NZXT Tempest - My New Case (56k warn)

[chalks]

Hi everyone. I haven't posted on XCPUS for quite some time, and I figured I might as well start doing so again... my computer is getting upgraded!

Here's what my computer is like right now:
mobo: K9A2 platinum, cpu: Athlon 64 x2 5000, gpu: Radeon 3870, ram: 4x1gb g skill, psu: pc power & cooling silencer 750w ... and a case from 1995. I decided that before I put more things in there, I definitely needed a new case. Enter NZXT:




This thing is _huge_. I could almost put my entire old case inside of it.
There are 6 fans, 4 120mm, and 2 140mm.
PSU is mounted on the bottom
Default construction fits 8(!) hard drives, 3 optical drives.
you can change it so that it fits 4 hard drives, 6 optical drives.
There's an adapter that lets you put a floppy drive in a optical drive slot.

You can take out just about anything very easily, and all drive installation is screwless. It took me about 5 minutes to put in an optical drive, a fan controller, and 3 hard drives. Seriously. It's awesome. Provided you have a power supply with long cables, there's plenty of room to make everything neat and tidy. This was by far the easiest case I've used and installation was a snap. I put in 3 new 120mm fans to replace the ones that ship with the case, because the ones that ship with it are kind of crap. I was kind of leery of the way this case looked... I was afraid it would be pretty tacky. However, once I took out a few of the blue fans, it wasn't overpoweringly bright, and it looked pretty sweet, actually.


Pros:
$99.
HUGE
comes with fans (they're not that great, but decent enough if not OCing)
Easy installation
Looks decent without being overly tacky
Pretty quiet... if you have a fan controller
I _love_ the placement of the power switch (on top of the case).

Cons:
I can't figure out how to replace the fan in the side window.
Without a fan controller (or if you turn everything on high), this thing is LOUD.
you NEED long cables on your PSU.
Very heavy... 11.2kg without anything in it.



Conclusion:
If you're looking for a cheap case that fits everything you need and can keep things cool, the NZXT Tempest is the one for you. If neon lights and stuff does things for you, you can light it up to your heart's content and if not, then it's easy enough to get rid of the blue. Just know that lugging this thing to LAN parties is going to suck.


edit: pictures are a few posts down

[tool_462]

Post more pics!

[chalks]

Originally Posted by tool_462

Post more pics!

Heh, I thought that the instant I hit "post". I'm on a computer at school right now, so when I get home (at 6 or 7pm), I'll take a few pictures of my current setup.... which I am entirely in love with right now.

You'll also get to see my purple room!

[YMAA]

Not bad looking. It's the kind of case that can grow on you more and more I guess. I'd like to see some interior shots.

[Simul4ti0n]

Reminds me of a larger Antec 900

[chalks]

As promised.... pictures! Warning: I'm not a photographer. At all.

Outside of case



... that's a 22" monitor. It looks positively diminutive next to that thing.


Inside of case ... keep in mind my motherboard is 12"x9.8"... there's plenty of clearance there.


Yes, I know the cabling isn't the best looking in the world. however, none of it is touching the motherboard, or any of the drives, which is a vast improvement over my old case, where I had to cram all the extra cable length into whatever free space there was. Now, for a bit of perspective, here's my hand:


This is the only annoying part of the case. To get the front off (required when you install an optical drive) you have to remove this thing. You have to pull it pretty hard, and it feels a tad flimsy. However, now that everything is installed, I probably will only have to take it off to clean dust, so... no big deal:

[Afrodisiac]

Awesome!

[Harvestor]

nice looking case