The NZXT Rogue is not much different than most SFF cases when it comes to shape, but the size is an entirely different matter. Although the Rogue is still quite small by gaming and high end HTPC case standards, it is much larger and heavier than most other cubic SFF cases currently available. It is almost entirely made out of 3mm thick aluminum.

The front part of the Rogue is simple. Most of the faceplate is covered by an aluminum door, yet the front USB, Audio and eSATA ports are visible. A flat door of that size would not look good, so NZXT added a few vent stripes above their logo. These may look as if they are ventilation stripes, but they are just a design decision as there is no fan or even any hole behind the aluminum door. Behind the door you can find the two visible 5.25” bays and the single visible 3.5” bay. At the sides of the door NZXT placed two red LED stripes which replace the power on LED, meaning that they stay on as long as the system is powered on. Thankfully their light is not very strong and shouldn’t prove be to be annoying should you want to use this case as a HTPC.

The top panel of the Rogue is the most disappointing part of the case. While the rest of the chassis is made out of aluminum and is 3mm thick, the top panel is 1mm thick and made out of steel. There is a small Plexiglas window which once again is quite thin. The whole combination feels rather weak and is highly prone to vibrations and we heard it rattle while we were testing the case later on. We really cannot understand what NZXT had in mind as they could probably easily make a thicker aluminum top panel with a considerably thicker window as well.

The top panel of the Rogue is not the only panel that can come off. Both of the side panels can be removed as well to give you access from every side of the case. Taking them off however is not as easy as the top panel, which is supported by a single thumbscrew. For each of the panels you will have to remove two screws with a Philips screwdriver and then pull the panel upwards slightly. The side panels of the Rogue can take up to two 120mm fans each, essentially turning the Rogue into a very high airflow wind tunnel. There are only two 120mm silent fans mounted from the factory, both acting as exhausts. These fans are simple and black, but also they are both virtually silent.

The third exhaust fan can be found at the rear part of the case, above the motherboard tray. It is once again a 120mm fan and mounted as an exhaust, but this fan is clear and illuminated by LED lights. The light is clearly visible through the window of the top panel and the LEDs are strong enough for the light to be slightly visible from the rear and the sides of the case as well, when the room is dark enough.

While most SFF cases can support a single 3.5” drive and a 5.25” drive, the Rogue has multiple drive support. You can mount up to two 5.25” devices, one visible 3.5” device and four 3.5” hidden devices (HDDs). Therefore you could easily build a level 5 RAID array inside the Rogue! The only downside is that in order to install the 5.25” devices you have to pull the faceplate off, which can prove to be a tedious procedure as it is tightly bolted in place.

One of the best features of the NZXT Rogue case is the removable motherboard tray. A removable motherboard tray is something that enthusiasts seek on high end cases but are rarely found. The removable motherboard tray is even more useful this time because of the smaller size of the Rogue and is a welcome addition. You can remove the motherboard tray simply by removing the thumbscrews which hold it in place, it then slides out. It is exactly the same size as a mATX motherboard.

Installing a system inside the Rogue requires some time since all of the panels have to be removed as well as the motherboard tray, but it is very tricky. We used the optional long PSU support bracket which has the PSU extruding slightly from the rear of the case, but it leaves plenty of room to work from the inside. If you are going for a high wattage PSU we strongly recommend a modular one to keep internal clutter to a minimum. You can also remove the front panel connector cables you will not be using if you want to clean up the interior more as well. The Rogue provides enough space for an 8800 series video card to fit inside it and although there is enough clearance between the PSU and the cooler, tower coolers will probably be restricted by the PSU. It would be recommended not to get a cooler much taller than a reference design.