NZXT Beta Evo Review

Testing:

To properly test the NZXT Beta Evo computer chassis, I will be testing for both the idle temperatures as well as the full load temperatures on some of the commonly stressed components. All of the idle tests will be measured after the computer has been sitting for 30 minutes with little to 0% CPU usage shown in the Windows Task Manager. For the CPU full load test, I will be running the Prime95 stress tester for a full hour set to a blend mode stressing both the CPU and RAM set at the normal priority. I will be using Real Temp 3.0 to read the CPU temperatures; chipset full load temperatures will be taken at this time as well using the software included with the MSI Eclipse SLI motherboard.  For a GPU full load, I will be running 3DMark Vantage back to back and reading the temperatures with RivaTuner. The hard drive is going to be stressed by runing a defragment through Windows Vista, maximum temperatures will be displayed through HDTune. All of the below tempeartures are in degrees Celsius.

Testing Setup:

• Processor: Intel i7 920
  
• Motherboard: MSI X58 Platinum
• Memory: Mushkin HP3 12800 7-7-7-20
• Video Card: Nvidia Geforce GTX 260
• Power Supply: Mushkin 800w Modular Power Supply
• Hard Drive: Seagate 1TB SATA
• Optical Drive: Lite-on DVD-RW
• Case: NZXT Beta Evo
• OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit
• Ambient Temperature: 26° Celsius

Comparison Case:

• Case: NZXT Beta Evo
• Case: Antec P183 @ Low Fan Speed
• Case: Antec P183 @ Medium Fan Speed
• Case: Antec P183 @ High Fan Speed
• Case: Chieftec BL-01B
• Case: Thermaltake Armor Extreme Edition
  
  

During the CPU testing, the Beta Evo was unable to beat any one of the other cases tested, it simply did not have any way to expel any of the heat coming off of the stock Intel CPU cooler. The GPU testing, however, the Beta Evo was able to perform close to the others, the idle temperature was a little bit warmer than the other cases, but as soon as it was put to work, it was able to stay close to the Antec P183 at low fan speed settings. The HDD testing showed that the 120mm fan installed at the front of the case was able to keep the HDD at about mid-range temperatures compared to the other cases. The chipset testing had similar results to the GPU, it was hotter than the others during the idle testing, however stayed at about the same temperature as the other cases when it was put to work.