Zalman Z3 Iceberg Review 2

Zalman Z3 Iceberg Review

Thermal Stress Test »

Review System

System Parts for Case Reviews
Processor:Intel Core i5-9600K
Motherboards:ATX: MSI Z390 GAMING EDGE AC
MATX: Z370M GAMING EDGE AC
Mini-ITX: MSI Z370I GAMING EDGE AC
Provided by: MSI
Graphics Card:ATX/mATX: Palit GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming Pro OC
ITX: EVGA GTX 1650 SC Ultra Black 4 GB
Memory:16 GB XPG GAMMIX D20 DDR4 3200 MHz
16 GB XPG SPECTRIX D60G DDR4 3000 MHz CL16-18-18 1.35 V
Provided by: ADATA
HDD:Western Digital 320 GB 7200 RPM
SSD:ITX: ADATA SX6000 Pro M.2 256 GB
mATX: ADATA GAMMIX S11 Pro M.2 256 GB
ATX: ADATA SPECTRIX S40G M.2 256 GB
ADATA XPG SX850 256 GB
ADATA Ultimate SU800 512 GB
ADATA Ultimate SU720 500 GB
Provided by: ADATA
Power Supply:Fractal Design ION+ 750W 80 Plus Platinum
Provided by: Fractal Design
Cooling:Zalman CNPS10X Optima II
Provided by: Zalman

Assembly


Installing the motherboard is done with the use of spacers and screws. There is plenty of space on top, and well-aligned routing holes on the bottom. As you can see, the RTX 2080 fits well, and you should still be able to liquid-cool without issue even with such a long GPU.


Adding a 2.5" SSD is simple as well. First, remove the tray from the case, fill it by using traditional screws, and put it back into place, securing it with the attached thumb screw. Should you opt to show it off, the drive aligns with the cable-routing hole on the shroud well, but you may simply place it behind the motherboard tray as well.


Installing a 3.5" drive using the included tray is completely tool-less as the drive is held in place by plastic pins. However, go with an very large drive of 8 TB or more and you will have to snip off the center pins and use two screws on the end of the tray to keep it secure. Once filled, simply slide the tray in until it snaps down securely.


The PSU underneath the shroud is held down with traditional screws that are applied through the rear of the chassis. There is plenty of space—you should have no issues using high-capacity units.


With everything installed, the Zalman Z3 Iceberg makes a clean impression on the insides, but also allows for proper cable routing behind the motherboard tray. As you can clearly see by the red zip ties, there are a slew of well-placed locations to tie down any loose cables.


As an alternative to the the air-cooler, we went ahead and installed a 240 mm AIO in the ceiling. It fits well, and there is plenty of room for the motherboard components and heatsinks as well.

Finished Looks


Once turned, you can clearly see the lighting from the rear ARGB fan and the CNPS10X. As the front is essentially solid, the lighting of the fans there is only visible inside the case. A blue LED in the top lets you know that the PC is up and running.

Owing to the built-in controller, you may toggle through various lighting effects and multi-color animations with ease. Naturally, you may also select from the usual set of solid color options seen below.
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Nov 29th, 2024 19:42 EST change timezone

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