Conclusion
Whilst there is no doubt that Zalman has produced a chassis of outstanding quality there are a few niggles.The add-on card plates at the back are the first of these, especially when it’s likely to be enthusiasts who buy the Fatal1ty FC-ZE1, and for them upgrades and mass changes are not unusual.
I would have liked to have seen spare add-on card plates with the chassis at the very least, although a different solution would be preferred over the fixed plates currently used.
Then there’s the etched graphics, they are well executed and over time you tend to forget about them, but this is a chassis you will want to show off and it’s a bit too much of an advert for my liking. This is one area where it is definitely a case of less is more.
As for the performance of the chassis, it was ordinary. In the current market differentiation is key, I think, and beyond the HDD mounting solution and door there is very little to make the Fatal1ty FC-ZE1 stand out from a vast crowd.
The final issue we have with the Fatal1ty FC-ZE1 is those external screws on the side panel. I still to this day (and I have had it nearly a week) cannot figure out why they used silver screws - I really can't, not only that, in the time I had it some marks started appearing on the panel where the anodising had worn away.
A simple solution for the future is to equip the screws (preferably black this time) with a little rubber washer inbetween them and the panel to avoid any damage to the panel.
However, there are some very good points about the Fatal1ty FC-ZE1, the first of them being the space inside; it’s a very easy chassis to work with, especially with the power supply fitted.
Then there is the finish, it's just exceptional, and the quality of the materials and the workmanship almost justify its price tag, it's just a shame that Zalman cuts the odd corner here and there.
Overall then, the Fatal1ty FC-ZE1 is a reasonable chassis. Is it worth your hard-earned cash? Tricky one that, for all its faults it somehow grows on you, the longer I looked and worked with it the more I liked it. So, the answer to that question would be yes, just.
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