Corsair Air 540 or Zalman Z9 U3?

[djeyewater]

I'm trying to decide on a case, and have narrowed it down to these two (though if anyone wants to suggest a different model they think would suit my needs better, go ahead). Main things I'm looking for are cooling and low noise.

Both cases have front vents for good airflow through the case and good reviews.

Most likely I will stick the machine in an open backed wooden shelving unit that has space either side of it to allow for good airflow in the front and out the back. (But bad airflow in the top and sides). The Zalman I'd probably lay on its side, rack style, if that makes any difference.

At the moment I'm leaning towards the Zalman due to its smaller size and fan speed control. (I had fan speed controls on my current case and found it very useful for adjusting between noise / cooling). The extra 5 inch bay and lower cost are also both positives. And quite a few reviews seem to mention the case being quiet, which I didn't notice so much in the Air 540 reviews.

The main positive for the Air 540 is the larger size for fitting everything in. I'll be using a Noctua NH-D15(s), which only just fits in the Z9 (from what I've read).

I haven't been able to find any comparisons between these two cases, as I said, I'm mainly interested in noise and cooling performance, so thought I'd ask here to get some more opinions. If anyone knows of reviews that compare these two cases with the same (or similar) setups for noise and cooling, that would be very helpful!

Cheers

 

[Newbian]

The problem is the zalman is your normal desktop case while the air 540 is a cube case with different compartments.

You can always get a fan controller for the air 540 if that's a concern for you but it will be extra.

I wouldn't recommend laying a normal desktop case like the zalman on it's side as they are designed to bring in the cool air from the bottom and for the heat to rise for where their exhaust fans are.

If you have the space for it the air 540 is a great large case and even more so if you need to for the space to water cool otherwise the zalman would be fine also and a decent amount cheaper but if you can get the air 540 for under $100 as it is often you could go either way.

If you don't mind spending twice as much for the air 540 go that way but either case will work probably.

 

[Hendrickson]

I just finished my latest build in an Air 540.

I wouldn't say its a particularly quiet case, but if you get a fan controller, or have good fan controller software with your motherboard you will be ok.

I would say it's one of the best cases I have worked with, and I think you will be extremely happy with it. I've never worked with the Zalman case, but I've looked at it in person before. I don't think it's really on the same level as the Corsair case for build quality or ease of setup. I also think you might have some issues laying the Zalman on its side.

 

[djeyewater]

Thanks for the replies both. It sounds like my best bet might be to go with the Corsair, then swap out the fans for some Noctuas if it's too noisy. Software fan control will be fine with me, I'll have to check the mobo I was looking at supports it. I can't use a 5" bay fan controller as I will need both the bays for hotswaps. I did see some rear PCI slot fan controllers on eBay for cheap, but I'm guessing they probably wouldn't be any good.

 

[rchunter]

I just got rid of a corsair air 540. One of the hot swap bays kept going out on me. I would sometimes boot up and find one of my drives missing. Also the front usb i/o panel went bad.
Also not too happy about the lack of dust filters, etc, etc... I could go on but I won't. Overall a cheap piece of junk case.... Switched everything over to a fractal design xl r2 and couldn't be happier.

 

[ReignQuake]

The Corsair is good, I have the white one. The included fans are great. I have the build in my signature in there, I actually upgraded/downgraded from a custom liquid cooling accident in a huge huge case. I'm happy.

The front dust filter works but if you live in a really dusty environment then Demcifilter makes individual filters and complete filter packs to cover every entrance/exit on your case, actually for almost any case. They're excellent and easy to deal with.

 

[Valantar]

(though if anyone wants to suggest a different model they think would suit my needs better, go ahead)

For that, you'd need to specify your needs I'm afraid

Now, from reading a little bit, neither case sounds optimal to me. You say you prioritize cooling and noise, yet you pick out one case that's essentially open-air (the Corsair), which means essentially zero sound dampening, and one that has only a single front intake (yes, there's room for one in the bottom, but that just means you suck in more dust) - by 2017 standards, that's pretty lackluster.

You mention extra 5.25" bays as a plus. How many do you need? Which components do you need to fit (both in terms of space and cooling)? Do you plan to use any of the side intakes on the Zalman, if you buy that?

 

[djeyewater]

Coming back to this, as I still haven't got a case yet (keep getting outbid for the air 540 on ebay), but have most of the other components on order or already received. The 5.25" bays are needed for SATA hot swaps. I want at least two hot swaps, though three would be better. Three 5.25" bays lets me use 3 cheap single hotswap bays, whereas for a case with only 2 bays (like the Air 540) I'd need to use a much more expensive trayless backplane for 3 hotswaps. I already have 1 cheap hotswap bay as well.

As I mentioned in my original post, the main large item is the NH-D15s CPU cooler. I don't think the other components are that important since they're all pretty standard and should fit in all ATX cases, but they are: Asus Prime Pro X370 mobo, 2x 2.5" SSDs, 1 3.5" spinny HDD, Quadro M2000, probably a GeForce 1070 as well, though not a big one.

If I went for the Zalman, I probably wouldn't use the side intakes, just the front, back, and top.

 

[bonehead123]

For air flow and build possibilities, you really can't beat the 540. Check my rig in my sig for an example, which is strictly air-based, but with the gobs of room inside, could easily have been water, either AIO or custom built....

And with the right number of fans, set to run at moderate speeds (600-800rpm), you won't really have a noise issue. The only time I notice any fan noise is when I do seriously heavy multi-tasking stuff, which is only about 25% of my usage scenario...

I've never used a Zalman case, but have seen several of them in person, and haven't seen anything particularly good or bad about them, nor anything that screamed "buy me" either.
I'm sure they are fine, but obviously I prefer my 540 more

 

[EXCellR8]

+1 on the 540. bought the silver version at the end of 2015. great case.

specs are in my sig