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NZXT’s Guardian 921 is a good-quality case with a flashy fascia that includes a built-in display. This shows you the temperature of your hard disk, processor and system, which it reads from internal probes. This is a nice touch, and is particularly useful if you want to install fast components. Unfortunately, the probes add to the tangle of wires that emerge from behind the fascia, and they must be positioned carefully if you want accurate readings. The three 120mm fans should help to keep your computer cool. All the front panel cables, including those for the two USB, eSATA and audio ports, were long enough to reach any point in the case, but the sheer number of them made it difficult to route them neatly. There’s room for three 3½in hard disks to slide into a cage at the bottom of the case. Above it are two external 3½in bays that will take memory card readers and similar devices, and three external 5¼in bays suitable for optical drives or audio output extenders. Despite its relatively small size, the Guardian 921 is easy to work on. The drive cage rotates easily on its hinges or you can remove it entirely to make installing a motherboard easier.
The temperature sensors and display give this case a flashy feel, but the flimsy side panels make it feel a lot cheaper. At this price, Antec’s better-made Solo is the best choice.
