Ventilation
At the risk of using a universal quantifier, "nothing" is more important in case design then cooling. Case ventilation or cooling (in a passive design i.e. Zalman TNN 500A) is paramount to system performance. The author who wrote; "...a case isn't an extension of system cooling." had a skewed view on thermodynamics as it applies to the modern PC. The Nemesis Elite accommodates three 120mm fans, all blue LED models which come stock with the unit. Of the seven or so reviews I found on the Nemesis Elite everyone got three Blue LED fans, unfortunately we only received the side panel fan and it wasn't an LED? Anyhoo it was a Cooler Master 1800MHz silent model, moving 27CFM at 19dBA, quiet, but woefully underpowered.



Not only is your case an extension of system cooling, it will have a large impact on performance either way. the metal box you place to your components in will either enhance their native cooling or in a worst case scenario defeat it. At the rear of the Nemesis Elite case perforations and mounting holes accommodate the exhaust fan.



I did find some problems with the front intake fan, beyond it's prima facie absence. While most other reviews praised the HDD cage position and ventilation holes, I found their proximity to the perforations in the aluminum front plate to inhibit airflow and raise the noise level. To test this theory, place an object on each side of a fan while it's running.





Designing the HDD cage so it's mounted perpendicular to the front of the case can be beneficial in some cases (no pun intended). In this circumstance cable clearance is obstructed as well as air-flow into the case. The front fan-bay's perforation between the HDD cage doesn't make much sense since it's not protecting you from the blades? The cage itself does that, although I guess if you really made an effort you might be able to stick a finger in there, then again you could stick your finger in a light socket too? Bottom line case aerodynamics are hamstrung before they get a chance since the fans that would come with the case are presumably all similarly under-powered as the side panel fan was.

Monitoring Device



Nemesis Elite features a full monitoring LED panel located at the top of the case. This "bay" also includes an external connector "bar" which may be flipped to conceal USB, Fire wire, Mic, and Headphone jacks.





NZXT has provided one of the most thorough LED monitoring utilities, including; CPU fan speed (temp) monitoring, 6-speed auto-fan (adjust by temp), HDD temp, HDD activity (via Nemesis "eye"), temp monitoring via three external thermistors, multiple alarms, date, time, and power indicator.



With so many features there was enough cable to resemble an explosion in a spaghetti factory. Thermistors supplied were high quality.



The lightweight material, accessible jacks and monitoring system make the Nemesis Elite an excellent candidate for LAN parties. Had NZXT included carrying handles this case would be ideal for LAN parties.

System testing...