NZXT Tempest

EXTERNAL VIEW

As I mentioned earlier, the Tempest has a strong resemblance to Antec’s Nine Hundred. The two have very similar dimensions, a large window on the left side, large fan(s) on top, and front case fans with blue LEDs in pretty much the same location. Even the top section of the case is similar with power button and external ports positioned at a slight angle adjacent to a small tray. The Tempest does have a few additional light effects in the front of the case, which you’ll see in later pictures, but overall the two seem to have a lot in common.  However, since this review is about the Tempest after all, let’s take a closer look at it.

Starting with the left side, we can see the Tempest has very sharp lines and a nice finish to it. The black metal sides and plastic top/front sections are well matched, making it very difficult to distinguish between them visually. Only by touch does it become obvious that the case is not all steel. The window on the side is very large and well designed to show off the internal workings very nicely. The beveled edges are a nice touch and actually seem to serve a purpose since they make the window stand out from the side, providing a few extra millimeters of clearance above the motherboard. By comparison, Antec’s Nine Hundred has a flat window that sits flush with the side panel. Both have adequate clearance for even the largest of heatsinks, but the Tempest seems to have just a little bit more breathing room. Also note that the Tempest comes with a 120mm fan preinstalled in the side window while Antec provides only the mounting bracket and not the fan.

 

Looking at the top of the Tempest from a slight angle and again from straight on, the two 140 mm fans mounted in the top of the case become clearly visible.  Antec’s Nine Hundred sports a single 200 mm fan in the same location, but again, the look is very similar.  Overall nice design and the Tempest seems poised for strong air cooling.

 

The right side is fairly plain, although the angles of the front and side panels are more evident from this view. Personally I found this design refreshing and I like the clean, sharp lines. I do have to admit though that a couple of times I’ve found myself associating this design with something one might find in Bruce Wayne’s Manor or even down in the Batcave!  OK, so it’s not that dramatic and maybe I’m thinking of a Lego world version of Batman, but the design is still very appealing to me.

From the front we can see the removable panels for installing external drives. Note that the top three are ready to be taken out and the lower six actually sit in front of the two internal hard drive cages. The cages must be removed if these bays are to be used for external drives. Also, not visible at this point, there are two 120 mm fans with blue LEDs installed in the front of the hard drive cages. Between the nine lower panels and the fans sit removable filters, which you’ll also see in later photographs. Lastly, note the front panel with two USB ports, audio ports, e-SATA, Reset and Power buttons.

 

And finally, the back of the case. Most notably, you can see that the power supply sits at the very bottom. Also worth noting are the two rubber seals located just above the seven expansion slots. These cover the pre-drilled holes for installing water cooling components. The last shot here is the bottom of the case, which shows off the nice rubber feet as well as the interior and the two top case fans. Note the pre-drilled holes between the fans. For those interested in water cooling, these allow for mounting of a radiator at the top of the chassis. A nice touch if you ask me.

 

 And as you can see by the last picture, I've opened the case, so let's take a closer look inside: