Today, we’ll focus on what happens inside a case when a CPU is under heavy load. We’ll run a Cinebench 2024 rendering on a Ryzen R9 7950X cooled by a Noctua NH-D15 G2 air cooler with AM5 offset mounting bars and see how it affects the temperatures and how all the values change with different settings of the system fans’ performance across their entire operating speed range. Read more “PC Cooling Guide: Heating Up Ryzen 9 7950 X in Cinebench”
While building a PC, most people are satisfied when the computer works, performs as expected and remains reasonably quiet. Unless you’re one of those who care more about the journey than the destination, you probably haven’t spent much time tinkering with system cooling. That’s where we come in. We’ll test what makes sense to address and what doesn’t, and how it impacts computer’s performance and behavior. Read more “PC Cooling Guide: Experimenting with Fractal Design Meshify 2”
The Era 2 case is an evolution of the original model (Era ITX), where Fractal Design also changed the approach to the ventilation holes. Be it in terms of the top panel or the side, larger perforations. How the Era 2 will make its mark and stack up against competing SFF cases remains to be seen. Despite the detailed analysis, this is still the first case to pass our new testing methodology. Read more “Fractal Design Era 2: Holes in wood for more efficient cooling”
We’ve already had one case featuring a wooden front panel. But it might not be “big enough” for someone’s needs, which the XL variant now addresses. Among other things, in this article you will also find tests with two different fan configurations. And also a comparison of cooling with the smaller North Mesh model. And not only with it, we already have a total of 25 other cases in the database for comparison. Read more “Fractal Design North XL case test: When bigger is better”
Aquarium or terrarium? In short, a proper glass (panoramic?) case with a good view of the components. It is not only the appearance that is supposed to be “attractive”, but also the abundant options for cooling, or rather installation of liquid coolers. And reconfiguring the system fans can also make sense with the DeepCool CH780. We chart the differences in the comparison tests as well. Read more “DeepCool CH780: Wide viewing angles at the core”
You’ve already seen the new “CH” case model as part of a build where we played around a bit with cooling optimizations and keeping things as quiet as possible. Now here is the standard review with a more detailed analysis. Compared to the CH510 Digital series, the CH560 (WH) is a bit more expensive, but comes with more features. And significantly so. Its biggest selling point is its four efficient ARGB fans. Read more “DeepCool CH560 WH: Fresh (case) cooling-wise and visually”
In the archives we found some remarkable tests that have never been published in English. Although they are heavily out of date ( cases included have not been sold for a long time), it illustrates well the possible impact of cooling across a wide variety of designs. And by those we also mean completely passive solutions that use their own shell to dissipate heat, as well as rather larger midi-towers and also something in between. Read more “Retrotest: 8× PC case. From small to “large””
The Gungnir gaming case series has a new top model, the 300R Airflow. This 60-litre midi-tower brings, among other things, features that facilitate the installation of components. All in all, we can probably talk about a user experience on a higher level. Whether it lives up to the selling price is up for consideration. The price is set quite high and the innovations that the MSI case brings may not be enough for everyone. Read more “300R Airflow case or the queen of the MSI MPG Gungnir family”
The new flagship BeQuiet! case is on sale now. The improvements over its predecessor are obvious, but there was a lot to draw from for the new Dark Base Pro 901. The ability to rotate the motherboard remained, and we can already reveal that it has a positive effect on cooling. This also makes this case suitable for the most powerful builds, which are associated not only with a lot of waste heat, but also with large dimensions of components. Read more “BeQuiet! Dark Base Pro 901: Nearly flawless full-tower”
We’ve had cases with a display in our tests before, but MSI has taken its usability to a new level. The touchpad can still be used for control, but it also serves as an indicator for various useful things. Sure, the case sits pretty high at three hundred euros, but it’s not just about the extra cost of the display. The MEG Prospect 700R also justifies the price in other aspects. For example, the really precise build quality. Read more “MEG Prospect 700R. New definition of high-end by MSI”
When something is “worth it” and it’s bigger than enough for some, making a smaller version is definitely a good idea. Something similar happened with the Arx 700 Air, from which the scaled-down Arx 500 Air was derived. It has taken all the good qualities and also the wider range of features of the original case. This includes, for example, five pre-installed 140mm fans. So there is no shortage of proper air circulation, and the only question is the noise level. Read more “Endorfy Arx 500 Air: Extra airflow at volume below 50 litres”
Although the choice of components for SFF cases is often limited to a certain size, this is not the case with the Corsair 2000D Airflow. Not when it comes to a graphics card or CPU cooler. Aside from the fact that this case only takes up a very small area on the desk/ground, it can also impress with huge perforations on each side. We’ll break down the sum of all the positives and negatives in this review, which traditionally includes cooling tests as well. Read more “Corsair 2000D Airflow: Tall case with a small footprint”
Cheaper, yet decent cases are not completely gone from the market yet. One such case is the Prime AP201 from Asus’ lower-end. Considering the price well under 100 EUR, you get a case with a above-standard build quality, which is characterized by the “infinite” perforation. Cool air is thus available to components theoretically from all sides. But this also means that it doesn’t damp noise too much. The question is what weighs more in the bigger picture. Read more “Asus Prime AP201: The emmental among computer cases”
Enermax’s latest case strikes a fairly good balance between visual and functional features. The more intense ARGB LED lighting is complemented by as many as four fans. Combined with a decently perforated front panel, the airflow is “taken care of”. On the other hand, there are a few things to complain about in this price range. What is attractive and what is not about the StarryKnight SK30 midi-tower? Read more “Enermax StarryKnight SK30: Not only impressive looks”
Well, here we have something from Fractal Design to test again, something that goes beyond the usual formulas. The Terra case falls into the SFF (small form factor) category, but unlike many similarly sized solutions, there is room for a large graphics card. This makes the Terra an attractive small case for a gaming PC or a workstation reliant on the power of the GPU. But all this is traditionally discussed in more detail. Read more “Fractal Design Terra: 10 litres for high-end GPUs as well”
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