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FINAL THOUGHTS
The Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 has all the hallmarks of a classic noise conscious
case as well as a few added features to distinguish itself. Smooth sounding
fans, limited/selective ventilation to prevent noise from escaping, and noise
dampening material lining the panels are par for the course for such cases.
What differentiates the DS1 most from its many competitors is extra features.
The included fan controller is more capable than most, powering up to three
fans on each of its two channels. It's a wonderful complement to the stock fans
because they generate similar noise levels. Not having to worry about one fan
drowning out another, hooking them all up together perfect sense, leaving a
second channel free for a different set. In some "silent" cases, the
fans have very low maximum speeds, limiting their effectiveness with more demanding
system configurations. The DS1's stock fans have more reasonable top speeds
and thus a more versatile fan speed range.
Like many enthusiast cases, the drive cages are removable, a feature that allows
users to install extra long video cards. In the DS1, doing so also greatly improves
airflow as the cages are very restrictive to airflow, choking the front intake
fans. The ability to move one of the cages to the bottom is nice when using
two long graphics cards. The cages fit snugly against one another but that doesn't
make them completely stable as a whole. The outside material is thinner than
most modular drive compartments and without extra support, there's some horizontal
wiggle room. It's simply not as solid as having a fixed cage with riveted supports
along the sides.
The chimney vent is another compromise. It hides the top fan vents from view,
giving the case more aesthetic continuity and can be raised when the need arises
to increase ventilation. Unfortunately, we found it made just a slight difference
and only when under a heavy power load, at least without a top fan installed.
[Editor's Note: Another use model is to add a couple of top
panel fans and turn them on with the extra channel in the fan controller only
when the chimney cover is up. At high loads, this should provide extra cooling,
while keeping noise down in normal use. It would mean more noise under load,
however, and the need to manually set the top panel fans as well as the chimney
cover.]
The finish on the outer surface is a bit problematic as the paint streaks
when scratched with anything remotely abrasive, leaving grey marks behind. The
overall build quality is above average. The interior frame is especially sturdy
and the side panels feel solid, though this is more to do with the stiffness
of the material lining them.
The Deep Silence 1 is currently being sold at only one major retailer, QuietPC,
for £74.99 (excluding VAT) in Europe. We're in the dark about what
the pricing will be when it lands on the other side of the Atlantic but based
on price comparisons of the rest of QuietPC's catalog, we estimate it will cost
around US$120. This would be a decent value. It is an ambitious first
case attempt, but in the end, we have to conclude that the DS1 isn't as quiet
as the quietest cases, nor as cool as the coolest ones.
Our thanks to Nanoxia for the Deep Silence 1 case sample.
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