Introduction

We have reviewed a number of different cases from NZXT in the past and have always found them to be well laid out, sturdy, and offered above average air flow. Today we have the opportunity to review one of their newest additions to their already large case product line. The case we will be examining is the second offering of the model Zero case, hence the name Zero 2. The Zero 2 features the same extreme cooling capabilities and features a sturdy 1.0mm steel chassis, the Zero's structural integrity cannot be doubted. Weighing at 10.2KG the zero 2 is a beast of its own. Zero 2's quad side fans are perfect for users running multi GPU systems.

Features

• Full tower steel chassis
• Quad 120mm fans dedicated for CPU and GPU cooling
• Dual 120mm exhaust
• Screwless installation for 5.25" and 3.5" devices
• Intel HD audio compatibility
• Top mounted USB, Audio, and E-SATA Ports
• Sturdy 1.0mm steel chassis

Specifications

Packaging

The front of the shipping carton has a very nice picture of the Zero 2 taken from a perspective angle and about the only things present on the front of the carton are the words, "Ultimate Cooling Chassis" and of course the name of the chassis and the company name NZXT at the lower left corner.

The rear of the carton uses the same picture but they have included all of the features of the chassis and a brief description telling you what the Zero 2 is all about. If a person was to condense it down to one word is would be "Cooling". We will get into this a bit later in the review and the you will see what they mean by ultimate cooling.

Looking at the end of the Shipping carton you can see the specifications for the Zero 2 written in English and couple of other languages.

The Zero 2 is protect in what has become the standard fare for computer cases, you start with a thin mill piece of plastic and wrap it in that prior to sliding the two pieces of Styrofoam on to the end of the chassis and then sliding it into the shipping carton.

A Closer Look At The NZXT Zero 2

The Zero 2 is constructed of steel and has a plastic bezel which dresses up the front of the case. The color we received is Piano Black and the paint quality is graded as fair. The semi-low rating is not because of the quality and finish of the paint, but more so for the lack of coverage when it comes to the side-panels. The areas of the side panels where it meets at the top and bottom of the case have be haphazardly painted with almost 50% of the top and bottom edges of the side panels not having any paint on it.

The front bezel is broken into two pieces with the top portion of the bezel is the door the swings open past 180 degrees to allow full access to all of the drive bays without the door being in the way. The lower portion of the bezel is where the air is drawn into the case thanks to 120mm fan that is located inside the chassis itself. There is a fan located behind this opening thus allowing it to be cleaned by simply pulling the front bezel away from the chassis.

It is not really visible in the photo above, but in the center of the door assembly you have two sets of lights the decorate the door and also let you know that the system is powered up.

With the door swung open you can see that there are five 5.25" drive bays and a pair of 3.5" drive bays which you might use for a floppy drive (yes we still use one on occasion) and memory card reader for your camera if you are into taking photos like most of us are these days. Also located inside the door area is the power button for the system.

Now it is time to talk about cooling, we mentioned earlier that the Zero 2 has a 120mm fan located in the lower portion of the front bezel, now you can add room for an additional four more 120mm fans on the side panel of the Zero 2. When these fans are installed we are talking about cooling some major real estate.

Looking at the opposite side panel you can see that it has no vents, no bells and no whistles. It is held on with two screws and since there is limited holes on the motherboard tray to allow wires to be routed to the backside of the tray you might never have to remove this panel.

Looking at the rear of the Zero 2 you can see that the case has the power supply mounted at the top of the case, in our opinion this is becoming old school and leads to a great deal of warm air gathering at the top of the case. It may actually be six of one and a half a dozen of the other as to which position the power supply should be in. The one good thing the Zero 2 has going for it is the fact that it has a place for an 80mm fan on top of case to act as a blow hole. The Zero 2 is still carrying on the massive cooling pattern even on the rear of the chassis with its matching pair of 120mm fans.

Like all cases that hold ATX motherboards we have a total of seven slot covers which means you will have room for that triple video card motherboard you are saving your cash for. Then you will still have room for your NIC and sound card.

Looking at the top of the Zero 2 you can see the blow hole opening we spoke about earlier, be aware that there is no fan included here or on the side panel where the four 120mm fans can be placed. Also located on the top portion of the case is the accessory area.

This is where you will find a pair of USB connectors, a headphone and microphone jacks and a single eSATA connector for connecting your external SATA hard drive to your system.

Finally we have a nice finishing touch to the outside of the case which is a badge that has the NZXT name on in a the words "Crafted Gaming Armor".

A Look Inside The NZXT Zero 2

As you can see the NZXT Zero 2 has a huge amount of run in which to work and it will become even more noticeable when the motherboard is installed. The design inside has been used by many case makers with the 5.25" drive cages stacked on top of the side facing 3.5" drive cages. From this angle you can also see the opening for the 80mm fan on the bottom of the case which will help draw additional air into the case.

Looking at the rear of the Zero where we have removed the second side panel, you can see what we were referring to when we said that there were no holes through which we would be able to route any wires so as to hide them from view.

The 3.5" drive cage has room for a total of six hard drives. We have found when working with this kind of drive cage it is best to have some right angle SATA cables on hand otherwise you will be forced to place a right angle bend on the the regular cable and you run the risk of ruining the cables.

Here is a better view of the opening for the 80mm fan that can be placed on the bottom of the case. This fan like the one on top of the case and in front has a removable cleanable filter that will help keep the fussies from taking over the inside of your case.

Here is another view of the tool-required slot covers, the only thing on this case that happens to be tool-free is the snap in drives which use the standard dual pin rail system.

The two fans used at the rear of the case bear the NZXT name so they must be an in house fan, we found during our testing that these fans operated very quietly and seemed to push a great deal of air out of the case.

Here is something I like to see and that is the use of gussets in the corners of the case, these small pieces of metal can make a whimpy flexible case seem like a man of steel. No i am not calling this case wimpy either, I am just saying that this case has no flex to it.

With the front bezel removed you can see the fan filter at the bottom of the case and then towards the top are the steel drive bay shielding plates that help cut down on the EMI that the system might created.

Here we see the removable fan filter at the front of the case along with the opening in the bezel where the air will pass through to the 120mm fan inside the chassis.

Conclusion

We were able to roundup four 120mm fans and a couple of 80mm fans for the openings in the top and bottom of the case. Prior to installing these fans we ran a benchmark with the system using only the front and rear fans on the chassis. We then added all of the fans and did a comparison to see just how much of a difference the additional fans made with respect to the unit overall temperature.

Test Setup

In our initial test of the chassis we did our stress test using the new version OCCT which features a torture test that really does subject your system to a very strenuous test involving all parts of your system.

Pros

• Well built and sturdy construction
• Lots of room to work inside the case
• Enought air flow to put out a fire when all the fans are working

Cons

• Paint job lacks a bit
• Nothing really ground breaking as far a design.

If you happen to be in the market for a large case either as a replacement or a new purchase you might want to check out the NZXT Zero 2. It has all the features one would expect from them and the price of around one hundred dollars is very easy to handle. So give it look and who knows you might have just found your next case.