Poweroid 1206

If you've been anywhere near a high-end PC lately you'll have heard the noise generated by the fans used to cool its components. Aiming to reduce this racket, Poweroid's latest system features a Zalman case that's claimed to be the world's first totally noiseless design.

Credit must be given to both Zalman and Poweroid for an innovative approach. For starters, the heat generated by the system's 3.4GHz Pentium 4 processor is dispersed across the surface of the base unit, using a heatpipe cooling system. Radiator fins at either side give the case the same heat dispersion characteristics (and physical appearance) as a traditional heatsink.

The graphics card is cooled in the same way. Poweroid has chosen a heatpipe VGA cooler, also connected to the chassis, to draw heat away from its Geforce FX 5700.

Zalman makes passive cooling solutions for superior processors, such as the Radeon 9800 Pro, but Poweroid has played it safe by opting for a slightly slower chip. Hence the reasonable, but not amazing, score in our 3Dmark tests.

The power supply has also been given the silent treatment. 300w and 350w versions are available, both of which operate without an integrated fan and resemble the power adapters you'd normally associate with a notebook.

Unfortunately, our review system was let down by its 300GB Maxtor hard drive. This let out a clearly audible whir even when idle, somewhat defeating the object. Poweroid has assured us the machine that goes on sale will include a quieter 250GB Western Digital drive with liquid bearings, which should reduce the noise output considerably.

External cables, such as those from the monitor and power supply, are routed neatly through eyelets at the top and bottom of the system. However, there are no permanent panels on the Zalman TNN500A case. When its front and rear doors are open, all components are exposed.

Sadly, the doors aren't lockable and most components can be accessed without a screwdriver. If you've got children or you want to position the PC in a public area, there's potential for items to be damaged or stolen.

Poweroid has taken the precaution of gluing many of the internal parts in place, but this affects the PC's upgrade potential.

Undoing several bolts on the side panel gives access to components that can't be reached through the doors. An Allen key is included in the package. In practice these were difficult to remove, and aren't best suited to users who like easy access to the inside of their PC.

On a more positive note, it's unlikely anyone will walk off with the entire machine as the case alone weighs nearly 30kg. This limits the number of locations the PC can be delivered to, as this is the maximum weight many couriers will accept per item.

Poweroid has said its couriers can deliver to addresses within the UK mainland, but they may not be keen on visiting premises that are only accessible using stairs.

On the whole, the Zalman case is a stunning piece of engineering. Essentially, it's an enormous, hollowed-out heatsink, but it works extremely well. The fact that Poweroid has managed to accommodate high-performance components without the whole thing overheating is also a miracle. However, the 1206 is set to be available in limited quantity.

There are cheaper options, and in theory, you could build a PC that performs the same functions for less money. However, if you're after a ready-made system that's both powerful and virtually silent, the Poweroid 1206 is difficult to beat.

Contact: Poweroid 0870 22 00 444
www.poweroid.com

Specifications:

• Intel Pentium 4 3.4GHz
• 1GB DDR400 Ram
• 250GB hard disk
• Nvidia Geforce FX 5700
• Creative Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS
• LG GSA 4120B dual-layer DVD rewriter
• Windows XP Home
• Logitech keyboard and mouse