A Closer Look - Outside

Taking a look at the front, the chassis does not look any different than the Deep Silence 2, although the DS3 is much shorter, with a few differences inside the chassis. Instead of a choice between white or black, the Deep Silence 3 comes in black, but you may pick between a black or graphite-colored front. As you can easily see above, our review sample came with the latter.


The graphite-colored front and my light brown working surface combine to shimmer in a somewhat reddish color. A by-product of the environment, this is not the front's actual hue. Just like all Deep Silent cases, the front is divided into two areas. While you can flip open both the top and bottom in the Deep Silence 1, Nanoxia constructed the DS3 with only the smaller top portion as an actual door. It swings open to the right and is lined with sound-dampening material. The front may look like aluminum, but is actually plastic made to look like brushed aluminum. The PSU bay in the rear is on the bottom, and the entire interior is painted black to match the Deep Silence 2's exterior.


Both sides are made of sturdy, thick metal sheets. Nanoxia has done away with any side vents on this version of the case family. This is quite alright as there are still plenty of air vents for fan-placement possibilities within the chassis.


Behind the cover are three 5.25" external drive bays and two fan controllers for up to six 3-pin cooling units. While there is no visible Nanoxia logo on the outside, it is present, above the 5.25" drive bays. The bottom half of the chassis is taken up by two pre-installed intake fans that are protected by a dust filter.


The PSU bay in the bottom of the back comes with two sets of screw holes, which allows you to install the unit with its fan facing up or down. It is also lined with a thin layer of foam as an anti-vibration measure. Above the bay are the seven motherboard expansion slots, each protected by a separate cover. You will also find two openings for water-cooling tubes next to these. In the very top are a single 140 mm exhaust fan that pushes air out of the chassis, two break-out pieces for legacy connectors, and two more water-cooling holes.


Just like with the Deep Silence 2, you will find all the connectivity on the front's top edge. The I/O includes the usual pair of audio plugs and two USB 3.0 and a single USB 2.0 connector. While this is adequate, Nanoxia could have just gone all out by including a total of two USB 2.0 ports instead. The power button has been placed in the middle and a ring around it lights up when the PC is turned on. Two large air vents in the rear of the top can be used for a 240 mm or 280 mm radiator or correspondingly sized fans. These air vents initially come with a cover to encapsulate sound as best as possible.


One change is the dust filter on its exterior. While it coveres the Deep Silence 2's entire underside, it is now of a much more traditional size, only protecting the PSU bay from dust and grime. The reason for a smaller dust filter will become clear once we dive into the case.