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Product Application:

ATX Full Tower Chassis
Product Provided by: NZXT

Available at:

NewEgg.com

Estimated Online Price:

$109.99 - $139.99

Availability:

Now

Review by:

Darren

Edited by:

Scott

Review date:

2/12/2009

Crucial System Scanner
 

The Install

I installed my Intel build into the Zero 2 case utilizing an Asus P5E3 Deluxe WiFi-AP @n Edition Motherboard based on the X38 chipset. The build includes an Intel Q6600, a Sapphire HD4870 Toxic Edition video card and a 4 GB kit of OCZ Intel Extreme Edition PC3-12800 in the 1600 XMP configuration.  Storage was provided by both 250 GB and 750 GB Seagate SATA II drives and a Plextor 16x DVD burner all powered by an Antec TruePower Quattro 1000W power supply.

Hardware Model
Operating System: MS Windows Vista Ultimate
(64-bit)
Motherboard: Asus P5E3 Deluxe WiFi-AP @n Edition
CPU Intel Q6600
Memory 2x 2 GB kit of OCZ PC3-12800 Intel Extreme Edition
Graphics Sapphire 4870 Toxic Edition
Power Supply Antec TruePower Quattro 1000W
Drives 250 and 750 GB Seagate SATA II, 16X Plextor PX755SA DVD Burner


install

With any good performance build you need to start with a solid foundation.  Here we will be using an Antec 1000W TruePower Quattro.  The Antec is pretty typical for a four digit power supply in size and you can see here the mounting screws for the top 80 mm are blocked from use buy the back edge.  This minor design flaw could be easily remedied by moving the vent up an inch or so.  With so many other cooling options its hard to knock things too much.. NZXT engineers, are you listening?

power

All of the included fans can be powered in two ways as we mentioned before, but the front lighting requires a single 12 V run.  Trust me the trade off is a good one. 

Rails

The drives are installed using a rail system as seen here.  The rails are simple to use and snap firmly into place.  NZXT provides enough rails for every drive slot right out of the box.

bays

To get to the front bays simply unsnap the front panel as shown here.   The metal bay covers snap out as needed with a little coaxing.  The front intake 120 mm fan has a nice removable mesh cover that can be washed for easy cleaning.  The black panel covers snap out from the inside to reveal any installed drives or accessories.

install

And here is a look at the finished install.  The spacing is deceptive as there is a good couple inches of open space above the cards.  The extra space between the motherboard tray and the power supply helps with air circulation as well.  The Cooler Master Hyper 212 heatsink fits easily in the space provided but did come pretty close to blocking two of the door 120 mm fan locations.  Now to install the included wire ties and get everything nice and clean. 

Conclusion

The NZXT Zero 2 chassis is a solid attempt to channel the award winning attributes found in the Zero into a sub $100 case.  About the only thing I missed after working with the Zero 2's over 10 pound bulk was the lighter aluminum construction.  The quality of the construction brings meaning to the Crafted Series name made famous by the stylish designs NZXT is known for.   The huge amount of cooling options makes scaling the Zero 2 to your high performance build easy and the space of a full tower makes nearly any build a possibility.

As always, buying a new case for your latest build is a highly personal decision.  I liked teh look of the Zero 2 and can easily overlook a few missing upgrades for the price tag.  In the zero 2 I find a lot of potential that gets me thinking about exotic cooling options and massive overclocking on air.  You simply have to add those things on as you need them.

Performance: 4 out of 5

Innovation:

3 out of 5

Quality:

5 out of 5

Stability:

N/A
Aesthetics: 4 out of 5

Software/Drivers Pack:

N/A

Overclocking:

N/A
Value: 4 out of 5

 4.0

Project Skill Level
(5 being most difficult)

3 out of 5

 

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