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NZXT Beta Mid-Tower Steel Chassis


Date
: 10/13/09 – 03:37:12 AM

Author
:

Category
: Cases

Page 1 : Index

Manufacturer
NZXT

NZXT is a regular here at Overclockers Online. This company makes products that cater to gamers such as specially-designed cases and accessories. I've reviewed a few NZXT products before and have been very pleased with them in general. I can't wait to see what they have in store for us next.

In this review, we'll be taking a look at the
NZXT Beta
from the Classic Series, a mid-tower ATX case with steel construction.

Page 2 : Package

As usual, we will start our tour of the NZXT Beta from the outside and work our way in. The box that it comes in is relatively drab and it looks like it suffered some damage on the way to me. Hopefully, the contents are not damaged.

The features are printed prominently, along with the cooling specifications and expandability.

More specifications can be found on the other sides.

Opening up the package, we can see the case cradled by styrofoam blocks and protected by a plastic cover.

Let's look at the features and specifications in detail before moving on to taking a look at the case.

Page 3 : Features & Specifications

I went to NZXT's webpage for the Beta to gather the features and specifications.

Here's their description:
Announcing the BETA, a mid-tower steel case that delivers gamers a chassis designed for tremendous value without sacrificing performance. Built for maximum expandability, BETA expansive jet black interior provides ample room for 4 external 5.25′ drives, 5 HDD racks, and fits large 10.5′ performance graphics cards. NZXT continues their expertise in effective cooling by offering BETA users expanded cooling that directly cools video cards and CPU with 4 120mm fans(1 front, 1 rear, and 2 side) and a meshed front panel that improves airflow. The front 120mm fan can fit thicker fans like the Scythe Ultra Kaze that can help maximize airflow. Additional features like screwless installation for 5.25′ drives/hard drives and top mounted USB/Audio enhance ease of installation and convenience for gamers.

The features:
* Fits ATX standard motherboards and power supplies
* Fits large 10.5′ performance graphics cards
* Expanded cooling directly cools video cards and CPU
* Screwless installation for hard drives and external 5.25′ drives
* Black internal finish for sleek look
* Meshed front panel allows for better airflow than traditional cases
* Top mounted Dual USB/Audio/ESATA for convenient usage

Specifications:

You can also find the user's manual here.

The case is pretty much a run-of-the-mill mid-tower case with an emphasis on cooling.

Now that we know all about the case, let us take a look at the physical manifestation of these features and specifications.

Page 4 : Exterior

Starting with the exterior, the NZXT Beta doesn't strike me as particularly business class. As a matter of fact, the all-black color scheme gives it a stealth look and the ventilation holes in the front give some hints about its cooling performance. NZXT's logo can be found at the top right. Above it, the I/O connectors include headphone, mic, two USB ports, and an eSATA port. Four external 5.25′ bays feature meshed grills. Below them, the power and reset buttons take opposite sides of a vent.

One side of the case has two grills for 120mm fans. The other side has no ventilation.

The back of the case has the usual layout, with the power supply on top. Another 120mm fan can be mounted on the back. Below it are two rubber grommets to facilitate water cooling. Last but not least, we have seven perforated expansion slot covers and yet another vent.

At the bottom, there are four rubber feet to minimize vibrations and for grip.

That covers the exterior. Let's move on to interior.

Page 5 : Interior

Removing two thumbscrews from the side panel allows you to access the inside of the case. All the cables come neatly tied together. A piece of paper with a link to NZXT's website is given in lieu of a user's manual. A white box houses all the mounting hardware.

Though the motherboard tray is not removable, there is a lot of room to work with inside the case. There is room for four 5.25′ drives and five HDDs. Seven expansion slots should be more than enough.

The front panel I/O connectors are all neatly labeled.

The other side of the case has some room for cable management, behind the non-removable motherboard tray.

It is easy to remove the front and top panels, if needed.

Page 6 : Installation

For installation, a manual is provided online but you probably won't need it.

I started with the motherboard first. I installed standoffs in the appropriate holes in order to line up with the holes on my motherboard, and then secured the motherboard using screws. I also secured the power supply in its location using four screws.

Next up, I installed the video card.

Hard drive installation involves attaching a rail (provided) to each side of the drive and then sliding it into the drive cage.

For the optical drive, you have to remove the front panel and pop out one of the drive bay covers. Then the drive just slides in.

It is secured to the case by using the plastic pieces which can then be locked into place. Screws can also be used.

Connect all the cables and wiring and that's all there is to the installation.

Page 7 : Testing & Performance

With the system powered up, blue LEDs provide illumination for the power and reset buttons. The front panel fan also has blue LEDs.

I'll be comparing the NZXT Beta with another NZXT product, their Panzerbox.

System Configuration:

CPU: AMD Phenom 9950 X4 BE 2.6GHz
Motherboard: Asus M3A78 Pro
Memory: OCZ Vista Upgrade Edition DDR2-800 (PC2-6400) 4GB (2x2GB)
Video Card: HIS ATI Radeon HD 3650 IceQ3 512MB
Hard Drive: Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 160GB SATA II 8MB cache
Optical: Lite-On SATA DVD±RW
OS: Windows Vista Ultimate
Cooling: Stock

Cases:
NZXT Beta, NZXT Panzerbox

Case temperature measurements were taken under different conditions using Lavalys Everest Home Edition 2.20 using the motherboard's temperature sensor. Idle measurements were taken with the computer idling at the desktop for 2 hours and no CPU or hard drive intensive programs, such as antivirus software, running. Load temperatures were taken while running SP2004 Orthos and HD Tach's ‘Long Bench’ test multiple times. The maximum temperature over five different runs was taken and reported.

The ambient temperature was approximately 25ºC throughout all the tests.

It is clear that the NZXT Beta is easily dominated by the Panzerbox. This is not surprising since the Panzerbox is better equipped when it comes to cooling. This is not to say that the NZXT Beta is a bad case when it comes to heat removal. It does a decent job and of course, if you add a few more fans (there's room for three more), it would probably improve things considerably.

In terms of noise, I wouldn't call the NZXT Beta quiet but it is definitely not loud. The Panzerbox, on the other hand, sounds like a vacuum cleaner but redeems itself with markedly better cooling performance.

Page 8 : Conclusion

Overall, I was pleased with the NZXT Beta. It is much like any other mid-tower case out there today. Advantages include the fact that installation is easy albeit no manual is included. There is a lot of room for all your hardware. With the ability to have a total of four 120mm fans, cooling should not be an issue. Some things that could be improved and that I would like to see are the addition of a removable motherboard tray and better build quality. The front of the case has a lot of plastic that makes it look cheap. Also, the innards are flimsy – sure this keeps the weight of the case down but how often are you going to move your case?

If you can live with the minor shortcomings of the NZXT Beta, I'd happily recommend it as a decent mid-tower case that should satisfy most users' needs.

Advantages

• Easy installation
  
  
• Expandability
• Quiet, decent performance

Disadvantages

• No removable motherboard tray
  
  
• Does not look or feel sturdy

I'd like to thank NZXT for making this review possible