movax20h]

Exactly

[@FlashDAH]

I liked the x-ray views, I think it helps illustrate exactly the issue. Ordered a tool set, hoping it arrives in the UK by the 15th, when I'm building my machine

[@xXTECHxKNIGHTXx]

Thos xray shots were awesome to see! Good to see NZXT is taking care of it!

[@13n1304]

Love the X-Ray analysis. Really interesting! Really appreciate the effort you put in to these things, not just this but also the schlieren imaging and stuff.

[@McTroyd]

X-ray was cool. Definitely illustrated the issue clearly, especially if a person isn't used to looking for copper planes. 👍

[@Chris173972]

XRay helped with visualisation of what was happening and how it's fixed 😊

[@ianmcewan8851]

The small holes around the screw hole are standard filled through board vias and they serve several purposes. They provide an electrically connection to all layers at that point, in this case ground. Here though they are structural, the copper ring around the screw hole is present on every layer, and the thick plating of the vias connects them together as a single bit of copper, making a stronger mechanical connection from the screws to the board. (this is often done to help prevent copper pads 'lifting' for things like surface mount USB connectors). Lastly this sometimes done for thermal reasons to help spread heat between and along the ground layers. Google 'via stackup' and there are lots of images of the different types vias and their uses.

[@almostasaxplayer]

The "tubes" flanking the screw hole that "look like they have a little solder ball on them" are, as others have said here, vias. They connect one or more of the layers of the PCB. In this specific case, they are filled with resin and plated (or "capped"). Finally, during the selective solder process the nozzle will go over them to deposit a bit of a raised bump of solder on each via to elevate the point of contact with the screw. When you install the screw, the solid, slightly raised solder ball emerging from the via hole will absorb the majority of the torque and pressure from the screw, reducing the stress and strain on the PCB itself. If those vias were not there, over tightening the screws could yield a compressed PCB which can change all kinds of potentially important electrical design characteristics. When you compress the PCB, you change its thickness. This can decrease the natural capacitance between the plane layers and allow more noise. (PCB's have inherent capacitance between plane layers due to them being two conductors separated by a dielectric; the definition of a capacitor!) It can also affect the impedance of nearby differential pair traces on peripheral devices such as USB, an ethernet phy, CAN and HDMI, etc.

[@nezu9622]

Very good, in-depth coverage. Thanks for doing a very thorough follow-up for this.

[@vanellope8561]

Thankfully after your watching your videos on this, I requested the riser. I was told the nylon screws were required before getting the riser, I got the screws within 14 days. So they did come in pretty quick. I'm hoping the same for the riser!

[@s1gne]

The small holes around the screwhole are to make sure that both back and front are grounded, even if the screwhole is damaged.

[@TiagoMorbusSa]

I have to say, the new lighting is REALLY good looking, videos have been looking sharp! 👍

[@chris-ww5de]

8:40 smaller holes around the screw hole are called vias; different kind of plated through hole that connect layers of the board, typically GND or power.

[@niikon]

Those x ray shots were really neat, great video!