Zalman Z9 plus case

kyleVTR

kyleVTR

kyleVTR

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im in need of a new case and i have decided i am going to buy the zalman when i get paid on friday, just a question about the case it says it comes with 4 stock fans just wondering which of them are intake and exhaust, also whats a good fan setup on this case or just leave it as stock??
 
3 of the 120mm fans are blue LED, the fourth 120mm fan is powered my molex and has no LED.

I moved the side fan to the top as it makes a noise on the side mesh. My two blue ceiling fans are mounted as exhaust and are on the fan controller. I also moved the blue intake fan at the front to the back to keep light on the mobo. The non LED fan is now my front intake, it's near the HDDs so you have easy access to a molex connector for power.

Another tip is to pop out the DVD bay covers and remove all the metal blanking plates to improve airflow, the bay covers have a foam filter to block dust. I mount the DVD in the bottom bay to keep it closer to the sata ports and the power cables, if you mount it at the top, when you use the front USB ports the cables can hamper the DVD tray ;)

A more extreme mod is to cut out the mesh where you mount the fans (look to keep the fan mounting holes dont just cut away like a lunatic lol) This does help improve airflow and helps reduce noise from the fans.

Anymore questions feel free to ask, it's an awesome case for the price.
 
Have a read of this. Andys project log was a great help in me deciding to go with the case.

Be warned the power button comes disconnected and needs connecting up behind the front panel (it does tell you in the manual). Andys pics will help you see how to try and manage the cables, I followed suit and removed the mesh as he has
 
thats a good read thanks, just seen the zalman z11 plus now though for only a little bit more money, toss up between the z9 and z11 hmmm
 
kyleVTR said:
thats a good read thanks, just seen the zalman z11 plus now though for only a little bit more money, toss up between the z9 and 11 hmmm
Click to expand...

The Z11 has those gills on the side. They have smaller fans (80mm molex) sucking in the air (larger the fan the quieter it is rule of thumb, Z9 uses 120mm) and no dust filters either on these gills, so it's just scooping dust into the case.

The Z9 Plus is great for the price. It also comes with a P4/8 extension to help hide the cable behind the mobo to improve airflow and keep things looking tidy. You don't get the digital temp display or the fan controller on the Z11 either.

I do like the look of the Z11 and while it does have USB3 ports they arent using internal headers so have to be rooted out the back through the PCI expansion bracket. The Z11 does have a dust filter over the PSU intake (Z9 doesnt), the slots for venting the PSU aren't great on either case, I cut mine out.

Lots of pros and cons to consider.....hope im helping more than hindering
 
Yea need to have a think about it pros and cons with both cases I do like the weird looking z11 though looks really different
 
Z9+ is a better case than the Z11 since it has so much included for the money (even though I think they're based on the same chassis).

Definitely remove any side fans, they just disrupt airflow and normally make a racket. Otherwise the fans run fairly quietly, although I don't like the blue LEDs much but they're not bad fans really.
 
A question folks..Not built a PC in years so having the colly wobbles..LOL
Do you insert the PSU and plug it in (NOT switched on)lol before putting anything else into the case, or do you put mobo on desktop, insert i5, put cooler on, insert ram, then psu.
What is best way of order. THANKS.
 
RussD said:
A question folks..Not built a PC in years so having the colly wobbles..LOL
Do you insert the PSU and plug it in (NOT switched on)lol before putting anything else into the case, or do you put mobo on desktop, insert i5, put cooler on, insert ram, then psu.
What is best way of order. THANKS.
Click to expand...

i put my mobo in first then my i5 ram then cooler and then psu, doesnt really matter which ever is easiest for you
 
That means i must run an extension cable to plug it into. got one so we ok.
Not got a grounding strap, so PSU first then. Thanks.
Another question, the Zalman plus has a Green/black wire and a green/white..Which colour is the +..I know the RED is the + so can't go wrong on that one. I'm stupid on doing these things. Sorry. I did build one a long time ago with no grounding strap and no psu plugged in and it worked. LOL but some front conections like lights etc did not work so I'm being sure I get it correct this time. Cheers
 
Looks like they are out of stock now!, bugger....any ideas for godo alternative?. Friend has Corsair Carbide 500R which he said is good - but a bit pricey. Any good alternatives (housing Gigabyte GTX670 Windforce with Gigabyte Z77X-D3H board with Hpyer 612s cooler.

tks
 
Another question....On the top USB, temp clock, are two wires not plugged in, one has green/white wires the other has green/black wires..What do they plug into as they look very fiddly....I guess you'll be having more questions off of me soon :) Ifound out where they GO..lol On the front panel.

Seeing as you said the side fan is noisy I shall put on the bottom, or one of my own that will fit. So in order to draw air in from bottom fan I'll have to put the Zalman Z9+ on taller feet or it's too close to table top to let any air in properly. That side fan or the one I got will not fit on floor as PSU is in the way. So must look for a smaller fan of about 80cm instead. Got two somewhere.

I also have a Hyper 612S Cooler..(Too Big really) Should the fan be pointing towards the RAM or towards the rear. Which is best? Got the Fan towards the RAM, front of case, will this cause a problem with the front fan bringing air in??

OK..OK---All put together at last, except for one thing--On the mobo it says "F-Audio" on the wires it says "AC97 and other says HD Audio" Which one of them do I plug into the F-Audio. PHEeeeeeeeW!!! I had to take my mobo off and out twice because of silly misstakes, Hope it's OK. Google is ones friend! Done. "HD Audio" is the one.

Looking forward to an answer by morning..Hopefully. :) THANKS
 
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ok folks.. after a miner prob i got it all running. should i start a new thread in order to ask about bios settings and what mine are as i need to be sure all is running ok...not loaded windows yet on my ssd as i'll do that later.
 
honosuseri said:
The Z11 has those gills on the side. They have smaller fans (80mm molex) sucking in the air (larger the fan the quieter it is rule of thumb, Z9 uses 120mm) and no dust filters either on these gills, so it's just scooping dust into the case.

The Z9 Plus is great for the price. It also comes with a P4/8 extension to help hide the cable behind the mobo to improve airflow and keep things looking tidy. You don't get the digital temp display or the fan controller on the Z11 either.

I do like the look of the Z11 and while it does have USB3 ports they arent using internal headers so have to be rooted out the back through the PCI expansion bracket. The Z11 does have a dust filter over the PSU intake (Z9 doesnt), the slots for venting the PSU aren't great on either case, I cut mine out.

Lots of pros and cons to consider.....hope im helping more than hindering
Click to expand...

Hi, can I ask how what you used and how you cut out the vents for the PSU and the fans? My PSU was basically getting too warm with the fan sucking through the terrible vents at the bottom and the fan was making a racket, now have the fan pointing into the case but that's obviously not ideal. I also want to cut the mesh out, just to improve airflow really.

(Made this post then realised the topic was from a full year ago, sorry!).
 
Hi guys, I've been thinking on modding this case to stuff a 240mm rad in the roof with the fans outside sucking air through the roof. Does anyone know if a standard 120mm fan should/would fit in between the plastic on the top panel with the mseh removed? and would a dremel be the best tool to remove this?
 
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