INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   How would you reply to a very good friend if he asked your opinion about which is the best mATX compatible PC case in the market currently? Obviously i can't speak on your behalf but when a good friend asked this of me roughly a week ago i honestly didn't know what to tell him since i doubt there's a perfect one out there. So instead of answering his question i asked him what he thought was the most important feature/aspect for his dream mATX case. Of course we all know how hard it is to choose a PC case based on a single thing but everything has to start from someplace. So after discussing this for a while over a cup of coffee he decided that he wanted a high quality and virtually noiseless mATX tower which he could also use in his bedroom during the night without worrying about waking up by it. With that in mind my answer was very clear and actually had to do with today’s review of the Deep Silence 4 mITX/mATX PC Case by Nanoxia.

   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.

     Just like with the entire Deep Silence line of PC cases the Deep Silence 4 promises high build quality with plenty of interior space and many features including very good airflow levels, several radiator spots, room for many 3.5/2.5" drives and noiseless operation thanks to the noise insulating material Nanoxia uses on the interior. Design-wise Nanoxia has followed the same exact path as they have with the entire Deep Silence line and although we don't really consider that to be a bad thing still we do feel that they should also think about catering to the needs of younger audiences who may want something flashier on or under their desks. Also because of the design Nanoxia obviously couldn't shrink the Deep Silence 4 a lot so it's not what we'd call the smallest mATX/mITX compatible PC case out in the market currently but then again if it was it wouldn't offer the same interior space.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

At the front of the box there's a large product picture along with several drawings showcasing the main product features.

 

 

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

 

 

Turning the box around we find 6 pictures used to showcase the main features of the Deep Silence 4.

 

 

The case is wrapped inside a plastic bag and between two thick Styrofoam spacers.

 

 

Inside a small box inside the tower Nanoxia has placed the user's manual, 2 rubber grommet covers, 5.25" to 1.44" drive bay cover, 6 cable ties, 8pin PSU extension cable and a bag filled with screws and standoffs.

 

 

THE DEEP SILENCE 4 EXTERIOR

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Just like the rest of the Deep Silence line the 480mm long, 380mm tall and 200mm wide Deep Silence 4 features a simple yet elegant design.

 

 

Both side panels are simple but as you can see there are several intake holes on each side of the front fascia.

 

 

The front fascia has two parts, upper and lower and both feature polished/brushed plastic plates on them.

 

 

However only the top has a working door which opens from right to left (noise-absorbing material is placed on its interior).

 

 

Once again at the top of the front Nanoxia has placed their logo.

 

 

Right beneath the Nanoxia logo the Deep Silence 4 has two easy removable 5.25" drive covers complete with noise-absorbing coating on the inside, two channel fan controller and the reset button.

 

 

The I/O is placed (once again) at the top of the fascia and includes the on/off power button (the ring is the power LED), one USB 2.0 port, 2 USB 3.0 ports and the typical 3.5mm headphones/mic plugs.

 

 

A single 120mm intake fan with its air-filter is placed on the lower part but to access it as you can see from the above pictures you will need to remove the entire fascia.

 

 

There's also a 5.25" to 3.5" adapter mounted in the Deep Silence 4 which makes sense since in the bundle there's an 1.44" bay cover.

 

 

At the rear top we see one more fan spot for an 120/140mm exhaust fan.

 

 

The rear of the case has a 120mm exhaust fan, two grommets, 4 PCI covers and the PSU area.

 

 

Nanoxia has placed a long removable air-filter at the base of the tower.

 

 

THE DEEP SILENCE 4 INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Exactly like with the Deep Silence 1 and 2 the thick steel side panels of the Deep Silence 4 are dressed with thick noise-absorbing coating on the interior.

 

 

As you can see thanks to the length of the tower there's plenty of room inside.

 

 

Both 5.25" optical drive bays feature tool-free locking mechanisms.

 

 

Beneath the ODBs we see three drive cage with room for up to six 2.5/3.5" drives.

 

 

The drive trays are made out of metal and are quite sturdy.

 

 

You can leave the two removable cages if you want but you can also use just one of them or remove them all together.

 

 

There are 5 holes onto the mainboard tray aside the very large CPU cutout.

 

 

Not much room behind the mainboard tray for cable management but certainly more than what we were expecting from a mATX/mITX case.

 

 

All 4 PCI expansion slots are secured via normal thumbscrews.

 

 

At the bottom we see the PSU intake area and space for one more 2.5" drive right next to it.

 

 

Nanoxia has coated the 120/140mm fan spot at the top with noise-absorbing material which you can of course remove if you decide to install a fan.

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always the sole 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.

Unfortunately we don't have a full mATX mainboard to showcase in the Deep Silence 4 but as you can see our ASROCK mainboard seems out of place.

 

 

There's plenty of height for very large CPU coolers up to 160mm tall.

 

 

If your graphics card is up to 265mm in length then you can keep all of the drive cages. However if you have a graphics card over that and up to 395mm long you will need to remove one (or both if you have them in SLI/CF).

 

 

Even the largest PSU fits in the Deep Silence 4 without issue.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   After having reviewed the Deep Silence 1 and 2 midi towers we knew it would be just a matter of time before Nanoxia turned their focus toward the design and manufacture of smaller mATX/mITX compatible mini tower models so the Deep Silence 4 didn't take us by surprise especially since it looks a lot like the rest of the Deep Silence line, just smaller. Looks however is not the only thing that the Deep Silence 4 has in common with the entire Deep Silence line by Nanoxia since it also shares the same high build quality, features (most of them anyways) and noise insulation. Of course it's not exactly a lot smaller than the Deep Silence 1 & 2 midi towers and that's perhaps a small drawback for people looking for something really small but it offers plenty of interior space unlike the majority of similar mATX/mITX compatible cases in the market so it's ideal for serious users.

   As we're wrapping up this review the Deep Silence 4 Mini Tower by Nanoxia currently retails for USD79.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 72.99Euros inside the EU (PC-Cooling.de) a price tag which is very tempting for what you're getting. Certainly in the end once again it all comes down to what you're after so if you want a flashy mATX/mITX compatible PC case then the Deep Silence 4 is not really for you. On the other hand however if you want quality, spacious interior and virtually noiseless operation then this is the case for you and that's also why we're awarding it with our Golden Award.

PROS

- High Build Quality
- Elegant Design
- Spacious Interior
- Removable Drive Cages
- Noise Dampening Coating (Almost Inaudible)
- 2-Channel Fan Controller
- Space For Graphics Cards Up To 395mm Long
- Fits CPU Coolers Up To 160mm Tall
- Price (For Some)

 

CONS

- Size (For Some)