Test System

Assembly

Installing a full ATX board inside the Xigmatek Zest is done via traditional means, with the use of spacers and screws. There is plenty of space on all three sides of the board for easy cable routing. Due to the lack of additional HDD cages, there is virtually no limit to the length of the GPU, either.


Installing a 2.5" drive, on the other hand, does take a traditional screw driver and screws to secure the drive to the metal tray, which may then be placed on to the back of the motherboard tray with the thumb screw.


Adding a 3.5" drive is simply done by pulling out the plastic tray, inserting the drive, and sliding it back into a cage of your choice—no tools or screws are needed.


Xigmatek has made things simple when it comes to adding a PSU as well. Simply screw it on to the frame and slide it into the chassis. There is plenty of space, so you may use larger, higher capacity units without issue.


With everything in place, the interior of the Xigmatek Zest looks quite clean. However, grommets on the motherboard openings would have really helped make it look even better, especially as the cables are visible against the white motherboard tray. As you can see, I tried hiding all the leads as far away from the openings as I could to minimize the visual impact.

Finished Looks

With everything back in place and things turned on, the light show you get to see within the Xigmatek Zest is pretty cool. It is one thing to have 120/140 mm fans with aRGB, but two 200 mm units is a very different experience altogether. On top of that, the Xigmatek Logo in the front is RGB-equipped as well and in sync with the rest of the system, which is a very cool touch. In the rear, the aRGB fan further adds to the lighting prowess of the Xigmatek Zest.


Besides various multi-colored animations, you may cycle through a generous array of solid color choices as well by pressing the button on top of the case, next to the USB ports.