Today I was searching around online looking for a quiet, elegant, simple case to use for an upcoming build. There is of course the ubiquitous Antec Performance One series of cases, but I want something different. Whilst flicking through the selection at FrozenCPU, I came across this;

Zalman MS1000-HS1 Professional
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9959/cst-979/Zalman_MS1000-HS1_Professional_Mid-Tower_Enclosure_-_Black.html?id=yMJz9qiR#blank

I love the subdued styling, and the HDD hot swap bays in the front. Of course the included fans are likely to be garbage by SPCR standards, but they're easily swapped out.

Airflow seems solid, if a little overkill, given the twin 140mm fan mounts on the roof of the case, but given the hardware I'm going to be shovelling into mine (Q6600, 2 watercooled 4870s), it will probably come in handy.

Anyways, enough of me, what do you, honoured SPCR readers think of it?

I'm astonished to find that Zalman might be the new Antec. I sincerely think that those cases are our next silent computing champs. They're also stylish, unlike the latest Antec eye-sores. I just hope the quality of the materials is good - Zalman seems to have always had problems with that. Cheap plastic and thin steel steered me away from their previous offering - the GS1000.

So what have we here? Cable routing, air filters, lots of space (probably too much), and great expandability. The appearance is probably the selling point. On the other hand, the lack of any kind of HDD suspension is a sin in this day and age. You can actually work around this by DIY mods, F2/GP/2.5" drives and SSDs. The second disappointment is the lack of a separate chamber for the PSU, but with the latter's efficiency well above 80% this is not of great concern.

Overall, I think it's a great case, can't wait for a review here at SPCR.

no air filters in the front of the case?? a 92mm fan? pass.

I wouldn't be this hasty to dismiss the case. It has been designed with bottom-top airflow, and the fan in the bottom is filtered. And as far as the 92mm fans are concerned - what's wrong with them? 92mm Nexus or Fander are inaudible, so no real problem there.

Doing some reading, the 92mm fan is there to cool the HDD hot swap bay, so a nice Nexus or Scythe S-Flex should work brilliantly.

look at the airflow diagram on frozencpu... only part of the intake air goes thru the filter at the bottom, the rest of it comes in the front, where there are no air filters(?)... and you'd have to lay the case down to clean the one filter that is there, with a better location you can just put a vacuum cleaner on the filter, without removing it or moving the case.

is the bottom filter blocked by the power supply? the pics of this case are lousy, they don't show the bottom of the inside of the case... what does the top fan vent look like?

92mm fans are pointless, they don't move enough air per revolution, your fan choices are limited, and i'm guessing that they don't last as long as a 120mm fan will.

it's certainly a nice looking case, and i could see somebody wanting it if they maybe needed the hot-swap bay... but that's not going to apply to the majority of users, i think that the p183 is a more functional design in most respects.

I just signed up since I've been googling this case for a while and this is the highest google ranked result. I also learned I did not know when bats sleep when signing up !

To begin, the difference between the Zalman MS1000 HS1 vs Zalmsn MS1000 HS2 is that the HS2 can accomodate a second 92mm fan inside where the HS1 has 1 92mm fan slot and more space for bay drives.

The fan alignment is a little bit weird. The unit comes with 2 exhaust fans, one on the rear of the case and one on the top nearest the CPU. There is the 92mm fan inside blowing towards the rear but for the most part the system acts as a vacuum. I'm pretty sure the 92mm fan also exhausts the heat from hd's you may have plugged in, so it may not always be cool air blowing out of them...

On the front panels there is about 2mm's of space to let air flow through. There are also small vents on both sides near the panel to enable exterior air to enter. I'm under the impression they took for granted gaming systems are more focused on negative airflow and only gave us 1 option of intake which is the bottom fan. The bottom fan is great because it blows on the video card and keeps it cool, while also helping cool air circulate.

To enable a healthier airflow, I added a low noise fan on the floor of the unit so there is more intake and less of a vacuum effect, although the system still has a negative airflow, due to the fact I have 2 fans blowing (and an optional 3rd one for the top I'm debating adding).

I own the HS1 because it was on sale for 99$ and am happy with my purchase. It is a solid case, with noise absorbing pads. my only warning is this one :

This case is only for mature PC users who can handle not showing off their "bling bling" ! I have an awesome mobo & RAM & CPU with 2 fans with lights on that I would not mind showing off, but this system lacks any visual attractiveness. You have to remove the top protective cover to reveal any kind of lights from inside, but this leaves bigger holes for tiny objects to fall through !

edit : the 92mm fan, when set to high (it has a switch) makes alot of noise but blows alot of air, where at a low setting there is no noise but hardly any pressure.

Sorry for the bump, I thought google could use a consumer review for this case and not the usual copy paste you see on all the other review websites.