Case Deep Dive: Zalman S2, My personal Favorite Budget Case
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- Опубликовано: 17 сен 2024
- It's cheap, looks good (to me) and has good airflow, so what's not to love?
Well, it's not perfect, so let's talk about it!
Zalman's past "indiscretions" • Zalman CNPS20X CPU Coo...
love the video, you gave great detail on the Zalman S2 and the build overall is nice, great job on the information and build with the Zalman S2.
Much appreciated!
Haven’t built a computer in over 10 years but started getting back into computers and want to build a pc. I keep adding parts to wishlists and stuff but never buy anything but decided to get started and ordered the first part today and it’s this same case
I luv this case. Bought it off Amazon 6/20 for the price you recommend (put a review and pics there as well). Clear panel is kinda cheaply made but functional so not a big deal. Mouting opening for CPU a little bit of PITA, best served by flat cables. Definitley recommend building with a Mirco MOBO on this case and not ATX. I found mouting a fan to top of PSU shroud made zero difference to temps. I agree with you, this is not a case for AIO mounting. I did not find the break a way PCIE expansion slot covers to be bad at all and I was not of fan of them beforehand but this case had too many other positives to pass up. Has lots of tie down points on backside of the case. Be aware: the Zalman fans that come with this case are NOT serviceable at all bc they DO NOT have a removeable plug under the seal. I checked this out last night after watching a RUclips video where a European fellas basically broke the fan from it's mounting trying to lube it.
@Green Mamba Games glad you like it like do. At the time I bought it, there was a case shortage, now look where we are....SMH
One thing I have grown to NOT like about it, is it's not designed for anything other than a 120mm AIO.
@Green Mamba Games also, a few months ago, the blue LED pwr light stopped working (unusual I know, for an LED). Not a big deal-since I don't use an HDD, I removed the pwr light leads and replaced them with the red HDD pwr light leads, so now I have a red pwr light instead of a blue one.
The PC I'm buying, with an i5 12400F and RTX 3060 Ti, is coming in this case, so I hope it does well
how'd it go?
@@whorifiied Drastically different PC than the one I was planning at that time (in a good way). The CPU and GPU are still the same (just a much better model of the 3060 Ti), but other than that, everything else is different than I originally planned (ROG STRIX MBO, G.SKILL TRIDENT Z RGB 32GB RAM, 1TB SAMSUNG SSD, CORSAIR 650W PSU, ARCTIC i35 ARGB) and most noticably, the case is much better and flashier than this one (MSI MPG SEKIRA 100R).
Really happy with it! Had it for over 2 years now and it's still great! 😀
I am going to be building my first gaming PC and I ordered this case. I paid $52. It had a lot of good reviews and it seams to be able to serve its function as good as cases that cost twice as much. I know very little about the PC world but am planning to learn as I go. I am not going for looks, I am a strictly performance based kinda guy. Just looking at the case I was hoping to add 2 exhaust fans blowing air out of the top, a third intake fan at the bottom of the front and 2 intake fans on the bottom. I was thinking I could use the magnetic filter from the top and use it on the bottom since it seems would do more good there. But like I said, I am a newbie to the PC world and most of my mechanical knowledge comes from building my Jeep Wrangler. So I guess it's like comparing apples to deer antlers.
Easy to mount, revmove the stanoffs in this with a 3/16" nut driver. No need to crank down, just turn until resistance.
I like your choice of PSU as well.
This man would have over 100k subs if he still posted
this case is so nice I first seen that psu style hiding spot I think called shroud late last year I just found out this month it's called a psu shroud It looks so cool
I never seen a case where the drives can be hidden so good it looks like it's not one installed in it it's like everything is in the back thats real good for cable management and it looks like it's easy to clean cause of the material of the case
Those are all good reasons why it's my favorite budget case!
@@solidstatealchemy9080 how is the dust perfomance is it real good
@@cmoneytheman I would say it's "better than average."
Since it has lots of front surface area it does trap a lot of dust on the front face, but it is very easy to remove and clean.
@@solidstatealchemy9080 u been a good help right now I gotta classic haf 912 but its outdated I didnt know it was until I seen other cases dont use metal no more or have a spot to put a DVD drive in
I bought this case. I plan to make a System swap of my second PC into this case. The reason for this is that I helped a friend to upgrade his PC and saved his old still functioning hardware from becoming E-Waste by taking it. This older hardware will then be build into my old case and I place the PC into my sport room for watching YT during workout.
PS Good that I ordered a three pack of better fans too.^^
Built my first pc last week and used this case. Wish I had seen this video before hand, it would have help with the build. Love this case. Cable management was easy as it was a simple build and most of cables were hidden in the spots you mentioned. Cpu power cord was a tight fit (had to take mobo off when I realized it had to go threw top hole. Today I ordered 3 case fans (120mm) to get better air flow as gpu is running a little hot. Hopefully I don't need the 2 fans that go at the bottom. I was wondering why you didn't break off brackets in the back and install the covers with the perforations as it would help with airflow.
Is it possible to move the fan from the back to the bottom front position, and then install a nicer/rgb fan in the back?
Yes, it should be held in place by two screws you can take out. Then remount with the same screws.
i had this case bought years ago, i just pulled it off the shelf to maybe build something. your videos are great dude, you should get back to making videos for youtube. Zalman products are great honestly, it's much higher quality than the usual cheap chinese crap.
you are right power cable is pretty tight due to its design.
still, its a great budget case
착한 말해줘서 고마워
Tried to use it with 240mm AIO. Nowhere to mount that made sense- either rhe GPU, power switch wires in the way, or the pump was above the rad like you said. If you want to use AIO don't cheap out on the case!
It was helpful. Thank you very much.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this review. Please keep making videos. I see potential here. Not bad with the commentary.
Only criticism I have is to refrain from valley girl talk or uptalking but it's not as bad as 99% of game/PC youtubers.
If you're gonna do commentary, at least sound sure of yourself.
great video as always man
Appreciate it!
After watching the top of the case you presented, I'd argue you can mount 240mm radiator water cooling system. The positioning of mounting holes is suggesting that.
If your motherboard has no heatsinks on the upper VRM and you have a VERY flexible CPU power connector... Maybe.
the video says this is a ZalmanS3 review but its actually just a ZalmanS2
Thanks Cesar! I finally got around to fixing the thumbnail.
Can someone help me Just got Zalman S5 white the front led strip dosent work and The Fan at the back is spinning but No rgb comming from it! Please i really need help
The back fan has no RGB.
I am from Greece. Here i read reviews that dust goes all in. Are they correct ? If so i wonder if i could add aftermarket dust filters from aliexpress. Will they work or airflow goes away in this case ? Also where should i add a front filter? Behing coolers? Are the coolers noisy and can i change them ? Btw nice video mate.
@Green Mamba Games wow thanks!
How do y’all install that power cable 4 pin thing I’m so stuck on that
Great video man!
I couldn't find any info about these included fans, not even on the official site, it just says 120mm fan. Any body know rpm, airflow values, how much dB and pin connector type?
I just purchased this case for a future build but spent $60.00😞
It's still a good value at that price, don't be sad.
I may have glossed over this, but how do you remove the hard drive/sdd holder? I’m not able to fit my power supply in with it, and the screws in the holder don’t look like they can be removed.
Great review!
Nice case bro
Can this also work with an micro atx motherboard?
Yes
I have the same case. All worked fine, I had blue light when the PC was on, however, since few days ago I only have a red light on top of the case. Does anyone know what red/blue light indicates?
thanks
i cant get my side panel off. the bolts are circular in the middle and i dont have a screw driver that can get them out. What tool is needed for their removel?
nvm we chillin i got it
10:50 NEVER put your AIO cable beneath your pump...
Subbed. Loved the video :)
Awesome, thank you!
Seems like the price keeps going up as i just grabbed this for $65 an i think i should have grabbed something else for $30 more or so. I had planned to put MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK motherboard, Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM, Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 80+ Gold 600W PSU, AMD Ryzen™ 7 5700X 8-Core CPU and RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC 12GB GDDR6. I am not sure on what CPU cooler to get or 2 top fans / good replacements. I dont care about RGB at all really. Im hoping this all works out as i desperately need a upgrade
how difficult is it to install the third fan on the bottom of the front of the s2 case. My son is getting this case and 6 argb fans for christmas.
Sorry I missed this comment Matt. The entire front fascia comes off so it's all very accessible.
How do you remove the part to fit the outputs for video cards? Do they just snap out?
Yes
good morning has space for a liquid cooler
2 problems you can't use back-top fan because touch cpu power cable and vrm heatsink I have to mount it with cableties , you cant't use botom fans if you use ATX mother board again touch the usb3, usb 2 , resset, sata ... cables.
Hi, can you let me know what model motherboard you're using?
@@solidstatealchemy9080 asrock b450m pro4
@@TheStatge ah, yes. Most times mATX motherboards have to cram so much stuff into a small footprint, and they shove the VRMs out to the edges *inline with the mounting holes. An ATX motherboard with more room for components would probably get that top heatsink and power connector much farther into the body of the board and would clear the fan.
talk about that Schiit amp stack behind you...
Will an EATX motherboard fit in this case? (Asus maximus viii extreme 305x272)
Nope
help Wich screwdriver do I use
Thank you for the video! I am using this case for my new build (i5-12400f, 6600xt and MB= Gigabyte B660M Gaming). I am new to cable management and want to do a good job. Do I want to route any of the power cables from the PSU through the holes in the back panel before I mount the motherboard?
The only one you need to put thru the top is the cpu power cord. Hope this helps for anyone in the future.
How did the build go?
@@davidibalio7217 It went very well. I love the case.
@@ILoveMyBGE did you use an atx motherboard?
@@davidibalio7217 My Motherboard is B660M GAMING X AX DDR4. I believe this a micro ATX if memory serves
how good is the airflow
very good. I've used some fire breather gpus in it and they stay under control.
Upgrading fans to Noctua or BEQuiet would only make it better.
@@solidstatealchemy9080 I looked up my board I dont think it would work with it its nowhere on the list
Which board?
@@solidstatealchemy9080 g1 assassin x79
In this video EATX motherboard?
No just ATX
Hello, please tell me, can I put two fans on top?
yes, 2 120mm fans can go in the top no problem.
@@solidstatealchemy9080 thank you for your help!
I have same case
how many pins have the fan cables ?
1 x 3pin and 2 x molex fans, the two at the front or molex and the one in the rear is a 3 pim
@@DemsterDog does the molex fans have 3 pin as well? for fan controller?
@@zentar2646No, the 2 molex fans didn't have a three pin connector
@@DemsterDog oh ok thanks!
@@zentar2646 No problem!
Hello, what do you think about zalman N5 MF?
Hmm, doesn't look like it's available in my market yet. I would love to take a look at it as it looks like a solid option for air cooling. Just looking at pics I can tell using watercooling and AIOs is going to be tough for fitment.
@@solidstatealchemy9080 thx, i Wanna buy it or Zalman R2 what you think witch one will be better ?
@@gman3559 I do not recommend the R2, very restricted airflow.
@@solidstatealchemy9080 ok, thx for response. What did you recomend to buy Zalman N5 MF? It is not slim metal ?
@@gman3559 If you are only air cooling (and it is available in your area) the N5 MF looks very nice. Otherwise the S2 and S3 mesh front are good options.
If you're watercooling, I don't recommend Zalman.
I have this case and DO NOT GET IT. It’s a terrible case to build in the quality of the glass is terrible and scratches so easy. Save an extra $40-$50 and get any different case.
Is the triangle on the glass meant to be facing down?