INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   The introduction of high quality PC cases with lots of features, spacious interiors and designs to match the above from the top manufacturers such as Lian-Li, Corsair, Cooler Master, Thermaltake and Silverstone is something that all of us more or less expect from companies that have been around the block for many years and pretty much know what consumers want. However what is least expected by everyone is when a brand new manufacturer emerges and manages almost with no delay to design and manufacture a PC Case that can rival those manufactured by the leaders in the field. Nanoxia is not really new since they've been around for quite a few years manufacturing top notch fans and fan controllers but it wasn't until a few months back that they started the design and manufacture of PC cases such as the Deep Silence 1 we reviewed a while back. Well it seems that they are here to stay so after the very successful test run of their Deep Silence 1 Midi Tower PC Case they released the Deep Silence 2.

 

   The idea for Nanoxia was developed in 2006 when a German engineering team sat down to develop fans that would meet the highest standards. The new fans have been presented to the press for the first time during CeBIT in March 2007. In addition to their distinctive design, the revolutionary fans were notable for their high quality. Over the years, several fan-series as well as other components - such as cooling water additives and thermal compounds - were offered. The main products, however, remain high quality fans, vibration dampers and the to this day unsurpassed PWMX fan controller. A dedicated and experienced team has begun to build on the success of the legendary fan-series with new, innovative products. At first, the FX Evo fan-series was released in early 2012 and shortly thereafter a whole new line of premium sleeved cables came out. As a new mile stone was reached after years of development, when during Computex 2012 the brand new Nanoxia Deep Silence case series was introduced to the world.

 

   When i first saw pictures of the Deep Silence 2 Midi Tower i really thought that Nanoxia took the first version, added a few features (after listening to the community) and launched it back into the market. However that's not really the case and so although lighter than the Deep Silence 1 the Deep Silence 2 is actually larger and offers more interior space for even the largest hardware components which translates to very long graphics cards (up to 345mm) and tall CPU Coolers (165mm). And that's not all since the Deep Silence 2 comes ready with a plethora of features including interior space for an 240mm radiator, room for up to 8 120/140mm fans, excellent noise insulation, tool-free design and plenty of space for cable management. Seeing is believing and so let's take a closer look to the latest Deep Silence 2 Midi Tower.

 

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A large product picture alongside with several sketches showcasing its main features and the Nanoxia logo are placed at the front.

 

 

The color selection along with the specifications table is placed on the sides of the box.

 

 

At the rear we see 8 pictures once again showcasing the main features of the Deep Silence 2.

 

 

The Deep Silence 2 is shipped between two thick Styrofoam spacers, a plastic bag and two extra pieces of foam placed at the top and bottom.

 

 

The bundle contains the user's manual, 4 rubber grommet covers, 5.25" to 1.44" drive bay cover, 5 cable ties, 8pin PSU extension cable and a bag filled with screws and standoffs.

 

 

 

THE DEEP SILENCE 2 EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Much like the DS1 the DS2 looks a lot like the Fractal Design R4 PC case at first glance but that's were their similarities end.

 

 

It just takes one quick look from the side to notice the strong point of the Deep Silence 1 which is its length (also we received Rev.2 of the DS2 so the side fan space mentioned in the specs is no longer available).

 

 

Just like with the DS1 the DS2 also has several intake holes on each side of the front fascia.

 

 

The front fascia has two parts, upper and lower and features a polished cover.

 

 

For good or bad only the top end door opens.

 

 

Behind both the top and lower cover (although the lower can't be opened) Nanoxia has used noise-absorbing material to further reduce noise.

 

 

Once again at the top front Nanoxia has placed their logo (not bad but i would really like it better if it was silver).

 

 

Beneath the Nanoxia logo we see three easy removable 5.25" drive bays complete with noise-absorbing coating on the inside and the reset button.

 

 

A convenient 2-channel (3 fans on each) fan controller is placed right beneath the 5.25" drive bays.

 

 

The I/O is present at the top of the fascia and includes the on/off power button, one USB 2.0 port, 2 USB 3.0 ports and the typical 3.5mm headphones/mic plugs.

 

 

Two 120mm intake fans are placed on the lower part but to access them you need to remove the entire fascia (not that hard actually).

 

 

Moving at the rear top we see two more fan spots (for 120/140mm exhaust fans).

 

 

Naturally the rear comes with the same black matte color as the rest of the tower.

 

 

Starting at the top there are two robber grommets and an 140mm exhaust fan (you can use an 120mm one here if you choose to).

 

 

I was surprised to see just 7 PCI expansion slots but on the other hand the 2 extra rubber grommets are a nice addition.

 

 

Once again the PSU space is located the rear bottom.

 

 

Both side panels are secured in place via normal thumbscrews (unfortunately not rubber coated ones).

 

 

At the base of the Deep Silence 2 we see four round feet and a very long removable air-filter.

 

 

 

THE DEEP SILENCE 2 INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The steel side panels of the DS2 are actually a lot heavier than the ones of the DS1 and feature an improved and quite thicker noise-absorbing coating.

 

 

The interior is also black and thanks to the extra length there's plenty of room inside.

 

 

All three 5.25" drive bays feature locking mechanisms which may not be the sturdiest ones we've seen to date but they are quite good (there's a 3.5" to 5.25" adapter mounted in the lowest one).

 

 

Right beneath we see a very large drive cage with room for up to 7 2.5/3.5" drives.

 

 

The drive trays are made out of metal and are quite sturdy (we've seen the design in other cases as well).

 

 

I was surprised to see that Nanoxia has placed an extra spot allowing you to either install an 120/240mm radiator there or two extra 120/240mm fans.

 

 

9 holes are present on the mainboard tray, 7 of those are rubber coated for cable management purposes while the largest one is the CPU cutout used to change CPU coolers without having to remove the mainboard.

 

 

As usual the rear 140mm exhaust fan comes without a protective grille.

 

 

All available PCI expansion slots are secured via normal thumbscrews (again not rubber coated).

 

 

At the bottom we see the PSU intake area and one more 120/140mm fan spot right next to it.

 

 

Between the noise-absorbing material of the right side panel and the mainboard tray you have quite a bit of space for cable management.

 

 

At the top 120/140mm fan spots Nanoxia has placed covers by noise-absorbing material which you can of course remove.

 

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always the purpose of this section is not to build a fully working system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space. 

Unlike most midi towers in the market the Deep Silence 2 dwarfs normal ATX factor mainboards (unfortunately due to the PCI expansion limitation you can use only up to E-ATX mainboards).

 

 

Since there's no side fan limitation in Rev.2 you can install any CPU Cooler up to 165mm in height.

 

 

If you choose to mount an 240mm radiator next to the drive cages there's room left for up to 345mm long cards, however if you decide to remove the radiator mount you can install cards up to 370mm long.

 

 

Even the largest PSU is no problem for the Deep Silence 2 but you will lose one of the holes used for cable management.

 

 

 

NOISE LEVELS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After giving it much thought we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically ontop of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller (if the case at hand has its own fan controller we use that one instead).

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Although the Deep Silence 2 was released just a few months after the Deep Silence 1 there are many differences between them when it comes to both size and features. Size-wise the Deep Silence 1 is slightly taller (due to the top 240mm radiator space) and wider (meaning you can install slightly taller CPU Coolers in it) than the Deep Silence 2, however the second is much longer which to me matters a lot more than being wider and taller since that means easier installation of components. Now both cases offer noise insulation but the Deep Silence 2 has better quality noise absorbing-materials and that's also a plus. The only thing that the DS2 could benefit by having would be the 3 separate drive cages featured in Deep Silence 1 but if that was the case then Nanoxia wouldn't be able to place a dedicated 120/240mm fan/radiator spot inside the Deep Silence 2. So if you plan on using a 240mm radiator and you care not about the extra features of the DS1 then the DS2 is a better overall choice not only because of the extra interior space.

 

   With a price tag set at around 90Euros inside the EU (Nanoxia PC cases are still not available outside the EU) the Deep Silence 2 is a real bargain not only because of its very high build quality but also since it offers more interior space than most midi towers, excellent airflow potential (if all 8 fans are installed), dedicated 120/240mm radiator spot, completely tool-less design, built-in 2-channel fan controller and excellent noise insulation. The only real issue is its availability outside from the EU something that we hope will get resolved soon. That aside the Deep Silence 2 follows the successful example of the original Deep Silence 1 and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

 

PROS

- High Build Quality
- Design
- Spacious Interior
- 3 Pre-Installed Fans (2x120mm Front, 1x140mm Rear)
- Room For A Total Of 8 Fans (120/140mm).
- Low Noise Levels (Almost Inaudible)
- Dedicated Radiator Spot
- 2-Channel Fan Controller
- Price (For Some) 

 

 

CONS

- Front Fan Access
- Availability