Date: June 2nd, 2006
Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited by: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Zalman USA
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PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
As you can tell from the above information, the HD160 is fairly large and, while constructed of aluminum, relatively hefty. Later on, you'll find out why, but for now, let's just say that the HD160 is not constructed of your typical light-gauge material. The chassis can house everything one would need in a HTPC, and throws in some very cool features for the enthusiast that will be satisfied with nothing short of the best that Zalman has to offer.
The graphic above illustrates some of the more interesting features of the HD160. Along with the more common items you'd find gracing the front of a PC, Zalman has included a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), a master volume knob, a stealth feature for the optical drive and a 17-in-one memory card reader.
PRODUCT COMPOSITION
For the princely sum of $300 US, Zalman includes the following:
Arriving in a double-thick cardboard carton. The graphics show off the two finishes the HD160 is available in, and briefly points out some of the more interesting features. I think you'll agree that “Cool Innovations” is no idle promise. As will become apparent as we progress through this review, Zalman has provided a multitude of innovative and very cool features that really set the HD160 apart from the pack.
The HD160 is shipped in a plastic bag sandwiched between two Styrofoam blocks. No power supply is included, but I happen to have Zalman's recommended PSU for this case on hand from a previous review. (The Zalman ZM460-APS 460 watt PSU review can be found HERE.)
Inside the case, a cardboard carton contains a users manual, a software CD, the stealth faceplate for a DVD drive, two wire management gizmos, the Media Center remote with batteries, bag of installation hardware and the 24-pin PSU adapter. We'll go into a little more detail about how all this works later on in the review.
