Zalman Z9 Neo Case Review

By Jason Vaught

Manufacturer: Zalman Tech Co, LTD
Product Name: ATX Mid Tower Case Z9 NEO
Model Number: Z9 Neo White
UPC: 823884208108 EAN: 8809213768446
Price As Tested: $79.99 (Amazon | NewEgg)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Zalman.

Zalman, the once king of aftermarket CPU coolers, has added another case to their Z series of gaming and enthusiast mid-tower cases. The Z9 Neo is a mid-tower case that pairs a simple design with useful aesthetics all while trying to maintain an affordable price tag.

The Zalman Z9 Neo comes in two colors, black and white. In this review, I’ll be taking a look at the white version of this case. Arguably the more attractive version of the two available options, the Z9 Neo White hopes to throw it’s hat into the affordable mid-tower arena.

Unlike it’s predecessors in the Z-series line, the Z9 Neo comes with a full length front panel door. Now if your old school, as I am, you probably shutter at the mere mention of a computer case having a door. But over the years, especially with the rise in digital mediums and digital distribution, I find myself using 5.25″ drives less and less. So cases with doors have become attractive again, as they are pleasing to the eye and still offer the option of having a couple of 5.25″ bay devices at your disposal. In this article, Benchmark Reviews dives in deep to determine if this case is a worthy contender for your money.

The Zalman Z9 Neo White is marketed as a silent mid-tower that features sound dampening and water cooling compatibility all without sacrificing airflow. Z9 Neo White is currently sold online for $79.99 (Amazon | NewEgg). Airflow is achieved through the 5 system fans that come standard on the case as well as direct path cooling for the power supply.

The Zalman Z9 Neo White features an acrylic window, a sound dampened front door, and some modern styling choices along its edges that includes ventilation, two-tone color scheme, as well as an angled top mounted front I/O panel.

Open the front, sound dampened door, and it reveals a large, 2x120mm front grill. Unfortunately while the grill does have mesh behind it, it does not filter incoming air. One of the points Zalman claims on this case is that it is a “filtered” case. While the direct path power supply on the bottom of the case is filtered, the front is not. Since the main front intake is technically a side intake, then the lack of filter may have been to not further restrict airflow to the inside of the case.

The right side of the Z9 Neo White features an acrylic window on the door, as well as more ventilation along the top of the case just above the side panel.

The rear of the case comes with vented PCI slot covers, a 120mm fan, more ventilation next to the PCI slots, and of course an I/O panel. Although not shown in the above photo, the side panels are secured using thumbscrews.

The bottom of the case features a dust filter for the power supply, rubber feet, as well as some additional mounting holes, presumably for mounting a pump or reservoir for you custom water loop, assuming it would fit and you remove the HDD cage.

On top of the case, sits a raised white panel that has a removable smoked acrylic cover. This area houses the two top blue led exhaust fans that are included. Removal of the smoked acrylic piece is to increase airflow if so desired.

The front I/O panel is mounted at the top of the front door, and features a square, halo lit power switch, a small reset button, microphone/headphone terminals, as well as two halo lit USB 2.0 ports, and two halo lit USB 3.0 ports. Zalman has even included four USB rubber inserts to keep dust and debris out of your ports.

Looks like Zalman tried to give the end user a little bit of everything with this case. Removable 5.25″ bays, PSU/HDD cover, and liquid cooling support, all while maintaining an entry level price point.

Included with the Zalman Z9 Neo White is the standard bag of goodies: owner’s manual, screws, standoffs, zip ties, as well as some additional thumb screws.

Inside the right side panel, with the nicely painted matte black finish, you’ll notice the PSU/HDD cover or “sash” as Zalman calls it. The “sash” completely covers and isolates the power supply and the HDD cages. While PSU covers are not uncommon, this one adds in ventilation holes at the front to aid in cooling the HDD cages.

By relocating the HDD cages to the bottom of the case instead of directly underneath the 5.25″ trays, the Zalman Z9 Neo White can accommodate up to a 420mm video card. The two front and/or top fans can be removed and a 240mm radiator installed, but installing a radiator in the front will reduce the amount of available headroom for your video card. Zalman did, however, precut slots into the front panel to aid in installing your front radiator. You will also notice that there are two SSD mounting locations on the back wall just behind the front 120mm fans. The orientation and the way the holes are cut into the case, it is implied that the SSDs are to mount on the inside and not on the back of the motherboard tray, however, I’m sure the case can accommodate it in either location with just a slight bit of modification.

With the left side panel removed, we can see that Zalman did think about cable management in the Z9 Neo White. Multiple rubber grommets, zip tie and/or velcro tie down locations, should make cable management a breeze in the Z9 Neo White. The Zalman ZM1000-EBT 1000W PSU pictured above, measures 180mm and fits inside the sash with plenty of room to spare for your cabling. Anything much more in length however, might make things a bit tight between the PSU and the HDD cage especially if utilizing a fully modular power supply.

The two 5.25″ bays are removable by removing two screws on the inside, as well as a single screw per tray on the left side of the case. This aids in making the inside of the case more customizable in the event that you want to install a custom water loop.

Measuring the amount of space between the edge of the case and ZM1000 PSU comes to about 13mm or roughly 1/2″. It is worth noting, however that the PSU pokes out a bit beyond the back wall of the motherboard tray. The measurement between the edge of the motherboard wall and the inside edge of the case is about 17mm or 0.66″, thus yielding plenty of room for cable management.

Custom water cooling loops in this case should be fairly straight forward. With the options for a 240mm radiator in the front, 240mm in the top, you should be able to easily cool a CPU and a GPU. That being said, pump location and reservoir location would need to be something you plan out before buying this case, as there is not any pump/res specific mounting points in the case. It is worth noting that I feel this case could easily accommodate a 360mm radiator in the front (with the 5.25″ trays removed) with very little modding.

For those of you who like to utilize AIO (all-in-one) liquid coolers, such as the Corsair H100i, then this case would work very well and be an easier installation. You could easily mount a 240mm AIO in the top, and still have room for a liquid cooled GPU, such as the AMD FuryX or the upcoming FuryX2 and mount the radiator in the front.

Performance wise, given the number of fan mount locations, options for radiators, option to remove one or more 5.25″ bay, this case could easily perform as your gaming rig/everyday PC. The only thing that perplexed me is the front intakes on the sides, I feel that they are not large enough and would hinder airflow. Perhaps larger vents, similar to those on the Corsair Carbide Quite 400Q, would alleviate the problem.

Appearance wise the Z9 Neo White may not be for everybody, it has a modern, edgy look that not everyone will find attractive. It does come in black as well, so if white is not the color for you, you have another option. I, on the other hand, really like the aesthetics of this case and find the white to be a welcomed break from the normal black cases that we see so much of. It does have a door, which I’m sure some will find unforgivable, but keep in mind that most users are using bay devices less and less these days, so the door helps keep the front of the case looking clean. It is worth noting that the front door has a glossy finish, while the rest of the case has a matte finish.

Construction for this case is what you’d expect in a sub $80 case. However, the case does feel solid, the side panels fit perfectly, and the front door doesn’t feel like it will fall off on it’s own. The side panels feel strong and don’t flex, a big plus for an entry level chassis. That being said, the internal 5.25″ drive trays are really flimsy, clearly relying on the drive itself for structural integrity. While that is unfortunate, it is not a deal breaker as there is still plenty of support to hold the 5.25″ drive securely.

The Zalman Z9 Neo White functions very well as an entry level Mid-Tower case that features water cooling support and 5 fan mount locations. It should be able to handle AIOs very easily or a custom water loop. For a custom water loop, as with non water cooling cases, you may find that you need to mod a few things here and there, but it’s definitely doable and wouldn’t be too difficult.

In terms of value, this case is on par with similarly spec’d entry level mid-towers, such as the Define S ($79.99). However, at the time of this review, there was a $10 manufacturer rebate, bringing this case into the sub $70 arena, making it a great value for what you’re getting. Find Zalman’s Z9 Neo White online for $79.99 (Amazon | NewEgg).

I recommend this case for anyone looking for a moderately priced, full featured mid-tower case. While I feel that the craftsmanship could have been better, the price and features are hard to beat. Strong side panels, a very nice white finish, and the expandability options for this case, should make it a definite contender for your money.

+ Properly fitting side panels
+ Removable front panel
+ Removable 5.25″ bays
+ Lightweight
+ Black and white color scheme
+ Front I/O located on top
+ It has a door
+ PSU/HDD cover for aesthetics

– Flimsy 5.25″ drive trays
– Sound dampening is only on a small portion of the front door, nowhere else
– Polished finish on the front door, but matte finish on the rest (to some this is a con)
– Lack of easy removal of the PSU/HDD cover (“sash”)

• Performance: 9.00
• Appearance: 9.50
• Construction: 8.50
• Functionality: 8.50
• Value: 9.50

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

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