NZXT Whisper (externals)

As one would expect, an equally giant case resides in the giant box. In this instance, the NZXT Whisper weighs in at a whopping 12.3kg and certainly looks like a monster. Constructed of mainly steel, this enclosure is not one to be easily moved and so anyone looking for a case to throw around at a LAN is looking at the wrong product.

As with many modern cases, a hinged front panel is one of the main features. In this particular instance, the panel is made almost entirely of metal and is no more than a couple of centimetres wide; if it were any thicker the case would be very long and so the width is kept to a minimum in order to make sure the Whisper isn’t too long. The front panel consists of an isosceles triangle with a thin strip in the middle. Upon powering up the case, this glows blue.

Half of the front panel consists of slits to allow the heat to dissipate and so doesn’t get trapped between the front of the case and the hinged panel. The down side of a panel this thin is that it becomes extremely fragile and so is very prone to getting damaged due to an accidental knock. This problem is also made worse by the use of low-grade plastic in the frame and so significantly weakens the panel.

As for the ports on the Whisper, a unique innovation is used to make them very accessible yet also keep them out of the way when they are not required. The ports are located on a pop up flap that opens upon sliding a switch backwards. Overall there are five ports:

• 2 x 2.0 USB
• Microphone Jack
• Headphone Jack
• eSATA

In principal this concept is certainly not a bad idea and will definitely appeal to those among us who like a good gimmick. However, unfortunately the flap does not always open and it is a bit hit-and-miss.  

The power buttons protrude through the front panel and are all accessible without opening the front (except the reset button).

Moreover, there are seven 5.25” drives all in one large tower; the top-most drive has a 3.5” converter but as expected this can be removed if necessary although I’m sure the other six bays will be more than enough.

Finally, located right at the bottom of the Whisper is a 120mm blue LED system fan that draws air into the front of the case. This fan also produces the blue glow that is emitted through the slits which looks pretty snazzy.

Moving on to the rear of the Whisper reveals a bottom-mounted PSU along with a whole host of fans – two 80mm fans and a 120mm and of course the motherboard bracket. A total of three system fans at the back do seem a little excessive though and if all these were running, I’m sure you could hear more than a whisper.