Zalman Z9 Neo Black

There are almost no reviews for this corpus and I decided to write my own. This case took us at our own risk because the reviews are ambiguous, but I was very much attracted by the design and especially the interior. The case is really amazing and I'm very glad I bought it. I would like to dispel a few myths at once 1) The fans are really quiet. Everyone wrote that they are "loud and crackle" due to the fact that they are connected via Molex 4-pin directly to the power supply and operate at maximum speed, but even with 12v connection they are quiet, if this is not enough for someone, then just swap the contacts and it will be you are 7c. 2) baskets for hdd and ssd disks do not dangle, they are fixed tightly. 3) the illumination of the buttons (Power on and USB), as expected, do not work when the state is off. Therefore, if someone wrote that they always burn, it is either a lie, or you have a short time somewhere. I can't get enough of the purchase) The case is worth its money, the price / quality ratio is simply off scale.

Advantages: The price-performance ratio is excellent.

Disadvantages: The fan headers could be made to be connected to the motherboard rather than via Molex.

Comment: Powered the fans at 5 volts - they are working. Thus, I got a quiet computer. Regarding disabling the port illumination when the computer is off: on motherboards of the Z170 chipset (on other chipsets - I don’t know, I haven’t tried it) in the BIOS, go to the "Advanced" section, then "Advanced Power Management", then to the "ErP" section and there select the "S4 + S5" mode. Save your BIOS configuration. All. Nothing will now light up when the software is off the computer.

Moved to this case from the Z3 Plus. The drawer is relatively spacious and pleasant. Along the perimeter around the motherboard there are enough holes for laying wires, some of them with rubber inserts, and on the back there are several Velcro ties. There is also enough space on the back side, albeit without a margin. The legs are plastic rectangular, not thin, not short, with a thin rubber base. Vibrations are damped a little better than the Z3's round plastic feet, but not significantly. The edging of the power button glows blue, and when the HDD is active, it winks red. usb ports are also highlighted, and in the off state of the PC too - I don't know if the hardware used is a feature or is so conceived. Rubber plugs for usb ports are not attached in any way, you can lose. The buttons click palpably when pressed. Includes 5 120mm coolers. The top two are backlit.Both front and both top connectors are molex only. The rear has a 3-pin. The noise is average. Other features include a removable dust filter underneath the power supply unit. But it is not rigidly fixed, dangles to the sides. Both usb3.0 ports on the top use one joint cable. As well as both usb2.0 ports. On the upper side, the section above the two valves cannot be removed. But the plastic transparent edging is removed, respectively, the gap is larger - it is easier for the flow. 3.5 "hards are inserted into ordinary plastic pads, and they are already inward along the guides. There are only two pads in the kit, but screw fastening is also provided. There is a place between the power supply unit and the 3.5" hdd section and unused wires are completely packed there. The package bundle is standard and minimal - a very short and almost useless instruction, a bag with a bunch of different black screws and several thin black plastic ties. Total: Considering the price (4600r), the case is good, easy to assemble and functional. You may not like the brightness of the backlight and the noise (although the drawer is closed in appearance, I will not call it quiet, the insulating material is only in front of the door).

Advantages: 1. For 70 USD the best case for iron. 2. Prepared to replace the case coolers. for such a price they simply cannot be of high quality (one standard cooler costs $ 10, and this is almost the price of the case, so I did not understand howling about bad coolers), but surprisingly they turned out to be quite quiet (the case is on the table near the ear and does not bother with noise, increased noise is possible when the front door is opened). I use the case for a week while the flight is normal, so I don’t know about the durability of the coolers, but I think they will not last more than a year (they will most likely start howling, but I was ready to replace I cannot attribute to the disadvantages of the entire case). When included. in sleep mode, all coolers stop the backlight goes out, only the power button and the usb ports on the front panel are lit (I read reviews before buying, some complained that the fans did not stop and the backlight was on, so it depends on the power supply - it must also support the sleep mode ( all norms bp), and then the backlight will not interfere). 3. The case itself is quite high-quality - the iron is not so thin, let's say the rigidity is just right. Stands firmly and securely on the legs - no unnecessary noise and rattling. In general, the case has a lot of advantages, I will list them briefly - the casing over the power supply, the short cable management, excellent ease of assembly (unless, of course, you are assembling an assembly with 2 video cards and 6 drives +, for example, in this case, cable management will be difficult and better look at the other case).

Disadvantages: 1. It is very problematic to actually connect the ssd at the topmost place for it in the middle of the case where there is mainly a thick cable from the power supply to the power supply of the motherboard. In principle, it is possible to pass two more cables for powering the ssd drive there, but the connectors will be under pressure, which is not at all good if, in addition to the power supply of the motherboard, there are also cables stretched (for example, to power the video card, it will be impossible to power the ssd there in principle). 2. Places for 5.25 devices are removable, but with a little caveat about which in no review - by unscrewing 3 screws, you can, in principle, remove the edge of the plate, which will spoil it somewhat. 3. The ends of some of the wires for connecting the front panel to the motherboard are multi-colored - what prevented them from being made completely black is not clear, which in turn somewhat interferes with the aesthetics in general, when, for example, you select all the components so that they look beautiful through the case window and everything is spoiled only by small thin variegated wires connected at the very bottom of the motherboard mat. Moreover, the wires themselves are all completely black and only two of them have multi-colored ends.

Comment: In general, it is excellent, but there are some nuances, I think the model itself is successful and deserves attention, because there is nothing better for this money on the market today.

Advantages: A good, not expensive case. 5 coolers included. Good house cable.

Disadvantages: Thin metal. The specifications state that the maximum length of a CPU cooler is 160mm. No it is not. Due to the acrylic glass, it is not possible to install a cooler of this size.

Comment:

Advantages: - Enough space for wiring; - Removable drive bays; - Rubber feet for vibration damping; - Rubber HDD brackets;

Disadvantages: - The upper fans (transparent) are very noisy, chirping. - Includes only one three-pin fan; - A front filter for beauty, in fact, because strictly under it there is a hole from which it is noticeably pulling by the "breeze"; - Glossy door: - Inconvenient front USB plugs.

Comment: For those who complain that there is not enough space for 3.5 HDD - Pay attention to the drive bays, HDDs and SSDs boldly stand there / Disconnected the upper fans, glued the case with noise insulation, it became much quieter. Don't look that there are so many cons. The case is really great. I'm happy with my purchase! But I will change the stock fans. The cooler Noctua NH-D15S fits into the case.

Advantages: Capacity, convenience, price, quiet.

Disadvantages: Probably, except for almost convenient places for SSD, but having bought M. 2 and stuffing ssd into the HDD basket, the problem was solved, a slightly pungent smell was on the first opening but disappeared in 2 minutes.

Comment: Well I bought it for my mother msi z170a carbon pro game got up perfectly, a cold computer 30 degrees 40 in load (not 100%), there were no problems with the connection, except that there is not enough space for laying wires, but I will buy another power supply with fasteners, a large cable usb 3.0 is not a drawback, in principle, I am 110% satisfied with the purchase

Advantages: - price / quality - design - USB location - large enough and roomy - the ability to hide the wires behind the wall

Disadvantages: - the fans that came with the kit are quite noisy and after a few weeks of use they began to whistle and rattle

Comment: Reasonable combination of price / quality. Stylish and laconic design. Large enough and roomy. I chose a case instead of the old one (of a very modest size, which was not enough space for a new video card). There were no special problems with the laying of wires and the location of the HDD and SDD (fortunately, the power supply has long wires). The ability to hide the wires behind the wall (now the space in the case looks neat), which has a positive effect on the airflow of the case. Standard fans are noisy enough, or I was so lucky, after two weeks of use they began to emit a strange whistle, in the third week they creaked, which was very upsetting, I would have to change the entire set. Overall, the model is good.

Advantages: I think that the new case model from Zalman is more than a good purchase, price-quality, even a little surprised. It was the build quality of this product and the functionality that surprised us in the first place, much is thought out to the smallest detail.

Disadvantages: Marky! Especially the front side - the door and the upper part of the case. Very important ! Do not under any circumstances clean the upper part with detergents, ruin it! There, from the factory, the thinnest layer of powder paint is applied to the plastic, the plastic itself is not black, it is dark gray.

Comment: I advise, in my opinion, the best case in the model range, I compare it with the Z9 Plus.

Advantages: Ease of assembly, thoughtfulness, price, 5 fans included.

Disadvantages: It is inconvenient to connect hard drives, one fan from above touches something and does not spin.

Comment: I like everything.