NZXT Adamas

Latin poets used the word “adamas” to refer to the hardest substance imaginable. Although it’s a bit overdramatic, this definition neatly sums up our experience trying to stuff a motherboard into NZXT’s Adamas midtower case.

By itself, the case is pretty solid; the Adamas’ aluminum chassis is smooth and classy and has a reasonable weight for its size. The case comes with as many 5.25-inch drive bays as 12cm fans (four). The included fans are surprisingly quiet, especially for a case in this price range. The interior of the case is about as standard as standard gets, save for a large 12cm fan mounted on the rear wall.

We mention this only because it was quite a wiggle to get a standard-issue ATX motherboard into the case because of said fan. Add in an annoying toolless door-mounting mechanism and the Adamas left us with a sour taste in our mouths—not enough to spoil the entire experience, but there are definitely better midtower options for the same money.

Month Reviewed: February 2007
+ GR8: Lots of fans, lots of ventilation. Pleasantly plain exterior.
- H8: Tight fight on the inside. Forcing the side panel shut is not fun.
Verdict: 7
URL: www.nzxt.com