NZXT Zero 2

By now you've probably at least heard of NZXT. Founded in 2004, NZXT has been busy in recent years expanding its reputation as strictly a gaming-centric case manfacturer to one with a more rounded product line, including the toned down Adamas. More recently, the company has shown a knack for improving on existing case designs, such as the Tempest, which borrows heavily from the Antec 900 but offers more ammenities and a less expensive price tag. We're not quite as emphatic about the company's supplemantry peripherals, though we will admit the company's Sentry LX is one of the sexiest fan controllers on the market.


Today we take a look at the sequel to the popular Zero case, the monstrous NZXT Zero 2. The Zero 2 replaces it's predecessor at the top end of the pedestal.  Equipped with a side panel capable of wielding no less than four 120mm fans, the NZXT Zero seemed perfect for the serious gamer or enthusiast running multi-GPU systems.  Featuring a slew of changes from it's counterpart, NZXT hopes to wow the gamer and enthusiast community with a similar vivacity.  Can the Zero 2 be just as stalwart the second time around or will it prove sequels can never compete with their predecessors?

Specifications

 Make and Model	NZXT Zero 2
 Colors Available	Black
 Dimensions	8.3" x 21.1" x 20.9" (W x L x H) 22.5 pounds (net weight)
 Drive Bays	5 x External 5.25" 2 x External 3.5" 6 x Internal 3.5"
 Motherboard Size	E-ATX, ATX, mATX, microATX
 Expansion Slots	Seven
 Front I/O	2 x USB 2.0 1 x eSATA 1 x Audio and microphone jack (HD)
 Cooling	1 x 120mm Intake 2 x 120mm Rear exhaust Optional placement for four 120mm side exhaust fans Optional placement for one 80mm top exhaust fan 80mm fan opening with filter at bottom of case

We always approve of a full featured accessory package and the NZXT Zero 2 does a fine job.  Playing along with its brethren, NZXT includes bags with marked labels to designate the different hardware.  However, unlike one of its cousins in a similar price range (NZXT Tempest), the Zero 2's hardware lacks an onboard speaker, a popular accessory added in most packages.  The Zero 2 also comes with the necessary drive rails and an informative manual with several useful pictures.  However, with just a single sticky pad and a lone zip tie, there's not much for cable management gurus to get excited over. At this price, we would have liked to see a few more zip ties thrown in.