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NZXT Whisper

Published on 7th November 2008 by Harry Butler

Results Analysis

Thermally, the NZXT delivered some pretty disappointing results, and now sits dead last in both our CPU and GPU stress test charts. While we recognise that for the purpose of pure cooling more exhaust fans are better than intakes, it seems the divided nature of the Whisper’s internals has meant that the CPU and GPU are receiving no cool air from the front intake in the lower partition, and performance has suffered as a result.

A good comparison to the NZXT Whisper is the Akasa Mirage 62, a similar case that uses just two 120mm cooling fans, but has both fans in the same enclosure in a front to back ventilation setup. The difference between the two cases of 2°C in our CPU Stress test Delta T should be enough to prove that intake fans really can make a difference, although not on the level that multiple exhaust fans can.

However, we’re perhaps being a little unfair here – the NZXT Whisper is specifically targeted as a low noise case, not a high airflow monster and it’s on this promise that it does deliver. Even with all four fans spinning the case was “Whisper” quiet (Groan –Ed), and while not the absolute quietest case we’ve ever looked at, was still very pleasing to the ears and utterly unintrusive throughout its time on our test benches. In doing what it says on the tin – we have to give it some merit.

Value and Final Thoughts

Our main concern about the internal layout of the case remains, and the lack of airflow through the chassis is certainly something we’d worry about in the long run. We’ve run a few thermal tests on modern graphics cards recently and the current crop of cards – stock cooled Radeon HD 4850 and GTX 280 especially, can get very toasty indeed, much more so than our passively cooled 3850, and due to their active cooler designs are very dependent on a constant supply of cool air.

With absolutely no airflow through the main hardware compartment, we have very real concerns over the Whisper’s ability to cope with modern cards like these. Since it’s big enough to house large hard drive arrays and a full ATX motherboard, we can only assume it’s designed to cope with some serious hardware demands in mind. We wouldn’t relish using this case for that usable model though.

NZXT Whisper Results Analysis and Final Thoughts

Click to enlarge

The case hasn’t exactly been a joy to work with either, with a very cramped internal layout and few of the refinements like a removable motherboard tray or well thought out cable routing that can make building a system a great deal easier.

The exterior is also very uninspiring, with the blank black box looks and poor case door with its tacked on blue lit metal plate, resulting in a case that just looks at best understated but will probably come across just plain boring. While we frequently praise cases for being a blank canvas for modders, here there’s none of the style and finesse we’ve praised in the past – it’s just a featureless black box with a metal triangle and a blue light on the front.

And there’s a pretty hefty price tag involved here too, with the NZXT Whisper currently selling for around £95. In this range there is big competition from the still superlative Antec P182, available now for under £90, which bests the NZXT on literally every front, from build quality, to ease of use to overall performance.

We’ve also recently seen excellent high airflow cases like the HAF 932 (priced a bit higher at £125) become very competitive in the low noise stakes with the use of larger and larger fans meaning blades spin slower, and noise levels drop sharply, while not compromising on airflow.

If we wanted a £90-100 “blank canvas” case – every single time we’d get the Akasa Mirage. The build quality, space and design easily outweigh the extra £10 in cost.

After our time with it, the core build quality is mostly there, but the level of polish and attention to detail you’d see from bigger names like Cooler Master, Lian Li, Akasa or Antec just isn’t. This puts the NZXT in a very tough position, as it’s competing at a price point against higher quality cases from these very manufacturers and that's where it ultimately falls down. For the same money you can get a different case elsewhere with much better build quality, performance (in relation to cooling and noise), looks and features for less money, and it’s for this reason that we can’t really recommend the NZXT Whisper.