I’ll never get tired of reviewing cases. Sure, I don’t get to do the kind of extensive testing that’s reserved for internal hardware, but there’s something about a gaming case that grabs my attention and doesn’t let go. I’ve been known to procrastinate when it comes to work. Unless I open my door to a friendly Fed-Ex man with a large box that says NZXT on the side. Then I’m on that like a fat kid on a box of Twinkies. So I jumped like a mentally retarded school girl watching the previews for the new Twilight movie when I was offered the NZXT Tempest Evo gaming case to review.
The Tempest Evo is a revamp of the original Tempest Enthusiast steel midtower case. The pitch for this version is “The King Reborn”. Reborn? King of what? Well, the King of Airflow you ignorant toads. Now bow before the king! This sucker is coming at you with six (6!) 120mm fans ready to chill your gear like no other. It even comes with all the fans! No scrounging the old fan shelf trying to find a spare 120mm to fit that last open space on the side. And it supports dual water cooling. This is seriously an awesome case. But don’t take my gushing for it, check out what NZXT’s own spec pitch:
Features
- The King reborn: Dual 120mm intake, Dual 140mm Exhaust with an additional side 120mm fan and rear 120mm fan makes NZXT Tempest one of top cases in cooling, maximizing air circulation in all areas. The new Tempest EVO has upgraded nine blade design fans that deliver more air at low noise levels
- Maximize Expandability: E-ATX support allows more compatibility with high end components including large graphics cards, high end power supplies. and server boards
- Enhanced accessibility & cable management: Cable routing is pre-drilled on the motherboard so users can hide cables behind the motherboard tray, allowing more a cleaning look and better airflow. Power, E-SATA, USB and Reset buttons are mounted at the top to give better accessibility. The Tempest EVO has increased space behind the motherboard panel from a punched side panel design and a CPU punchout for heatsink removal
- Bottom mounted PSU: PSU mounting at the bottom allows for more security and separation of heat from the CPU
- Server-like HDD space: Dual 120mm fans cool cages that hold up to 8 HDDs allowing for large capacity systems while maintaining cool temperatures
- Overclocking and water cooling friendly: The Tempest is predrilled for watercooling tube access and supports a dual 120mm radiator at the top panel.
- Black on Black: All new black interior, smoked side panel gives the Tempest an all new sleek look.
Black Enthusiast Steel Tower
Announcing the Tempest EVO, a sleek, all black, steel mid tower gaming chassis. Building off of the original Tempest’s award winning design, the EVO brings advanced cooling power, expandability, and cable management. The Tempest EVO maximizes airflow circulation with Dual 120mm intake, dual 140mm top exhaust, side 120mm, and a rear 120mm fan. NZXT even redesigned the fan blade design so they effectively deliver more air at lower noise levels. Additionally, the bottom mounted PSU provides better airflow and separation of heat from the CPU.
The Tempest EVO puts a premium on expandability with E-ATX support allowing for compatibility with higher end graphics cards, power supplies and server boards while the server-like HDD space holds up to 8 HDDs ensuring that enthusiasts can make significant upgrades to their system without having to replace the chassis. Installation and upgrades are a breeze with pre-drilled cable routing on the motherboard allowing for a cleaner look and improved airflow. The case also features added space behind the motherboard panel from a punched side panel design that allows for easy heatsink removal. Tempest EVO is well equipped for overclocking and watercooling enthusiasts with predrilled watercooling tube access and support for a dual 120mm radiator at the top panel.
MODEL Tempest SERIES CASE TYPE MID TOWER Steel
FRONT PANEL MATERIAL PLASTIC DIMENSIONS (W x H x D) 211.5 X 521.5 X 562 mm
COOLING SYSTEM FRONT, 2 X 120 mm Blue LED (included)
REAR, 1 X 120 mm (included)
SIDE PANEL, 1 X 120mm Blue LED (included)
TOP, 2 X 140mm Fan (included)
DRIVE BAYS 9 DRIVE BAYS
3 EXTERNAL 5.25″ DRIVE BAYS ( up to six 5.25″ )
1 3.5″ External bracket
8 INTERNAL 3.5″ DRIVE BAYS
Screwless Rail Design
MATERIAL(S) Steel Construction EXPANSION SLOTS 7 POWER SUPPLY 500 WATT PS2 ATX 12V 2.0 ( OPTIONAL )
WEIGHT 11.2 KGS (W/O Power) MOTHERBOARD SUPPORT MOTHERBOARDS: E-ATX ATX, MICRO-ATX, BABY AT
That’s a lot of info to pack into one review. And I still have to put my observations in here. So let’s begin with what comes with the thing. We’ll start with the box. First of all, trying to pick this thing up to sit it on my table for critiquing is a little hard from a sitting position. The entire package weighs 28 pounds. The box art is pretty awesome, featuring a charcoal-style drawing of a what I assume is a God-like entity raising up the Tempest Evo on a pedestal of stone surrounded by jagged rocks.
Taking the case out of the box was a bit like birthing a newborn baby. It’s a tight squeeze, and there’s a lot of afterbirth. And by that, I mean foam padding and a plastic cover. Probably a little more info than you folks wanted, but at least you’ll never get bored while opening the box of a new case again.
After wriggling the behemoth out of the box and getting the plastic bag off of it, I can set it up and observe. It seems that the farther along we get with computer technology, the smaller the hardware is getting, yet the cases just get bigger and bigger. The Tempest Evo is most certainly not an exception to the rule. But we’re not here to judge the weight and size; we’re here to judge the looks and functionality. First off, the aesthetics of this work of art.
To start off, the black paint job is a beautiful thing. I will never stop loving the flat black paint job. And it’s even more awesome now that the interiors of the cases are getting a coat or two. I don’t care what you have, paint it black and it doubles in awesomeness instantly. The smoked window is also a nice touch, and they didn’t stick with the tradition squared off window, but instead narrowed it at the end closer to the front of the case to match the gradual slope at the top. A single 120mm 9-blade fan sits in the mid-left of the window
NZXT has pretty much pioneered the cool factor when it comes to the blank slot grills. They cover every spare section of the case that is allowed by design. Two large grills on top protect delicate fingers from the dual 120mm fans, there are eight on the front (not counting the CD/DVD Drive), and six on the back for the expansion card slots. The entire front is pretty much covered by these grills, the lower half of them protecting the dual 120mm fans that serve as the case’s airflow intake. Each one of these fans also has a removable dust screen that slides in over it if you take the front of the case off.
The rear top and lower front of the case have sleek grooves cut into them, for aesthetics more than anything, I’m quite sure. However, each of the top grooves on the front of the case has a clear acrylic sliver in it backlit by an LED that serves as the power light and the HDD light. Much nicer than the standard LED on the front of most cases right under the power button. And the final outside touch is the port panel on top. This raised panel, not much more than an inch high, consists of two USB 2.0 ports, headphone/mic ports, a single eSata port, a chrome power button and a chrome reset button.
Now that we have gotten the outer beauty out of the way, it’s time to check out the glory of the guts. Two thumb screws hold the case’s side on. A few turns and a pull on the outward-swinging siding, and we can see the glory that is the interior Tempest Evo. The six 120mm fans are right there in your face, just begging to be turned on so they can move some air. The third optical bay has a small sliding bay built into it for those of you who still have a floppy drive or a small pet dinosaur who would like to make his nest in there. They’re both from the same period, right?
There is a small white box stuffed into one of the uppermost HDD drive bays. It contains the side attachments that allow your HDDs of choice to slide in and out of the server-style bays with easy. A quick squeeze of the side snaps and your HDD is in your hand and fast as it went into the case. Gotta love the fact that we are moving away from internal screws. All of the small ends of the wiring were lovingly stuffed into a foam bag for safe keeping during transit. In the back of the case, where the motherboard would be, we see the two rubber-lined three inch slits that NZXT thoughtfully installed. This is access the expanded space behind the motherboard. These holes were cut specifically for hiding wires where they are typically connected to the motherboard.
The other side of the case comes off, revealing access to the rear punch-out behind the motherboard plate. It was put there for easy access to the back of the CPU heatsink screws. No more taking out the motherboard just to change heatsinks. Why is it no one thought of that before, huh? Hell, I had that idea like six years ago. I even pitched the idea to a vendor. Nothing.
Anyway, on top of the six huge fans already installed, there is also space on the bottom of the case for a seventh fan, should you feel the need to add that little bit of extra airflow. The additional holes for a second water-cooling system is something you don’t see often enough. Most cases I review have only one set, but I think most manufacturers fail to realize that gamers sometimes want to use water cooling on their GPU as well. So, thank you again, NZXT.
The side of a case closes a gap in airflow. If you pump water into an empty barrel with a hose attached, but no lid on top, the water will pretty much go where it wants until the barrel fills up and it spills out. If you were to make that barrel air tight and have that outflow hose in the water, it will continue out the hose and the water level would stay the same in the barrel. The side of the case does the same for airflow. Fresh air comes in, is drawn directly across the components that need it most, and then is pushed out before it has time to warm up dramatically. No still air means no warm air. And the airflow in the Tempest Evo is very powerful with the side on.
So quieter, more airflow, and a sleeker look. More slots, more expandability for optical drives, HDDs, and water cooling. It’s no wonder this is known as the Enthusiast’s Case.
There’s enough room in there to shove a bunch of clowns, it’s built like a tank, and it has evolved to the point of never having to remove your motherboard for a simple heatsink change again. What more could you want in a case? I conclude that this case certainly worth the money for those who are into more power and efficiently cooling that power. I can’t judge the optional PSU that comes with some models as I did not receive one, but I can say that from what I see here this case is everything a gamer would want in a quality case. I might even have the newest case for my video editing machine. Can you imagine how many terabytes I can fit in a case that has eight HDD slots?
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1 Comment
i like the gammer cases that are in this site.im takong some ideas from it in order to pimp my case…thanks-)