NZXT Nemesis and Nemesis Elite

Internal Design of Nemesis Elite (Aluminum) Model

Now, let's take a look at the internal layout of the Nemesis Elite. The first thing that we noticed, even before opening the Elite model, was that it is made of aluminum because of its light weight and a look inside confirmed this.

Nemesis Elite

At the front of the case, we see the drive bays in a similar layout as the steel model, but with a few variations. First, since there are only four 5-1/4" drive bays, there is more room for extra 3-1/2" bays. With a total of two external 3-1/2" bays, there is a HDD cage positioned to the side, which can hold up to five HDDs. All of the bays use drive rails, which makes installation a bit quicker and cleaner than using screws. The drive bay layout reminds us a little of Thermaltake's Damier V6000A.

Nemesis Elite

The expansion slots on the Elite model also had a tool-less mounting device on them, but it is not like anything that we have seen before. To install an add-in card, we push up on the tab to unlock it, then rotate out to lift the steel strip off the expansion slot mounting points. To lock the cards, we reverse the process and push the tab back until we hear a click.

Nemesis Elite

The Elite model has an aluminum bar running across the top about 1/4 of the way down as added support for the structure of the case. This may get in the way of installing the power supply when the motherboard is already mounted with a large heat sink fan like ours, so we advise users to install the power supply first.

The wiring inside the Elite edition reminded us of the V6000A, once again, which had a great amount of wiring that was usually in the way of things. Since the fans aren't protected on the inside, these wires could have been caught if they weren't stowed away or tied down. Another solution, on the manufacturer's side, would have been to wrap each bundle of wiring into sleeves to contain the mess. Hopefully, NZXT can add this to future models.