Zalman HD160

Zitat: Simple and stylish, but at the expense of airflow If the HD160 were a desktop case, we´d be forced to lambast it for its lack of intake fans. As a media centre case, though, the emphasis must fall more on the level of noise it generates, and we feel that Zalman has made a good compromise between noise and heat by using two quiet 80mm fans, lots of well-placed vents and a clever intake for the PSU. The HD160 looks good, and little touches, such as the VFD with integrated MCE IR sensor, show real attention to detail. In fact, the only niggle with the design is the placement of the 3.5in drive bay cage. There´s no direct airflow, so we´d think twice about putting more than two drives in there. The HD160 commands a price that matches its upmarket looks, and it´s significantly more expensive than either the APlus GL2 or the SilverStone Lascala. There´s very little to choose between the three cases in terms of the space they offer, so the decision will probably come down to more personal factors such as aesthetics. The HD160 is just as good as the GL2 or Lascala, and personally, we think it´s worth the money.

Zitat: Da Bomb - Very good looking, would integrate well with AV center - All Aluminum construction - Able to use full-sized components - Good airflow Da Dud - Less than stellar installation manual - Weak software support - Difficult HDD installation The HD160 is a beautiful case and makes integrating a computer into your AV system quite simple. The thing that bothers me with this form factor is that I´ve seen it before. I had an Everex 286 desktop case that looked almost exactly like the HD160. Have we gone full circle? The ability to use a full sized motherboard, oversized PSU, and a large heatsink are some of the greatest features of this case; the lower temps for a HTPC is also sweet. However, I think that for the money that Zalman gets