The Zalman Company has developed so many great products over the last few years that their name has become synonymous with quality. I still remember when they were a no-name company that made a funny looking fanless heatsink. They've come a long way since then and have branched out into power supplies, audio products, their own line of low noise fans, watercooling, and computer cases. Their "Totally No Noise" cases have been a big hit with the reviewers, but few of us have $600 to $1,000 laying around to spend on a computer case. Zalman does offer a somewhat less expensive computer enclosure option though; they have come out with their own Home Theater PC Case that is more affordable than their TNN line. It ain't cheap by no means, but with Zalman, you get what you pay for.

Package

The Zalman HD160 arrived in their usual classy packaging. When I saw the size of the box I was expecting something a little heavier, but was pleasantly surprised at how light it was. Inside was the case wrapped in plastic and nestled in Styrofoam sleeves.

When I removed the 5 screws holding the top on, I came across an accessory box inside. Included in the box was a 24 pin ATX power adapter with a lead to power the VFD, the obligatory bag-O-screws, some adhesive cable locks, a brushed Black Aluminum optical drive cover to match up with the case, a driver and IR software CD, and the manual. The manual was OK, but does not go into nearly enough detail on the install process.

As with any HTPC rig, the HD160 comes with a remote control. The remote is IR so line of site will be required in order for it to function. There are many different options for DVD/TV control, but does not have the functionality of some other remotes I've seen. It is pretty much only for interfacing with your AV equipment.

Specs

Before I get into the case description itself, here are the specs from the Zalman website on the HD160:

- Enclosure Dimensions: 435mm X 420mm X 160mm or 17.13in X 16.54in X 6.3in (L*W*H)
- Net Weight: 4.8kg or 10.58lbs
- CPU TDP (Typical Dissipation Power): Up to 130W
- Construction Material: All Aluminum
- Motherboard Compatibility: ATX & microATX
- PSU Support: ATX PSU
- PCI/AGP Card Support: Full Size
- Drive Bays: 4 X 3.5" Internal Drive Bays, 1 X 3.5" External Drive Bay, 1 X 5.25" External Drive Bay
- Cooling Components: 2 X 80mm Rear Exhaust Fans, ZM-MC1 Multi Connector
- Expansion Slots: 7 Slots
- Front I/O Ports: 2 X USB Ports, 1 X Firewire (1394) port, 1 X MIC, 1 X Headphone
- Available Colors: Silver & Black
- Card Reader: 17 in 1