In the event you observe PC parts, you have in all probability heard the identify Tremendous Flower earlier than—however related, we wager, with PC energy provides. Of late, the corporate has damaged into different classes of PC parts, and we’re a fan of certainly one of its early PC case efforts. The curiously named Zillion Direct ($149.99 as examined) would not characteristic one to the millionth energy of something, however this large tower delivers first rate worth with 4 ARGB followers put in, a fan controller within the field, and a beautiful, strong chassis physique coated in copious mesh and perforations for plenty of airflow. (Tremendous Flower additionally affords a $129.99 model with out the followers.)
One word: The corporate knowledgeable us, after sending our pattern, that the model of the Zillion Direct that reaches consumers will likely be barely revised to assist thicker radiators. Thus, we “revised” ours to match previous to testing. We predict you’ll just like the outcomes. Our prime general-use decide for ATX towers stays the NZXT H7 Flow, however the Zillion Direct has a particular look and good airflow-minded design that ought to please most builders keen to look past the massive manufacturers.
Design: One other Wonderful Mesh You have Gotten Me Into
No, it is not a zillion of them (not that we counted), however the Zillion Direct is roofed with so many tiny holes that we are able to see by way of its metal facet panel with out even counting on lighted parts to breach the shadow of the metal that is still. This sample, so finely perforated that it resembles a sheer window curtain, virtually completely defines the case’s design, except for a small, irregular-angled accent panel within the higher proper nook of its face to draw the attention. It’s in any other case a conventional mid-tower form of the same old proportions. The strong edges give it the considerably sturdy, stolid look of a mid-market mannequin.
The “entrance panel” ports are on the correct facet of the highest panel’s entrance edge. Tremendous Flower shapes its reset and LED controller buttons, cleverly, to parallel the oval USB Sort-C port and the spherical headphone/microphone combo jack close by. Different highlighted options embrace two USB Sort-A ports, an also-oval aluminum-faced energy button (it has a power-indicator LED shining by way of a slit), extra of that ultra-fine vent sample on the highest panel rearward of those buttons and connectors, and a tactile sample on the highest fringe of the entrance cowl’s detachable mud filter cowl that tells you the place to grip and pull.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
A second mud filter covers the whole backside panel and slides out from the facet, although it suits so tightly in its observe that you simply may need to put the case on its facet to get the filter to slip again in straight. Additionally, in contrast to the filter on the entrance panel, this one isn’t certain to an ornamental mesh magnificence cowl and will due to this fact be washable.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
Across the again are seven inset growth slots, a flush-mounted exhaust fan, and a detachable power-supply mounting plate. Eager eyes will discover that a few of the again panel’s vent holes (subtly interspersed within the mesh sample) are spherical and organized in patterns to suit both a 140mm or a 120mm fan at two totally different heights. Mounting screws do not maintain on the facet and prime panels; as a substitute, Tremendous Flower makes use of snap balls on the prime and hook tabs on the backside for the facet panels, whereas the highest is secured solely through snaps.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
You must use mounting screws for the power-supply bay, nonetheless, because the case’s inside design necessitates sliding within the energy provide from the again. Additionally discover the screw above the facility provide’s mounting plate: The slot panel could also be eliminated and rotated to assist a graphics card mounted in vertical orientation, if desired, although you’ll need to buy a PCI Specific x16 riser cable individually.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
As a result of the correct facet of the case can also be largely mesh, Tremendous Flower provides builders an ornamental underlying cowl for the ahead half of the correct facet, behind which they’ll cover most of their cables. Nearer to the case again, the house not shrouded by that cowl holds a drive tray that may host one 3.5-inch or two 2.5-inch drives. (It is mounted over the CPU cooler cutaway.) Additionally again listed here are two separate drive trays that may every host a 2.5-inch or a 3.5-inch drive.
The beneath side-by-side additionally reveals the entrance panel’s middle part eliminated (the left picture), and the whole front-panel body eliminated (on the correct).
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
There’s sufficient room for a 360mm-format radiator as much as 48mm thick inside the body or as much as 32mm thick fully behind it, however utilizing that house as configured requires you to position the followers on the again facet of the radiator. Most builders as a substitute desire to have their entrance followers on the surface of their radiators, blowing in.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
Trying in from the opposite facet we see a factory-mounted horizontal video-card assist bracket and a bunch of additional threaded holes that enable the bracket to be moved round to accommodate totally different card sizes. Additionally up here’s a concealment cowl over the vertical cable passage close to the entrance of the motherboard tray, and a 30mm hole behind the entrance fan bracket, into which the decrease manufacturing facility fan is mounted.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
The curved, arcing slot that you simply may need beforehand seen beneath the again of the motherboard tray is designed for adjusting an element referred to as the “GPU Deflector Wind.” (It is a GPU air router.) Above it’s a small panel that creates a giant gap when eliminated.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
Right here’s an image with the large gap open, and the air duct raised…
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
And right here’s an image with the duct lowered…
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
Not solely does this direct extra of the entrance fan’s air towards the graphics card, nevertheless it additionally opens the house behind the fan bracket to suit radiators as much as 58mm thick. Tremendous Flower additionally features a plastic backing cowl to dam the duct holes, for individuals who would really like extra of the entrance fan’s air to be guided upward, towards their graphics card.
Right here’s what the case appears stripped (the holes for mounting EATX standoffs are on the eliminated portion of the motherboard tray)…
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
Under are the elements we eliminated for the above photograph. Along with having threaded holes for the additional standoffs of 13-inch-deep boards, the detachable portion of the motherboard tray features a cable-passage cowl that have to be eliminated to suit motherboards larger than 10.4 inches deep. But additionally discover the top-panel fan mount within the higher left nook: That’s not prone to be included within the shipped product.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
And so, right here’s the image of the highest panel, with its mesh outer cowl eliminated, as we obtained it. Discover that it has two layers of fan brackets, with the decrease layer sitting on a pop-out tray that’s secured on the surface through two tabs and two screws. A few locator pegs preserve it correctly positioned on the prime of the motherboard tray on the other (internal) edge.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
The inset (white case) photograph reveals the change Tremendous Flower tells us it has made to the retail product: It’s ditching the detachable tray and relying as a substitute on the fastened fan mounts to, as representatives stated, present assist for thicker radiators. We drew inexperienced arrows on our personal photograph to focus on the peak distinction that Tremendous Flower was speaking about and famous that the mounting hole is just 392mm lengthy, which is just a few millimeters too brief to suit most 360mm radiators
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
Constructing With the Tremendous Flower Zillion Direct
The Zillion Direct’s set up equipment features a fan/ARGB controller, a chunk of double-sided adhesive foam to mount the controller, a motherboard sign cable for the controller, the GPU air deflector cowl, and a boxed {hardware} equipment containing screws, standoffs, cable ties, and a panel plug. The Zillion Direct’s slot panel is rectangular, and the plug is designed to fill the hole that’s created at any time when a builder rotates the panel to allow a vertical graphics card orientation.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
Supporting as much as six followers and 6 ARGB gadgets, the fan controller can also be in a position to take management alerts from the motherboard’s PWM-fan and ARGB headers. We tried each strategies and in addition famous that customers who’ve misplaced the bundled controller distant can nonetheless swap to motherboard sync mode by merely holding within the LED management button on the case’s prime panel.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
As for the inside cables, they embrace the front-panel button/indicator LED group, HD Audio for the headset combo jack, a 19-pin USB 3 header cable for the 2 USB Sort-A ports, and a Gen 2×2 lead for the Sort-C port.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
We reinstalled all of the detachable items and moved the factory-installed consumption followers to the entrance facet of the entrance fan bracket. Why? What Tremendous Flower instructed us in regards to the prime panel supporting thick radiators on this configuration is true, however because the picture reveals we actually didn’t want 70mm of vertical motherboard clearance for our 52mm-thick cooler. The 57mm of house that might have been left with the tray put in nonetheless would have been greater than enough.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
Even with the entrance followers reinstalled nearer to the entrance panel, they’re nonetheless extra deeply inset than they’ve been on a lot of the instances we’ve beforehand examined. And that’s positive for us, as a result of we expect it appears nice.
(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)
Testing the Tremendous Flower Zillion Direct
Here is a rundown of the check elements we used…
The Zillion Direct’s temperature outcomes hover at round fourth place out of six equally formed case samples, amongst them the APNX V1, Lian Li’s Lancool 207, and SilverStone’s Fara 514X.
Though it doesn’t have glass panels to dam the noise, the Zillion Direct strikes as much as second place in noise containment. That is spectacular, contemplating the 4 included followers and all of the perforations.
Verdict: A Strong Entry From a New Face in Instances
The Zillion Direct doesn’t stand out as both a great- or poor-performing case in our formal thermal assessments, so our consideration standards are decreased to its characteristic set and to harder-to-quantify issues like construct high quality. We famous in its assessment that the Tryx Luca L70’s panels may slide off by chance, which looks as if a extra vital downside than the Zillion Direct’s sticky sliders for its backside filter. The Geometric Future M5 Vent’s quirky design makes it practically inconceivable to match from a high quality standpoint, and each the Lian Li Lancool 207 and the SilverStone Fara 514X are in a barely cheaper price class that helps to justify their barely much less sturdy supplies.
That leaves the APNX V1 because the Zillion Direct’s closest competitor in high quality on this comparability set. It’s additionally the case with the least in frequent with the Zillion Direct’s design, so most individuals contemplating certainly one of these in all probability aren’t giving the opposite a re-evaluation. A lot of the enchantment of the Zillion Direct comes right down to the 4 preinstalled followers and the copious airflow made potential by all of the perforations. As ever, if you happen to just like the look, that could be the massive difference-maker. However both approach, the Zillion Direct is a decent worth from a brand new maker that clearly put loads of thought into what makes a case nice.
Like What You are Studying?
This article might include promoting, offers, or affiliate hyperlinks.
By clicking the button, you verify you’re 16+ and comply with our
Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy.
Chances are you’ll unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
About Thomas Soderstrom
Contributor
