| NZXT Tempest-EVO Case TEVO-001BK |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases | ||||||||
| Written by Joey Peng - Edited by Olin Coles | ||||||||
| Sunday, 31 January 2010 | ||||||||
Page 6 of 6
NZXT Tempest Evo Final ThoughtComputer cases have come a long way, and we're starting to hit a plateau in terms of creativity. Most cases share the same philosophy: Tool-less, use mesh/filters, rectangular box. Personally I'd prefer to see some more radical designs, Thermaltake lv10 being an extreme. When cases like the NZXT Rogue and Antec Skeleton came out, I was excited. I could envision those cases sparking a new wave of designs for mid/full tower cases. Instead, many companies are sticking to what they know the consumer like and doing "remixes" and revisions. If we take a look at the couple of NZXT's products, such as the M59, we'll realize there are so many aspects that are identical to the NZXT Tempest Evo. This really applies to the entire industry, not just NZXT. I'd really like to see some more radical designs, more creativity applied. A little product differentiation couldn't hurt. That being said, the NZXT Tempest Evo is nothing new, but it is a great revision of the original Tempest. The Tempest Evo performs fairly well in terms of airflow. I'll take my GTX 285 temperature as an example. Testing conditions: Room temperature 25C. Load was measured after running Furmark at 1920x1080, MSAAx4 for 10 minutes. My computer is enclosed between my desk and the wall, placed on carpet, so it' clearly not optimal.
GPU temperatures when running Furmark are usually around 10C higher than running an application like 3D vantage. This is essentially as high as you'll ever go. If there is anything to change about the case, it's to tighten up ODD and work on the PCI bar. 
NZXT Tempest Evo ConclusionThe airflow for the NZXT Tempest Evo is great and temperatures benchmarks are fairly decent, especially considering the conditions my computer is under (the back fans currently blow right against the wall and the top fans are about 4-5 inches below the desk). However, 6 120mm fans do come at a price. Under normal use, with fans at 40%, it really isn't that loud. You may not want to sleep with your head near it, but the noise level is low enough. With fans up at 100%, it actually becomes an annoyance that can only be eliminated by wearing headphones and playing music. When turned on or under lights, the case looks awesome. I love the top fans and the see-through panel. It's important that the top and left looks great since this case is designed to stay on the floor, and most of the time that's where your staring at. The lightning from 3 fans isn't enough to make the Tempest Evo a display under your desk, but that's nothing a couple of extra case lighting can't handle. The overall construction is well done, I couldn't find any kind of rough edges or poor. This is where Tempest Evo succeeds. All the details they lacked in the Tempest are present in the Evo. If I start listing flaws, there's really only two, and they may or may not be a problem for you: the loose ODD and PCI slot adjustment. The rest of the case, from build to appearance to functionality, are all great. At $119.99 (or $99.99 after mail-in rebate), I still feel it's a little to the expensive side. When it comes down to value, it's really about what you value. For a revised case I stressed that all functionality should be near perfect, and the Tempest Evo does come close. For those seeking a case with all the details hammered down, this case is without a doubt for you, and I'd say it's a safe buy. Pros:
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