NZXT Gamma Review

NZXT Gamma Review - Best sub-3k Cabinet

Hi all!!

So, i bought this cabby as a replacement for my age old cheap cabinet.
since i have been using elcheapo cabinets until now, i will be point out the features that i feel is better than the previous cabinets i used... so those of you who have been using branded cabinets for sometime now may find this as un-necessary. i will do a basic but detailed photo review. so please bear with me.

Firstly, out of the box, its very impressive to look at. the black matte finish is Sexy
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Introduction​

Specs: courtesy of NZXT

Now, a point of clarification.. NZXT has mention that the front panel is Steel. However, its Hardened Plastic.
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the cooling solution of upto 6x120mm fans OR 4x12mm fans+Water Cooling is pretty much overkill for the midrange gamer.... its just more than perfect.
The chassis rear has two holes for water cooling tubes and external radiator can be mounted on the top. Great!!
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It has two front panel USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA port and the basic 3.5mm headphone/mic sockets.
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the included fan is from NZXT itself, and going by the specs mentioned, it pretty decent as well.
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---------Insides:---------​

Very spacious, and sexy matte black finish!!
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There is a big hole on a motherboard mounting tray on the area the processor would be. this is to allow for removal of CPU heatsink without removing the mobo from the chasis.
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there are holes for routing PSU cables underneath the mobo tray as well, and this is a big plus point for the Gamma, as this a feature rarely found in lower end cabinet models and one of the two reasons i chose the cabby.

the PSU is bottom mounted, with the screw holes on the rear to allow for PSU mounting both ways, i.e., with the fan facing the inside-top or down.
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there are four rubber pads around the PSU air intake for seating the PSU and to damp any vibration noise.

for the situation when the PSU fan is facing the bottom, there is a filter on the outside to stop dust. the filter is removable. good for cleaning purposes...
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one thing i think is odd that NZXT has not provided any filter for the top fan mounts, because i guess in most setups, as mine, the top fan meshes will not be used.. it will be a major dust intake problem.
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the assembly is semi tool-less, due to the fact that the first time you assemble it, you will need a screwdriver, for the motherboard and GPU/expansion cards. the HDDs and other 5.25" drives are completely tool-less.

another excellent feature is the re-useable expansion port mesh. when you add a GPU, you take out the mesh, and for when you take out a GPU, you can put the mesh back in and cover the port. an excellent feature for preventing dust accumulation.
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the HDD bay is turned for easy removal/installation of HDDs, pretty standard.

removing the front panel, reveals the mount for a 120mm[only] front fan for maintaining airflow in HDD bay.
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Close up of the front 120mm fan mount
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another commendable feature is that the front meshes have on the inside pieces of sponge, which acts as dust filters. Very Nice.
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---------Accessories Included:---------​

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the cabinet comes with all the accessories that one needs for a basic assembly. included with the MB support brass columns is a kind of plus-hexagonal screwdriver head converter. this is for tightening the MB columns to the MB tray. a handy equipment.

---------Assembly---------​

The assembly went very smooth.. the edges inside the cabinet are rounded off to prevent any cuts/scratches.
after about an hour's effort this is where i stood
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Now, i had a spare 90mm fan from the previous cabinet and thought to put it into use..
*img195.imageshack.us/img195/5411/mg00132w.jpg

i used the 90mm fan as an intake fan right above the CPU and delivers cool air to the CPU... it is powered via the mobo chasis fan connector. that way, it can be controlled by the temperature of the CPU cores. also, on full 12V, the whining noise is very disturbing.
on the other hand, i have the white NZXT fan directly on 12V as exhaust. it is SOH silent!! very nice!!

---------Cable Management---------​

the cable management is good. not great. the only thing is that the space for the cables is pretty tight at the back of the mobo tray. Corsair's 24pin cable for mobo is pretty thick and I faced some problem getting it to fit along with the 8pin cable for CPU and the other cables.
seriously, a little more space at the back would not hurt.
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---------Finished---------​

please ignore the surrounding..
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i kinda like the Blue line power indicator.

this was my previous elcheapo-elcrapo cabinet
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considering the improvement, now i am going to refer everyone to NZXT cabbies

one more thing, since i do not have a custom cooler for CPU, i have no idea if the clearance is enough for say, a CM Hyper 212. You will have to go by NZXT's spec for that, or ask some one who has a Gamma + Cooler.

---------PROS and CONS---------​

PROs:
1. Price: Get me another cabinet at this price having all the features. Offers serious competition to other cabinets in the 3K range.
2. Build quality: Has excellent build quality. Even though its quite light compared to other mid tower cabinets, it does not mean it is made of inferior material. Its Zinc coated Steel. And Sexy Matte Black Finish. Edges are rounded to prevent cuts/scratches during assembly. Awesome!
3. Cable Management: A must have feature to reduce cluttering the air flow and keeping a clean cabinet.
4. Great cooling: upto 6x120mm fans. What else??
5. Semi Tool Less: Everyone will[must] have a screwdriver. So it will not be a problem. If you do not have one, Borrow.
6. PSU Air Filter: Air filter included to prevent dust accumulation in the PSU. Easily removable, washable!!

Cons:
1. No filter for the top fan mounts. For the builds, which wont have top mounted fans, this will be a potent dust accumulation cause.
2. Very tight space behind the motherboard tray. Will create problems for thick cables like the 24pin/8pin connectors.



Thats all for now.. Hope it was worth it