NZXT Whisper

Test Rig

Methodology

Testing cases is another of those odd ones, as the main test of any case, is what features it has, and whether its cooling options are quiet. The features are detailed in the look at the case itself, but individual ones will be looked into during the testing to highlight any problems or particularly innovations we liked.

We also have a rather unique test termed the “strength” test. This involves yours truly standing on said case, and checking how it reacts in terms of flexing. This test is detailed more here.

Results

Strength

I thought I’d start with the most interesting test, the strength test. Fortunately for the NZXT Whisper and me, nothing devastating happened. It did flex a little and seemed a bit wobbly but remained strong. Upon standing on the ports module atop the case, it seemed they are very weak. By shifting all 11 stones of my weight to this, I easily would have broken it.

Cooling and Noise

Like I’ve ranted on earlier in the review, the cooling in this case is an issue which I think NZXT need to look at more closely. Without any intake for the top section, important components such as the CPU, Memory and Graphics Card aren’t getting adequate cooling.

However in terms of noise I was pleasantly surprised it was actually fairly quiet, the foam really helped to dampen vibrations from noisy components. But those 80mm fans still impacted the noise heavily. After removing these, the case was even quieter.

Drive Bays

The 5.25” bays are among the easiest I’ve used. To insta
l a 5.25” drive this is the procedure:

• Twist the drive bay notch until it’s horizontal
• Remove the clip
• Slot the drive in and align the holes with the cases mounting holes
• Install the clip into the correct holes
• Twist the drive bay notch until it’s vertical.

Installing a hard drive in the Whisper is reasonably simple. It’s actually very similar to the method used in Antec cases whereby you slide out the hard drive tray, secure the drive to it and then slot it back in. It’s worth mentioning that the trays have anti vibration plugs installed to dampen vibrations between the drive and the tray.

Cable Management

The cable management system employed in this case is great. Being that it has two sections means it’s very easy to hide cables and with lots of holes dotted about (e.g. in the motherboard tray) means you can route cables in all sorts of nooks and crannies.

Cost

The NZXT Whisper sells for between £95 and £105. For a case of this size, it’s a very tempting price.

Cases