Specifications
The NZXT Beta is constructed of steel and is a mid tower form factor. The front panel of the case is plastic and the overall dimensions are 7.87-inches x 16.9-inches x 19.7-inches. The cooling system includes a single 120mm front fan with blue LEDs and spots for an additional rear 120mm fan and dual 120mm side fans. Only the front 120mm fan is included. Inside the case are nine drive bays, four external 5.25-inch bays, and five internal 3.5-inch bays. The case also offers seven expansion slots and can be had with an optional 500W PSU. Supported motherboards include ATX, micro-ATX, and Baby AT.

In Use
I have looked at several NZXT cases over the years and they have all been well constructed. The NZXT Beta is no different. The chassis is very light for steel construction and if I didn’t know it was made from steel, I would have though it to be aluminum. NZXT only offers the case in black and even finishes the inside of the case in the same black hue. Lesser cases only have painted outsides.

Externally the case is very cool looking with mesh drive bay covers and grates running along the bottom half of the case to let hot air out. On top of the case is a pair of USB ports, an eSATA port, and mic/headphone jacks. The power and reset buttons are on the front of the case under the drive bays. When powered up the included front 120mm fan has a blue LED light that makes for a nice glow in a dark room.

The motherboard tray is not removable, but the design of the case makes working inside easy to do. The case is etched with letters and a key that shows where to install the standoffs depending on the type of mainboard you are using. Oddly, the bag of screws included with my review sample was short one standoff for ATX motherboards. Lacking a standoff is not a big enough error to hurt the usability of the case.

All the internal edges have rolled seams to prevent cuts and scratches while building the computer. On the rear of the machine the PSU is mounted up top, some of the newer case designs put the PSU in the bottom of the chassis. There are also grommets on the rear for passing small diameter liquid cooling lines from inside the chassis to an external radiator. The seven expansion ports have vented covers to help cool and look good.

All the internal and external drive bays are tool free. The internal 3.5-inch hard drive bays include rails that snap into place when the drive is inserted. The 5.25-inch external bays have a twist lock system to secure optical drives in place. NZXT includes enough rails to allow users to fill every bay on the chassis without resorting to using screws.