Inside The PC-9N
Foam-covered power supply support rails and rubber grommets on hard drive trays reduce noise transmission between internal components and the PC-9N’s exterior panels. Lian Li’s high-end plunger-style card holders are missing from this lower-cost model, replaced with cheaper and occasionally less-frustrating screws.
PC-9N Cable Management
A motherboard tray comprising five aluminum braces gives the PC-9N superb cable access and motherboard ventilation, yet the edges of this braces also impinge on the space used by most builders to rout cables. Rounded primary power cables simply won’t fit, though smaller cables, such as ATX12V or EPS12V, will.
PC-9N Induction
Supporting up to two 140 mm front fans, Lian Li covers the PC-9N’s single bundled cooler with a snap-off dust filter and fills the empty mount with a black plastic cover. Both the fan and the cover are mounted via noise-dampening grommets into slide-out keyholes, but the screws that secure those grommets protrude a little too far, causing the dust cover to bow. I'm guessing that the resulting gaps will reduce the dust filter’s performance. You might be able to solve this issue by using different screws.
The PC-9N doesn’t include a second dust filter for the optional fan mount.
More PC-9N Dust Prevention
The same type of filter that prevents clogging of the PC-9N’s intake fan also covers its power supply inlet, though the case must be tipped on its side for routine maintenance.
PC-9N Drive Support
Up to three 3.5” drives fit within the PC-9N’s lower cage, and another 2.5” drive can be added to its top. The cage can be repositioned to face left, right, or front to back. A second 2.5” drive can be screwed to the cage bottom, partially filling the lowest 3.5” bay.
Upper bays support up to three 5.25” devices, with the top two adding screw-free swing-away latches. Pins on these latches are designed to engage the screw holes of optical drives.
Nanoxia Deep Silence 2
Searchable as model NXDS2B, Nanoxia was proud to present its latest case as a silent alternative targeting noise-sensitive gamers. Covered in optional fan mounts, Nanoxia fills top and side vents with foam-backed covers to help the Deep Silence 2 live up to its name.
Deep Silence 2 Ports
Headset jacks, two USB 3.0 ports, and a single USB 2.0 port flank a lighted power button along the top edge of Deep Silence 2’s front panel.
Below that top top panel you'll find a foam-backed door. Open it to reveal three externally-facing drive bays and a pair of slide controllers that enable manual speed adjustment for up to six fans.
Behind The Deep Silence 2
Four grommets all pass through for the lines of two external liquid coolers, while a single 140 mm exhaust fan removes heat from a motherboard’s CPU space. Extra liquid cooling support is especially useful in a case that, by enabling only the traditional seven expansion slots, can’t properly support a dual-slot air-cooled graphics card mounted in the motherboard’s bottom slot.
Inside The Deep Silence 2
Configured like a traditional EATX pedestal server, Deep Silence 2 further adheres to popular conventions by giving enthusiasts access to seven internal drive bays with trays that support both 2.5” and 3.5” devices. These trays do not interface with a backplane, though the case does include a 3.5” external drive adapter in one of its 5.25” bays.
Deep Silence 2 Cable Management
A deep offset motherboard tray gives builders abundant space to hide excess cable length, while nine large grommets camouflage a handful of access holes and prevent cable abrasion. A larger access hole makes it easier to tinker around with CPU cooler support plates, though that feature is also matched by most of Nanoxia’s competitors.
