Case Cooling and Conclusions
Case CoolingOne of the NZXT Tempest enclosure’s main claims to fame is superior airflow that results in excellent case cooling. While I can’t substantiate NZXT’s claim that the Tempest is the airflow king among mid-tower enclosures, I can say the tempest provides very good case air cooling.
The Tempest uses three intake fans (front and side panel) to pull cool room air into the enclosure. In the process these three fans provide direct air cooling for all the HDDs and the video card area. Three more case fans are used to exhaust the warm internal air out the back and top of the enclosure. Overall, this arrangement provides good airflow to all of the critical areas within the case.
OK, having six 120/140mm fans should result in good airflow. The trick is to do it without generating excessive noise. I am happy to report the NZXT Tempest does an excellent job of maximizing airflow while minimizing noise.
Note: Sound Pressure Levels were taken 3’ from the front, left-side of the Tempest enclosure with all six fans running. The ambient background noise level was approximately 27.8 dBA.
At full speed the fans are far from silent but not loud. Slowing the fans down with a fan speed controller quickly reduces the noise to a whisper and at low speeds the Tempest becomes almost silent while still keeping a little air moving.
Final Thoughts and Conclusions
The NZXT Tempest mid-tower enclosure is a good looking case that delivers excellent airflow with minimal noise. The steel chassis is sturdy and provides solid value. Nine interchangeable drive bay locations permit a lot of flexibility and there is room inside for up to eight HDDs with active air cooling. Overall I like this case a lot and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good balance between excellent features and great value.
The NZXT Tempest mid-tower enclosure is currently shipping and should be available from many of your favorite resellers with a typical street price of around $100 USD. It’s kind of like buying six 120/140mm case fans and getting a great case for free!
Strengths:
• Excellent airflow for great case cooling with minimal noise
• Six 120/140mm cooling fans included (3 with Blue LEDs)
• Clean lines and conservative styling looks great
• 9 Interchangeable drive bays with support for up to 8 internal HDDs
• Active air cooling for HDDs and video card area
• Convenient top I/O panel location
• Cool blue LED lighting effects
• Plenty of room to work inside the enclosure
• Water-cooling friendly design
• Great price, excellent value
Minor Weaknesses:
• Tool-less ODD mounting systems are not very robust
• No IEEE-1394 Firewire port
NZXT Tempest Mid-Tower Case
I would like to thank our friends at NZXT for sending us the Tempest enclosure to review – thank you! Be sure to use our price checking engine to find the best price on the Tempest or any of NZXT’s other fine products.
If you have any questions or comments about this article or would like to see what others have to say about the NZXT Tempest enclosure, just click into our Cases, Power and Modding forum to join in the discussion!
