NZXT
products have rarely disappointed us at Dragonsteelmods and today’s
PC case continues this pleasant trend. The Guardian 921 is a gaming
chassis designed with form and function in mind while maintaining a
budget price. Eschewing the boxy beige box shape, the Guardian 921
features numerous curves and angle to make the case stand out.
The
Guardian 921 is a steel case in a mid tower configuration. If you
are looking for a light aluminum case to carry to LAN parties, this
is not the one for you. But if your goal is to have a rugged sexy
looking gaming PC then the Guardian 921 fits the bill.
Peripherals
are easily accessible via a side panel which includes E-SATA,
Intel HD audio output/input, and two USB connections. NZXT keeps
things cool with three 120 mm fans and allows for plenty of room for
expansion with nine drive bays.
So
let’s take a closer look at the Guardian 921 and see how this
gaming PC case performs.
Reviewed
by: Tomas Ratas
Sponsor: NZXT
Tech
Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
NZXT Guardian
921
NZXT, a company built on realizing
the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the Guardian
921, a gaming chassis in the NZXT Crafted Series. Building off of the
original Guardian’s success, the Guardian 921 features a robust set
of features for the budget conscious PC Gamer. Designed with a
futuristic and sleek curves, the Guardian 921 is the perfect chassis
to show off your gaming chassis.
Features
NZXT Crafted Series Design: NZXT’s
latest addition to the Crafted Series takes cues from gaming culture
with elegant curves and a newly designed clear side panelSpacious Interior and Solid
Construction: Built from solid .88mm and 1.00mm steel, the Guardian
921 gives the user ample space for large, high-end video cards and
space for up to four internal hard drivesConstant Temperature Monitoring:
Three temperature probe monitoring system allows the user to
constantly gauge thermals within the system at all times to prevent
overheatingMultimedia and peripheral inputs:
E-SATA, Intel HD audio, mic, and two USB inputs are standards with
the guardian 921 allowing for maximum peripheral inputSilent Cooling: Comes standard
with 3 120mm fans installed to maximize cooling performance with
minimal noise
MODELGUARDIAN
921
CASE
TYPE MID TOWER
STEEL CHASSIS
DIMENSIONS
(W x H x D) 206X459X522 mm
COOLING
SYSTEM FRONT, 1
X 120 mm BLUE LED FAN [Included]
REAR, 1 X 120 mm FAN [Included]
SIDE PANEL, 1 X 120 mm BLUE LED FAN [Included]
DRIVE
BAYS 9 DRIVE
BAYS
3 EXTERNAL 5.25″ DRIVE BAYS
2 EXTERNAL 3.5 ”
DRIVE BAYS
4 INTERNAL 3.5″ DRIVE BAYS
SCREWLESS RAIL
DESIGN
MATERIAL(S) SECC STEEL CHASSIS
EXPANSION
SLOTS 7 POWER
SUPPLY400 WATT
PS2 ATX 12V ( OPTIONAL )
WEIGHT8.2
KGS (W/O Power)
MOTHERBOARD
SUPPORTMOTHERBOARDS:
ATX, MICRO-ATX, BABY AT
A
Better Look at Things:
The NZXT
Guardian 921 ships in a black cardboard box with pictures of the case of the front and
back. A list of features can be found on the side of the package.
The case is protected in the box by two Styrofoam inlays.
Since
it is composed of steel, be prepared for some heavy lifting. The
Guardian 921 measures 20.6
x 45.9 x 52.2 cm and weighs in at 8.2 kilograms.
You will immediately notice how solidly the Guardian 921 is built. It
is primarily black with a clear plastic window on the side panel.
Besides the case, NZXT provides an instruction booklet, a bag of
screws and screwless plastic 3.5” hard drive rails.
The Guardian
921 is a mid tower case designed to house ATX,
Micro-ATX and baby AT motherboards. It is designed to be screwless,
which makes PC installation much simpler. On the front of the case
is a plastic door that opens from left to right. There are three
linear LED lights that illuminate blue when the case is powered on.
Above
the door is a display panel which shows the temps of the CPU, System
and Hard Drives when the three built in temperature probes are
attached to the motherboard and peripherals. Below the display we
see the power and reset switches.
Behind
this door we see slots for three external 5.25” drives and two 3.5”
drives along with a NZXT badge. At the base of the front panel is a
vent for keeping the PC cool.
The
side panel of the Guardian 921 houses a clear plastic window with a
blue LED 120 mm fan mounted in the center. Also on this same side
we find USB,
eSATA, and audio inputs.
Inside
the case we find a PSU on top configuration, which I personally
prefer as bottom based PSU solutions invariably lack the cord length
to reach the PSU in most occasions.
There
are two more 120 mm fans inside the case; one is positioned adjacent
to the I/O panel and the second one is located towards in front of
the lowest hard drive cage. Above the hard drive cage are the 5.25
inch and 3.5 inch drive cages.
Besides
the wires for the power,
hard drive activity, and reset switch connections, there are
connectors for the
USB,
eSATA, and audio inputs on the outside of the case. In addition
there are three temperature probes which are labeled for
Wiring
inside the Guardian 921 includes connectors for the external as well
as motherboard power connections for CPU, System and Hard Drives, but can be placed anywhere.
Installation,
Testing and Comparison:
To
test the Guardian 921 I installed the following system:
Motherboard: GIGABYTE
GA-G31M-ES2L LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU:
Intel Q6600
Memory: Buffalo
Firestix 2 GB DDR2
Video
Card: EVGA 880GTS
Hard
Drives: Seagate 200 GB 7200RPM, Samsung 1 TB 7200 RPM
PSU: Ultra
X-Finity 1000 Watt Power Supply
Cooler: Stock Intel Cooler
DVD
Burner: LG
GH22NS30
Installation
of the motherboard and power supply was simple. Since this is a
Micro ATX motherboard there was plenty of room to spare after
mounting the motherboard. To install the hard drives attach the
screwless guide rails on the side of the hard drive then slide them
into position in the lower drive cage. The other two sections of
drive bays are a screwless, just slide the drive into position and
lock into place.
There
are several Molex connectors for the included 120mm case fans, but
each of these has a pass through adapter preventing the fans from
tying up any molex connectors from other PC devices.
To
monitor temps, attach the included temperature sensors to the
appropriate component. For my build I decided to monitor the CPU,
GPU and hard drive. Unfortunately I was only able to place the
sensors adjacent to the devices they were designed to monitor so my
real world temps were different than the ones detected using
RealTemp. There was a ten degree difference between the CPU and
RealTemp CPU value and an almost 20 degree difference over the PC
monitored reading for the graphics card I was monitoring. Optimally
if you are able to place these sensors on the hottest part of each
component then more accurate readings would be obtained.
When
powered on the case emits a blue LED light from the front panel, the
power button, side case panel and the bottom grill. Blue LEDS, you
either love them or hate them, I personally like them.
Summary and Comments
So far I
have tested three NZXT
cases and each one has been as good as the last. The Guardian 921 is
a solidly built, sleek looking well designed case with the gamer in
mind. Although it is heavy and not one you will one to drag to LAN
parties, it is a case that will make your gaming rig stand out.
The
three 120 mm provide excellent cooling and there is plenty of room
for expansion with the large number of expansion bay slots. The
external input panel for the USB, audio and eSATA are easily
accessible from the side of the case, although some people may prefer
these ports to sit on the front face of the PC case.
Overall
the Guardian 921 is a sexy looking case with plenty of features for
at an affordable price.
DragonSteelMods
gives the NZXT Guardian 921 a
4.5 out of 5 score.
Pros:
+Solid
construction
+Excellent
Cooling
+Sleek
cool design
+Plenty
of Blue LED lighting (to some may be a con)
+Screwless
design
Cons:
-Heavy
I would
like to thank NZXT for the chance to review the NZXT Guardian
921 and
for their support of DSM.
review#621