Nanoxia Deep Silence 2 Case Review: Trimming the Fat
by Dustin Sklavos on February 14, 2013 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- quiet
- ATX
- Nanoxia
Conclusion: The Case So Nice They Made It Twice
It's funny; while reviewing the Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 felt like a revelation, the Deep Silence 2 has left me feeling strangely cold. Make no mistake, the Deep Silence 2 is another excellent case, but it feels like Nanoxia played this one too close to the vest.
The tradeoffs Nanoxia made in engineering the Deep Silence 2 proved mostly to be smart ones, though I continue to lament the loss of the removable drive cages. The DS2 does what a good product often should: offer performance comparable to its predecessor at a lower price. They've trimmed a lot of the fat off of the DS1 while maintaining a pretty high standard of build quality. Like the DS1 before it, the DS2 is a heavy, solidly built case with a nice fit and finish, and it's a welcome change of pace during a time when case manufacturers continue to trim their budgets on building materials.
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Thermal performance is competitive without being exciting, while acoustics are potentially excellent. The DS2 is likely going to be the standard bearer for quiet cases under $100. That assumes Nanoxia hits the price point in the States that they're targeting, much as some of the DS1's success rides on that same factor. Yet the DS2 sells for 89 Euros (and the DS1 for 119), and when looking at how component price tags transfer over to the American dollar, it's not too hard to see them hitting their targets.
At the same time, though, the Deep Silence 2 doesn't really feel different enough from the Deep Silence 1 to really merit a purchase. Yes, you'll be able to save $20, which for some users is going to be worth the tradeoffs. I'm not really a fan of buying a slightly inferior product just to save a paltry sum of money: if you're already this close to the top, why start being stingy? It's like the used games at Gamestop that go for a whole $5 less than new. What's the point?
Getting a case under $100 has a certain cachet to it, though, and that may be enough to justify the existence of the DS2. As I said before, this is by no means a bad enclosure. Quite the opposite, if you want a quiet system it's hard to do much better than the Nanoxia Deep Silence 2 without spending a lot more money. Given the choice between the DS2 and the more feature rich DS1, though, I'd take the Deep Silence 1 every time.
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Blibbax - Thursday, February 14, 2013 - link
The lack of intake filters is an absolute dealbreaker for me. You get front filters on cases that cost £30.Hrel - Thursday, February 14, 2013 - link
Agreed, really sad to see something that costs, for all intents and purposes, nothing be excluded. Hell, take away the bottom one. That's where the PSU goes, why would anyone even put fans there? So close, SO SO close. Happily I'm not building a new desktop until late summer to fall this year. Hopefully my ideal case has been released by someone by then.Haha, probably not though.
kenyee - Thursday, February 14, 2013 - link
Seems to be roughly in the same size/cost/performance class IMHO....Dustin Sklavos - Friday, February 15, 2013 - link
No comparison with the R4 in this review because the R4 consistently performs worse than the DS1. The DS1 is a superior enclosure to the R4, and the DS2 performs roughly on par with the DS1.Hrel - Thursday, February 14, 2013 - link
You REALLY need to do something about your noise floor. 30db is crazy loud. Makes you sound testing only partially usable. Go to a basement with no other equipment. Go to a bedroom. Do SOMETHING to get that noise floor down to more realistic levels.Zoatebix - Thursday, February 14, 2013 - link
I'm pretty sure that's a product of the sensitivity of his equipment, not a noisy testing environment.Dustin Sklavos - Friday, February 15, 2013 - link
Correct. 30dB is the noise floor of the majority of sound meters. If you want a sound meter that goes below that, you're looking at spending at least a grand if not two.Hrel - Monday, February 18, 2013 - link
I see, perhaps the Anand Writers could pool their resourced to make it happen? Hm, yes yes! Probably wishful thinking but I'm gonna keep wishing.Dug - Thursday, February 14, 2013 - link
30db is not crazy loud. It is a whisper.Mine measure 30db at seating position and I can't hear it with normal house ambient noise.
Even in the dead of night its barely noticeable. Typing and clicking the mouse is far louder than my computer. If you aren't typing or using your mouse, then what good is the computer?
Dug - Thursday, February 14, 2013 - link
Not to mention it rains here a lot. Rain on house is 50db so the computer doesn't even come into the equation.