Review on Zalman Z3 M ATX 💻 Tower Computer: A Compact and Powerful Machine by Adam Mielczarek ᠌

Name: Zalman Z3 M ATX 💻 Tower Computer: A Compact and Powerful Machine
Item: Zalman Z3 M ATX 💻 Tower Computer: A Compact and Powerful Machine
Rating: 4

May 13, 2023

I like the product, the quality did not disappoint.

A good case, but with “jambs”, which is not critical for such a price. I've outlined the pros and cons, and I'll list a few more features below.
As for the extra support bar. My video card with a width of 133 mm does not allow it to be installed, because the bar is strongly bent inside the case (see photo 5) and rests against the video card. Moreover, for a normal installation under such a video card, the bend should be 2 centimeters less. So for more or less wide video cards, complete support is a useless thing.
A cooler with a height of 156 mm is installed, there is a small margin, 160 mm will also fit, but this is already the maximum.
The drive cage can interfere with very long and thick graphics cards. But my rather massive graphics card with dimensions WxHxT: 285x133x58 mm fit. If it were a little longer and thicker, there would be problems (see 6 photos)
Dust filters "for show", have a large mesh, are not installed everywhere, but it's better than nothing. In front, the role of filters is performed by thin foam pads.
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Pros

+ Workmanship: I don’t know who complains about the thickness of the metal, I don’t bend anything, the body is moderately hard and not heavy. During assembly, I didn’t scratch or cut anywhere, the processing of the edges was done well. No lingering odor, which you would expect from an inexpensive case. + Excellent case ventilation, allowing you to assemble powerful systems in it. + The kit already comes with 4 coolers (front for blowing, rear and two more for blowing on top). Optionally, you can install another one in front, for blowing the basket with hard drives. + There is a simple speed controller for two fans (two speeds: LOW and HIGH), which is powered by MOLEX. The front fan is powered by the same connector. As a result, the case fans take up only one slot on the motherboard (the one that is SYS_FAN), which is very useful for further upgrades. + There is a basket for installing 4 hard drives through a sled and one SSD. This basket will not interfere with most video cards (for more details, see the comment). + Places for additional equipment (2 places under 5.25” and one 3.5”). + Presence of a USB 3.0 connector on the front panel

Cons

- Not enough space for wiring. Add literally 5mm and it would be just right, otherwise the lid has to press the protruding wires (see 1 photo) - The hole for the processor power cable is made very low and is almost completely covered by the motherboard. The wire itself crawls through, but you have to lay it before installing the motherboard into the case, keep this in mind (see 2 photos) - The power and reset buttons are flush with the panel, given that they are located on the edge of the system unit, accidental pressing and shutdown / reboot are possible. - The hard drive sled is not tight, it wobbles a little. - Very tight USB 3.0 header (maybe this is just my copy). When removing the block from the motherboard, I tore off its fastening. This is not fatal, everything got back, but still an unpleasant moment (see 3 photos, the black "plug" on the connector is what should be on the motherboard). - One-sided mounting of hard drives (removed from the left side, and connectors from the right), so when replacing, you will have to remove both side walls. - The slots under the SSD mount are made ill-conceived, you can’t get the power wire through them, you have to bend it a lot, instead of passing it through the hole (see 4 photos). - The fans included in the kit (one for intake and 3 for exhaust) create negative pressure inside the case, which potentially leads to increased dust clogging (since air begins to be sucked in from the slots bypassing the filters).