Does your PC
sounds like a Boeing Jet? Then today’s review item should
definitely pique your interest. NZXT, one of the best PC case
designers around were kind enough to provide Dragonsteelmods with
three of their premier PC cases. Previously I reviewed the Zero 2,
today I will be looking at case number two – the NZXT Whisper.
This full tower steel case is designed with silence in mind. It
features 10mm noise dampening foam pads, rubber grommets for the hard
drives and a padded PSU holder. Obviously, all this is done with
silence in mind.
Besides being
very quiet, the Whisper case also provides maximum room for
expansion. In addition it has room for nine hard drives and six
5.25” bays. Silent operation and roominess are not the only
features of the Whisper; NZXT also threw in plenty of cooling with
four fans. Two 120 mm and two 80 mm fans will help keep the system
running cool and quiet.
So lets listen
and see if the NZXT Whisper lives up to its name.
NZXT
Whisper Classic Series PC Case
Reviewed by:
Tomas Ratas
Sponsor: NZXT
Tech
Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
Full
Steel Silent Tower
Raising
the standard of silent computing.
Finally, a chassis that is
designed for the enthusiast that combines noise dampening features
with expandability and storage. Introducing the Whisper silent full
tower chassis from NZXT, improving upon the successful of the NZXT
HU-001 chassis, the Whisper is another step up from the Hush.
Featured in a large size E-ATX Full Tower, the Whisper can support up
to NINE hard drives and a total of SIX 5.25″; bays with ample
space for large expansion cards. 10mm dampening foams, rubber
grommets, and padded PSU holder are some of the major features in
silence. The NZXT Whisper is the complete solution for the enthusiast
who is not willing to sacrifice silence for performance. The Whisper
also provides mounts for the new smaller 3.5″ SSD drives
Features
-Silent
Performance :: 10mm noise dampening foam pads both side panels and
the top panel, rubber grommets reduce vibration noise on the Hard
Drives, and a padded PSU holder dramatically reduce acoustic levels
within the chassis
-Maximum
Expandability :: Space for 9 hard drives and a total of six 5.25″
bays with ample room for large expansion cards
-Simple
Installation :: Pre-drilled wire management system makes it easy to
route your cables and the screwless installation means you won’t be
constantly reaching for your tools
-Advanced
Cooling :: Whisper includes 4 fans( 1 x 120mm Blue LED Intake, 1 x
120mm Black Rear Exhaust, and 2 x 80mm Rear Exhaust). Bottom mounted
PSU separates the heat given off by the PSU and motherboard
-Case
supports new 3.5″ SSD on all drives with brackets
Model: Whisper Series
Case
Type: Full Tower Steel
Front
Panel Material: Aluminum/Plastic
Dimensions
(W X H X D): 211.5 X
521.5 X 562 mm
Cooling
System: FRONT, 1 X 120mm
Blue LED (Included)
REAR, 1 X 120mm, 2 X 80mm Fans (Included)
Drive
Bays: 6 Drive Bays
6
External 5.25″ Drive Bays
1 3.5″ External Bracket
9
Internal 3.5″ Drive Bays
Screwless Rail Design
Material(S): Steel Construction
Expansion
Slots: 7
Power
Supply: 500 Watt Ps2
Atx 12v 2.0 ( Optional )
Weight:12.3
KGS (W/O Power)
Motherboard
Support: Motherboards:
E-ATX ATX, MICRO-ATX, BABY AT
A Better
Look at Things:
The NZXT Whisper
comes in a black cardboard box with a picture of the case’s front
door and model name on the front of the box. On the sides of the box
are the specs for the case. The back of the package shows the lists
and highlights the features of the Whisper. Opening the box we see
the case protected by two Styrofoam pads.
Like the Zero 2,
the Whisper is a full tower case composed of black steel with an
aluminum and plastic front panel door. It measures 21.15
X 52.15 X 56.2 cm and weighs 12.3 kg
without the optional power supply. It is designed to house E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX and baby AT motherboards.
The front door
opens from left to right and is composed of a large all black plastic
grill panel with a black aluminum triangle coming off the right side.
In the center of this triangle is a linear blue LED light. Behind
this door is the front of the case where we see seven 5.25” drive
slots with one designed to accommodate a 3.5” bay drive. Below
these is a 120 mm Blue LED fan. The front door grill allows this fan
to provide additional case cooling. Above the drive bays we find the
power and reset buttons which are elevated off the front surface and
rest flush when the outer case door is closed. To the right of these
buttons is a silver NZXT case badge.
The sides of the
case are plain painted black steel; nothing exciting on the outside
but on the inside there is a secret: foam noise dampening pads! On
the top of the Whisper is a pop up panel which reveals two USB ports,
an eSATA connector and audio inputs for headphones and microphone.
The rest of this top surface is composed of the same painted black
steel as the side panels.
Looking at the
rear of the case, starting at the top we find an opening for the
motherboard I/O plate, with a 120 mm case fan next to it. Below this
area are seven expansion slots with a vent and two water cooling
openings adjacent to them. Finally at the base we find an opening
for the PSU with two 80mm fans above that space.
On the bottom of
the Whisper are four rubberized feet.
Opening the
Whisper reveals a bottom mounted PSU designed case. Theoretically
separating the motherboard from the power supply should improve case
temperatures.
On the back
inside panel and top sections of the case are more foam dampening
pads. The lower section which houses the PSU also has nine 3.5”
drive bays with removable trays. On each of these trays are four
rubber grommets.
The main section
of the Whisper houses a motherboard tray which fits most of the
common motherboard configurations. On the tray each standoff hole is
numbered and there is a key to where each stand off needs to be
placed in relation to these holes. That is a useful feature which I
have not encountered with other cases.
To the right of
the motherboard tray we see the seven 5.25” bays for various drives
and components. From upper and middle right side of the case are
connectors for the external bay on top of the Whisper and connections
for the power and reset switches.
Finally on the
partition that separates the upper and lower segments of the case are
two openings for feeding cables and wires between the two sections.
Besides the case,
NZXT also includes a myriad of screws that are sorted in labeled
Ziploc baggies, a separate case speaker which plugs into the
motherboard, an instruction booklet and a rubberized PSU holder.
Installation,
Testing and Comparison:
For testing I
installed the following system into the Whisper:
Intel Q9400
Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R
OCZ DDR2 4GB
Maxtor 500 GB
eVGA GeForce 7600GT
Ultra X-Finity 800 Watt PSU
LG 20X
DVD +/- RW
Installation began by applying the
rubbery PSU holder onto the power supply and the screwing it into
position in the lower part of the Whisper. Next based on the type of
motherboard being used I insert the standoffs into the appropriate
locations. Before you secure your motherboard onto the tray, I would
recommend you check the length of your motherboard power connectors
to make sure that they are long enough. I ended up needing an
extension for the four pin 12V power connection.
Once the motherboard was in place and
the wires in position, the rest of the case set up was pretty
standard. Installation of the DVD burner involved unlocking that
side clip, sliding the drive into position and then relocking the
clip into place. Hard drives attach to the trays with the built-in
rubber grommets.
This is a micro
ATX motherboard, so it looks tiny in relation to the rest of the
case. Please forgive my wiring job. I personally believe PC cases
with PSU on the bottom installations work better with modular power
supplies, sadly I did not have one of these for this build.
Overall the NZXT
is a stylish case. The front 120 mm Blue LED fan gives off the
requisite blue glow found in most PCs these days and the power switch
gives off the same hue when the machine is powered on. While it is
certainly one of the quietest cases I have used, I would not call it
totally silent. Whisper like is a good description as I had to have
my ears next to the PC to hear the fans operating.
Structurally the
Whisper is well built; it is solid and heavy. The fans on both sides
of the PSU chamber provide excellent cooling to one of the biggest
heat producers in the PC. Although it does not have slide out
motherboard tray putting together the PC is rather simple with the
large spacious work area. Cable management can be performed to help
improve case air flow even more. Plus the multitude of 3.5” and
5.25 slots make the Whisper future proof for a long time.
The front panel
ports can be an issue if you keep the Whisper under your desk. I
personally prefer these connections on the front of my PC, but the
push down door is a nice way to hide these ports when not being used.
One complaint I
have and this probably has nothing to do with the case is the
difficulty in reaching the motherboard with a bottom installed case.
I had to use an extension to get the four pin power connector to
reach the motherboard. Where the blame lies, I don’t know. I do
think PC case makers should offer extension cables for the 20/24 pin
and 4/8 pin power connectors since these are usually the shortest
emanating from the power supply. I experienced a similar problem
running cables in the Antec P182, so this is not an isolated
occurrence.
Summary
and Comments:
After using the
Whisper for a few weeks I have to say the name fits. This is one of
the quietest PC cases that I have encountered. Other than the sound
of an occasional DVD being accessed I could barely tell when it was
on. Although I prefer the PSU on top cases more because generally I
find the power supply cables are not long enough for the motherboard
connectors in most cases.
If you are
looking for a near silent well built case with plenty of room for
future expansion, then the NZXT Whisper is the case to have.
DragonSteelMods
gives the NZXT Whisper a 5 out of 5 score.
Pros:
+Silent operation
+Plenty of room
for expansion
+Lots of cooling
out of the box
+Sleek design
Cons:
-Weight – it’s
very heavy
-Front door seems
fragile.
I would like to
thank NZXT for the chance to review the NZXT
Whisper and for their
continued support of DSM.
review#582