X-bit labs

Zalman HD160 HTPC System Case Review (page 4)

Category: Multimedia

by Vasily Melnik

[ 03/23/2006 | 06:32 PM ]

There is nothing extraordinary inside the case:

Just a typical modern case for a full-fledged PC, except that it is in fact a desktop case. You quickly learn why the exterior dimensions of the HD160 are so big:

Zalman didn’t limit itself to small 60mm fans, but put two normal 80mm ZM-F1 exhaust fans which are quite capable of ventilating a case of this form-factor. Both the fans are mounted via anti-vibration rubber spacers.

The solution is all right, but they might have implemented it better. The screws are so tightly fastened that the spacers are deformed so heavily that they can hardly perform their main job, i.e. suppress vibrations. A special adapter is included with the case that allows connecting the fans directly to a Molex of the power supply. It’s good to have an option to choose between 12V and 5V because having little noise is a priority for users of HTPCs.

An anti-vibration rubber spacer is employed even in the fastenings of the power supply:

There are two cages in the system, one for 5.25” and 3.5” devices…

…and another for hard drives:

The optical drive is fixed firmly (the reason will be explained below) while the other drives are installed via rubber spacers:

The cage stands on rather long poles which is yet another vibration-reducing measure.