NZXT Apollo

Examination:

All of NZXT's current cases are designed for computer gamers, as is evident from their various designs. The Apollo is designed with cooling, value, and design in mind. Previous cases had used innovative techniques such as die-casting (Nemesis / Nemesis Elite) or "Guardian Motion LEDs" (Guardian), but nothing too distinct has been integrated with the design of the Apollo other than a smoked acrylic panel on the front panel door. This door at the front of the case is equipped with a magnetic design for its closing mechanism. The see-through smoked acrylic pane covers all five 5.25" drive bays. The concept behind this smoked acrylic is to be able to see any LCD panels or other light-emitting devices while the front panel door remains closed. Also behind this door is the reset switch and two external 3.5" drives. Towards the bottom of the case is a 120mm intake fan, power switch, and on the right hand side of the front bezel are USB, Firewire, and audio ports.

The side panel on the NZXT Apollo is similar to the Lexa with its 120mm side fan and overall design. However, the handle on the side of the Apollo does not offer any latching mechanism like some cases. At the rear of the chassis is a 120mm exhaust fan, seven expansion slots, and standard ATX PSU mount. The fan mount at the rear of the chassis also supports 80/92 mm fans. The chassis itself is composed out of SECC steel and measures in at 218 x 438 x 536 mm. Some models of the Apollo do ship with a 400W ATX PSU, but the model we had our hands on did not.

Opening up the chassis the number of screw-less features can be seen from the drive bays to the expansion slots. The internal layout of this case is not anything to drool over and is similar to that of the NZXT Trinity. Overall, the case design of the Apollo is not anything extraordinary but it does not appear to possess any nagging issues.