A Closer Look - Outside

The Zalman Z11 NEO chassis sports an edgy look with some round elements to give it a bit of bulk. The construction quality is quite good and includes solid plastic parts.


The Z11 NEO's front comes with a brushed surface to take away from its all-plastic look. The layout in the rear is, gauged by what is on the market today, rather traditional. This includes the 120mm rear exhaust fan.


Zalman has done a great job in using the side panels to underline the chassis' overall design. The Z11 NEO uses two plastic elements that are screwed onto the side panels instead of simple extrusions or vents. The window also isn't of a simple shape, blending in with the Z11 NEO's overall look.


Taking a closer look at the front, the bottom half only features the Zalman logo, with two air vents on the side panel's caps. A single 5.25" drive bay can be found in the top, hidden behind a drop-down cover. This piece is the weakest link, so to speak, when it comes to the Z11 NEO's overall construction quality.


The PSU bay in the rear comes with two sets of mounting holes, which allows you to install a power supply with the fan facing up or down. Above that are the seven motherboard expansion slots. Non-reusable covers protect these slot. In the very top are the aforementioned fan and two openings through which water-cooling tubes can be routed out of the chassis.


Zalman put four USB ports, two of which are of the 3.0 variety, and the usual audio I/O into the top panel. A little tray has also been included; it could hold USB sticks or external hard drives. Zalman unfortunately decided to use a smooth plastic surface here, which makes it prone to scratches. The rest of the top panel comes with an air vent. Instead of using simple metal mesh, the Z11 NEO comes with angled plates that not only add to the look, but reduce noise that is directed toward the front of the chassis ever so slightly.


On the bottom, you will find a simple metal mesh dust cover for the PSU, while the bottom fan mount comes with a more advanced variant to keep dirt out.