NZXT Tempest EVO Mid Tower Case Review

NZXT Tempest EVO Case

The NZXT Tempest EVO is the natural evolution of the original Tempest case from NZXT. The Tempest and the Tempest EVO both feature a massive six fans out of the box. The Tempest EVO has been upgraded to include nine bladed fans instead of the traditional 7 bladed fans. Nine bladed fans will move more air at lower noise levels. Also refreshed in the Tempest EVO is the interior. Having previously been a bare metal finish, the Tempest EVO features a fully finished black interior! You get all this and more for a mere $89.99 after a $20.00 mail-in rebate.

Specifications

MODEL	Tempest EVO
CASE TYPE	MID TOWER Steel
FRONT PANEL MATERIAL	PLASTIC
DIMENSIONS (W x H x D)	211.5 X 521.5 X 562 mm
COOLING SYSTEM	FRONT, 2 X 120 mm Blue LED (included) REAR, 1 X 120 mm (included) SIDE PANEL, 1 X 120mm Blue LED (included) TOP, 2 X 140mm Fan (included)
DRIVE BAYS	9 DRIVE BAYS 3 EXTERNAL 5.25″ DRIVE BAYS ( up to six 5.25″ ) 1 3.5″ External bracket 8 INTERNAL 3.5″ DRIVE BAYS Screwless Rail Design
MATERIAL(S)	Steel Construction
EXPANSION SLOTS	7
POWER SUPPLY	500 WATT PS2 ATX 12V 2.0 ( OPTIONAL )
WEIGHT	11.2 KGS (W/O Power)
MOTHERBOARD SUPPORT	MOTHERBOARDS: E-ATX ATX, MICRO-ATX, BABY AT

Features

• The King reborn: Dual 120mm intake, Dual 140mm exhaust with an additional side 120mm fan and rear 120mm fan makes NZXT Tempest one of the top cases in cooling, maximizing air circulation in all areas. The new Tempest EVO has upgraded nine blade design fans that deliver more air at low noise levels.
• Maximize Expandability: E-ATX support allows more compatibility with high end components including large graphics cards, high end power supplies and server boards.
• Enhanced accessibility & cable management: Cable routing is pre-drilled on the motherboard so users can hide cables behind the motherboard tray, allowing a cleaner look and better airflow. Power, E-SATA, USB and Reset buttons are mounted at the top to give better accessibility. The Tempest EVO has increased space behind the motherboard panel from a punched side panel design and a CPU punch-out for heatsink removal
• Bottom mounted PSU: PSU mounting at the bottom allows for more security and separation of heat from the CPU
• Server-like HDD space: Dual 120mm fans cool cages that hold up to 8 HDDs, allowing for large capacity systems while maintaining cool temperatures
• Overclocking and water cooling friendly: The Tempest is predrilled for watercooling tube access and supports a dual 120mm radiator at the top panel.
• Black on Black: All new black interior and smoked side panel gives the Tempest an all new sleek look.

The accessory bundle that accompanies the NZXT Tempest EVO is very well organized. Each of the different types of screws is packaged in its own labeled baggie. That is a nice little feature to help those of us that are constantly stricken with brain fades. You also get three sets of drive rails which will come in handy if you decide to run more than the three optical drives in bays that don’t already have the tool-less drive locks. Instead of mounting a system speaker inside of the case somewhere NZXT included one with the accessory bundle for use if your motherboard doesn’t already have one integrated on the board. NZXT also included a pair of wire clips backed with double sided tape to aid in cable management.

Enough talk about the NZXT Tempest EVO; let’s get down to the nitty gritty and take a look at it!