A Closer Look:

As with most cases, access is controlled by easy to use thumb screws; only one of the side panels has these, and though it isn't necessary to remove the other side panel for most situations, I would have liked thumb screws for both. Looking inside, you'll see that the Tempest has a straightforward configuration with a huge drive cage/tower at the front; all drives are inserted in from the back.

Thumb screws for access.

Inside of window.

Internal overview.

NZXT took time to make the installation process as painless as possible as is evidenced by the accessories included. The different types of screws have been separated into labeled baggies, the first time I've seen this. It seems like a minor convenience but it helps, as you'll no doubt understand if you've had the frustration of trying to find the correct screw. You'll see that some 5.25" drive rails have been included; this does not need to be used unless you are removing one of the HDD cages to mount more 5.25" drives.

Accessories.

Top 5.25" drive cages.

HDD cages.

The top 5.25" drive bays are tool-less; you don't even need to use rails, as we'll see. You simply slide the drive in and secure it using the snap-on latch. Looking at the bottom, we can see two HDD cages, each holding 4 drives for a total of 8! This is likely to be enough for almost anyone, and the front 120mm fans (one for each cage) can ensure proper airflow over your drives to keep them cool.

HDDs are mounted vertically into these cages; as you can see the rails for the HDDs are attached to the cage when not being used; this simple idea ensures they will always be available when you need them so that you won't have to go searching for where you stored them.

Front panel removed.

Back of drive covers have foam.

5.25"-3.5" adapter included.

The front panel is fairly easy to remove; you just need to grasp the handle/gap at the bottom and pull it out. There are two wires connected to it (Power/HDD LEDs) but thankfully they are routed through a rubber-lined hole to make sure they don't snag when being dragged out. (I still would've preferred a front panel that didn't have anything attached to it) It was good that the front panel was so easy to remove, since was this the only way I could remove the 5.25" drive covers. You can also see that there is a 5.25"-3.5" adapter included here, for optional use.

The drive covers are more than your typical ones; in addition to being made of metal mesh, the backs are covered in foam so each drive cover acts as a filter. This is important since there are two big intake fans at the bottom front. The fans also have filter coverings in front of them, so this combination should stop all but the finest dust from entering your case.

Front fans also have filters.

Drive cage/fan removed.

Fan mount.

The fan filters are easy to remove as you just need to slide them out. Similarly, removing the front fans is easy as you just need to unscrew the mount and the whole assembly comes out. Removing the HDD cages, however, is a little harder, since they're behind the fans so you must first remove the fans. Additionally, you must remove the other side panel of the case so that you can unscrew the cage from both sides. The process is somewhat tedious so thankfully you don't have to do it unless you have a need for more than three 5.25" drive bays, since removing an HDD cage converts the space into three more 5.25" drive bays on top of the existing three at the top.

Fan and filter.

Drive cover and foam filter.

PSU mount.

The PSU is supported at the bottom by a small raised portion; you won't have to worry about fitting issues either, since it's the top of the PSU that will rest on this portion since the PSU is mounted in the case upside down. Looking at the fans, you'll see that they all have both 4-pin and 3-pin connections, allowing you to use them any way you see fit. Looking at the top inside, you'll see that the 140mm fans have no grills on the inside, so you'll want to be careful about what wires you let roam free here. It would've been nice to see at least some coverings over these fans.

All fans have 4-pin/3-pin connectors.

Rear exhaust.

Top 140mm exhausts.

The front panel connectors are fairly standard; the audio ports support both HD and AC'97 and also a pin-by-pin configuration if your motherboard has a weird layout. The power LED connector uses a regular molex one instead of one that connects to your motherboard, probably because it is used to power multiple LEDs in the front, something that most motherboard power LED headers won't support.

PSU area.

Front panel connectors.

HDD/Power LEDs.

The other side of the case is fairly boring. As noted before, it's not required to remove the other side panel for installation, unless you want remove one of the HDD cages to make room for more 5.25" drives. In this case, you'll have to remove a screw on this side, which you can see below. The motherboard tray does have some holes for routing cables through in order to reduce clutter.

Other side view.

Screws for HDD cages.

Overall, I was quite impressed by the amount of features offered by the Tempest. It packs quite a punch for a case that looks somewhat nondescript. Let's see how installation goes for this case.

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