Review and testing of the Zalman Z9 Plus case. Zalman Z9 Plus case: description, characteristics, pros and cons Zalman z9 plus connection

The Korean company Zalman is a well-known manufacturer of computer components on the world market. Founded in 1999, it is primarily engaged in the development and production of various cooling systems, focusing on quietness and convenience. And although until recently Zalman practically did not develop its presence in the computer case segment, this did not prevent it from mastering a new direction in a short time. Although the assortment cannot boast of a variety of models, they all definitely deserve attention.

At one time, with the release of the heavyweight case of the TNN series (with completely passive cooling of the “iron filling”), Zalman proved that it really can create unique and quiet solutions. And the subsequent representatives of the Z-Machine line have long been for me the standard of a proper gaming case.

Last summer, readers of overclockers.ru got acquainted with one of the company's top models - Zalman GS1200, which left a very pleasant impression after testing. Now we will talk about a budget solution from the same manufacturer - Zalman Z9 Plus, a “tower” of the Midi Tower form factor. The case is positioned as a gaming solution, but it has a number of useful gadgets.

Let's start our review of the Zalman Z9 Plus, as usual, by examining the packaging of the case and the accessories supplied with it.

Packaging and equipment

The box in which the manufacturer placed the Zalman Z9 Plus has quite impressive dimensions. Its dimensions are 510 x 280 x 570 mm (L x W x H). Weight - 8.4 kg. The color of the packaging is made in a “cardboard” color scheme, with a black fill present at the bottom. The front side shows the case itself, indicating the manufacturer and model.

The sides of the package are equipped with handles for carrying. However, these are most likely not even handles, but just made holes. But in any case, moving the box with their help does not cause any particular difficulties.

Brief information regarding the main technical characteristics of the case is displayed on the side in eight languages, including Russian. This is probably where all the useful information ends.

Inside the box, the case is packed in transparent polyethylene and sandwiched between two foam dampers-clamps, protecting it from mechanical damage. The location of the product in the box is with the front panel facing up.

Accessories are placed in a transparent plastic bag. It is located inside the case, attached to the hard drive cage.

The bag is made of fairly thick polyethylene and opens with a special zipper. Such attention from the manufacturer to detail and convenience is worthy of respect.

Inside you can find several more enclosed bags, which contain various mounting hardware, rubber anti-vibration pads for hard drives, a 12 V power cable extension, as well as a user manual in English and Korean. Russian language, unfortunately, is missing. But the instructions are illustrated in great detail and figuring out “what and where” is not difficult.

Separately, I would like to draw attention to the eight-pin extension cable of the twelve-volt power supply cable (ATX 12V). Its length is 345 mm, it is enclosed in a black plastic braid. In some cases, it is an irreplaceable thing. A problem that can often arise is that the length of the power supply wires is too short to allow the 12 V “cord” to be laid behind the motherboard tray (if there is a cable management system in the case). In this case, a similar extension adapter will help out.

As you can see, the equipment does not shine with sophistication, but all the essentials are present. Below you can find out more about the list of accessories supplied with the case. The kit includes:

• A bag with a set of screws and anti-vibration pads for fastening hard drives;
• A bag with a set of screws for fastening the motherboard and expansion devices;
• A bag containing twelve screws for securing 5.25" thumbnail devices;
• Adapter-extension cable 12 V power supply 345 mm long;
• User manual in English and Korean.

Appearance and Design

The design of the Zalman Z9 Plus is a quite typical “middle tower” (ATX Middle Tower form factor), its dimensions: 504 x 207 x 464 mm (L x W x H). The case weighs impressively for its size - 7.2 kilograms. But this can only be considered a plus, since the increased mass allows for better vibration damping. Externally, the Z9 Plus looks slightly bulky.

The chassis of the case, as well as the side panels, are made of steel 0.8 mm thick. All edges are carefully rolled, making it almost impossible to cut yourself when assembling the computer. The front and top panels are finished with fairly high-quality decorative plastic.

Zalman Z9 Plus comes in only one color option - black. The outside is painted with matte black paint, rough to the touch.

The Z9 model with the “Plus” suffix differs from the “regular” one by a transparent, slightly curved outward window in the main door of the case, in the middle of which there is a relatively large ventilation grille. Hole diameter - 5.5 mm. There is no protection from dust here, which can lead to its rapid accumulation inside the case if the room is dusty.

The other side is completely blank and does not stand out in any way. Both doors are held in place by special grooves in the chassis of the housing; they are additionally screwed at the end with screws with a plastic knurled head, two pieces per side. To make it easier to remove the panels, there is a recess at the back of the panels.

When building a relatively inexpensive PC, it is more important to be able to fit within a limited budget and at the same time get a functional and productive computer. Therefore, most often in this situation, the buyer is forced to save on minor PC components, focusing on the main components: processor, motherboard, video card. The Z9 Neo Plus White case from Zalman, the cost of which on the Russian market is a reasonable 4500-5000 rubles, can become the basis for a productive and beautiful PC.

The key feature of this case is its thoughtful design and the ability to install liquid cooling systems. A completely transparent plastic window, branded backlit fans and the white color of the case make the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White more attractive against the background of dark models of classic cases.

Specifications

Packaging and equipment

The Z9 Neo Plus White comes in a large cardboard box with a predominantly black and gray design. The packaging itself has illustrations of the case on the sides, its name and information about the main features. The color of the case inside the box is marked with a special marking sticker.

From the end of the package we can see brief information about the product in 10 languages, including Russian. Here in the upper part you can find small stamped cutouts, by pressing the cardboard inwards we will get something like handles for carrying the packaging.

The technical characteristics of the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White are indicated on the other end of the package and are presented here in the form of a small table.

The Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White case itself is protected from scratches during transportation by a transparent plastic bag, and from mechanical damage by foam modules on both sides.

The Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White package includes:

• user manual;
• five cable ties for securing cables;
• a set of mounting screws for assembly;
• speaker for connecting to the motherboard.

Appearance

When unpacking the Z9 Neo Plus White, you can see that the glossy parts of the case are carefully protected by films. The entire front panel, dark frame of the top panel and a transparent window are made of glossy plastic. The dimensions of the Z9 Neo Plus White are 205x490x482 mm in width, height and length, respectively. Body weight - 6.9 kg.

In the production of the Z9 Neo Plus White case, metal and plastic were used, and the emphasis on the external design was made on the play of white and black colors. Of the external parts, in addition to the body frame itself, only the right cover is metal. All other panels are made of plastic. Of course, the hallmark of the Z9 Neo Plus White is the transparent plastic window, thanks to which you can always admire the components installed inside the case.

The Z9 Neo Plus White features a series of gill openings on the front and top panels. Their purpose is dual, since they serve both to decorate the body and for ventilation.

The overall appearance of the Z9 Neo Plus White is closer to a strict and laconic design. This picture is formed largely due to the chopped edges and a minimum of additional elements.

At the front of the Z9 Neo Plus White there is a folding panel, inside of which you can see two 5.25-inch slots for optical drives and a grille panel for air intake for case fans.

The folding panel itself is attached to the body with plastic hinges, and for soft contact with the body, softening legs are located on its surface at the top and bottom. In addition, the entire interior of this panel is equipped with soft sound-absorbing material.

At the top of the Z9 Neo Plus White we can see the controls and front connectors of the case.

On the left corner there is a large power button with a backlit frame. On the right there is a Reset button, headphone and microphone jacks, two USB3.0 and two USB2.0 ports. All USB ports are equipped with rubber plugs.

The top panel of the Z9 Neo Plus White is interesting with a decorative translucent black frame, which, thanks to backlit fans, glows effectively at night. The bottom of the case is equipped with four plastic feet with rubber gaskets. The latter are designed not only to protect the floor from scratches if the case suddenly needs to be moved, but are also designed to dampen vibration.

The Z9 Neo Plus White features a bottom location of the power supply, which most often has a positive effect on the organization of cooling inside the case. The back panel itself has a classic design and many holes for ventilation.

At the top of the rear panel of the Z9 Neo Plus White you can see a seat for a case fan with a standard size of 120x120 mm. Here, a branded fan with lighting is already included in the configuration of this model. For expansion cards, the Z9 Neo Plus White has 7 slots. The panels themselves, which cover the holes for expansion cards, are removable and are secured with screws from the inside of the case.

The seat for the power supply is located at the bottom, and the power supply itself should be installed with the fan facing down. Therefore, there are many holes in the bottom of the Z9 Neo Plus White. To minimize dust getting into the PC case and inside the power supply, an anti-dust filter with a plastic frame is installed on the outside of the bottom of the Z9 Neo Plus White.

Internal structure

The most interesting thing about the Z9 Neo Plus White is, of course, inside. This case, despite its low cost, has sufficiently flexible functionality to organize a good cooling system. A motherboard of ATX, micro-ATX and mini-ITX form factors can be installed inside the Z9 Neo Plus White, as evidenced by the information on the inside of the case.

Using the overall picture, we see that there are five proprietary fans installed inside this case, three of which are backlit. Another important point that the Z9 Neo Plus White has is the foam rubber sealing of the left frame of the case, thanks to which vibration and rattling of the transparent plastic window is eliminated while the PC is running.

To accommodate optical drives, the Z9 Neo Plus White has two 5.25-inch mounting baskets. Of course, these same baskets can be used for fan control panels or for 3.5 (2.5) inch drives through adapters.

On the right side of the Z9 Neo Plus White there is a small niche for organizing cable management. The inner wall of the case itself has many holes, five of which are equipped with rubber frames. In addition, some holes for cable routing are present in the upper part of the case. There is a large window at the location of the motherboard socket, which will allow you to install processor cooling systems with a backplate without removing the motherboard itself. To secure cables using cable ties, many loops are made on the inner wall.

Two slots for 3.5-inch drives are located at the bottom of the Z9 Neo Plus White case. Here, a metal basket is installed across the body, inside of which there are two plastic containers mounted inside the chassis. Inside the containers you can install both classic 3.5-inch HDDs and 2.5-inch mobile drives and SSDs.

Especially for solid-state drives of the 2.5-inch form factor, there are two seats inside the case on its wall. They are labeled as such - SSD, so that even an inexperienced user can understand their purpose.

An ATX power supply with a case length of up to 200 mm can be installed inside the Z9 Neo Plus White. It is worth noting that for soft installation of the power supply, there are four rubber gaskets at the bottom of the case. This will also protect it from scratches and the overall structure from vibrations and rattles. The entire space for the power supply and 3.5-inch drives is covered from the inside of the case with a metal casing. The casing itself has ventilation holes for drives and a stamped inscription with the name of the manufacturer.

To connect the front connectors and buttons of the Z9 Neo Plus White case, it is equipped with four cables: one USB2.0 connector, one HD-Audio connector, one 19-pin USB3.0 connector and a scattering of Power SW, Reset SW, Power LED, HDD LED connectors.

Cooling system

Looking at the cost of the Z9 Neo Plus White, it is worth noting that this case is quite well equipped with case fans. The manufacturer installed five fans with a standard size of 120x120 mm inside the Z9 Neo Plus White: three with proprietary LED backlighting and two regular ones.

The organization of air flow in the Z9 Neo Plus White is also done correctly - two fans in the front lower part of the case work to blow in, while one in the rear of the case and two at the top work to blow out heated air. This air flow arrangement is considered classic, and in the Z9 Neo Plus White it is implemented according to the rules.

The fan, which is installed on the back of the Z9 Neo Plus White, has a completely transparent case and an LED strip on the inside of the case. The connector for connecting this fan is 3-pin. In place of this fan, a small radiator of a liquid cooling system with a standard size of 120x120 mm, for example, Zalman LQ310, can be installed.

At the top of the Z9 Neo Plus White there is a pair of the same 120x120 mm turntables as on the back of the case. The only difference between these two fans is the Molex connectors. Otherwise, they have exactly the same design and LED backlighting. In place of these fans, it is allowed to install a liquid cooling radiator with a standard size of 120x240 mm, provided that the thickness of this radiator does not exceed 33 mm.

The front part of the case is equipped with 120x120 mm black vapor fans installed for blowing. Simple turntables from the Zalman company are already used here, without LED backlighting and a transparent body. Both fans have a Molex connection interface. A liquid cooling radiator can also be installed in the front of the case; a maximum size of 140x280 mm is supported.

In the case of LED fans, the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White uses a model from the same manufacturer, ZA1225CSL, with plain bearings. These fans with a current of 0.28A have an operating life of up to 50,000 hours and are moderately quiet.

Black fans marked ZA1225ASL, which operate on blowing, are also based on a plain bearing. However, their declared service life is somewhat less and amounts to 30,000 hours. With a current of 0.16A, the manufacturer claims a rotation speed of 1200 rpm.

Test stand and lighting

To assemble the system and test the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White case, we used:

• processor Intel Core i7-7700k OEM 4.5GHz 1.15V;
• ASUS STRIX Z270-E Gaming motherboard;
• thermal paste Gelid GC-Extreme;
• Deepcool ASSASSIN II cooling system;
• MSI Radeon RX 570 Gaming X 4Gb video card;
• RAM Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-2666 8Gb*2;
• Corsair HX 750 Platinum power supply;
• hard drive Western Digital WD Green 3Tb.

Thanks to proper assembly and neatly laid wires inside the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White case, you can get quite a nice picture. The reason for this order, it is worth recognizing, lies precisely in the tested case. The metal casing at the bottom of the case makes the power supply, wires and hard drive seem to be hidden in this niche. At the same time, we did not have to worry about the drive, since the front lower fan was just blowing the installed hard drive.

Thanks to the many well-thought-out holes in the inner wall of the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White case, almost all the wires were brought out into the main compartment exactly where it was needed. The only exception was the 19-pin USB3.0 cable for the front connectors of the case, but here the reason lies more in the unusual location of this connector on the ASUS STRIX Z270-E Gaming motherboard. The fact is that in most motherboards the 19-pin USB3.0 connector is located in the area of ​​the main 24-pin power connector of the motherboard. In our test board ASUS STRIX Z270-E Gaming, the manufacturer decided to move it to the bottom, so the connected cable looks a little strange.

The Deepcool ASSASSIN II cooler with a height of 167 mm, which can quite rightly be called “monstrous”, fits inside the case without any problems. At the same time, the transparent case cover was easily closed, and the heat pipes of the cooler did not even reach it. For the video card, the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White has a space reserve of as much as 400 mm, so our test MSI Radeon RX 570 Gaming X 4Gb video card stood up absolutely calmly.

However, despite all these positive aspects, it is worth recognizing that the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White case has restrictive geometric parameters. And all of them are related to the installation of liquid cooling systems - this applies to installation on top and in the front part of the case.

When installing the LSS from above, its entire structure should not exceed a thickness of 58 mm. Considering the standard thickness of most fans is 25 mm, it turns out that the LSS radiator should not be thicker than 33 mm. Otherwise, such a liquid cooling system will block access to the motherboard footprint.

Even greater restrictions on the installation of life-support systems are located in the front part of the hull. The free space between the front wall and the metal podium is so small that only the radiator will fit in the lower part, and a 25 mm fan will no longer fit. In this case, the user can either use a liquid cooling system with one fan installed at the top of the radiator, or use a low-profile fan at the bottom with a case thickness of no more than 12 mm. There are such fans on sale, so this limitation can be overcome.

When turned on, thanks to the LED lighting of the three included fans, the picture inside the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White becomes even more beautiful. Of course, this is not the case when all the decoration inside the PC shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow from expensive RGB fans, but considering the cost of the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White is less than 5,000 rubles, the available backlight is more than worthy of attention.

With the transparent plastic window closed, the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White takes on the following appearance. Due to the fact that the window itself has no frames and is attached to four self-tightening screws along the edges of the case, everything inside is visible.

At night, due to the LED fans, the picture inside the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White looks even more expressive.

General view of the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White case with backlighting at night.

The front connectors of the case are also backlit, making it easy to find their position in the dark either when connecting a headset or microphone, or when installing USB devices.

Testing

Considering that four of the five complete fans of the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White case have a Molex connector, and another 3-pin, the rotation of these fans was not adjusted, and they only worked in normal mode. The fans of the Deepcool ASSASSIN II processor cooler were fixed at ~1000 rpm. Testing was carried out in a room with an ambient temperature of 25 degrees Celsius.

To create a load on the cores of the Intel Core i7-7700k processor, we used the Prime95 program. The MSI Radeon RX 570 Gaming X 4Gb video card was warmed up through repeated runs of the 3D Mark FireStrike Extreme benchmark. The Western Digital WD Green 3Tb hard drive was put to work by copying a large number of files from one logical drive to another.

The entire complex of loads on the components was carried out simultaneously to create the highest possible temperature inside the case. At the same time, we also tested this test bench outside the case to compare the results of the obtained temperatures. In both cases, temperature monitoring was performed using the AIDA64 utility.

The results obtained suggest that installing components inside the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White case slightly increases their temperature during load. For example, the hard drive significantly reduced its temperature under load by 7 degrees Celsius. Here, as we see it, the close location of the standard lower fan in the front part of the case, installed directly opposite the drive cage, had an effect. The hardest thing to do inside the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White was the video card, the temperature inside the case increased by 5 degrees Celsius at once. For the remaining components, no significant changes in temperature were observed.

Conclusion

The Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White case made a good impression on us, largely due to its beautiful appearance: a large transparent window, backlit fans and a thoughtful design. There's a lot of good engineering to be found in this case, so the assembly can be done neatly and the installed components will be cooled efficiently. I was also pleased with the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White with five fans included and competent organization of air flows.

But, like some other models, this case has several shortcomings and childhood sores, the presence of which on the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White may raise questions. Perhaps the most basic question for any user will be raised by all five supplied fans that do not have the ability to PWM control. And the second question that will definitely arise among supporters of liquid cooling systems is how to install a liquid cooling radiator along with its standard fans on the front panel of the case. With standard 25mm thick fans at the bottom of the case this is simply not possible. In both cases, the Zalman Z9 Neo Plus White case justifies its beautiful appearance and affordable price.

Pros:

• stylish and cute appearance;
• large transparent window;
• thoughtful and convenient design of the inner wall for cable management;
• a substantial amount of space for installing large coolers and long video cards;
• five complete fans, including three with backlight;
• possibility of installing LSS radiators on top and on the front part of the body (with a compatibility clause);
• simplicity and ease of assembly;
• The basket with 3.5-inch drives is successfully blown by the bottom fan of the front panel.

Cons:

• lack of PWM control of supplied fans;
• easily soiled white body, easily scratched glossy panel;
• only two places for 3.5 inch drives;
• The radiator of the liquid cooling system with standard fans will not fit on the front panel of the case in the lower part.

Introduction

If you belong to the so-called caste of IT enthusiasts involved in overclocking, modding and hunting for the latest and most powerful hardware, then the Zalman company needs no introduction to you. But today we will not talk about complex coolers and accessories, but about a simple “box” for your computer parts - the Zalman Z9 computer case of the Mid-ATX form factor.

Initially, the product was designed for those who value high performance, high quality and reasonable cost of the case. We decided to check whether Zalman managed to implement his plan.

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

Zalman Z9 Specifications

Hull exterior

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

In the photo above you can see the front and left side parts of the Zalman Z9. The case looks quite stylish - it combines rigor, solidity and a sort of “sporty” element. The matte surface is painted black; in some places you can see glossy inserts, making the case even prettier. Fortunately, the “glossy madness”, kitsch and bad taste inherent in some (even more expensive!) similar products are completely absent here. The efforts made by Zalman to ensure that the case looks decent are quite noticeable.

The photo of the front part shows that all the requirements for cooling the inside of the case have been taken into account - pay attention to the unobtrusive letter “Z” formed in the lower part by a kind of “petals” that rise above the front panel, creating at the same time a pleasant asymmetry. On the top of the “facade” you can find the computer’s power button, and just below is the I/O panel with a variety of ports and sockets.

Underneath it, if you look closely, you can easily distinguish three five-inch compartments, covered with mesh plugs, and a little lower - one 3.5” compartment. We will look at all these points in more detail a little later.

Here is the back of the Zalman Z9 case. Behind the ventilation holes you can see a pre-installed 120 mm fan; under it, Zalman has prudently placed two holes covered with rubber rings - as you might guess, they will serve for the air cooler tubes. Also here you can note 7 slots for PCI cards and an empty hole for mounting the power supply, which is supposed to be placed at the bottom of the case.

Now let's take a look at the top of the case, where the first thing that catches your eye is the Zalman logo, built into a small tray on which you can put all sorts of small things like keys, a mobile phone and the like. In the photo you can also see the mesh, under which there are two seats for 120 or 140 mm fans. Interestingly, the “mounting platforms” for the fans are dismountable – they can be removed and cleaned.

We tried to make the description as good as possible so that your choice would be unmistakable and informed, but... We may not have used this product, but only touched it from all sides, and after you buy it, try it out, your review can make this world a better place, if your review is really useful, we will publish it and give it You have the opportunity to make your next purchase from us using the 2nd column.

ZALMAN Z series Z9 NEO – Excellent

5 Klimov Alexander Evgenievich 15-02-2019

ZALMAN Z series Z9 NEO
Advantages:
Convenient case, plenty of space inside, cooling and lighting at a high level.
Flaws:
No

ZALMAN Z series Z9 NEO PLUS — Beautiful, ergonomic.

5 Tarasov Vadim Viktorovich 04-02-2019

Device owner rating: ZALMAN Z series Z9 NEO PLUS
Advantages:
quality workmanship, 5 fans, convenient location of the power button, hidden wiring
Flaws:
except that the rubber plugs for the usb slots on the front will definitely get lost))

ZALMAN Z series Z9 NEO — Poor cooling with original coolers

3 Grenadersky Dmitry Geroldovich 01-05-2018

Device owner rating: ZALMAN Z series Z9 NEO
Advantages:
Design, lighting, ergonomics
Flaws:
The air inside the case seems to be standing still!

ZALMAN Z series Z9 NEO — Great case, very roomy, good cooling system out of the box

5 Elizarov Evgeniy Anatolievich 13-09-2017

Opinion of a potential buyer
Advantages:
Very roomy, a large number of supplied fans, a lower location of the power supply and a box that covers it, which gives a plus to aesthetics. It is convenient to organize cable management; there are many eyelets in the necessary places and rubber plugs. It is possible to install a dual-fan SVO, which makes this case even more attractive, especially for gaming solutions. If desired, you can remove the drive mounts.
Flaws:
The Standard ATX motherboard covers 2 holes for wires. If you want to reduce noise, you will have to tinker, but not much. Fans out of the box can be strongly drawn to the case and, because of this, make more noise than we would like. A simple solution is to unscrew and screw the noisy fan back on. In most cases it helps reduce noise. And if you are not too lazy to install vibration-absorbing pads, everything will be chocolate.

ZALMAN Z series Z9 — Delight!!! more and unnecessary

5 Gutsalenko Stepan Vyaeslavovich 05-08-2017

Device owner rating: ZALMAN Z series Z9
Advantages:
the ventilation is excellent, there is plenty of space inside, the quality of the material is at the ZALMAN level, this evokes respect for the manufacturer, a lot of little things related to cleaning were thought out, three years ago I bought myself exactly the same block, and it made me so happy that the next time I assembled another car I had to choose a block was obvious, there is nothing superfluous and everything you need is there
Flaws:
were not detected by me!

ZALMAN Z series Z9 U3 — Good case (5 out of 5)

3 Paul 07-03-2017

Device owner rating: ZALMAN Z series Z9 U3
Advantages:
1) Excellent purging; 2) Possibility of installing 5 coolers; 3) Informative and convenient front panel; 4) It looks solid, even the plastic elements look like metal.
Flaws:
1) Mediocre wire management out of the box; 2) The wire plugs are not made of very high quality, but this does not interfere with the matter :)

ZALMAN Z series Z9 U3 — Effective and convenient

5 Oleg 28-01-2016

Device owner rating: ZALMAN Z series Z9 U3
Advantages:
It looks very decent, the quality is at the level - both outside and inside. Quite quiet even with standard fans. The buttons and sockets are well located - dust does not settle or become clogged. When assembling, the hands are not cut - the edges are processed and painted.
Flaws:
The little things are nitpicking - I didn’t have to check, sharpen or resolder anything

ZALMAN Z series Z9 U3 — great case for a great price

5 Stakhovich Alexander Anatolyevich 26-09-2015

Device owner rating: ZALMAN Z series Z9 U3
Advantages:
About 2 months of use have passed since purchase. First of all, I liked the delivery through the Major Express company. Now to the point. The case is very quiet, the blue light from the fan illumination does not disturb at all at night, the appearance of the case is excellent. Someone complained that the knockout plugs in the case at the back couldn’t be closed, but everything can be closed perfectly with the plugs included in the kit, the cable management is very convenient and well thought out. The edges of the case are machined, it is impossible to cut yourself during assembly. The dust filter on the front side deserves all praise, the only thing is that dismantling it for cleaning is a little difficult (you have to remove the front panel every time), but this is rather nitpicking.
Flaws:
I didn't notice it during use.

ZALMAN Z series Z9 U3 — Great case!

5 Sergey 24-06-2015

Device owner rating: ZALMAN Z series Z9 U3
Advantages:
Dust filters, design, transparent wall. I bought it before the New Year, here. Assembled, installed, beauty! I remove and clean the filters once every three months, there is no dust in the system unit!
Flaws:
The second fan from the top is not installed from the factory.

Greetings, dear readers! I decided to describe in detail the assembly of another system unit, because all the hardware seems to be fresh and I don’t want the implementation of my work to stupidly sink into oblivion with such labors. I would like this worthless writing to serve someone, either as a guide or as an aid in making a choice; in general, think for yourself how it will serve anyone.

So.
Everything was fine and nothing foreshadowed trouble, if not for the imminent departure of one adult foal to study in the vile and warm western regions. The task was clearly or vaguely set for a good machine for study and entertainment with a maximum service life without upgrading the equipment for moderate money.

I’ll immediately make a reservation here that I solved the problem not formally, but with conscience, a little knowledge of the matter and a treacherously good mood. When the components were being selected, all of this was strongly struggling within me and did not allow me to concentrate. But that's all true, lyrics.

This is what was ultimately chosen in the CSN on Semenovskaya in the glorious, unique, large and smelly village of Vlyadivostok:

• Zalman Z9 Plus case
• Mamo GA Z77X-UD5H rev. 1.1
• Video of Palit GTX6600 with non-reference cooling
• processor Core i7 3.4Ghz one of the latest not “K” for LGA1155
• Cooler with radiator for CPU - Zalman Performa
• HDD WD Black on 1TB la-la-FAEX 64MB cache
• Memory Corsair XMS3 2x4GB 1600/9-9-9-24/1.65v
• Corsair CXM600 power supply
• Laser drive Lite-On It IHAS-120-la-la-la

Well, let's get down to... no not assembly. First, let’s carefully study what kind of crap you bought and how to buy it Right gather up. This is necessary, dear ones, at least so that you don’t hit the oblique ones during assembly, because the glands are unusual, with their own pitfalls. Therefore, we move carefully without sudden movements and excessive efforts, maybe it won’t bite =).

Let's unpack and arrange the junk and look at the instructions for the installation:

We take out the body, look at it in every way and pull off the covers, as well as the face.

After studying the instructions, it was found out that it turns out that there are as many as three modifications of Z9 cases and the one purchased, let’s say, is not the most oak one. Ours, unlike the others, has a socket at the top for monitoring the temperature inside the case using a sensor, adjusting the fan speed and 4 USB 2.0 ports and a front-out microphone with ears. And the muzzle itself is slightly different in the place of the air intake from below.

Inside the case there is a standard, narrower mounting pattern for 5.25 and 3.5 devices - the hard drive cage is turned across and non-removable, but for drives and other similar crap everything is as usual.

What pleased me during assembly was:

• Thoughtful placement of wiring and its fastening
• Correct calculation of placement of elements
• A ready-made solution for mounting an SSD without any fancy ideas
• Large supply of ventilation in the housing
• Simple and uncomplicated, but very reliable fastening of components, without newfangled worthless and useless plastic show-offs.

The snot, naturally, was immediately rearranged, taking into account minimal dishevelment on the body, and assembly began.

Knowing about the negligence of fastening strong coolers, attention was immediately paid to installing the cooler on the mother. As expected, it just didn't work out. I had to study the instructions, which, it should be noted, were scrawled, but in foreign language. The letters seemed to be all familiar, so no questions arose and after fifteen minutes everything was extremely clear, but alas, not easy. This seems to be the price to pay for unification and compatibility with all common sockets.

It should be noted that the screws for different platforms are different; for me, for 1155, Silver with a fine thread pitch suited me. The hexagon is long for tightening the screws and the fastening itself, in principle, makes it not so difficult to secure everything, but still, it will not be superfluous to study the instructions until you understand. The included thermal paste is some kind of fashionable one, it doesn’t really stick to metal parts and rolls off when smeared. As a result, applying it, smearing it over the entire surface of the processor, turned out to be not so easy. Apparently it’s not fashionable these days to apply the paste this way; it is now stupidly squeezed out in the center of the processor and clamped with a radiator, without caring whether the entire surface is under contact with the stain or not. I have problems with this, so it’s better to make sure once and calm down.

Next, we place the motherboard bracket on the rear pins and attach the motherboard itself: we tighten the missing pegs, we attach the motherboard and tighten it with screws, centering the location along two holes in the area where the off-board video card and expansion cards are attached. This is done so that there is no distortion when attaching these same boards later.

Immediately, without delaying it for later, we tune the memory, as the great manual bequeathed (the book is like this, it comes with a mother), into the outer channel slots.

We connect the front panel snot. Everything is signed and clear; few mother manufacturers do this. You should probably pay attention to the color of the wires. If everything on the mother is very clearly marked - where is the plus, where is the minus, then with the wires everything is not entirely simple. There is an unspoken rule here that is followed by all case manufacturers. So:

If two wires are together and one of them is red and the other is black, then red is always positive and black is always negative or “ground” ground as it is also called.

If two wires do not fall into the first rule and have a different color, then there is always a white wire among them. It is precisely a minus, and any color is a plus.

We hang up the power supply. The fastening is standard with 4 screws, it fits tightly without any problems. Do not forget to tighten all the screws first, then move the block a little and only then tighten it so that there is no distortion in the fastening. And then there were cases when, when it was skewed, the fan began to catch on the grille and rattle.

Turn off the main power. The 8-pin processor power cable is very long and is made in a row with soldered wires, which saves the space it takes up. The mother's power supply is implemented as usual in a braid, and is also disconnected by bending the conductors.

There were no problems when installing the video card, everything was as usual. The main thing is not to forget to give her power - here it is 6-pin.

Hard drives are mounted using damping rubber bands, which is important for noisy WD Black screws, la-la-la. To avoid the screw coming loose during transportation, the HDD is additionally secured with a special screw by hand, according to the instructions. (It's faintly visible in the third photo).

The laser drive is easily fastened with rolled screws, also by hand, of which there are enough in the kit.

Afterwards, power was connected to internal peripherals, such as HDD and DVD-RW, as well as the fan control panel.

Included with the mother was a USB 3.0 bracket for output to the front face instead of a floppy panel with a standardized connector for the mother. Yes, but it would be a sin not to attach it and connect it. By the way, this mother has three USB 3.0 pins on the motherboard inside.

It also came down to the interface loops. An old way to save space and avoid wire tangles is to wrap a cable around a pencil or pen. It doesn’t degrade data transmission, but it’s technologically terrible.

Just some finishing touches left.

Attention! When putting the muzzle in place, do not forget to remove the ends of the connection of the “POWER” button and its backlight and connect them.

We put the muzzle in place, carefully, without excessive effort. If something doesn’t fit, you need to correct it and plant it correctly.

Once again we check that everything is connected correctly and secured so that nothing rubs anywhere during operation and rotation of the fans. If the snot is hanging and dangling, be sure to secure it with ties or push it in so that it does not dangle. Of course, you don’t have to do this, but if you plan to transport the system unit, then it’s quite possible that all the snot will come out and stick somewhere out of nowhere.

If everything is smooth, we try to start the car. Everything turned out well for me, but there is one small BUT. Mother, motherfucker, refused to control the ZALMAN ZM-F3 fan normally, which infuriated me a little. Motherboards have been churning out motherboards for many years now, but control of the rotation speed of connected fans has not yet been brought to a standard. You might think that everything is so complicated and impossible. This circumstance could have been overlooked by the demon, but the cost of the mother took a bite. For her, it was possible to do everything wisely for such money?

As a result, we had to dismantle the 0.35 ampere fan and tune the 0.16 ampere fan so as not to blow up. Alas, the speed control did not happen, although in Beavis everything is monitored correctly, but nothing reacts in any way to changing the settings. The only mothers that I have ever met where there are never problems with controlling the rotation speed of connected fans are the INTEL DH61-XX series mothers on green PCB, but they are beyond the scope of this story.

After these manipulations, I received a completely quiet and fast system, and as Dmitry Puchkov says, “this cannot but rejoice.”