Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 Case Review: You Asked For It, You Got It
by Dustin Sklavos on November 27, 2012 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- quiet
- ATX
- Nanoxia
Introducing the Nanoxia Deep Silence 1
When I reviewed the BitFenix Ghost, some of you requested we take a look at the Nanoxia Deep Silence 1. Nanoxia isn't selling on American shores yet, but there's been a lot of buzz going around about this case, and Nanoxia has been steadily making inroads towards getting it into our hands. If you couldn't tell from the name, the Deep Silence 1 is designed for quiet, efficient running, and in many ways it looks like exactly the case I requested at the end of my review of the Ghost: same principles, just bigger and better.
As it turns out, Nanoxia wanted us to look at the Deep Silence 1 as well. I was initially reluctant as you can't actually buy it in the States yet, but hopefully this review will help change that. While the Deep Silence 1 isn't the grand slam some people make it out to be, it is very close, and demonstrates a real evolution in the way silent cases are designed. So what did this small German firm do with the Deep Silence 1 that makes it so different from other silent cases? A few things, as it turns out.
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In my experience, cases engineered for silent running can oftentimes be chasing the wrong vectors. They're seldom bad cases, but acoustic padding can't make up for efficient airflow, and having to close off ventilation can actually cause more problems than it solves. It's entirely possible to produce a silent, well-ventilated case, but getting the design right means dodging a veritable minefield of decisions that will threaten to undermine your intended goal.
The result, thus far, has been that while cases like the BitFenix Ghost and Corsair Obsidian 550D aren't necessarily bad, with our testbed they've had to expend more effort on trying to smother the noise generated by high fan speeds rather than keeping the components cooler in the first place. Users interested in building a system designed to run quietly will have less trouble (they'll be more apt to use quieter-running parts), but the underlying issue persists, so the question is...was Nanoxia able to do the unthinkable and balance the equation?
| Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 Specifications | ||
| Motherboard Form Factor | Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX, XL-ATX | |
| Drive Bays | External | 3x 5.25" (plus included 5.25"-to-3.5" adapter plate) |
| Internal | 8x 2.5"/3.5" | |
| Cooling | Front | 2x 120mm intake fan |
| Rear | 1x 140mm exhaust fan (compatible with 120mm) | |
| Top | 2x 120mm/140mm fan mount | |
| Side | 1x 120mm/140mm fan mount | |
| Bottom | 1x 120mm/140mm fan mount | |
| Expansion Slots | 8 | |
| I/O Port | 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 1x Headphone, 1x Mic | |
| Power Supply Size | ATX | |
| Clearances | HSF | 185mm |
| PSU | 200mm | |
| GPU | 12.4" / 315mm | |
| Dimensions |
20.35" x 8.66" x 20.94" 517mm x 220mm x 532mm |
|
| Weight | 25 lbs / 11.34 kg | |
| Special Features |
Removable fan filters USB 3.0 via internal header Analog dual-channel fan controller (three fans per channel) Toggleable "chimney" Removable drive cages Acoustic padding on the doors and side panels |
|
| Price | 109 EUR; expected US MSRP between $109-$129 | |
Even just unboxing it, what struck me the most about the Deep Silence 1 is how heavy it is, and that was my first clue that it might be a bit better at its job than some of the other silent cases I've tested. It's appreciably heavier than both the BitFenix Ghost and the Corsair Obsidian 550D due to the use of both the acoustic padding and, frankly, a heavy steel frame. This is not a cheaply built case, and the thicker materials used in its construction should go a long way towards containing noise.
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kevith - Friday, March 8, 2013 - link
Lol! :)ShieTar - Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - link
If the case would be made in germany, the export-cost would be negligible as compared to the 500$ worth of salaries going into the production.Like basically everbody else, Nonoxia are producing in China.
Egg - Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - link
I agree. However, 109 euros is 140 dollars. Selling it for 109 dollars would actually make it cheaper in the US.Death666Angel - Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - link
As far as I know, MSRP for the US is usually without taxes (VAT). While in Germany all prices for consumers are with taxes included. It currently retails for 100€ which is 130 USD incl. taxes and 84€ excl. taxes which translates to 109 USD. Shipping costs will likely be similar from their manufacturer to the respective countries. So 110 to 120 USD sound very plausible, depending on how aggressive they want to pursue the US market.I personally haven't heard from them and I'm from Germany. :D
Grok42 - Thursday, November 29, 2012 - link
I deal with international pricing of our product and you would not believe how much more expensive products have to be in non-US countries because of the government policies. VAT is obviously the largest issue which is typically closer to ~20% and built into the price rather than ~8% in US which most don't even pay if they order on-line. The other biggest price factor is warranty. Germany requires a 2-year warranty while the US only requires a 30-day one. Most manufactures include more in the US and use it as a competitive feature. That isn't really possible in much of the EU and everyone seems to have agreed to price fix and charge a lot for it. We charge roughly 2x the price in the EU as we do in the US between VAT and Warranty. The import duties and shipping are almost the same so they aren't a factor.Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - link
You'll have to take my word on it. I spoke with them about their MSRP and what they were targeting.Azethoth - Friday, October 18, 2013 - link
Amazon price: $105.50Alexvrb - Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - link
Well, in the quiet case department... personally I'm looking to get an Antec Solo II. It's just about perfect. Reasonably priced, too, IMO.MyrddinE - Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - link
I'm still sporting a four year old Antec Sonata case. This might be my replacement. My needs are quiet and spacious, so (unlike Egg) I appreciate a full size Tower without a full size sound.crimson117 - Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - link
Antec Sonata III user here!Buzzing front panel audio when using USB, no room to work inside, no USB 3.0 front panel (as with any older case), and that stupid door are getting pretty old.
It runs well and fairly quiet, but it really heated up when I tried to use dual 6850's.
Nanoxia, bring this one to the USA!