Hardware Review
NZXT Zero Gaming Case
We've been working with NZXT for quite some time now. NZXT has always proven their unique case designs as well as the variety of features they place on their cases. Tonight we'll take a look at NZXT's Zero case. We would like to thank the NZXT team for providing us a review sample of the case. Let's take a look at the case.
Out of the box, the Zero is fairly light for a full tower case. The black glossy finish and the side panel make the case look very sleek. The side panel also sports four 120mm fans. The front of the NZXT Zero also has very sleek looking "X" shape silver panel to accent the glossy black finish.
| MODEL | ZERO SERIES |
| CASE TYPE | Full tower Aluminum Chassis |
| Motherboard | ATX, Micro ATX, Baby AT |
| Power Supply | None |
| DRIVE BAYS |
5 EXTERNAL 5.25" DRIVE BAYS 2 EXTERNAL 3.5 " DRIVE BAYS 6 INTERNAL 3.5" DRIVE BAYS SCREWLESS RAIL DESIGN For 5.25" and 3.5" Bays |
| Expansion Slots | 7 |
| Side Open | Yes |
| I/O Interface | USB x4, Fire wire, Audio input & output |
| Cooling Fans |
Front: 1 X 120 mm Side: 4 X 120 mm BLUE Rear: 2 X 120 mm FAN Top: 1 X 80 mm FAN |
| Dimensions (DxWxH) | 210.5 X 532 X 520 mm |
Click the image to see it full view...
The hinges on the front panel door are very well made. The doors are secured with magnets as well as rubber soles to prevent the door from slamming closed. The very top of the panel has an acrylic smoked panel, for installing 5.25 LCD screen panel to monitor fans speeds, CPU temperatures etc. Underneath the acrylic panel is the power button and the HDD activity light. The placement fits nicely with the case's design.
Click the image to see it full view...
The case has five 5.25" drive bays and two 3.5" drive bays. To the right of the 3.5" drive bay is the reset button. The bezels for the front panel are very reflective. On the right hand of the case are the front ports where we'll find two USB 2.0, a Firewire, a headphone plug and a microphone plug. The four large 120mm fan on the side panel really defines the case. The four fans act as an intake to provide enough airflow throughout the components inside. On top is a 80mm out take fan. Underneath the PSU are two 120mm out take fans and 7 PCI expansion slots.
Looking inside, there is plenty of room to move around. We would've like to have a removable motherboard tray used for this case. The case will take a variety of motherboard sizes, ATX, Micro ATX and Mini ATX boards. The panels are also clearly labeled to make motherboard installation easier. To secure PCI cards, a tool-less expansion slot clamp is installed. The clamps are very sturdy and should hold down the PCI slots for the cards. There are six bays for 3.5" hard drives and right above it are the two external 3.5" drive bays. At the front of the 3.5" bays is a 120mm intake fane to keep you hard drives cooled. The drive bays uses a tool-less drive rails to secure installed drives. The board plugs with the case are labeled clearly and come pre-grouped to fit most standard cases.
Installing the PSU needed some extra work. The 80mm fan installed on top of the case had to be removed. There wasn't enough room to place the PSU without removing the 80mm first. Installing the motherboard was very straightforward as well as the motherboard plugs from the case. With the tool-less drive rails, installing the drives was a breeze. I've installed one PCI-e card and three standard PCI cards, and the PCI clamp held up pretty well.
After installing everything, the Zero was fairly quiet considering the seven 120mm fan running. Adjusting the CPU fan speed made the case very quiet, you can hardly hear the seven 120mm fan spinning. We really love how the Zero case was designed from it's aesthetics to its silent fans. The Zero provides enough features and functionality a gamer looking to upgrade their case. Not only it has enough space to install ample amounts of components, it also has many great features such as the PCI expansion clamps and the tool-less drive rails. As expected, NZXT has again delivered a very well designed gaming case. We give the NZXT Zero case a score of 9 out of 10 and our Unique Rigs Recommendation.
Pros:
Full Tower Case
Interior has plenty of room
Screwless drive mounting system
7 120mm Fans
Locking PCI expansion clips
Cons:
No removable motherboard tray
Would've like to have seen the NZXT Sentry Included
Manufacturer Link:
