Introduction

Digging into my NZXT file to grab the template I write with for NZXT, I realized it has been almost four months since I wrote anything for NZXT as far as cases go. This might explain the sudden explosion of submission to me for testing as of late. This review will be the first of four coming up from NZXT in the next month or so, as they go live on TweakTown. I figured I would go about this quartet of cases with a diplomatic approach and since all of these new releases are based off of a number system in their names, I figured I would start with the smallest and work my way up the chain. I figure this is not only fair, but will give me a really good opportunity to see what each case has to offer as the series progresses and I assume pricing increases.

The chassis we are looking at today comes from the Crafted Series of cases which is already known for its Phantom, Hades, Guardian, and now numerous Tempest variations. To take you back a bit on NZXT case tech, NZXT had an attractive looking original concept of the outside with its protruding lines on the bezel, a large window on the side panel and a flood of blue LED lighting once the chassis was powered. The interior, though, was a simple case design with one long rail for all the drive bays and a SECC finish on the inside (primed steel finish). In other words, the interior really needs some help by today's standards. Next came the Tempest EVO, which kept a similar style outside, but the inside got a paint job and some hard drive cages while keeping the large window on the side.

What you are going to find out soon enough, is that the Tempest line has gotten a new look on the outside as the most obvious thing to note. This is actually more of a Source 210 Elite with a new look! In the instance of the Tempest 210 from NZXT that we are about to get up close and personal with, it not only gets a much less aggressive aesthetic look, the interior gets a new look as well. Bringing things up to date like offering USB 2.0 along side of USB 3.0, tool-less features on all the drive bays and much more attention to wire management, the Crafted Series Tempest 210 seems to have plenty to offer; but let's get into the specifics and pricing before we pass an early judgement.