Date: September 22nd, 2009
Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited By: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: NZXT
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PRODUCT PICTORIAL AND WALKTHROUGH
The Zero 2 has a familiar look that harkens back to the original, but the aluminum elongated X shaped center accent of the front door is a high-gloss black plastic on the Zero 2. Both versions of the Zero share the mesh side panel accent but the front fan intake near the bottom of the case gets a slightly different treatment.
Like the original Zero, the door swings open from left to right. With a bit more than 90 degrees of travel, it won't get in the way of ODD operation. With the door closed, there is plenty of room between the door and the inner bezel face for bay devices with protruding knobs. The top bay features a smoke-tinted window to show off your VFD or other bay bling and the two red arrows indicate magnetic buttons that interface with similar buttons on the inner bezel to serve as a latch. These work quite well and will keep the door securely closed without requiring undue force to open. The blue arrow points to the reset button. Five big bays and two small bays are hidden behind the door. The hinges appear to be very sturdy yet operate smoothly. In fact, the wires running to the door have enough “memory” to keep the door from remaining in its fully open position. This is a minor annoyance and will probably resolve itself in time.
Up top, there is the empty fan placement grille, and the front I/O ports that consist of two closely spaced USBs, two audio ports and an eSATA. I like the placement and selection of these ports better that those on the original Zero. They will be a bit difficult to use if the case is located on the desktop, but in all likelihood, users will wish to place the Zero 2, or any other full tower chassis, on the floor.
Besides the customary seven expansion slots, motherboard I/O opening and PSU opening, the rear of the case features two 120mm exhaust fans. NZXT has wisely chosen to forgo any stamped mesh here in favor of full cutouts with black wire guards. Not only will this minimize airflow restriction, but it looks good, too. Two oversize thumbscrews secure the left side panel, but the other panel is held in place with ordinary philips screws.
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<--CLICK FOR PRICES ON A NZXT ZERO 2 COMPUTER CASE IN CANADA
