CyberPowerPC Zeus Thunder 2500 SE Gaming PC Review

All the aforementioned tasty components are wrapped in a white NZXT Switch 810 case, and CyberPowerPC didn’t do much to the stock chassis except add a gray laser-etched logo to the side panel, just below the huge side window. NZXT used a mix of white plastic and painted metal for the Switch 810, but the paint job is high quality enough that it’s hard to tell which surfaces are which, and the glossy finish nicely sets off the black rubberized detailing around the top and front of the case.


The whole point of the NZXT Switch 810 is to offer users three cooling options: liquid cooling, fans galore with all the vents open, or quiet performance with all the vents closed. With the Zeus Thunder 2500 SE, CyberPowerPC opted for liquid cooling (for the CPU only) in addition to quite a few fans--one each in back, in front, on the bottom, and aimed at the drive bay as well as three fans on top aiding the radiator.


The top panel is vented to allow users the choice to close up the case to reduce noise or leave it open for ventilation, and our rig came to us with the vents open. The front panel has a clean, uninterrupted look, hiding the optical drive and front panel ports until they're needed. There's a pair of USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, a card slot, audio ports, reset button, and an LED toggle switch that can turn the white LEDs in the rear on or off under the front panel flap.

Around back is nine expansion slots, although just two are occupied by the graphics card, as well as the many ports afforded by the ASUS P8Z77-V motherboard. These include four USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports; HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, and VGA ports; and S/PDIF Out, a Gigabit LAN port, six audio jacks, a PS/2 port, and a low-profile WiFi module. Two of the USB 3.0 ports pull double duty as BIOS Flashback ports.


Inside, the included components barely take up any room, and it looks like the overly spacious apartment of a young rich guy who only needs furniture for one. Obviously, the lack of a CPU fan/heatsink opens things up a bit, but the Switch 810 could easily handle another graphics card or two with no trouble. A superb cable routing job keeps the space uncluttered, as well.

Other than the sizable radiator, the cooling loop itself is quite small and rather dull, actually. It consists of two thin opaque black tubes coming and going from a low-profile CPU cold plate and the radiator, and that’s it--no colorful coolant, flashy tubing, or shiny hardware connecting the parts of the system. That’s probably disappointing for those looking for a liquid cooling system that makes people stop and gawk, but the Asetek setup keeps that overclocked CPU nice and stable, so you can’t complain too much.