Author: Franco Santa-Maria

We reviewed our first NZXT case back in June. At the time, we liked the Tempest EVO the folks at NZXT sent our way, and their Hades case also recieved high marks as a value case that really brought on the heat. However, with all those mid-range offerings, NZXT's high end lineup has rather stagnated. Aside from their ancient Zero full-tower case (the specs still claim 8800 compatibility), they have their also-aging Khaos ultra high-end full-tower case. However, that case costs a full $300. Apparently, NZXT also saw the gap in their lineup and moved to release a product to fill that space. That product is their highly anticipated Phantom full-tower case. As NZXT says it, "designed with sleek, pristine contours, the Phantom radiates personality and quality." So how does this shiny new case stack up to the hype NZXT has stirred up? Time to find out.

SilverStone is a seasoned player in the computer case market. A heavy-hitter in the high-end range, their budget cases are few and far between. However, lately SilverStone seems to have added several specialty cases to their lineup, one of which we have here: The microATX Sugo SG-04-FH. This SFF case isn't at the top range of pricing, but it is by no means a budget enclosure. So the question here is: can SilverStone make this little SFF enclosure worth the high price of admission? We can tell you one thing about this: It sure looks like a million bucks.

Choiix? Who's Choiix you ask? Choiix is a new subsidiary of Cooler Master, providing, as they describe it, "simple and practical yet stylish notebook accessories." Strange brand title aside, they do provide some decent accessories, and today we have the Choiix Power Fort accessory, aimed at road warriors with limited access to an outlet and tons of USB gadgets. Sounds like a fairly big market, right? That appears to be what Cooler Master was thinking too.

The "Airflow King Reborn!" At least that is how NZXT is touting the Tempest EVO case. It's an upgrade from the original Tempest that was released in 2008. Back then the original was competing directly with Antec's Nine Hundred, as well as other reasonably priced enthusiast enclosures. The new version, with three added letters (EVO), goes head-to-head with Antec's Nine Hundred Two and Cooler Master's Storm Scout, among others.

Maintaining the focus on airflow, the Tempest EVO claims to utilize more efficient fans than the original Tempest, as well as other small improvements. But NZXT already had a dominating airflow design in the original Tempest, right? So, what does the Tempest EVO bring to the table? Did NZXT really make some upgrades to the airflow and overall design, or did they just repackage the same ol' case to make a few bucks? The key will be to take a close look and pay attention to the details. Don't worry, we aren't going to be playing a twisted version of Where's Waldo, and undoubtedly we'll have more fun.