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Most of us at some point growing up had aspirations of being a rock star, and though we lacked the talent, we dressed the part; long hair, unshaven face, grunge attire, and maybe a piercing or two. As we got older, we found ourselves dressing professionally and after a good shave and haircut, we realized we clean up exceedingly well! Such is the case with NZXT, a company most known for their gamercentric chassis lineup, that now looks to show they can appeal to a completely different crowd. But can they pull it off and mingle with high society, or are they better off sticking to their roots? We plan to find out as we tour the NZXT Adamas.
Specifications
| Case Type |
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| Front Panel Material |
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| Dimensions (W x H x D) |
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| Cooling System - Front - Rear - Side |
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| Drive Bays |
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| Material(s) |
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| Expansion Slots |
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| Power Supply |
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| Weight |
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| Motherboard Support |
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We've seen it many times; a company creates a niche for themselves and does quite well specializing on a specific product line or type, and then they stray from their proven formula with a concoction better left on the drawing board. And while we never go into a review with a biased mindset, we were expecting NZXT to follow this pattern. After all, they've designed some truly unique looking cases, such as the curvaceous Lexa and the out-of-this-world Nemesis Elite, so we were more than a little curious in how they would pull off a toned down chassis aimed at a completely different type of system builder. Our curiousity was short lived however, as once we removed the chassis from its box it was evident NZXT had avoided a common pitfall and pulled it off. From the brushed aluminum to subtle curves and grooves in all the right places, the Adamas would be right at home in a professional atmosphere or among a classy decorating scheme.
An overhead shot reveals one of our favorite aspects on the Adamas. While nothing earth shattering, the grooved ridges running from front to back set this chassis apart from the standard rectangular fare, and add a touch of class
Directing our attention to the back continues to impress. We've seen case after case flaunt good looks from every angle except the rear, and NZXT avoids this by including the back in the paint job. Somewhat inconsequential considering this portion will spend most of it's days staring at a wall, but appreciated nonetheless. If only the I/O backplate were also painted black, we'd be tempted to mod it to fit our testbed's motherboard.
The Adamas continues to impress from a frontal view, as the brushed aluminum looks sharp in person. Four 5.25" expansion slots adorn the top, one of which can be used to stealth an optical drive. A 3.5" floppy bay takes residence in the middle, and underneath sits the front mounted ports hidden behind a door. 
To access the front ports, just push and the panel pops open. The Adamas comes equipped with two USB 2.0 ports, a firewire port, and audio inputs. We appreciate having them stealthed, but for convenience, we'd prefer that they were placed either on top of the chassis or along the top side.
No part of this case got overlooked, and even the bottom comes outfitted with more grooves. We're not sure when this sort of design decision would ever matter, but we're not complaining either.
NZXT adds something we've never seen before, but would like to see more of. Removing the front panel on many cases can be a chore in and of itself, but on the Adamas, and quick release lever makes this an effortless task. Give it a tug and the entire front panel snaps right off!
Should you ever need to remove the front panel for any reason, do so carefully. There are quite a few wires attached (front mounted ports, reset and power switch, activity LEDs) that will prevent you from flinging the panel across the room. 
We've come to laud the advent of thumbscrews, but we're singing a whole new praise for NZXT's side panel removal system. Push the two spring load clips down and the panel slides right off, gaining you entry to the interior.
As impressed as we are with the exterior, our enthusiasm gets tempered a bit once we look inside. The layout looks clean enough, but most midtowers cramp our style when it comes to elbow room, and we found ourselves wishing for a larger workspace inside the Adamas. The motherboard tray supports both ATX and mATX form factors, but it's not removable, further adding to our system building claustrophobia.
Further stumbling in the convenience department, neither the optical or hard drive cages are removable either, and you'll need a screw driver handy to fill these puppies up. Tool-less designs have become almost common place in high end cases, so we were surprised to see NZXT forgo this route in favor of traditional setups, particularly since other cases in their lineup boast removable cages and drive rails for quick installation. They did include some metail rails for use on optical drives, but when we used them, our DVD drive protruded too far out and prevented the front panel from reattaching. Drat! On a positive note, hard drives sit directly behind the front 120mm intake fan, ensuring those toasty platters stay cool.
Seven expansion slots grace the back of the Adamas, with another 120mm fan directly above. These also turn up their noses at tool-less designs, and in a bizarre move, once the slot covers are removed, they cannot be secured back in place. So when you decide that the Killer Nic was a colossal waste of funds and yank it out of your chassis, you'll need to dig around your spare parts for a replacement cover to prevent debris from floating in.
While most cases include one or two case fans, NZXT bundles no less than four 120mm of them! The front intake blows cold air over your hard drives and throughout your system, the rear exhausts hot air out, and two side fans provide additional airflow for ever increasingly hot systems. This is a fantastic amount of cooling, particularly for a modestly sized mid tower. These aren't silent fans, but they're not obnoxiously loud either.
While most cases include one or two case fans, NZXT bundles no less than four 120mm of them! The front intake blows cold air over your hard drives and throughout your system, the rear exhausts hot air out, and two side fans provide additional airflow for ever increasingly hot systems. This is a fantastic amount of cooling, particularly for a modestly sized mid tower. These aren't silent fans, but they're not obnoxiously loud either.
For house keeping duties, the front intake fans comes with an air filter attached. Gaining access could be easier, as you'll need to pop the front panel off and unscrew the plate. Still, we'd rather an inconvenient implementation than none at all.
Getting the motherboard installed was a cozy fit, but once inside, installation was trouble free. Of course, we were helped with the aid of Seasonic's modular M12-500 power supply (which slipped right in), giving us less clutter to work with, as there's not a lot of room for routing cables. And folks, wiring jobs like this can't be taught in classes! No seriously, the judge told us we should be appalled with our workmanship and ordered us to cease and desist our training course, so we literally can't teach this in classes.
We pitted the NZXT Adamas against our test bed's HSPC Tech Station and gauged the cooling performance of each running an EPOX MF590SLI motherboard, AMD's socket AM2 3800+ X2 processor, and a Seagate 80GB Barracuda hard drive. At idle, the Adamas ran neck and neck with the Tech Station, and outpaced it when the Tech Station's noisy fans were turned off.
Running to instances of CPU Burn-In to obtain load temperatures, we see the same performance discrepencies, or lack thereof. While there's nothing inherently special about the Adamas' design scheme that allows it to compete with an open-air test bed, the four quiet 120mm fans does wonders for airflow and keeps our components from overheating. Very impressive.
We pitted the NZXT Adamas against our test bed's HSPC Tech Station and gauged the cooling performance of each running an EPOX MF590SLI motherboard, AMD's socket AM2 3800+ X2 processor, and a Seagate 80GB Barracuda hard drive. At idle, the Adamas ran neck and neck with the Tech Station, and outpaced it when the Tech Station's noisy fans were turned off.
Running to instances of CPU Burn-In to obtain load temperatures, we see the same performance discrepencies, or lack thereof. While there's nothing inherently special about the Adamas' design scheme that allows it to compete with an open-air test bed, the four quiet 120mm fans does wonders for airflow and keeps our components from overheating. Very impressive.
| Section | Grade | Comments |
| Build Quality (Durability & Construction) | 18/20 |
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| Aesthetics / Appearance | 19/20 |
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| Internal Layout & Installation | 14/20 |
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| Performance (Sound & Cooling) | 10/10 |
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| Bundle | 7/10 |
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| Warranty & Support | 7/10 |
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| Price / Value | 5/10 |
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Our Recommendation
We really wanted to score the Adamas higher than we did, but certain design decisions really tested our leniency. We would have overlooked some of them had the price been lower, but for a pair of C-notes we've come to expect certain features not found in this case, such as removable drive cages and at least some semblance of a tool-less installation scheme.
MIA features aside, our overall impression of this chassis remains very positive. Aesthetically elegant, the subtle curves and well placed grooves makes this one of the most attractive mid towers we've ever laid eyes on. The black brushed aluminum looks fantastic, with even the back panel receiving a coat of paint. And function follows form thanks to the inclusion of no less than four 120mm case fans, keeping components cool with plenty of airflow. Further amenities include an easy to detach side panel along with a front panel that pops effortlessly off, a stealthed optical bay, and hidden front mounted ports.
Any skepticism we had that NZXT could mingle among high society was quickly quelled after spending time with the Adamas. Whether you need a classy enclosure for a professional atmosphere or wish to give your computer room an air of gentility, the NZXT Adamas will happily oblige.
Futurelooks
Overclocker Cafe
Bjorn3d
Other Reviews of Note
It's always nice to have more than one opinion on a component before you spend your hard earned money. For one, we may see something others missed, or vice versa. As with all reviews published at HardwareLogic, we'll not only give you our opinion, but also point out some reviews from around the web.Futurelooks
Overclocker Cafe
Bjorn3d