Throughout the world, Zalman products are associated with absolute quality, whether it be a regular processor cooler, flash drive or some other gadget. First of all, this is a guarantee that the user buys a device that will serve him for a long period of time without complaints about work. The focus of the article is a remarkable product of this manufacturer, the Midi Tower form factor housing - Zalman Z9 Plus. Features, a review and reviews of this device will help the reader get to know the gadget better.
First meeting
The Zalman Z9 Plus case comes in a package of considerable dimensions: 510x280x570 mm. Its weight is almost 9 kilograms. An ordinary yellow cardboard is decorated with an image of the device itself, and also has a detailed description of the contents on both sides of the box. There are carry handles on the sides of the package (like household appliances). Having printed the box, the user will find the device itself, wrapped in a plastic film, sandwiched by two dense foam clamps, which are designed to protect the case during transportation from falls and bumps.
To save space, the manufacturer placed all the accessories inside the case. To access them, unscrew and remove the side cover of the device. A huge plastic bag contains: a complete guide to installing and describing the housing mechanisms, a warranty card and advertising leaflets, all kinds of fasteners, an extension cable for the processor and rubberized gaskets for hard drives.
All accessories for Zalman Z9 Plus, supplied in the kit, are described in the instructions, so the user can easily understand what and where to install when assembling the computer.
Appearance and design
Externally, the case looks voluminous: its half-meter height, combined with a 7-pound weight, is initially very discouraging. However, in their reviews, many owners note that large dimensions and mass help to reduce vibration in work - this is a serious argument. It will not be possible to find fault with the quality of the metal body - the user will not find a single cutting edge. All parts of the body are not only rounded at the ends, but also additionally painted with varnish.
Special attention deserves the design of the case. The strict appearance and many elegant designs externally resemble a complex mechanism assembled by a genius. Do not despair, because for the Zalman Z9 Plus case the instruction is in Russian, so it’s not difficult to completely disassemble and assemble the device again.
Cooling system
First of all, the Zalman Z9 Plus case is designed for fans of high-performance games. Ventilation, organized in the system unit, contributes to the rapid removal of heated air outside the enclosure. The manufacturer installed four air coolers in the system:
- on the front of the device’s gadget (the cooler pumps air into the basket with hard drives with the subsequent ingress into the system);
- in the back of the case (the fan is installed at the processor level and removes warm air to the limits of the system unit);
- in the upper part of the gadget (the cooler is located above the processor heatsink and removes hot air to the outside);
- on the side panel (the cooler is located in the area of the south bridge and pumps air onto the motherboard).
Also in the case there is one more platform for installing an additional fan from the bottom of the system unit. Quite a strange decision, because the miniature rubber legs of the case do not provide the opportunity to get a full flow of air.
Features of component installation
The base of the Zalman Z9 Plus Black, which is designed to install the motherboard, looks like a sieve. There is nothing surprising in this - the manufacturer made sure that the user could easily install any baseboard inside (there is not a single negative review in the media regarding the installation of the motherboard).
The owners will also appreciate the removable basket for hard drives. It is very convenient to install devices using rubberized pads that protect drives from extraneous vibrations. There is a lot of space in the basket; you can install an additional cooling system for hard drives as an addition.
For the dilution of wiring and interface cables inside the case, you should also not worry, and the couplers will not be needed here. Almost on every facet in the system unit there are terminals for interfering wires in them.
Housing control panel
The Zalman Z9 Plus system unit has four pads for hosting 5.25-inch devices (such as a DVD drive), but the top slot is already occupied by the control panel. It is worth noting that it was initially disabled by the manufacturer. To connect the control panel, it is necessary to carefully disconnect the protective cover on the front of the case and connect two connectors (they are highlighted in certain colors, it will not work out).
No need to try to bring USB 3.0 interfaces to the front panel, the manufacturer mentions this in the instructions several times - 4 USB connectors are in the old format. There should be no problems connecting acoustics and a microphone, because the terminals are factory-marked and have special connectors.
Cooling system testing
The Zalman Z9 Plus Black device attracts buyers not only with its appearance. Many owners of gaming computers are interested in the cooling efficiency of components installed inside a huge enclosure. In test laboratories, it is not customary to make comparisons between expensive devices and their cheap counterparts when it comes to system units in general. For testing, a special stand is created that works in an open space (the flow of room air is not limited to anything). The ambient temperature should be between 22-25 degrees Celsius. As a result of measurements, many interesting facts were found out:
- the processor temperature in the case is only 3 degrees higher than the bench performance (two blow coolers cope with the task);
- the video card inside the unit warms up 3-5 degrees more than on the stand;
- hard drives do not have any differences in temperature (apparently, the blower does an excellent job of cooling).
Soundproofing
The maximum rotation speed of coolers installed in the Zalman Z9 Plus device is limited to 1200 rpm. In theory, there should be no noise, but do not forget that the system has four fans that do not rotate synchronously. Many users in their reviews note that the operation of the cooling system in the case is quiet, but if you listen carefully, you will notice that the noise of the four fans is predominant (you cannot hear the operation of the processor coolers and the video card).
Many owners recommend modding the cooling system by re-soldering the Zalman Z9 Plus cooling system control resistor (we give an overview of this model in the article). It is worth noting that reducing the speed of coolers to 200-500 rpm eliminates the unpleasant noise emitted by the system unit. Also, if desired, you can take out the button to completely turn off the cooling system and make a backlight off breaker for fans.
Owner reviews
The main criterion for choosing a case is its market value. All users, without exception, believe that the price of 3,000 rubles is acceptable for the Zalman Z9 Plus device. I am glad that the case does not come with a power supply - the user can independently install what he likes. Inside the device there is a lot of free space, respectively, the installation of components is very easy, and the instruction in Russian explains in detail what and where to install to ensure decent ventilation. There are negative user reviews, and they relate primarily to the control panel:
- Four USB 2.0 interfaces. After all, you could make 50/50 by installing USB 3.0.
- The backlight of the cooling system does not turn off. Night battles are accompanied by a bright glow of the system unit in the dark.
- The inability to reduce or disable the operation of case coolers requires electrical knowledge , otherwise headaches may appear from the noise of fans.
Finally
Summing up the review of the Zalman Z9 Plus case, we can draw only one conclusion: an inexpensive device that is designed to build gaming systems will obviously be interesting to all users who prefer the budget class. Along with high cooling efficiency, there is a manufacturer’s defect, which violates the owners ’complete rest with noise and visual effects. There are only two possible solutions: to fix the problems yourself with a soldering iron in your hands or to purchase a more expensive case, the price of which starts with 10 thousand rubles.