Testing:

We tested the NZXT Beta against another popular case to see if the Beta’s design offered any thermal advantage. For comparison purposes, we used the Antec Three Hundred, which includes a top-mounted 140mm fan and a 120mm exhaust fan (and no additional fans were added). The same hardware listed in the "Installation" section was also installed in the Three Hundred.

Each case was tested using CPUID Hardware Monitor 1.1.4.0. Idle temperatures were taken after a 30 minute period with only Hardware Monitor running. For load temperatures, we ran a combination of Prime 95 (with all 8 instances), SiSoft Sandra Professional’s Burn-In Test, and FutureMark's 3DMark Vantage. All readings were noted in the chart below:



For fun and frolic, we installed fans in each of the mounts to see what the NZXT Beta could really do. The results were not unexpected. Using just the included front-mounted fan, the Beta shows a slight thermal improvement over the Antec unit. By adding additional cooling, the Beta really shines mostly due to its side-mounted fans that aid in overall CPU and Northbridge cooling.

Conclusion:

Overall, the NZXT Beta is a very nice midtower case. Its attractive styling, solid construction, enthusiast-inspired features, and tool-less (mostly) design offer most of the features one would look for in a new case. While it appears NZXT has tried to go the extra mile by including cutouts and rubber grommets for water-cooling, there really isn’t much space for a large top mounted radiator.

A quick price check shows the Beta selling for right around $50 at places like Xoxide.com and Newegg.com, but a mail-in-rebate from Newegg.com brings the final price down to $40. While the NZXT Beta might not have every bell and whistle you would expect to find on a high end case, compared to what you can usually get for $40 or $50, this thing seems like a dream.

Considering everything it has going for it, the NZXT Beta Classic Series case receives the Bigbruin.com Recommended award!



Pros:

» Solid steel construction
» Attractive styling
» Lots of 120mm fan options
» Pre-drilled for water-cooling
» Washable fan filters
» Included case fan is whisper quiet
» Low price

Cons:

» Motherboard tray is not removable
» Cutouts not overly useful
» No externally accessible 3.5" bay