Working with the Beta
Building a system in the Beta was a pleasure. The case allowed for ample clearance between components and enough room to mount 10.5″ long graphics cards. We installed Icrontic’s Core i7 test bench rig in the Beta, which consists of an ASUS P6T motherboard, 6GB of OCZ Blade DDR3-2000, a HIS Radeon HD 4850 IceQ 4 video card, an optical drive, a disk drive, and a modular OCZ power supply.
When installing the power supply, it became evident that the Beta only allows for one mounting position. Many cases these days allow you to install a PSU with its AC socket on the left or right, but not so with the Beta. While the bolt pattern for attaching the power supply was one of the most accurate we’ve seen in a long time, it would have been nice to flip our power supply over.
Working with the tool-less drive mounts was a pleasure. The hard drive remained firmly in place after a satisfying click signaled that the drive was installed. The same went for the optical drive, which, once positioned on its rail, is firmly secured by the oval clamp with a locking key. It was nice that we did not have to tinker with finely threaded screws.
One final observation regarding the Beta has less to do with the case and more to do with certain hardware. The CoolIT Domino ALC all-in-one water cooling system was installed in the Beta, but it would not fit in the mounting holes offered by the 120mm exhaust port.
Clearance between the rear fan mount and the ALC wasn’t sufficient, and it interfered with the power supply. To accommodate the ALC, we attached radiator to the exhaust port’s grate instead. While this observation isn’t a flaw with the Beta, water cooling users may find the Beta does not yield much extra space for mounting radiators without serious customization.
Wrapping it up
The entire experience with the NZXT Beta was one of joy. There’s something to be said for the beauty of simplicity, and that’s a concept that the Beta fully embraces. Yes, it only comes with one fan, but it still offers way more than it has to to be considered an excellent value. Hats off to NZXT! They did this one right.
Pros:
- $49.99 MSRP
- Tool-less drive mounting
- Spacious interior
- Removable foam filters
- Quality build
Cons:
- Only one 120mm fan included
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