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Case, Power Supply, Fan Reviews
  Product:     NZXT Trinity Gaming Case  
  Price:     $89 (CAN) / $75 (U.S) 
  Supplied By:     NZXT
  Author:     Mars
  Date:     September 3rd, 2005
  Rating:     star star star star star star star star star

NZXT Trinity Gaming Case
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NZXT Trinity Gaming Case
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The included power supply unit is rated at 400W with a +3.3v @35A, +5v @ 36A, and a +12v @17A. It is a 20-pin main harness with two lines that have 3 to 4-pin Molex connectors and one floppy Molex each. There is also the 4-pin P4 connector. This PSU does not have any PCI-X or SATA connectors. This power supply is typical of cases in this price range, it will run a small system but would need to be upgraded for anyone with a medium to high-end gaming system.

NZXT Trinity Gaming Case
Click image for larger view
NZXT Trinity Gaming Case
Click image for larger view
 

Testing:

Our test platform consists of the following components:

  • DFI LAN Party NFII Ultra B Motherboard
  • AMD XP 2600+ Barton (OC’ed to 2.1 GHz)
  • Kingston Hyper-X 512MB Dual Channel PC-3700 RAM
  • Seagate 120GB Barracuda 7200.7 SATA
  • Lite-On DVD ROM LTD 163
  • Included 400W Power Supply
  • Included Fans
Using SiSoftware Sandra Pro 2005 to run tests on the CDROM and the hard drive, I monitored for noise, vibration transferal, and any squeaks or rattling. I am pleased to announce that no squeaks or rattling were present during the constant spin up of the CDROM or the hard drive being constantly accessed. To give me a reference baseline for heat I disabled all of the case fans and used SiSoftware Sandra to run benchmarks on the hard drive and ran demos with Unreal Tournament 2004 to generate heat, I observed the following temperatures.

NZXT Trinity Gaming Case
 

Using the LCD's thermal probe attached to the hard drive, I recorded a temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius. Using Winbonds’ Hardware Doctor I recorded a system temperature of 50 degrees Celsius, and a CPU temperature of 56.5 degrees Celsius.

NZXT Trinity Gaming Case
 
Using the same tools, with the stock case fans plugged in, I recorded the following temperatures. Using the LCD's thermal probe attached to the hard drive I recorded a temperature of 40.6 degrees Celsius. Using Winbonds’ Hardware Doctor I recorded a system temperature of 42 degrees Celsius and a CPU temperature of 50.5 degrees Celsius.

Let’s not dwell on the actual temperatures themselves, but focus on the differences between them instead. As we can see there is good air flow cooling with this case, and I know it can be improved even further with some upgraded case fans. A difference of 8.2 degrees Celsius on the temp probe reading, as well as an 8 degree Celsius difference of the system temp is a good indication of NZXT Trinity's cooling ability.

NZXT Trinity Gaming Case
 

To take it one step further I replaced the rear exhaust fan with a Panaflo Hi 120mm and added a 120mm Antec to the front and noticed even further temperature drops as follows. Using the LCD's thermal probe attached to the hard drive I recorded a temperature of 31.5 degrees Celsius. Using Winbonds’ Hardware Doctor I recorded a system temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, and a CPU temperature of 49 degrees Celsius. This shows that this case has excellent air flow, if it did not the recorded temperature drops would not have been as significant as they were.

Conclusion:

As a person that owns cases the likes of Lian-Li, I normally do not give economical and pre-modified cases a second glance but I must say I am impressed with Trinity from NZXT. In a world of cases that are overdone or way too busy, the Trinity is like a breath of fresh air. With its gloss black finish, gunmetal front, and stealth mounted side window, it lives up to the "Just Sexy" slogan. This case is not only about beauty, it is also well designed on the inside. With its screw-less installation for 5.25" and 3.5" devices, removable hard drive cage, and great cooling potential this is a great case in its price range. Although the supplied PSU, and case fans are just adequate which is the norm with cases in this price range. Overall, I'm awarding the NZXT Trinity Gaming Case, MTB's Seal of Approval and a final rating of 9 out of 10. If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the NZXT website for more information or discuss them in our forums.

MTB Award
 
Thumbs Up! Pros:
  • Gloss black finish
  • Clean styling
  • Rolled edges and wiring through holes
  • Front mounted USB and Audio ports
  • Vented hard drive cage
  • Lightweight and sturdy
  • Good case airflow potential
  • Can use 120mm Fans front and rear
 
Thumbs Down! Cons:
  • Stamped fan grills
  • Weak supplied PSU and fans
  • Non-removable motherboard tray
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