External Impressions: NZXT Beta
Despite being a budget case, NZXT have designed the Beta well, it’s styled so that it doesn’t simply look like a black box, but still manages to appeal to a wide range of people because nothing is too garish or gimmicky, unlike so many budget gaming enclosures we’ve seen. The case is constructed from steel which helps to keep the cost down but has the disadvantage of being much heavier than one constructed from aluminium.
The Beta has meshed drive bay covers which look appealing and also serve to increase air flow through the enclosure. There are vertical plastic strips on the bottom half of the Beta which conceal air vents and intake fans.
The front bezel of the case is constructed from plastic rather than steel and while this keeps both price and weight down, does reduce the sense of build quality. It also makes the NZXT Beta feel unnecessarily cheap, especially if the enclosure is placed under your desk, in which circumstances you can easily get the impression that the Beta is constructed entirely from plastic – not something you want if you’re showing your new gaming rig off to your mates.
Whilst this case is unlikely to win any awards for its styling, it still looks good and is what you’d expect from a case in this price range.
Power and reset buttons are in the shape of a triangle and sit either side of the of the vertical plastic stripes mentioned earlier.
The normal selection of ports can be found on the top of the case, located towards the front, these ports are sunk into the roof of the Beta so that they are at the same level as the top of the enclosure. There are headphone and microphone jacks, two USB ports and an eSATA port, something which is a welcome addition to any system enclosure.
The left hand side of the case consists of a sheet of black steel with two square air vents situated towards the rear, these vents have holes drilled for 120mm fans so if you choose to install these, you’ll see a great improvement in temperature.
The right side of the Beta is a mirror image of the left, minus the air vents.
NZXT have added some nice touches to the rear of the enclosure such as holes for water cooling – with the grommets already in place – which shows that the Beta has been targeted more at the gamer/enthusiast market.
There is space for the PSU to be mounted at the top. Also, there are the standard seven PCI slots with covers which are perforated for additional air flow. A 120mm rear fan can also be mounted to increase cooling potential.
Related posts:
- NZXT Tempest EVO Crafted Series Case @ OverclockersHQ
- NZXT Tempest Evo Crafted Series Case @ Pro-Clockers
- NZXT Whisper Case Review
- NZXT Hush Silent Mid-Tower Case
- NZXT announces a new gaming case
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