The Guardian PC Case review - Page 1

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, today we will present to you a new case. A case, ladies and gentlemen, loaded with contradictions. A case case that will prove that there is more out there then standard designed cases, a case on its own and in its own class. The verdict? You'll see...

Hey everyone and welcome to a new PC case review. This time the case comes from an unknown manufacturer that goes by the name NZXT, a new company developing cases for gamers. The company was formed basically because they wanted to create unique designs based on what gamers would really want. Being gamers themselves they’ve been playing games from Loom to Monkey Island to Fallout to Farcry. NZXT feels like they can connect with the gamers in their market, mostly through their forums, they wish to discuss and complete what gamers really want.

NZXT feels like today’s case industry lacks uniqueness because of the enormous amount of clones available. This is basically their thinking and of course they are trying their hardest to build a name and reputation.

Most of you desire a non-standard PC Case, face it...you are a visitor of Guru3D.com, which means you crave the best hardware. One big downside though, if you are one of those people who is, well, too lazy to case-mod. Or perhaps you have two left hands, do not like blood, or do not have the time to make a case-mod. Then what to do? Luckily for us there are a few companies out there who saw this gap in the market and if you are ready to pay some dough, you can pretty much buy anything of your liking; NZXT is such a company.

What we are looking at today is, I'll immediately sum it up for you, a lot of case for very little money! Sidenote, this review will not be about how much air-flow a case produces or what the ambient temperature of the case is. I mean honestly...2-3 degrees more or less who cares. The sole purpose for this case is to look good. Therefore in this review, you can expect loads of images from us in this review.

Right then, the Guardian; a case that offers a little of everything. First impression, its looks are at the least interesting. But, you will either love or hate the design. The problem with case designs are that they emphasize the creative inspiration of the owner/creator and thus are personal. And since taste differ, there will be a lot of controversy on this product. Myself, I like the design, but it's surely not a design I want here in the office. The design reminds me of armor, shields, castles, medieval times ehm... transformers, Optimus Prime! God, I just had a youth flashback. The case is available in many colors.

Specifications:
Case Type: Mid-Tower Case
Color: Black
Material: All metal construction, front bezel plastic
Drive Bays: 5x 5.25", 2x 3.5", 3x 3.5"(Internal)
Expansion Slots: 7
Front Ports: 2x USB2.0, Audio Ports
Power Supply: 400W
Cooling System: 1x Tri-color LED Fan (side panel), 1x 80mm Fans in rear
Motherboard Compatibility: ATX, MicroATX, BabyAT, MiniATX
Dimensions: 8" D x 21" W x 17" H
 

The Guardian is a case that was thought through quite well, its screwless up to the level that you do not need any tools to secure cards and drives (not the mainboard of course), sufficiently cooled and has very wicked colored lighting that reminds me a bit of KIT from the night-rider. More on that later though. Let's start a nice photoshoot along with information and an explanation.

Let me introduce to you NZXT's first ever, and currently the only, case... the Guardian.

The Guardian with "Guardian Eye Motion LED" and 400 Watt PSU.