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Zalman
TNN-500A Totally No Noise Case
Introduction
to the Zalman TNN 500A
Existing
noise control solutions and their limitations
Case
description and technical specs
What
we like about the case
What
we don't like about the case
Top
of our wish list
Conclusion
+ other reviews
Full
image gallery of the TNN 500A
What
and why?
The
Zalman TNN (Totally No Noise) 500A case is a revolutionary product
in many ways. It's the first case on the market that does away
with fans altogether. It uses a clever design, an anodised
aluminum body that acts like a huge heat-sink, hollow copper pipes
that transfer heat from the CPU and graphics card to the case body,
and various other techniques to eliminate the use of fans in the
case altogether. Be warned: It will dent your wallet. Estimated
retail price in the UK is approx £800. That price does include an
innovative fanless power supply though :-)
So
if you are looking for a cheap solution this isn't it (cheaper
alternatives) but if you're looking for the
quietest PC you can get - your search has ended. How unbiased is
this review considering we use this case ourselves? We've no idea.
We've posted what we believe is a warts and all review. We'll let
you decide.
First,
why quiet? What's the big deal about having a silent PC? According
to Tomas Risberg's silent.se site PC noise makes it difficult to
concentrate, impairs productivity, impairs creativity, and
competes for attention. Ambient noise is uncomfortable and
bothersome. Acoustic comfort has long been a goal of PC
manufacturers who monitor customer feedback. That seems to be high
on customers' wish lists.
Which
components generate the most noise?
The
Power Supply Unit (PSU), noisy hard disks, and optical drives
contribute to noise. But by far the loudest parts are the numerous
fans inside the average PC. A typical machine will have fans on
the graphics card, processor, chassis intake and chassis exhaust.
You may have fans on the motherboard northbridge chipset, PCI
cards, and even hard disk enclosures. And all of these are in
addition to the fan in the PSU. Some fans are nosier than others
but - design of blades aside - what determines how much of noise a
fan makes is the size of the fan, the speed it spins at (rpm), and
whether it is a sleeve/ball-bearing design. But that's not where
the fan noise ends. Most fans become noisier over time as they
accumulate dust in the moving parts.
next:
existing noise control solutions
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