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NZXT ROGUE

A Closer Look:

Since this case was meant for gamers, NZXT wanted to make sure all of the internals were cool as can be. Five – 120mm fans keep air circulating through this case, while maintaining a low noise level. Being crafted to the highest precision the ROGUE is sturdy and can withstand most torture. We’ve tried dropping it from average desk height, and it remained undamaged in any way. The removable motherboard tray makes working on your computer easy and almost effortless (see Installation below). Though it was a rather tight fit, we were able to fit all of our hardware in this case with seemingly no problems. Positioning of the PSU made access to the processor effortless and provided plenty of open air around the CPU cooler to provide maximum cooling.

Top View with cover taken off.

Front and right side; shows two 120mm fans out of the total five

Front and Left side; shows two 120mm fans out of the total five

Front easy access slots; (Top to Bottom) 2 - USB 2.0, 1 - Mic-in/Audio out, 1 - eSATA

Rear view with top cover taken off

Side View With side panel taken off

Five 120mm NZXT Included fans

Front View with top cover taken off.

 

Installation:

NZXT claims that this case is perfect for “…long video expansion cards like the NVIDIA 8800GTX.” Though we were unable to test the NVIDIA 8800GTX, we were able test both the NVIDIA 8800GS and NVIDIA 8800GT OC. We found the removable tray to be more hassle than not. Both of the NVIDIA 8800 series cards tested were about 2mm too tall to slide freely in and out of the removable motherboard tray’s slot. We were forced to take everything out, put the card in the slot and then pull it out about a quarter of an inch to screw it into the expansion slot before pushing the tray in completely and hooking up all the wires. This is not to say that all long graphics cards will not fit in the sliding tray. Upon testing an ATI RADEON 3870, we found that this card slid in and out with ample clearance. Everything else was easily accessible and remarkably designed. The tray made access to the motherboard just a simple turn of a screw. Our larger hardware had no problems fitting in this case, though it seemed like it would be close at times.

First we put in the optical drive. In this case we used a black DVD-ROM Side view of everything Installed.
Side view of everything installed and front panel taken off.
ECS micro-ATX Motherboard, BFG 650 watt PSU and 8800GT OC graphics card, NETGEAR wireless card. Another side view showing how snug everything fits into this case.


Conclusion:

If you like going to LAN parties with your desktop and want something both durable and sleek this is the case for you. On the other hand of you are the type of person that enjoys “modding” your case, you may want to take a look at the ROGUE. This chassis is perfect for customizing into something special that is one of a kind. Stay tuned to TechwareLabs to see our exclusive POLICE case mod, using this exact case (coming soon…).
This case was designed for the hardcore gamer. If you’re running a lot of hardware that you want to keep cool, the five 120mm fans will suck the heat off. Positioning of the PSU made access to the processor effortless and provided plenty of open air around the CPU cooler to provide maximum cooling. The fans in the case pull air from left to right, circulating air over everything before pushing heat directly out of the other side. When looking at this case it is easy to tell that the designers put their time into this one. It seems that in the quest to build the ultimate gaming chassis, NZXT has hit close to home with the ROGUE.

POLICE CASE MOD (Preview)