NZXT hands down makes some of the best gaming cases hands down. So when they sent us the Tempest, considered to be one of the best cases out their for high performance gamers and modders, we sat and stared at it for awhile until we determined that it was in fact okay to touch it.
At first glance, you may think to yourself, “Sharp case, but what’s the big deal?”. Besides the fact that calling it “sharp” is an understatement, this case is packed with features that easily crown it the King of Airflow as their description so aptly puts it. The NZXT Tempest didn’t get that name without fighting for it either, as the case itself comes with 6 fans: dual 120mm intake fans, dual 140mm exhaust fans, and two additional side and rear 120mm fans. Surprisingly, they run more quietly then my air condition.
What’s really great about this specific case is it’s E-ATX support. If you haven’t looked at any of the new video cards hitting the shelves, get ready to either buy a new case or move everything out of the way. Luckily, if you have an E-ATX case like the NZXT Tempest, you’ll be all set room wise, regardless of whether you have a newer or older video card. The Tempest has several pre-drilled holes inside of it as well, allowing neat freaks like myself to lay much of the cabling behind the motherboard tray. Now, not only does the inside of my system look sweet when you see it through the side panel cut out, but the airflow is actually increased. If you’re bored, try setting it up with the cables normally and monitor the temperature, then set them up the way the Tempest is meant to be and see the difference.
Previously, I had thought that having 4 separate hard drives was a lot. Considering how I had previously mentioned my disposition to neat freak, I rarely left files I didn’t need on my system. So when I opened the NZXT Tempest up and saw that it head a server styled hard drive space for 8 hard drives, I was stunned to say the least. 8 hard drives can heat up pretty fast and stay fairly hot, so having that dual 120mm fan set up in the hard drive cage area makes a big difference in the overall temperature of the Tempest case.
Two things that specifically caught my eye where the pre-drilled holes for two radiators and the bottom mounted power supply connector. While I personally don’t mod to the point of adding dual radiators, I may be inspired to do so soon. But having a power supply connector down bottom can be a very useful thing.
Three of the 6 included fans have blue LEDs on them, giving the case a really nice glow without taking up any additional space or using extra power connectors. The smooth black exterior goes really well with the blue from the LEDs and gives the system a really strong presence when it’s running. You’ll probably be the envy of most LAN parties, so you may want to consider finding out where the gamer girls (or guys if you’re a girl, but that’s just too easy to find!) hang out and bring it by.
On a final note, it may have been awhile since I’ve had to screw in any of my systems components to the case itself, but that’s just because I tend to by nice cases. For those of you who have older cases or even just basic cases, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the lack of screwing around (literally) that you’ll need to do to actually get your case up in working order. A few twists and your old components are sitting in your new case, reminding you of exactly how much more you’ll need to spend before the insides of your new NZXT Tempest match it’s rad outsides.
NZXT Tempest Case provided by NZXT
You may be the one to comment first. Please leave your message below.
You must be logged in to post a comment.