Zalman Z9 Plus Black case: instructions, photos, reviews and reviews. Zalman Z9 Plus case: a budget option with an abundance of fans Front panel zalman z9 plus

The Z9 Plus from Zalman is a budget ATX midtower designed for the gamer and hobbyist market. The company has long specialized in user-demanded silent devices with high-end, hot hardware.

Zalman Z9 Plus: design overview

A quick glance at the case measuring 207 x 464 x 504 mm and weighing 7.2 kg is enough to understand who made it. The name of the manufacturer is heavily used in its design. A large Z is visible at the bottom of the front panel, covering the area with the 120mm blue backlit fan. This is done not only to mask part of the cooling system, but also to circulate air.

For those of you who can't get away with legacy technology, you'll be happy to know that there is space for a floppy drive between the fan and the three 5.25 "mesh bays. The case has a factory-installed 5.25" to 3.5 "adapter that serves to protect the drive.

Zalman decided to add a few extras to the front of the Z9 Plus. There is a digital indicator on the left, connected to a thermal sensor, which can be placed anywhere inside the case to give the user an idea of \u200b\u200bthe heating level. A two-channel controller is located just below it, capable of ensuring the quietest possible operation of the fans or their overclocking if necessary.

On the right is the first set of USB 2.0 ports, while another set sits on the other side of the 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks with HD audio or AC '97 support. This separation of USB ports allows you to install large flash drives that can be used simultaneously with other USB devices without blocking them. On the right are the hard drive activity indicator and the reset button with the power switch (above center).

The front panel of the Zalman Z9 Plus Black can be removed by pulling it from the bottom and then from the sides. In the upper right corner are two small contacts that can be detached to remove the cover completely. Zalman has made them different to ensure proper connection. Each of the 5.25 "compartment covers is equipped with a removable dust filter.

Side panels

By turning the ATX Zalman Z9 Plus case counterclockwise, you can see the left panel, which is secured with two black screws. The capital letter Z is also visible here. In opposite corners of the surface there are two small windows, between which there is a large diagonal mesh with another 120mm LED fan in the lower left corner. You can add another cooler to the top right for additional cooling, but even without it, the open space should allow enough fresh air to flow into the case to keep the heating temperature under control.

The right cover of the Zalman Z9 Plus is solid and has no channels to hide cables behind the motherboard.

Back panel

From the back, from top to bottom, there are holes for the motherboard connectors with a 120 mm fan without backlight. There are two rubber-padded passages just below it - a plus for those wishing to use external water cooling. Then there are 7 removable covers for PCI cards, a small hole covered with a mesh and a place for a power supply at the bottom, which has now become the norm for amateur and gaming cases.

Up and down

A handy small tray with the manufacturer's name is installed at the top of the front. It should be useful to those owners of portable devices (MP3 players, digital cameras or cell phones) who regularly leave them on the case. Directly behind the tray can be seen a mesh grille hiding a 3rd pre-mounted 120mm LED fan. There is also a place for another cooler, which, if necessary, must be installed by the user himself.

At the bottom, the body is equipped with four rectangular rubber feet that raise it above the base and prevent slipping. There is also a removable filter for the last 120mm fan and holes for cooling the power supply.

Internal organization

By removing the panels, you can access the inside of the case. On the left front there are 5 hard drive bays that rotate 90 ° with 5.25 "slots above them. At the bottom there are spaces for a 120mm fan and power supply. Above is the motherboard tray. Cable service areas are located on the right, in the CPU area a hole has been cut to make it easier to change coolers, and there is a passage for the power cable in the upper left corner.

The internal space is a bit small, but not cramped, able to accommodate video cards measuring 29 cm in length. This does not take into account the existence of graphics cards, which are powered in the immediate vicinity of hard drives. Connecting at this point reduces the overall allowable length, so larger graphics cards must meet this condition.

Some may wonder: what is the mesh area under the processor cutout for? While the right side panel is completely clean, underneath is what is becoming more and more popular with case makers - mounting points for 2.5 "hard drives or solid state drives behind the motherboard tray.

Equipment

Complete materials are supplied in a large sealed bag. The kit includes an 8-pin 12V expansion cable, screws with metal and plastic heads, additional motherboard stands, rubber washers and screws for securing hard drives and absorbing the vibration generated by them, small retainers, and a user manual.

So far, everything looks great, but how will the editing take place?

Installation

Those new to the Zalman Z9 Plus Black will not be sure where to start. First of all, they face two problems.

One is that the frame is not exactly square. When installing the motherboard, it can be aligned with the stands, but it doesn't quite line up with the rear I / O panel. The discrepancy is small, but sufficient to cause concern. After installing graphics and network cards, users find that they are not lining up properly.

At the same time, to install the video card in place, you have to push it to the hole for the PCI slot and hold it there until it enters its slot. The same has to be done with the network card, but to a greater extent, since it is located further from the bottom PCI-E slot. Both components fit, but it takes a lot of work for the first PCI-E slot as it blocks the GPU and it seems like the NIC is not making good contact.

The second problem occurs when mounting SSDs behind the motherboard tray. The four tabs that the screws pass through are too tight. You have to bend them with your hands so that the drive fits. This pliability, combined with the problems of installing expansion cards, makes you think that the Zalman Z9 Plus case could warp. But the packaging is in near-perfect condition and has end caps made of Styrofoam to protect the case during transport.

Ease of installation

The Zalman Z9 Plus case is shipped unassembled. All front panel cables are long enough to plug into the motherboard, even for the awkwardly located audio connector at the back of the board. The design of the hard drive installation system is also pleasing. It is one of the most reliable elements that users have ever dealt with and does not require additional tools. The screws threaded through the rubber washers and secure the actuator laterally. The drive then slides along the rails into the bay, where plastic clips hold it securely in place.

There is a space just over a centimeter wide between the motherboard tray and the right cover. According to user reviews, after installing all the components, this panel is hardly put into place.

Testing

A 20-minute OCCT run, based on the GPU benchmark and overclocked clock, which peaked at 1020 MHz core and 1200 MHz memory at +0.025 V boost using the TriXX utility, gave the following results. During idle time, the processor temperature remains at +33 ° C. This is in line with the performance of the Lian Li PC-50WB case. The GPU temperature in standby mode and under load is +44 ° C and +86 ° C, respectively. During overclocking, the GPU temperature reaches +45 ° C at idle and +91 ° C at full load. Again, the specs of the Zalman Z9 Plus Black are in line with Lian Li.

Advantages

At under $ 70, the Zalman Z9 Plus offers a lot of the right stuff for a midtower in this price range. It's roomy enough not to feel cramped. The hard drive mounting system is incredibly successful, and the temperature indicator and controller on the front panel are nice additions. There are enough free bays and space for additional fans for future expansions. No sharp edges - hands will not be hurt during installation. And for those wishing to install a cooling system of a higher level, an external water cooling connection is provided. A huge marketing advantage of the model is its quietness. Indeed, with the case fans turned on, the noise of the processor cooler at idle is clearly audible. The Zalman Z9 Plus is black on the inside and outside to enhance its look.

disadvantages

Build quality is worrying in the sense that some of the components don't line up properly and the 2.5 "drive mount can be easily bent by hand. In addition, the Zalman Z9 Plus case lacks a few things and has a couple of extra parts. PSU fan and PCI slot covers cannot be reused. These are features that are available on cheaper models. Since most temperature monitors use software, it would be possible to sacrifice the LED on the front panel in favor of these essential components.

Conclusion

Summing up, we note the following. Judging by consumer reviews, the Zalman Z9 Plus is a decent chassis that should provide everything the average user needs to create a high-performance, quiet system.

Company products Zalman in our country it is represented primarily by a variety of cooling systems and their components; its computer power supplies are somewhat less known, but the case produced by this company came to our laboratory for testing for the first time.

The outer case can be appreciated in the attached video.

Layout

The Zalman Z9 Plus case is a single-volume miditower with a bottom power supply. The PSU itself is not included; and its orientation (fan up or down) the instruction leaves at the discretion of the owner, it only emphasizes that it is not recommended to put the power supply unit with the fan down in rooms with increased dustiness.

The color of all parts of the case is black, as is now accepted almost everywhere; the manufacturer does not offer other color solutions.

Air is vented through the top panel of the case, so there is no need to try to use the case as a stand for various useful things. In addition, there is an exhaust fan at the rear of the chassis.

There are four slots for 5.25-inch devices, but only the bottom three have an outlet, and the top slot is occupied by a panel with connectors and indicators. The installation of one 3.5-inch device with an exit to the front panel is also provided.

Hard drives are installed in a cross cage with five slots for 3.5-inch drives; to install a 2.5-inch HDD or SSD into it, you will have to purchase adapters. However, it is still possible to place such devices in a case without additional costs: one in the existing adapter of the 5-inch bay, and the second in the most unexpected place - on the right side of the motherboard substrate there are four lugs with holes for mounting screws. Of course, such places are not easily accessible; but it's good that at least some possibility of installing 2.5-inch drives is provided as standard, especially since its price is cheap. But there are no docks with external access for quick connection of disks - they are, of course, more convenient, but they also affect the price much more.

The chassis can accommodate full-size ATX motherboards as well as increasingly compact board options. The choice of video cards is limited to models up to 290 mm in length.

Design

Case dimensions 464 × 207 × 504 mm (H × W × D), weight 7.2 kg (packaged 8.4 kg).

We measure the chassis is 0.6mm steel and the removable side panels are 0.8mm. A significant part of the left panel is occupied by ventilation holes, in addition, there are two small windows covered with transparent plastic; therefore, the use of a sufficiently thick metal is quite justified.

The legs of the case are made in the form of plastic rectangles with rubber inserts, which should provide good shock-absorbing ability.

The front and top panels of the case are made of plastic, painted over by weight. Both of them are bordered by a frame beveled to the edges, the surface of which is matte and slightly rough, and therefore well conceals handprints. But hardly anyone will touch them often; but those places where fingerprints will certainly appear are for some reason made glossy - this is the transition from the front to the top panel, on which the power button is located, and the panel with connectors and indicators adjoining it in front.

At least half of the surface of the front part of the case is covered with a fine metal mesh: these are 5-inch slot covers and a Z-shaped cutout in the lower half of the front panel.

The Power button is located very conveniently - “on the forehead” of the case (the upper part of the front panel beveled backwards), so it will be noticeable and easily accessible in any position of the case - even on a table or under a table. It also has a built-in blue indicator.

The rest of the controls and switching, as already mentioned, are located on the cover of the top 5-inch slot. Let's list from right to left: oblong indicator of HDD activity (red), below it is the Reset button of the same shape; then a vertical block of two USB 2.0 connectors; then 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks, another block of two USB 2.0; at the end of the row is a temperature indicator and a fan speed controller. We will tell you more about the last two below.

Note also that the presence of four USB connectors in this configuration does not guarantee the possibility of connecting four devices, if at least two of them are of decent size; but you will definitely be able to connect a couple of "fat men".

Pressing the Reset button is unlikely to work by accident, but you can't say that about Power: it has practically no free wheel, and you can turn off the computer with a light touch.

The front of the top panel forms a shallow "trough", which will surely be used for storing all sorts of little things like paper clips. In principle, there is nothing particularly wrong with this: the metal mesh covering the upper fans has small enough holes into which only something like a pin or a needle can fall.

Ventilation system

Zalman, a well-known manufacturer of cooling systems, has richly equipped the Z9 Plus case with 12 cm fans of its own production.

Three of them, located on the front, top and removable left panels, are connected with 3-pin connectors and have a blue backlight. The fourth, on the back of the chassis, is simpler: without backlighting and connected to the power supply via a Molex connector (double, male + female).

The first three fans can be controlled both from the motherboard and with the help of the controller in the case, the regulator of which is displayed on the front panel of the case. True, the controller allows only two fans to be connected, and its functions are primitive: you can manually change the rotation speed by adjusting the supply voltage, but the brightness of the backlight also changes. The controller does not monitor the rotation speed.

But there is a temperature sensor connected to the controller with long wires; the measured value (in degrees Celsius) is only displayed on a digital display, without affecting the operation of the fans. It is impossible to fix the sensor directly on the vital components of the computer (CPU or video chip), and therefore only the temperature of their radiators or the air inside the case can be measured. Of course, if you pull the sensor out, you can still find out the temperature at the workplace ...

The manufacturer has also taken care of those who are not interested in such toys: the Z9 modification without "Plus" has neither such a controller nor a temperature indicator; and there are only two fans in it - the front one and on the back of the chassis.

If desired, the number of fans can be increased or models of a different size can be installed. So, on the top panel, two 120 or 140 mm fans are provided, in the center of the lower plane of the chassis - one 120/140 mm, on the left side wall - two 120 mm. Here are just no screws for fastening them.

Standard filters made of fine-mesh plastic mesh are provided for only two fans - the standard front and optional on the bottom of the case. To clean the first one you have to remove the front panel, the second is accessible from the outside.

Note also that the mesh covers of the 5-inch slots of the front panel are equipped with foam inserts.

The possibility of installing liquid cooling systems is not forgotten; for it on the rear wall of the chassis there are holes covered with rubber plugs with split petals.

Of the additional ventilation holes, in addition to the 5-inch slots in the blanks, there is a vertical perforated strip in the rear wall of the chassis and a series of slots in the bottom of the case, under the power supply installation site. There is no cut on the bottom edge of the front panel, which makes it easier to remove.

Assembling the system unit

The side covers are fastened with the usual system of grooves and combs, and are fixed with pairs of plastic knurled screws. To facilitate the removal of the covers, there is a stamped protrusion at their rear end.

Six brass hex motherboard racks are already installed; if this is not enough, you can add additional ones from the kit. The hole on the rear panel for the I / O ports of the motherboard does not have a cap, but the slots for expansion cards will have to be freed by breaking out the disposable caps. Fastening of such boards is screw; the use of a screwdriver when installing screws interferes with the edge of the chassis, in which there is no cutout.

There is a large window in the motherboard substrate that allows you to install or remove the CPU cooler without dismantling the motherboard itself. Installation of some types of coolers may be hindered by the standard top case fan; in this case, you can simply reposition it in the center of the top panel.

The cables from the front connectors are shielded, connected with monolithic connectors (for audio there are both HD Audio and AC'97). Since these connectors, as well as buttons and indicators, are attached to a separate unit, their cables will not interfere with removing the top and bezel.

And the front panel will probably have to be removed: there are metal plugs in the chassis, which will need to be removed to install 3.5- and 5-inch devices with access to the front panel. All four plugs are reusable, but the top two are fixed with screws, and the bottom two will have to be broken.

In addition, the decorative plugs for the front panel itself, made entirely of metal mesh, have very tight clips, and it is better to remove them from the inside by removing the panel itself. Recall that it houses a power button and indicator; however, the long wires running from them will not prevent the panel from being pushed back a sufficient distance. These wires are also equipped with connectors, so the panel can be removed altogether.

The top panel will have to be removed only to install an additional fan or service the existing one. It is fastened with eight plastic latches, the layout of which is given in the instructions; however, to remove this cover, you will also have to remove the bezel (or at least slightly push its upper edge forward).

For neat cable routing, the motherboard has three rectangular cutouts without rubber seals; You can fix the bundles of wires with the supplied nylon ties, attaching them to the stamped ears in the backing.

Of course, when choosing a power supply unit, one should be guided by models with a wire length sufficient for "hidden" laying.

However, the gap between the backing and the side wall is small, and if the cables are not routed neatly enough, it will be inconvenient to install the right side cover.

The left cover, despite the abundance of holes, snaps into place without distortions and unnecessary efforts.

The power supply can also be installed after the motherboard; it was already noted that it can be placed both up and down with a fan. It attaches directly to the back panel, without any additional frames.

The optical drives are screwed on; for them, the kit contains a considerable number of screws with plastic knurled heads.

Before installing a 3.5-inch hard drive, you need to screw four rubber pads to it, the cylindrical part of which fits into the grooves of the basket and fixes the drive (note that there are a lot of pads in the kit: enough to install five drives). The manufacturer calls these pads antistatic in the user's manual, although they rather act as shock absorbers; however, because of them, there is no thermal contact of the disc body with the metal of the basket. The fixation is not reliable enough, and therefore you can additionally secure the disk with a screw; in this case, we will get at least some kind of heat dissipation, but we will reduce the shock-absorbing properties of the linings.

The disc is inserted only from the left side, and its interface connectors can be oriented both to the left and to the right by installing the pads accordingly. In the first case, to access these connectors, it is enough to remove only the left side cover of the case, and in the second, the cables can be hidden behind the motherboard substrate. It is better to use SATA cables with an L-shaped connector, since there is room for the straight connector end-to-end.

An adapter is installed in one of the 5 "bays, in which you can use screws to fasten 2.5 or 3.5" devices, including those with an exit to the front panel. Recall that on the right side of the motherboard substrate there is room for another 2.5-inch HDD or SSD; Of course, you don't need to remove the motherboard itself to mount such a drive.

Virtually all chassis edges are seamed to reduce the possibility of injury to the assembler's hands.

A rather rich set of fasteners, as well as the presence of an extension cord for powering the processor (useful if the power supply unit has short wires) is a pleasant trifle.

Testing the effectiveness of the chassis ventilation system

The last stage of the study is testing using software that heavily load various computer subsystems, which, in turn, causes a fairly powerful heat release. Thus, you can evaluate the capabilities and performance of the case cooling system.

The test bench configuration and testing procedure are described in the appropriate methodology.

The cooling system copes without problems with sufficiently powerful configurations, however, its efficiency is not very high - after all, there are four fans in the case. The result obtained is inferior to some two-fan systems and only slightly better than some single-fan systems. The temperature of the hard disk strongly depends on the speed of the front fan: if there is airflow, the temperature of the disk remains within the normal range, but you shouldn't use this case to create multi-disk systems.

Noise measurement and vibration assessment

The measurement of the noise level is carried out in accordance with our methodology using a VShV-003-M3 sound level meter in a soundproof room with a typical noise level of 20 dBA. During measurement, all electrical appliances in the room are turned off.

In this case, we emulated the desktop placement of the case, when the distance from the center of the front panel to the user's head is about 0.3 meters.

While measuring the noise level, an interesting detail came to light: when the standard regulator lowers the voltage on two connected fans, they decrease the rotation speed, but the noise level does not change very noticeably. The main problem was the howling side fan, which most likely has a factory defect; the unregulated rear fan also contributed. Under the condition of a desktop arrangement, the noise level of the case cooling system is mainly at a level above average, when the side fan is turned off and the regulator is set to the minimum position, the noise level approaches the average level, and when the rear fan is turned off, the noise level is about 27 dBA, which can already be considered subtle against the background of the typical level of background noise in the room and taking into account the noise from the drainage cooling systems. However, this housing is not suitable for operation in habitable rooms at night and for systems that provide high-quality sound and noise optimization.

Assessment of consumer qualities

The main advantages of the case include an atypical design and a fairly good package for a budget solution. On the other hand, the design of the case has some drawbacks (or features) that impair its consumer qualities. The cooling system looks somewhat illogical, which has four fans and a control controller, but the latter is designed to connect only two fans. The fans are also not the most successful ones, but with non-switchable backlighting.

The hard drive bay is not implemented in the most successful way, both from the point of view of ease of assembly and from the point of view of the efficiency of cooling the drives, although there is no need to exaggerate here - there are even worse options.

Enthusiasts, and just lovers of good hardware, are unlikely to be interested in this case, but for those who just need a case as a box into which they can “fold” computer components and forget about them for the next three years, the case can be a good choice , especially if you are lucky with a competent assembler who can correctly configure the cooling system.

Positioning and conclusions

If we consider the case as a budget one, then its design and equipment can be considered quite worthy: four USB ports, regular places for installing 2.5-inch drives (albeit not the most convenient), the ability to neatly arrange cables behind the motherboard substrate, not the poorest set fasteners and accessories. All this will make it possible to use the case to create a solid "workhorse" designed to solve a wide range of tasks (primarily an office plan).

However, the model is clearly not suitable for building a modern high-performance computer: although there are many USB ports, they are all USB 2.0; there is no eSATA connector, no dock with external access for quick connection of drives. Instead of all this, a redundant set of fans with a primitive controller is proposed, the real benefit of which is highly questionable; the same can be said for a digital thermometer.

Separately, we must mention the abundance of backlighting, which, moreover, cannot be turned off. Of course, the finished computer, sparkling with blue lights, is eye-catching in the shop window; But in the workplace, even at home, such illumination can quickly get bored: although blue light is not as annoying as red, it still evokes not the most life-affirming associations. Imagine: a blue glow emanates from under the computer desk ... not everyone will immediately guess that there is only a system unit located there.

It's good that the manufacturer has provided for a modification of the Z9 without any frills; the only pity is that the price difference between the Z9 and Z9 Plus is very small.

The Zalman Z9 case has long enjoyed a well-deserved popular love, both by enthusiasts and ordinary users. Perhaps because of this, the company did not dare for a long time on any changes in this model, except for cosmetic ones. When I finally saw the updated Zalman Z9 Neo chassis on the official website, I just couldn't believe my eyes. It seemed to me that instead of the site of a Korean company, I ended up somewhere in the fiefdom of Antec or Fractal Design. But no, the address turned out to be correct and it was really Zalman Z9, but only with the Neo prefix. Well, let's see if there is anything left in it from the previous model, except for the name.

Characteristics

Model
Product page	zalman.com
Type of shell	Midi-Tower
Dimensions, mm	512 (H) x 205 (W) x 485 (D)
Material	ABS plastic, steel
Weight, kg	6,8
Colour	The black
Form factor	ATX, MicroATX, Mini-ITX
5.25 ″ devices	2
3.5 ″ external devices	-
3.5 ″ / 2.5 ″ devices internal	4/6 (maximum, depending on configuration)
Expansion Slots Supported	7
Fans	front - 2 x 120/140 mm (2 x 120 mm installed) upper - 2 x 120 mm (installed) rear - 1 x 120 mm (installed)
Interface connectors	2 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0, mic-in and headphone-out
Other	Dust filters on the front and bottom, side window, illumination of the two top fans and USB ports, plugs on USB ports
Recommended cost, $	88

Packaging and delivery set

Zalman's new packaging style is not much different from the old one. There is a schematic representation of the case on both sides. Tables with specifications and some names, for some reason, are glued to the box, and not printed on it. Perhaps because there are photos of other revisions of this chassis on the network. And the boxes are the same for everyone. Protection against damage is standard - foam dampers, bags and stickers.

The package, assembled in a neat plastic cosmetic bag, includes:

• assembly instructions;
• quality control technical sheet;
• five cable ties.
• three additional motherboard racks;
• four plastic thumb screws for the power supply
• eight case screws;
• 12 flat head screws to secure 3.5 ″ drives;
• six screws for fixing drive baskets;
• 18 small screws for the motherboard, 2.5 "drives, and 5.25" devices.

Appearance

There is absolutely nothing left of the ventilated mesh design of its predecessor in the Z9 Neo. The front panel of the case is solid, with a specific gray mirror painting, which makes the plastic look like polished aluminum. The company logo flaunts at the bottom. Control buttons and ports are located on the upper edge.

The front panel is a door that opens to the right (the opening recess is located on the upper left), and its back is lined with a layer of noise insulation. It is held on two magnets and three hinges. There are two 5.25 "device slots behind the door at the top, closed with solid plugs. The lower half of the front panel is occupied by a plastic ventilation grill, behind which the metal mesh of the dust filter is visible.

The square start key of the system is on the left, separate from other elements. Its circular illumination combines power and drive activity indicators. A reset button, two 3.5mm audio ports, two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 are placed horizontally on the ledge on the right. The ports, by the way, have rubber plugs to prevent the rapid accumulation of dust. Quite a nice solution, however, the plugs are not attached to anything, and it is very easy to accidentally lose them.

The left side panel is decorated with a large smoky acrylic window measuring 350x250 mm. It has curly corners and protrudes 5 mm above the door surface. On the side edges of the front and top panels, a row of ventilation holes is visible for intake of cold air and removal of hot air. The side door is removable towards the rear and has a stamped handle. Fastened by two plastic knurled screws.

The door is equipped with good stiffening ribs from the inside. The window rests on ordinary metal tabs, without any spacers.

The right panel is solid and generally similar to the left in design. In the front and top edges on this side, there are also slots for ventilation.

The top panel is made of plastic and its construction is slightly unusual. At the back of the top, where either vents or a solid wall are usually made, you can see a kind of transparent plastic rim that covers the recess.

This bezel does cover the vent and the instructions even recommend removing it if the user prefers better ventilation over less noise. Otherwise, heated air is ejected under pressure from the fans through narrow slots around the rim perimeter.

The rear view of the Zalman Z9 Neo is not much different from the previous model. A ventilation grill behind which an exhaust 120-mm propeller is attached, seven expansion slots with vented plugs (and this time, lo and behold, they are reusable) and mounting holes for the power supply, with which it can be oriented both with the fan up and down.

But under the power supply there is a high-quality dust filter that can be easily removed for cleaning.

At the bottom of the case from the outside, in addition to the filter, there are four holes through which you can additionally fix a 3.5 ″ hard drive inside and two more larger holes, the purpose of which is not clear. Not otherwise than a drain, in case of an accident in the circuit of the NWO.

The four plastic legs are 22 mm high and are glued from below with rubber patches, which is positive. The cutout at the bottom of the front panel is needed for easy dismantling.

Let's see what has changed inside.

Internal organization

Zalman Z9 Neo chassis supports vertical installation of ATX, MicroATX and Mini-ITX motherboards. The maximum allowable height of a processor cooler is 160 mm (in some cases - up to 165 mm if the cooler falls into the plane of the side window). Expansion cards can be up to 385mm long with front-mounted fans. The permissible length of the power supply is up to 180 mm, including non-removable cables.

Preinstalled on the hood under the top panel are two 120-mm transparent fans with blue illumination, model ZA1225CSL, based on a sleeve bearing. They are connected using Molex connectors, the standard rotation speed is 1200 rpm. In general, the propellers can be described as quite quiet, albeit with a slight chirping sound. In addition to the 25 mm thick fans in the recess, there is a 30 mm margin under the top panel to the edge of the motherboard, which means that almost any standard 240 mm CBO radiator will fit here. True, in the latter case, the holes for pulling wires will slightly overlap, but this is a small problem.

On the rear panel there is a pre-installed 120 mm fan with a white impeller model ZA1225ASL. It is a plain bearing propeller with a maximum rotational speed of 1200 rpm and a noise level of 45 dB (A). It is capable of confidently starting at 5 V, 500 rpm and 33 dB (A) noise. In general, this is a fairly decent propeller in terms of acoustics, from which you can hear overtones in the form of buzzing only when you are very close. Its black 3-prong power cord is 430mm long.

All PCI slot covers are reusable and secure with plastic thumb screws. This is an undeniable progress in comparison with the previous version of the chassis.

Almost all the space below is occupied by the metal non-removable box, which has become fashionable today among manufacturers. Under it, in a volume separate from the main part of the chassis, a power supply unit, cables from it and drives are hidden. There are ventilation holes on the front and side of the drives. In the upper part of the casing, there are two oval cutouts for pulling wires. The distance from the box to the front panel is 55 mm, which means that the SVO radiator complete with fans can also be attached there.

Two more 120-mm fans of the ZA1225ASL model are preinstalled on the front, for blowing, similar in characteristics to the rear propeller, but connected to the power supply by "Molex". As a result, the chassis is equipped with a complete set of five 120-mm fans, four of which are powered through the Molex, and one (rear) through a three-pin connector.

In the motherboard tray, next to the front fans, there are two perforated grilles that can be used to mount two 2.5 ″ drives using screws.

Two metal trays on top can accept not only 5.25 "devices, but also serve as a basket for one 3.5" or 2.5 "drive. There are no quick fasteners here, but if necessary, the trays themselves can be quickly and easily dismantled by unscrewing a few screws from the side and front panels.

The motherboard tray has undergone a number of positive changes. In particular, the cutout for the strengthening plate of the processor cooler has increased significantly in size. The main cable routing holes are now covered with rubber shutters. The number of eyelets for fastening cable ties has also significantly increased and they are now located in all the right places.

There is also such a cute detail as three reusable Velcro cable ties. And for laying the wires behind the pallet, there is up to 22 mm of space in width.

A cage with two drive sleds is located at the front of the chassis. At the bottom, if you wish, you can also attach a third 3.5 ″ drive, securing it with screws to the bottom panel.

The sled is capable of accepting one 3.5 "hard drive, which is simply inserted into their plastic mounts, or one 2.5" drive, which will have to be fastened with screws. On the side protrusions of the carriage, corrugated rubber pads are put on, acting as vibration dampers. Although the disk connectors are turned towards the plastic handle when installed, it does not interfere with their connection at all, since it is located slightly above these ports.

On the seat of the power supply there are rubber dampers, both at the bottom in the form of blotches, and on the side of the casing, in the form of a large insert made of soft material. When selecting a power supply unit in this case, do not exceed 180 mm in length, otherwise it will be extremely problematic to place it together with the wires in this case.

The front panel, unlike the old Zalman Z9, is very easy to dismantle - you just need to gently pull it by the ledge from below, snapping off all eight tulip fasteners in sequence. The wires are tied to the top of the panel, so be sure to free them before removing the front.

Front view of the metal part of the front panel. 5.25 ″ compartments are closed with disposable plugs. And opposite the fans is a mesh that acts as a dust filter. It is not very convenient to remove and clean it.

Behind the filter is a large-mesh honeycomb grill, to the long side openings of which you can attach two 120- or 140-mm fans, or radiators of 240 or 280 mm format. Although it would be better here this lattice simply did not exist, so as not to create unnecessary obstacles to the air flow.

The top panel is easily dismantled after removing the front part of the case. It also rests on eight tulip-type mounts. There are no wires here, therefore, you can remove it without fear. Looking at how close the top vents are to the pre-installed propellers, it is doubtful whether any perceptible air movement is possible through the side perforations.

Two 120mm fans can be attached to the tabs on the top panel. The oblong holes allow even tricky radiators with a small spacing between the middle holes, such as those produced by Corsair, to be installed here.

The set of wires includes four standard cables from indicators of system operation and drive activity, start and restart buttons, one USB 2.0 connector, HD Audio cable and one USB 3.0 connector. The length of all cords is sufficient, the color of the insulation is completely black.

Let's move on to assembling the system and its thermal test.

Assembly

The assembly of the system in the Zalman Z9 Neo case went without a single problem. In terms of ease of placing and accessing components, routing cables and connecting them, the new chassis is head and shoulders above the old. The only point that can cause inconvenience is installing the power supply in the cramped space of the box at the bottom of the chassis. If the unit has a modular cable connection, it is better to connect all the wires to it in advance. Access to the CPU cooler's reinforcement plate is full, you can install and remove it without dismantling the motherboard, which the old Z9 could not boast of. And it is especially worth noting the complete Velcro, thanks to which fixing all cables behind the pallet turns into an easy walk.

The dimming factor of the smoky side window is well chosen, and presents the contents of the case in a good light, hiding unnecessary details.

The backlight came out a bit ambiguous. The interior of the chassis is illuminated by blue LEDs from the two top fans. In addition, some of the light passes through the rim of the top cover. The system start button and all four USB ports are illuminated around the perimeter. The drive activity indicator is combined with the backlight of the start key, and is highlighted with a brighter light when triggered. Everything looks decent in the light, but very bright in the dark. In addition, the USB ports remain lit after the system is turned off if the connector is powered. And if the UEFI motherboard does not have a parameter responsible for managing USB power, then you will have to enjoy this radiance forever, or turn off the power supply from the outlet.

Test stand

The following configuration was used to test the cooling efficiency of components in the Zalman Z9 Neo case:

• processor: Intel Core i7-2600K (3, [email protected], 4 GHz, 1.330 V);
• cooler: Zalman CNPS10X Performa;
• motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H TH (Intel Z77);
• video card: ASUS R9270-DC2OC-2GD5 (AMD Radeon R9 270);
• memory: Kingston KHX24C11X3K4 / 16X (2x4 GB, DDR3-2133, 10-12-12-27-2T, 1.65 V);
• solid state drive: Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 (64GB, SATA 6Gb / s);
• hard drive: Western Digital WD2000JS-00MHB0 (200 GB, SATA 3Gb / s, 7200 rpm);
• power supply: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 (550W);
• thermal interface: Noctua NT-H1.

Testing technique

The thermal load was created by running LinX 0.6.5 stress tests with 2048 MB of dedicated memory and MSI Kombustor 3.5.1.0 simultaneously for 10 minutes after the temperature stabilized. The hard disk was loaded with the Crystal Disk Mark 5.0.3 x64 program. At the end of the test cycle, the system was idle for 10 minutes to determine the minimum thermal readings. The ambient temperature was 26 degrees Celsius. The fan speeds of the CPU cooler and the video card are fixed at maximum speed. Peak power consumption of the system was 336 watts. Testing was carried out in a single comparison mode with an open bench. All of the pre-installed propellers ran at their fastest available speeds.

Test results

Since the Zalman Z9 Neo has a number of solutions inherent in passive noise canceling cases in its design, it is not very good in terms of cooling components. With the front door closed and the bezel mounted on the top panel, even with a full set of fans running at full speed, the temperature readings of the components do not look very optimistic. The processor, power elements and the motherboard heat up seven degrees more, and the video card - 14 degrees - seven degrees in comparison with an open bench. And only the hard drive feels a little lighter in the case - by two and one degrees, under load and idle, respectively. Therefore, I can rate the basic ventilation scheme in the case as “worse than average”. How can it be improved? Opening the front door with heavy component loads, remove the front dust filter, remove the top bezel, and possibly completely cut off the top cover above the fans, replacing it with a grill or something similar.

conclusions

The redesigned Zalman Z9 Neo chassis has many improvements over its predecessor, the Z9. The appearance has become more pleasant and austere, the supply of internal space in the case has noticeably increased due to the removal of unnecessary compartments, the possibility of wiring has improved, a complete set of relatively quiet fans has appeared, it has become possible to install CBO systems on the front and rear panels. This is all undoubtedly positive. After all, a number of painful problems were solved, which stopped many who wanted to buy this case.

However, all these improvements were not in vain, and the overall cost of the case increased slightly, as they stopped saving on matches (for example, on reusable plugs, power supply filter, rubber shutters and Velcro for cable management). The second point that confuses me is not a very good ventilation system, due to which the components of the system will heat up more. For most ordinary users, this is not critical, but for enthusiasts who struggle for every degree in their overclocked system, this can be a stumbling block.

In general, I liked the updated Zalman Z9 Neo for the combination of its parameters, and therefore it can be recommended for purchase when assembling any computer systems, with the exception of the hottest configurations.

If you belong to the so-called caste of IT-enthusiasts engaged in overclocking, modding and hunting for the freshest and most powerful hardware, then Zalman needs no introduction for you. But today we are not going to talk about complicated coolers and accessories, but about a simple "box" for the parts of your computer - the Zalman Z9 Mid-ATX computer case.

The product was originally designed for those who value high performance, high quality and reasonable cost of the case. We decided to check if Zalman succeeded in making it happen.

As a veteran of the case and cooling market, Zalman is well aware of what a good computer builder wants. And the goal of the creators of the Z9 was a case that would combine rich functionality and a low price. Let's take a look at what the Zalman Z9 offers us ...

Zalman Z9 Specifications

Form factor
		207 (W) x 464 (H) x 504 (D) mm
Materials		Plastic, steel
Compatible with motherboards		Standard ATX / m-ATX
PSU compatibility		Standard ATX / ATX12V
Support for large graphics cards		Full, 290 mm
Number of PCI slots
Storage and optical drive bays	External 5.25 ''
	Internal 3.5 ''
	External 3.5 ''
	Internal 2.5 ''
Fans	Frontal	One 120mm / 140mm fan slot (120mm blue LED fan pre-installed)
		Space for two 120mm / 140mm fans
		Space for one 120mm / 140mm fan
		Space for one 120 mm fan (120 mm fan pre-installed)
		Space for two 120 mm fans
Front panel with I / O ports		Headphone jack, microphone jack, four USB 2.0 ports
Body color

Hull exterior

The appearance of the case is one of the most important factors influencing the choice of the buyer. If the case is perfect on the inside, but ugly on the outside, most people will simply ignore it and opt for a different product, albeit less functional, but more attractive.

In the photo above, you can see the front and left side of the Zalman Z9. The case looks quite stylish - it combines rigor, solidity and a kind of "sporty" element. The matte surface is painted black, in some places you can see glossy inserts that make the case even more attractive. Fortunately, there is no "glossy madness", kitsch and tastelessness inherent in some (even more expensive!) Similar products. The efforts made by Zalman to make the case look decent are quite noticeable.

The picture of the front panel shows that all the requirements for cooling the interior of the case have been taken into account - pay attention to the unobtrusive letter “Z” formed in the lower part of a kind of “petals” that rise above the front panel, at the same time creating a pleasant asymmetry. On the upper part of the "facade" you can find a button to turn on the computer, just below there is an input-output panel with various ports and sockets.

Under it, if you look closely, you can easily distinguish three five-inch compartments covered with mesh plugs, and just below it - one 3.5 '' compartment. We will consider all these points in more detail a little later.

This is the back of the Zalman Z9 case. A pre-installed 120-mm fan is visible behind the ventilation holes, under which Zalman prudently placed two holes covered with rubber rings - as you might guess, they will serve for the SVO pipes. Also here you can note 7 slots for PCI cards and an empty hole for mounting a power supply, which is supposed to be placed on the bottom of the case.

Specifications

Model name	Zalman Z9 NEO Plus
Type of shell	MidiTower
Dimensions (H × W × D), mm	490 × 205 × 482
Weight, kg	6,7
Side panel	Transparent matte plastic
Colour	The black
Material	Steel, ABS plastic
Standard cooling system	Front fans (blowing): 120 × 120 × 25 mm (Zalman ZA1225ASL model, 1200 rpm, 2 pcs.). Rear and top fans (blowout): 120 × 120 × 25 mm (Zalman ZA1225CSL model, 1200 rpm, 3 pcs.)
Drive bays	2 × 5.25 2 × 3.5 4 × 2.5
Expansion slots, pcs.	7
Motherboard Compatibility	6.7 x 6.7 (Mini ITX), 9.6 x 9.6 (Micro ATX), 12 x 9.6 (ATX)
I / O ports	USB 3.0 × 2, USB 2.0 × 2, HD Audio × 1
Power supply support	Any PS2 compatible power supply
Maximum length of the power supply, mm	200
Cooler maximum height, mm	160
Maximum length of video cards, mm	400
Dust filters, pcs.	2 (front and bottom)
Possibility of installing fans	Front Panel: 2 × 120 mm. Top panel: 2 × 120 mm. Back panel: 1 × 120 mm. Base: - not provided. Reverse side panel: - not provided
Possibility of installing LSS radiators	Front Panel: from 120 mm to 240 mm; Top panel: from 120 mm to 240 mm; Back panel: 120 mm. Base: - not provided
Additionally (features)	- soundproofing of the front cover; - opportunities for cable management; - top and rear backlit fans
Manufacturer's warranty, years	2
Country of Origin	China
Minimum retail price, rub.	4 160

⇡ Packaging and equipment

Zalman Z9 NEO Plus comes in a simple cardboard box with a schematic drawing of the case on the front, the model name and a listing of its features at the bottom.

Packaging inside a cardboard box is also quite typical: two foam inserts fix the body, which is additionally sealed in a plastic bag.

The Zalman Z9 NEO Plus package includes five plastic ties, a set of screws and bushings, a speaker and a quick guide.

Everything is like any other budget case.

Country of manufacture of the case - China, warranty - 2 years. The Zalman Z9 NEO Plus cannot be called a novelty - it is an update of the model, which has been released in one form or another since spring 2016. The predecessor of the Plus modification, the Z9 NEO, is available in most retail stores at a price of 3,500 rubles. That is, the most that neither is the middle class.

⇡ D design and dimensions

The Zalman Z9 NEO Plus looks pretty conservative. Its design does not include bright eye-catching details, lacquered surfaces or chrome inserts. Everything is very simple and even standard for MidiTower cases. However, see for yourself - perhaps you will have a different opinion.

The materials used in the case are 0.6 mm steel and ABS plastic. The height of the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus is 490 mm, the length is 482 mm, and the width is 205 mm. The device weighs only 6.7 kilograms.

If you look at the case from the front, then its left panel is entirely made of matte transparent plastic and is fastened with four knurled screws, and the right panel is made of metal and is completely blank.

The slots on the top and left of it are more decorative, since no air flow through them is felt.

The solid front panel of the case has a barely noticeable textured pattern, reminiscent of a rough polish. It opens to reveal a metal dust filter, followed immediately by the fans. Where do they get the air from? Who knows where, but certainly not from the narrow side slots.

The top bezel can be removed to increase airflow from the chassis from the top fans.

The lower dust filter is also removed. True, it slides back, which, as you know, is inconvenient.

The body stands on four 23 mm high legs with oval rubber feet.

On top of the front panel of the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus there is a backlit power button, a Reset button, two USB 3.0 connectors and the same amount of USB 2.0 - all four are closed with rubber caps, as well as connectors for a microphone and headphones.

In general, the build quality of the case and the materials used in it are not bad, although the difference with higher-end products cannot be overlooked. But the price is different, of course.

⇡ Internal structure

The front panel of the case is hinged and held closed by magnets. Underneath is a plastic grill and two 5.25-inch bay covers.

Two-millimeter sound insulation is glued to the door itself. There is practically no gap between the door and the ventilation grill.

The entire front panel is secured by plastic clips with latches. Removing it reveals a metal dust filter and disposable 5-inch bays.

The top panel is also held on the same plastic clips. Taking it off, you can see a metal chassis with a frame on which two 120mm fans are mounted, oriented by the blowing impellers.

Let's take a look at the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus without side panels.

The main working area of \u200b\u200bthe enclosure looks spacious, with easy access to any part. It accommodates Mini ITX, Micro ATX and ATX motherboards. Larger E-ATXs will also fit, but will block openings for cables that have to be routed otherwise. There is also a window in the pallet for installing or removing a processor cooler without removing the motherboard from the case.

On the front, in the upper part of the case, there are two bays for 5.25-inch devices.

Both baskets are removable, they can be easily dismantled from the body and not returned if desired.

For 3.5-inch drives, there are also two bays in the case, this time with a removable plastic sled.

They can also accommodate 2.5-inch drives, and there are two more slots for drives of this format on the vertical partition of the case.

Thus, the total number of 2.5-inch drives in the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus can reach four. Moreover, to install drives, you can use baskets in 5.25-inch bays, which can accommodate two 3.5-inch drives or two 2.5-inch drives.

The case is designed for installation of power supplies up to 200 mm long. The PSU is fixed in a standard way - with screws to the back wall.

The power supply is fan-mounted downward to draw in fresh air through the built-in dust filter.

As for video cards, the length of the case can even accommodate 400-mm models, and the general configuration can be viewed in the following diagram.

The number of slots for expansion cards in the case is standard - seven pieces. The slots are covered with mesh bars, which are secured with plastic sheathed thumb screws.

At the end of the internal inspection of the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus, we note the presence of five holes for routing cables with rubber plugs, as well as a large number of ordinary holes and metal jumpers for laying cable ties.

⇡ Cooling system and equipment options

Zalman Z9 NEO Plus is equipped with five 120mm fans at once. Two fans are installed on the front wall and work for blowing into the case.

In turn, two more 120 mm fans are installed on the top wall of the case, and one on the back. This trio works by blowing out of the body.

Thus, the air flow pattern in the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus should be something like this.

True, we have certain doubts about the efficiency of the front fans due to their proximity to the blank front cover ...

All fans are plain bearing based and their speed is constant at 1200 rpm. The rear fans differ from the front ones with a transparent casing and impeller, as well as the presence of backlighting.

No fan speed control is provided in the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus, and the fans are connected via a serial connection of five PATA-type connectors, which are then connected to the power supply.

We add that in this case, you can install liquid cooling systems with radiators up to 240 × 120 mm in size on the front or top wall, if the total thickness of the LSS does not exceed 55 mm.

⇡ Assembly

Fundamentally, the assembly process of components in Zalman Z9 NEO Plus does not differ from assembly in other cases, and there are no unique features here as a class. 3.5-inch drives are installed in plastic baskets with rubber holders, and this is done without screws at all.

2.5-inch drives are installed on the enclosure wall or somewhere else. It remains only to place the power supply unit and connect everything with cables.

In the upper part, the case is still cramped, and if you install an LSS radiator with fans there, then the additional power cables will not be connected to the motherboard at all. However, for mid-range configurations, the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus may well fit. However, we even managed to accommodate such a supercooler as the Phanteks PH-TC14PE in it, although its height exceeds 160 mm in the passport for Zalman.

Of course, the transparent side cover rested against the supercooler fans, but, bent slightly under the pressure of the screws, it still covered the system unit. The assembled and working Zalman Z9 NEO Plus looks quite modern and interesting, despite the most common shapes and simple materials.

During the day, and especially at night, the attention of guests and friends will certainly be attracted by the illumination of the fans, which are visible through the transparent side panel of the case.

⇡ Testing

We tested the efficiency of cooling the components in the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus system unit using a test configuration consisting of the following components:

• motherboard: (Intel X299 Express, LGA2066, BIOS 0802 dated 09/15/2017);
• processor: Intel Core i9-7900X 3.3-4.5 GHz (Skylake-X, 14 nm, U0, 10 × 1024 KB L2, 13.75 MB L3, TDP 140 W);
• cPU cooling system: (two Corsair AF140 Quiet Edition at 700-1080 rpm);
• thermal interface:;
• video card: (GV-N1080G1 GAMING-8GD) 8 GB 1696-1835 (1936) / 10008 MHz;
• rAM: DDR4 4 × 4 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 2800 MHz (CMK16GX4M4A2800C16) (XMP 2800 MHz / 16-18-18-36_2T / 1.2 V or 3000 MHz / 16-18-18-36_2T / 1.35 V) ;
• system disk: Intel SSD 730 480 GB (SATA III, BIOS vL2010400);
• disk for programs and games: Western Digital VelociRaptor 300 GB (SATA II, 10,000 rpm, 16 MB, NCQ);
• archive disk: Samsung Ecogreen F4 HD204UI 2 TB (SATA II, 5400 rpm, 32 MB, NCQ);
• sound card: Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater HD;
• control and monitoring panel: Zalman ZM-MFC3;
• hulls:
  • Zalman Z9 NEO Plus (five 120mm 1200 rpm fans);
  • CHIEFTEC GP-01B-OP (three 120mm fans at 800 or 1200 rpm);
  • Thermaltake Core X71 [five at 900 rpm];
• power supplies:
  • be quiet! Straight Power 10 500W CM (0.5 kW, 80 Plus Gold), 135mm fan;
  • Corsair AX1500i Digital ATX (1.5 kW, 80 Plus Titanium) 140mm fan.

To increase the heat dissipation of the processor and increase the dependence of its cooling efficiency on case ventilation, we overclocked the CPU to 4.4 GHz with an increase in the voltage in the motherboard BIOS to 1.125 V (with LLC 4), and the RAM frequency was increased to 2.933 GHz with a significant decrease main timings. The video card worked at its nominal frequencies without manually adjusting the speed of the cooling system fans.

Cooling performance testing was conducted under Microsoft Windows 10 Pro operating system using a complex load from simultaneous activity of three programs for about 30 minutes. The central processor and RAM were loaded with cyclic testing of the 7-Zip 17.01 beta x64 archiver benchmark, which uses all 20 processor threads, with a dictionary size of 32 MB. In turn, the video card was loaded 35 cycles of the Fire Strike Extreme stress test from the 3DMark package version 2.4.3819 64. Finally, one of the hottest 3.5-inch hard drives (Western Digital VelociRaptor) warmed up in Average Read Access mode from the disk test AIDA64 Extreme utilities. Temperature readings were monitored using HWiNFO64 v5.60-3280 and newer.

The room temperature during the tests was controlled by an electronic thermometer and ranged from 22.8 to 23.1 degrees Celsius. We measured the noise level of the enclosures with an OKTAVA-110A electronic sound level meter, fixed on a tripod at a distance of 70 cm from the system unit case. The lower limit of measurements of this sound level meter is 22.0 dBA.

We will compare the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus with the one we recently tested and our reference Thermaltake Core X71. The hero of today's article was tested in two modes: in standard form, that is, with the front panel closed and the top frame installed, as well as with the front panel open and the frame removed.

First, let's look at the results of testing the temperature regime of components assembled in three cases of system units.

It is hardly surprising that in the standard operating mode - with the front panel closed and the upper frame installed - Zalman Z9 NEO Plus takes the last places in three out of four controlled parameters. There is simply no place for air to enter the case, so Zalman with its five 120 mm fans loses to the same CHIEFTEC with three of the same fans. Moreover, if we compare these cases at the same fan speed, then in terms of the temperature of the graphics processor, Zalman yielded seven degrees Celsius at the peak of the load, in terms of heating the GPU of the video card - four degrees Celsius, and for the remaining two temperatures, two degrees Celsius.

To improve the efficiency of cooling components inside the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus, a simple action will help - just open the front door and at the same time remove the frame from the top of the case. This allows you to play at once four degrees Celsius in terms of CPU temperature, a couple of degrees on the video card and VRM circuits, and on the hard drive - as much as five degrees Celsius. Since the HDDs are installed immediately after the front lower fan, the opening of fresh air has the greatest effect on them, although the drives in our case heat up the least of all components.

Now let's check the noise level of the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus.

Well, from five 120mm fans at 1200 rpm, installed inside a plastic and thin steel box without serious soundproofing, you could hardly expect anything else. More precisely, the Zalman Z9 NEO Plus is uncomfortable in terms of noise level in normal operation and even more uncomfortable when opening the front door.

⇡ Conclusion

The Zalman Z9 NEO Plus case is a typical representative of the mid-range MidiTower cases. It is compatible with the most popular segment of ATX motherboards and smaller motherboards, supports the installation of long video cards and not too high tower coolers, it can also be installed in enough drives and liquid cooling systems for such configurations. The case also has cable management and even a front and bottom dust filter. Finally, the Z9 NEO Plus has a transparent sidewall and fan lighting with a pretense of modding.

But the Z9 NEO Plus also has problems, most often inherent in cases in this price range. Five 120mm fans without speed control make this model quite noisy. In addition, we noted shortcomings in the organization of air flows. However, in such cases, as a rule, top configurations are not assembled, and this Zalman will cope with components of the middle class without problems. However, we will not be mistaken if we say that any user would certainly like to have a case with a reserve for the future, and most certainly this case should not make noise. However, the final choice, as always, is yours.