INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Most people cherish complete silence when playing their favorite games or watching a movie so one of the very first things manufacturers in the PC industry turned their eyes towards was passive cooling. Of course we all know that didn't work out exactly as expected (Calyos and Streacom may change that if you're willing to have a PC case that also doubles as a CPU/GPU cooler) so the next best thing to reduce noise levels was for them to use noise-insulating material on the interior of PC cases. Now although this solution had a small drawback (reduced airflow levels with increased temperatures) it actually worked and so for the past 10 years or so we've seen numerous manufacturers use them in their models. Nanoxia is one of the first manufacturers to do so and today's review is about one of their latest Mid-Towers the CoolForce 1.

   Behind the name “Nanoxia”: stands a team of experienced German developers who are enthusiastically turning their innovative ideas into reality. High quality and especially sophisticated components at competitive prices are the primary goal of our work. We place a particular importance on ergonomic, low-noise components, which make working with the PC more enjoyable. Our focus is to offer PC cases that provide customers with unique technical features. Already our first PC case, the Deep Silence 1, which was launched in autumn 2012, was recognized by international reviewers worldwide with numerous awards. The innovative design and the exceptional quality let professionals and enthusiasts alike take notice. Likewise, the Deep Silence 2, which was released soon after, has received numerous awards from around the world. A complete series of silent case fans, as well as a broad range of high quality cables has since been added to the portfolio.

   Just like previous models by Nanoxia the CoolForce 1 mid-tower doesn't aim to impress with its looks but rather with its very good build quality and number of features. So leaving out the noise-dampening insulation material which Nanoxia has dressed the interior of both side panels it also features three easy-mount HDD racks (sleds), two 2.5" mounting trays, two 140mm intake fans, 120mm exhaust fan, 3-stage fan controller, two front LED strips and HDD cage mounting rails on the bottom (HDD cages are sold separately from Nanoxia). The CoolForce 1 also has enough room for ATX, micro-ATX and mini-ITX mainboards, 240/280mm radiator at the front (without the ODD bays), 240/280/360mm radiator (or three 120/140mm fans) at the top, graphics cards up to 285mm in length (425mm without the easy-mount HDD sleds), CPU coolers up to 165mm in height and power supply units of up to 200mm in length (roughly 290mm without the mounting rails). Let's dig deeper and see just what you should expect from the CoolForce 1 mid-tower by Nanoxia.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The CoolForce 1 arrived inside a plain cardboard box that has a product drawing at the front along with drawings of its main features.

 

 

The specifications table is placed on both sides of the box in 3 languages.

 

 

An exposed drawing of the CoolForce 1 can be found at the rear of the box.

 

 

Nanoxia has wrapped the tower inside a plastic bag and placed it between two foam spacers.

 

 

Inside a small cardboard box placed in the tower Nanoxia has bundled 2 SATA extension cables, 8 pin power extension cable, PCI shield, 5 cable ties, small plastic bag with screws, spacers and washers and the user manual.

 

 

THE COOLFORCE 1 EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measuring 495mm in height, 525mm in depth and 207mm in width the CoolForce 1 is slightly larger than your average mid-tower.

 

 

The entire fascia is made out of plastic and features small holes on both sides and at the base to allow air to reach the fans behind it.

 

 

You can equip the CoolForce 1 with up to two 5.25" optical disk drives.

 

 

As usual removing the fascia is very easy just reach for the opening beneath it and pull.

 

 

Behind the fascia we see two vertical LED strips, removable air filter and two 140mm intake fans.

 

 

The I/O is located right over the fascia and here we see a USB 3.1 type-C port, LED button, two USB 3.0 ports, HDD activity LED, power button, reset button, 3-stage fan controller and the usual microphone and headphone ports.

 

 

Nanoxia has closed the top of the tower with what they call the aircover which when removed has room beneath it for either three 120/140mm fans or a 240/280/360mm radiator.

 

 

At the rear we see a 120mm exhaust fan, 7 PCI shields, 4 rubber grommets for water cooling and the PSU area.

 

 

There's a removable air filter right beneath the PSU area but although there's space for another 120mm fan at the bottom there's no other air filter there.

 

 

THE COOLFORCE 1 INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here we see the noise-dampening material placed on the interior of the left side panel (same applies for the right one).

 

 

As you can all see from the above picture interior space is very good for a mid-tower (Nanoxia has placed 7 rubber grommets on the mainboard tray for cable management).

 

 

Both 5.25" drive bays feature easy-lock mechanisms and there are even two rubber grommets on the bottom of the base one if you decide to use a 240mm radiator at the front (mounting a 280mm radiator would require to remove the 5.25" bays).

 

 

Nanoxia has placed three easy-mount HDD sleds for both 2.5/3.5" drives.

 

 

To remove them you will need to access the other side of the tower and release their thumbscrews.

 

 

These sturdy sleds are made out of aluminum and feature a piece of rubber at the rear to avoid the transferring of vibrations to the case.

 

 

At the rear of the mainboard tray Nanoxia has placed a vertical 2.5" drive tray made by aluminum (not as impressive as the sleds but it gets the job done).

 

 

All 7 PCI expansion slots are kept in place with regular thumbscrews.

 

 

Moving at the bottom of the CoolForce 1 we see four small rubber feet on the PSU area, the HDD mounting rails (can be removed to place a 120mm fan there) and another 2.5" HDD tray.

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Mounting our ATX sized mainboard leaves plenty of room around although that’s the largest model you can install.

 

 

There’s enough room at the top to place a 40mm thick radiator (we used an 280mm one for this review) with 25mm thick fans but that aside there’s also enough room for CPU coolers up to 165mm in height.

 

 

Sliding a 3.5” HDD into one of the sleds and securing it is very easy.

 

 

Without removing the HDD sleds Nanoxia reports that you have 285mm of space for graphics cards which means just enough space for our GeForce GTX590.

 

 

By using a 180mm long power supply unit like we did you don’t have to remove the HDD rails (or you can remove them and place a 120mm fan there).

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 doesn't have one we use our own).

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Once again Nanoxia has released a mid-tower aimed towards people who put low-noise levels and build quality above everything else and we feel that for the most part at least they’ve delivered on that. Sure just like the Deep Silence series the CoolForce 1 may not dazzle you with its exterior design/looks but leaving out its fascia and top I/O (which are made out of not so impressive plastic) the rest of the case is pretty much made out of top materials and there’s also limited noise coming from its three pre-installed fans. The CoolForce 1 also has quite a bit of interior space which can hold up to three 3.5” and/or five 2.5” drives, a total of 7 fans (5x140mm/2x120mm) and/or two 240/280/360mm radiators, 285mm long graphics cards (425mm without the HDD sleds), 165mm tall CPU coolers and even the longest power supply units. The HDD rails at the bottom seem to be a good touch if you plan to remove the HDD sleds in order to mount an thick 280mm radiator at the front but selling the cage separately may disappoint some potential buyers (would be best if it was included).

   Right now you can find the CoolForce 1 Mid-Tower by Nanoxia for USD109.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 84.99Euros inside the EU (PC-Cooling.de) a price tag which we feel almost reflects exactly what it is you’re getting. Of course at the end of the day it all comes down once again to what you’re looking for so if it’s looks you’re after the CoolForce 1 is simply not for you. On the other hand if you want a quality mid-tower with noise insulating material on the interior and you’re not willing to spend much then by all means the CoolForce 1 could be the right one for you and for that it comes recommended by us.

 

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Spacious Interior
- 3 Pre-Installed Fans (2x140mm Front, 1x120mm Rear)
- Room For A Total Of 7 Fans (120/140mm) And Or Two Radiators (240/280/360mm)
- Low Noise Levels (Almost Inaudible)
- HDD Rails
- 3 Stage Fan Controller

CONS

- Quality of Plastics
- HDD Cage Sold Separately
- Lack of Air Filter for Bottom Fan
- Availability