facebook rss twitter

Review: Zalman H1

by Parm Mann on 3 October 2014, 14:00

Tags: Zalman (090120.KQ)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qacjtr

Add to My Vault: x

Conclusion

Arriving with Auto Heat Ventilation in tow, the H1 stands out from the crowd with automated top vents that react to internal temperature.

Zalman has spruced-up its range of full-tower PC enclosures with a £100 addition that offers an array of features for an agreeable fee.

Arriving with Auto Heat Ventilation in tow, the H1 stands out from the crowd with automated top vents that react to internal temperature. Sounds entirely superfluous, and in truth it probably is, but the sports-car-like fins do offer something different and Zalman's implementation works well.

The H1 barely misses a step when it comes to the essentials - drive bays and expansion slots are plentiful, GPU and CPU clearance is ample, and the four pre-installed fans deliver adequate airflow. Building on those solid foundations, Zalman has incorporated a multi-channel fan controller that helps keeps noise levels in check, a temperature probe with external display, and a GPU brace that prevents graphics cards from sagging.

These value-adds help make the H1 an enjoyable enclosure to build into and use, but Zalman's attempts to keep pricing low has had an impact on overall build quality. The chassis feels noticeably lightweight for a full-tower solution, there are large swathes of plastic that we feel detract from an otherwise sleek exterior, and the end result is a feature-packed and quirky chassis that's lacking in premium feel.

In the market for an affordable full-tower chassis that's a little different to the norm? Zalman's H1 may not exude quality, but it's fun to use, easy to build into and available for £100.

The Good
  
The Bad
AHV is fun to toy with
Excellent fan control
Temperature probe and display
Pre-installed fans are quiet
Support for a dual radiator
Graphics card brace works well
Rubber-grommeted cable holes
10 storage bays in total
Nine expansion slots
  
Thick plastic top
Front intake is stifled
Narrow behind mobo tray
Average build quality



Zalman H1

HEXUS.where2buy*

The Zalman H1 chassis is available to purchase from Scan Computers, Ebuyer and Dabs.

HEXUS.right2reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.



*UK-based HEXUS community members are eligible for free delivery and priority customer service through the SCAN.care@HEXUS forum.


« PREVIOUS PAGE

HEXUS Forums :: 8 Comments

Login with Forum Account

Don't have an account? Register today!
Posted by george1979 - Fri 03 Oct 2014 14:09
Not a fan of those gimmicky vents as they're just another thing that could break and don't really provide any noticeable benefits. It's also really quite ugly.
Posted by Tunnah - Fri 03 Oct 2014 15:18
Am I racist for laughing really really hard at the guy's accent in the video explaining what “auto heat ventilation” is ? Because I can't stop.
Posted by D1DM - Sat 04 Oct 2014 20:18
Surely one of the best cases Zalman has released for a few years?
Posted by theleader - Mon 06 Oct 2014 15:12
With my next PC build, I will fit airbags in case of a system crash! :)
Posted by Pob255 - Mon 06 Oct 2014 15:25
george1979
Not a fan of those gimmicky vents as they're just another thing that could break and don't really provide any noticeable benefits. It's also really quite ugly.
Actually they do, you have to dig into the functionality a bit more.
The Top fans are tied to the vents, so the vents only open when the top fans are on, so in auto mode both the top vents are shut and top fans off while the temp is below the threshold, this greatly adds to noise reduction, not only have you less fans making noise but you're also blocking a vent that noise can leak out of.

Lack of sound absorbing material is a bit of a let down, as is the miss matched bezel & panel colour (which you always get unless the manufacture goes that one further step and paints the bezel as well as the panels. (one thing I do applaud corsair for doing)

I don't think the thick bezels are that bad and they've made them wider than the actual case so they can over lap and hide some seams eg the top metal panel.
In fact making those bezels a different colour would probably look better than not quite matching the panel paint colour/finish.
They've done a good job on the fake brushed aluminium look to the bay covers and vent covers on the bezel

The hard drive trays are good, use some fairly thick rubber between the trays and the drive cage, unlike most rails/trays which often just have some thin rubber washers between the tray/rail and the drive, but some of the better anti-vibration drive mounting has always been a zalman strong point.

One thing I would ask for in the review is “how much space is there behind the right side panel for cables?”
Saying
There isn't a huge amount of room behind the motherboard tray, so re-attaching the notched panel can be a chore if cables aren't neatly tied.
is ok, but sticking a ruler back there to give us an actual number would of been better.

All told I think cost and competition is going to be an issue for the H1 at £100 it's up against some very good cases.

SEE NEWER »