Zalman is a company perhaps best known for its CPU coolers, but we’ve reviewed a few of the firm’s cases and came away impressed in the past, particularly with Zalman’s aluminum alloy Z-Machine line. The Z11 Plus HF1 (Hell Fire 1) is a much more affordable case, constructed primarily of steel with a number of plastic accents on the side panels and all-plastic front and top panels.
The major difference we noticed here is the red LED fans (instead of blue). The case’s pair of USB 3.0 ports route to the I/O panel of the motherboard, rather than connect to an internal board header. Happily, Zalman includes a rear expansion bracket with a grommet designed to let these cables pass through the back of the case without looking hodgepodge. Although there’s not much else new about the HF1 flavor, you know what they say about stuff that ain’t broke.
To recap, the Z11 Plus HF1 features a mix of matte black, glossy black, and translucent black plastic on the front and top panels. The translucent plastic does a nice job of diffusing the red light from the three 120mm fans installed in the front, top, and rear panels. The vents on the side panels are more than just decorative; each one houses a slim profile 80mm fan that cools either side of the HDD bay. The left side panel also features a large translucent piece of plastic that not only functions as a window but also raises the CPU cooler clearance by about an inch.
The interior of the Z11 Plus HF1 also offers numerous features that enthusiasts crave, including a convertible 2.5/3.5-inch storage bay for mechanical hard drives and SSDs. There are removable dust filters installed over the two vents in the bottom panel, a larger than average CPU cutout in the motherboard tray, another 2.5-inch SSD bay on the back of the motherboard tray, cutouts along the sides and top of the motherboard tray for routing cables, and a pair of grommeted liquid-cooling ports on the back panel. The HDD bays utilize anti vibration rubber mounts, tool less fastening levers, and thumbscrews so you can swap and rearrange drives without having to stick a screwdriver into the case to secure them.
For less than a hundred bucks, the Zalman Z11 Plus HF1 offers a ton of enthusiast features, classy aesthetics, and room for the best components. If the Z11 Plus caught your eye, this is more of the same, only redder.
Z11 Plus HF1
$89.99 (online)
Zalman
www.zalman.com
Specs: Dimensions: 19.6 x 10.2 x 20.7 inches (HxWxD); Materials: Steel, plastic; Motherboard support: mATX, ATX; Bays: 4 5.25-inch external, 1 3.5-inch external, 5 3.5-inch internal, 1 2.5-inch internal; Fans: 1 120mm red LED front, 1 120mm red LED top, 1 120mm red LED rear, 2 80mm side.
