Specs, and accessories
An optional extra and shipping with the review model was a handy remote control. The remote, when allied to the supplied iMON software, works in the same way as any DVD/TV remote.
One of the obvious uses for this uber-quiet system would be a home-theatre/multimedia PC. The iMON software provides a reasonable degree of flexibility, allowing you take control over audio and video files, as well as use Windows XP in a rudimentary manner without a keyboard or mouse. We can see users potentially housing the TNN 300 next to their TVs/audio systems and feeding in DivX and MP3 files.
Performance considerations
Here at HEXUS, we try to evaluate each product with respect to its intended market. Absolute performance is never going to be the Quiet PC/TNN 300's strongpoint. The limitations of passive cooling in such a dinky chassis prohibit the use of, say, an Athlon 64 X2 4800 and twin GeForce 7800 GTXs in tow. Performance for any given TNN 300 build will be dependant upon the components used, and the sample's Athlon 64 3500+ CPU and X700 PRO 256MB video card is what we'd consider to be a typical build. Quiet PC will no doubt be happy to build you a bespoke system based around the TNN 300 chassis. Benchmark testing showed that the build compared favourably against a similar test HEXUS system, albeit one that used tradtional air cooling for PSU, CPU and video card. That's precisely why we're not going to include our usual 13 benchmark graphs. Instead, we're going to look at thermal performance, see how well it fits a wide range of uses, and then delineate the TNN 300's good and bad points.
| System Name | Quiet PC/Zalman TNN 300 |
| Chassis | Zalman TNN 300 |
| Processor | AMD Athlon 64 3500+ (S939, Winchester) |
| Motherboard | Optronix VIA K8T800 |
| Memory | 512MB Samsung PC3200 (DDR400 @ 3-4-4-8) |
| Hard Drive | Seagate Barracude 7200.7 250GB SATA |
| Screen | None as standard |
| Graphics card | ATI RADEON X700 PRO 256MB |
| Optical drive #1 | Sony dual-layer DVD ReWriter |
| Optical drive #2 | None |
| Back I/O | 4x USB2.0, RJ45 (GbE), PS/2, Parallel, COM |
| Sound | Onboard AC'97 and onboard stereo amplifier |
| Speakers | None as standard |
| Modem | None as standard |
| Network | Broadcom NetXtreme 57xx Gigabit ASIC (PCI-based) |
| Wireless Connectivity | None |
| Operating system | Windows XP Home SP2 |
| Warranty | 1-year onsite |
| PSU | 350w fanless |
| Price | £999 inc. VAT (as at 21/07/05) |
| Other notables | Zalman TNN 300 chassis, no fans |
The money is in the chassis and installation.
