Fatal1ty FC-ZE1 Fatal1ty Champion Computer Enclosure

Zalman Fatal1ty FC-ZE1 Champion Series Case

Building on the success of their Fatal1ty cooling products, Zalman have released the nearest thing we have ever seen to the perfect gaming case: the awesome FC-ZE1 Fatal1ty Champion Computer Enclosure.

As you can see from the images above, the Fatal1ty case is like no other. 5mm thick aluminium construction, red LEDs, laser etched graphics and a windowed panel all give this case a very distinctive look that will appeal to any serious gamer.

Direction of airflow

Air intake

The chassis has been designed to produce a large amount of airflow without contributing too much noise to the system. This is achieved through the use of two 92mm intake fans and a single 120mm exhaust fan. The resultant high rate of airflow makes it possible to safely install CPUs that produce in excess of 130 watts of heat! The intake fans also blow cold air directly over the hard drives, which helps to lower their running temperatures.

Removing this panel provides access to the 5½” bays

Precision laser etched graphics

Removal of the right-hand panel gives easy access to the optical drives. It is recommended that the customer places any unused cables in this location to help keep the system nice and tidy. The FC-ZE1 also features precision laser-etched graphics. As you can see these graphics are displayed over the entire case. Laser-etched graphics are far superior to silk screen printing which is to be found on some other less expensive cases.

5mm aluminium construction

Anodised finish

As mentioned before, the chassis has been constructed from 5mm thick anodised aluminium which makes the case very sturdy indeed. Another benefit of this is that the case will not suffer from vibrational noise as a thinner chassis might, resulting in a quieter computer. Also, the case can act as a huge heatsink and dissipate heat from the system as a whole.

Two 92mm red LED intake fans

One 120mm red LED exhaust fan

As well as producing a high amount of airflow, the case fans look great. The red LEDs against the black anodised aluminium give a subtle but aesthetically pleasing look.

Hard drive in the locked position

Hard drive in the unlocked position

Another unique feature of the Fatal1ty case is the design of the hard drive mounting system. Instead of using screws or rails, Zalman have dreamt up an ingenious system based on rollers! The idea is quite simple; no tools are needed because the hard drive is rolled into position and then the front roller is lowered to secure the drive. The rollers are made from rubber which will also help reduce vibration caused by the hard drives.

Red LED buttons and activity lights

Convenient front ports

Continuing on with the red theme, the buttons and activity LEDs also glow red. Next to the buttons you will find firewire, audio and two USB ports.

Door latch

Hinged door

Unlike other cases where the left panel is totally removable, the side of the Fatal1ty case is hinged which makes access the inside of the chassis very simple. Just pull the latch and you’re in!

At the rear of the case you will find nickel-plated PCI backplates. These add to the overall high quality feel of the chassis.