Zalman fanless case review
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Devonavar
Zalman fanless case review
1st review I've seen on the net for this.
http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20040115/index.html
Expensive like hell, but it proves it can be done at least.
http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20040115/index.html
Expensive like hell, but it proves it can be done at least.
-
- SPCR Reviewer
- Posts: 8636
- Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2002 6:33 am
- Location: Sunny SoCal
Well, the most important parts of the article:
Price : $1,400 (ouch!)
Works with a P4 2.8C, ATI 9800 Pro and Seagate ST3120023AS under stress. But no mention of room temperature.
I recall reading about someone who tested a system outdoors in the balcony when it was -12C outside, to see how far they can overclock an ATI 9800XP. At that kind of ambient temperature I'm sure I don't need a case that cost more than the rest of the system combined
Price : $1,400 (ouch!)
Works with a P4 2.8C, ATI 9800 Pro and Seagate ST3120023AS under stress. But no mention of room temperature.
I recall reading about someone who tested a system outdoors in the balcony when it was -12C outside, to see how far they can overclock an ATI 9800XP. At that kind of ambient temperature I'm sure I don't need a case that cost more than the rest of the system combined
-
- Site Admin
- Posts: 12285
- Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:26 pm
- Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Contact:
The big question about this case is:
Where's the market!?
Let's face it: If you have any sense of aesthetics, you will NOT want this monster in your office, your LR, certainly not your bedroom. It's a huge ugly industrial looking thing. Russ saw it at CES, too, and he'll concur with me, I am sure.
The Zalman folks admitted to me -- and lots of others -- that it's a limited market -- they figure servers. Servers?? They're put away in a closet or computer machineery room with the door shut tight, with airconditioning on 24/7. Who'll pay that kind of money for silence in a machine that doesn't need to be?
Don't get me wrong -- I like Zalman products, I admire the ingenuity and effectiveness of lots of their products, and their stick-to-it zeal through what I am sure were tough teething years. But this to me is not a winning product. It's almost like somebody had too much time on their hands and no perception of users' realities.
PS -- finally, I don't believe it can even be truly silent -- because I have played around with their HDD heatpipe silencer, and the rubber they use on those things is just too hard to damp the HDD vibrations properly. This means the whole case has to be humming at some low level & freq in harmony with the HDD.
Where's the market!?
Let's face it: If you have any sense of aesthetics, you will NOT want this monster in your office, your LR, certainly not your bedroom. It's a huge ugly industrial looking thing. Russ saw it at CES, too, and he'll concur with me, I am sure.
The Zalman folks admitted to me -- and lots of others -- that it's a limited market -- they figure servers. Servers?? They're put away in a closet or computer machineery room with the door shut tight, with airconditioning on 24/7. Who'll pay that kind of money for silence in a machine that doesn't need to be?
Don't get me wrong -- I like Zalman products, I admire the ingenuity and effectiveness of lots of their products, and their stick-to-it zeal through what I am sure were tough teething years. But this to me is not a winning product. It's almost like somebody had too much time on their hands and no perception of users' realities.
PS -- finally, I don't believe it can even be truly silent -- because I have played around with their HDD heatpipe silencer, and the rubber they use on those things is just too hard to damp the HDD vibrations properly. This means the whole case has to be humming at some low level & freq in harmony with the HDD.
Good point, Mike. And definitely not on top of the desk like Tom's suggested. Not unless you have a really large, strong desk anyway. And live in an earthquake free zone.MikeC wrote:Where's the market!?
Let's face it: If you have any sense of aesthetics, you will NOT want this monster in your office, your LR, certainly not your bedroom.
I guess they can always improve on the aesthetics. Think of the possibilities - a passively cooled HTPC disguised as a coffee table that can warm up your coffee
As Mike said, I did get to see and touch this thing at CES. Actually I touched it enough that they asked me to stop messing with it.
This thing is the computer equivalent of a concept car. It's full of a variety of interesting technologies, but no one will actually buy it. Unlike automotbile companies, who are used to the idea of building (and writing off the expense of) concept models, Zalman has no choice but to at least try to sell the thing.
Here's my mini-review:
Pro's
The PSU. Totally new form factor. The shell measures maybe 9" by 9" by 1" thick, and it's mounted against the case side. A peek through its vents revealed that the mosfets are attached to the side of the case, not the PCB. This has trickle-down potential.
The CPU/GPU cooling systems. Basically, it's a more polished version of Fred's homebrew heatpipe cooler. Exactly the same concept. It looks like there is some flexibility in the system; the heatblocks slide up and down on the heatpipes, and the heatpipes slide back in forth through their mounts. But the CPU would have to be singular, and have it's socket at or near the edge of the mobo.
And, um, well.... I like the way it looks. I think it has a certain industrial aesthetic to it. (Then again, I also like the smell of racing gas and metal filings, so maybe my opinion isn't worth all that much)
Con's
Price.
Weight. It's something like 80lbs fully loaded. (at least it has castors!)
Price
Limited upgradability. The ATX format is in it's golden years. If I were going to drop $1400 on a case, I'd want to be sure that I could use it for years and years to come.
Price
And a few nagging design issues, like the HDD's. The Zalman HDD cooler is added as an afterthought, and it takes up one of the 5.25" bays. The "real" HDD mounts are a series of metal plates that protrude from the case side. Mounting a HDD there would provide no decoupling at all, and would probably make the whole case resonate.
Oh, and Price.
But on the plus side, that price does break down to only $16 per pound.
Now having said this, I'd still be more than willing to try one of these things out and write a real review of it. Provided that Zalman pays the shipping, obviously.
This thing is the computer equivalent of a concept car. It's full of a variety of interesting technologies, but no one will actually buy it. Unlike automotbile companies, who are used to the idea of building (and writing off the expense of) concept models, Zalman has no choice but to at least try to sell the thing.
Here's my mini-review:
Pro's
The PSU. Totally new form factor. The shell measures maybe 9" by 9" by 1" thick, and it's mounted against the case side. A peek through its vents revealed that the mosfets are attached to the side of the case, not the PCB. This has trickle-down potential.
The CPU/GPU cooling systems. Basically, it's a more polished version of Fred's homebrew heatpipe cooler. Exactly the same concept. It looks like there is some flexibility in the system; the heatblocks slide up and down on the heatpipes, and the heatpipes slide back in forth through their mounts. But the CPU would have to be singular, and have it's socket at or near the edge of the mobo.
And, um, well.... I like the way it looks. I think it has a certain industrial aesthetic to it. (Then again, I also like the smell of racing gas and metal filings, so maybe my opinion isn't worth all that much)
Con's
Price.
Weight. It's something like 80lbs fully loaded. (at least it has castors!)
Price
Limited upgradability. The ATX format is in it's golden years. If I were going to drop $1400 on a case, I'd want to be sure that I could use it for years and years to come.
Price
And a few nagging design issues, like the HDD's. The Zalman HDD cooler is added as an afterthought, and it takes up one of the 5.25" bays. The "real" HDD mounts are a series of metal plates that protrude from the case side. Mounting a HDD there would provide no decoupling at all, and would probably make the whole case resonate.
Oh, and Price.
But on the plus side, that price does break down to only $16 per pound.
Now having said this, I'd still be more than willing to try one of these things out and write a real review of it. Provided that Zalman pays the shipping, obviously.
-
- Posts: 79
- Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 11:22 pm
- Location: Central Florida
-
- Site Admin
- Posts: 12285
- Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:26 pm
- Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Contact:
OK, so I was wrong in my assumption about Russ having good taste...
OK, I will even concede that it may have some vaguely industrial appeal for a small segment of the population.
But surely if the HUSH Technologies folks can come up with a sleek, decor/spouse-friendly, complete, high-end, fanless P4 system for ~US$2000 or less, we can expect better than this case only for $1400. I've built 500W stereo power amps in my garage that looked better.
OK, I will even concede that it may have some vaguely industrial appeal for a small segment of the population.
But surely if the HUSH Technologies folks can come up with a sleek, decor/spouse-friendly, complete, high-end, fanless P4 system for ~US$2000 or less, we can expect better than this case only for $1400. I've built 500W stereo power amps in my garage that looked better.
I might be wrong but I think you guys are missing one important point. At $1,400 they don't expect those things to sell like hot cakes - which means this is just a pioneering project, a proof of an idea.
Zalman is a pioneer in this and let's give them credit - they build a case that dissipates like 100w maybe overall and does not have a single fan. This is very impressive.
I saw it at Comdex and it is not _that_ bad. It is unusual and it looks like some military machinery (to me). In blue it looks pretty good I think.
Zalman is a pioneer in this and let's give them credit - they build a case that dissipates like 100w maybe overall and does not have a single fan. This is very impressive.
I saw it at Comdex and it is not _that_ bad. It is unusual and it looks like some military machinery (to me). In blue it looks pretty good I think.
-
- Site Admin
- Posts: 12285
- Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:26 pm
- Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Contact:
I agree with everyone that this is mostly a PR & concept effort by Zalman.
Fmah's CPU heatpipe cooling system shows a big step in that direction. I believe it has more potential as an elegant fanless solution than what Zalman has shown us.
But this I don't really agree with: I am just not that impressed. It actually dissipates a lot more heat -- more like 300W, easily. But they have taken a brute-force approach, which is the thing that I guess irritates me. I think many of us here could make a similar system with similar cosmetics at home in our basements and garages and workshops.Zalman is a pioneer in this and let's give them credit - they build a case that dissipates like 100w maybe overall and does not have a single fan. This is very impressive.
Fmah's CPU heatpipe cooling system shows a big step in that direction. I believe it has more potential as an elegant fanless solution than what Zalman has shown us.
-
- *Lifetime Patron*
- Posts: 1288
- Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 3:21 pm
- Location: 15143, USA
- Contact:
Considering Voodoo PC has started selling a boutique PC using this case, I don't think it is necessarily only a "PR Piece"
I completely agree that this case has a very limited buyer base, but I would probably buy one if I had tonnes of disposable income, if for nothing else then to have the experience.
At least with the Voodoo PC (starting around $5500 CAD) they liven up the huge black exterior with some custom painting.
I completely agree that this case has a very limited buyer base, but I would probably buy one if I had tonnes of disposable income, if for nothing else then to have the experience.
At least with the Voodoo PC (starting around $5500 CAD) they liven up the huge black exterior with some custom painting.
That looks hideous, even though its custom made from the ground up, it dosent really look like it would do a substantial job of cooling hard drives and the cpu to a safe level. Not to mention, NO airflow around the processor area = hot running capacitors = blown capacitors. I have had experiences in both of those fields because of watercooling, i didnt provide adequate airflow over that area.
Also its a little ugly. If i had $1400 i could easily make a much better system that qwill be pretty noiseless with my bqe setup, by buying things like a passive radiator for my watercooling, expensive foam, watercooled encased hard drives, that £250 passive psu. All of that kinda stuff would probably make the system quieter than that zalman because the hard drive noise in that system would be quite loud.
Also its a little ugly. If i had $1400 i could easily make a much better system that qwill be pretty noiseless with my bqe setup, by buying things like a passive radiator for my watercooling, expensive foam, watercooled encased hard drives, that £250 passive psu. All of that kinda stuff would probably make the system quieter than that zalman because the hard drive noise in that system would be quite loud.