Just build one of these.
Of note:
Noise, stock AMD FX-53 Heatsink/FAN (no o/c) was okay. PC sits on floor, barely audible.
HOWEVER the stock CPU/Heatsink (as described) does NOT clear the TUNNEL.. it tweaks it and puts a lot of pressure onto the CPU/heatsink combination. Not good. I had to remove the tunnel. Did not want it rubbing so hard onto the fan body.
Still get decent temps, but a bummer.
Otherwise, quiet, strong case (heavy) and overall great install, large inside and easy to work.
HDs in vertical vs Horizontal do not seem a p
I own this case. I won it for free from SystemCooling.com. It's extremely nice. The only problems I experienced were my Cool Drive 4 would not mount at all with the brackets or screws. The way they instruct you to feed PSU cables to the motherboard and other devices is extremely hard to pull off and make it work without a ton of cluster between the motherboard tray and the left panel. Also, the 120mm fans are rated at 2200RPM, but my CD4 displays them running at 1080RPM.
To #18 about trying the this case with the MSI Neo2 Platinum...you are right. The CPU placement is too high and the wind tunnel won't let you place a heatsink/fan on the processor.
I didn't see anything wrong with the review. I've been trying to decide between the 5 and the 6 series and the temp results convinced me to go with this one.
With all 3 fans running at only 21db, I can't see how anyone can be concerned with the sound.
I plan on adding another 120mm intake fan over the video card and possibly another 120mm exhust fan at the top between the psu and the top 5 1/4 drive.
Also, I can't find any info on the distance from the cpu to the plastic tunnel. I want to know if a "tower" cooler will fit. I'm thinking about going with the AeroCool HT-101, I think it is 76mm high. I plan on throwing 2 80 mm fans on that to boost the wind tunnel even more.
I thought the review was well done myself, except it would have been nice to see video card temps. However, I don't guess you checked that in the other cases tested so that's OK. One thing that kind of bothered me in the review though was Purav Sanghani's assertations that "everyone is looking forward to BTX". I for one, don't see why the motherboard form factor needs to be changed and this case proves my point; you can get the same cooling effect of BTX without changing mobo form factors and making everyone start over from scratch when they upgrade to a new motherboard. Other than that, good review, Purav.
Obviously comparing past benchmarks which included the PC-V1000 with a different test bed is pointless. I was asking why you didn't install the CPU/GPU/RAM/PSU you used in the Temjin 6 into a PC-V1000 and benchmark it like the rest of the cases you included.
So what your saying is you didn't have a PC-V1000 available when you wrote this article. That's too bad - seeing as how it is the only other case (besides the PC-V1100) that I know of with the same upside-down orientation. It would have been nice to see if Silver Stone could outperform the best of Lian Li. Believe me, they couldn't, but it would have been nice to see anyway.
"Mentioned - yes, but why was it not included in the thermal benchmarks?! Being the only other case available with the upside-down orientation, wouldn't it make sense to compare it to the Temjin 6 in both thermal and noise?"
What i meant to say was that the V1000 was the only other case we looked at with this new BTX style. We did not include the V1000 in the charts because of the fact that we have changed our test bed since the PC-V1000 and it would be like comparing apples to oranges.
Same goes for that last statement, the difference in test beds kept us from comparing both cases' benchmarks, we were only comparing those cases with basically the same CPU/GPU/RAM/PSU combination.
"The only other case to which the Temjin 6 can be compared in the market right now is Lian Li's PC-V1000, which we mentioned numerous times in this review."
Mentioned - yes, but why was it not included in the thermal benchmarks?! Being the only other case available with the upside-down orientation, wouldn't it make sense to compare it to the Temjin 6 in both thermal and noise?
Or what about the statement: "Temjin 6...overall, performs much better." when its performance was never compared to the PC-V1000???
Has anyone tried an MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum in this case yet? The more I look at it, the more I think the "wind tunnel" won't work with its CPU placement. To further compound the issue, I'm cooling with an SLK-948U and 92mm fan.
Also, i'd love to know how you can objectively measure dBa levels and temperature levels without a controlled environment? AFAIK, most manufacturers test with a zero-noise chamber for getting true readings on the actual levels of the case and an isolated thermal chamber with controlled temp/humidity to get real temperatures. I would have to say that the results from your testing, unless proven otherwise, are invalid and highly subjective.
KK: My apologies. The 6 in "Temjin 6" was carried down to the next line on my screen, and I saw '6 12"' and read it as '6 1/2"', without connecting the 6 to the name of the case. In my confusion, I got carried away :) Thank you for clarifying things.
slashbinslashbash: Purav started using a Zalman HSF turned all the way down several reviews ago. He only compares those reviews with the same HSF/mobo/CPU setup. It runs in the 20dba range and does not significantly contribute to the sonic readings. Since all the cases use the same HSF it shouldn't matter anyway.
All case reviews are measured from 12", including this review.
>Consistency in measurement is crucial in benchmarking. These things need to be measured exactly the same way every time, not in some ad-hoc fashion. These measurements need to be taken in the same room, with the door shut and the air conditioning turned off, with the case sitting on the same table (with no papers or other sound-absorbing material getting in the way), with the same components in it, with the same SPL meter at the same height and the same distance away from the front of the case. Every time.
#12: This is a good question that needs to be answered. Purav has not been consistent. In the past, the cases have been tested with the PSU, CPU, and VGA fans off. This review only mentions turning off the PSU fan. Furthernore, in the Temjin 5 review (and elsewhere, e.g. Thermaltake Damier) the distance at which the sound level was measured was 12", not 6.5". Doubling the distance should theoretically result in 1/4 the sound intensity, i.e. 5-6dB lower. This would put the Temjin 6 near the top of the sound level performance chart.
Consistency in measurement is crucial in benchmarking. These things need to be measured exactly the same way every time, not in some ad-hoc fashion. These measurements need to be taken in the same room, with the door shut and the air conditioning turned off, with the case sitting on the same table (with no papers or other sound-absorbing material getting in the way), with the same components in it, with the same SPL meter at the same height and the same distance away from the front of the case. Every time.
A single variation destroys the meaning of the benchmarks... we lose all basis for comparison between the cases. The dB numbers are no good on their own, just like 3DMarks. 44dB means nothing to me, as my case will be sitting on a carpeted floor at least 30 inches away from my ears and under a desk. However, knowledge that one case is quieter than another is useful and might impact my purchase.
This case seems very noisy, like having to turn up the music volume to hear it above the case noise. Not to mention music with quiet passages, that will be unlistenable with such a noisy case.
Was the sound measured with running CPU/NB/VGA fans?
If so, could you measure again with watercooling (Zalman Reserator or something) to isolate the case noise from the other components?
If not, could you run the fans at 7V and see how much that helps?
#5, your comments are rubbish. It came in middle-of-the-pack on loudness, and the temps for other components (northbridge, southbridge, hard drive, etc.) were all comparable to the others, if not less than the others.
Video cards are actively cooled, so that's not an issue. In fact, with the upside-down orientation of the motherboard (and therefore video card), this case should outperform all the others in this area. The video card heatsink will finally be facing up instead of down, so the heat can't pool on the underside of the card. Judging by the temps of the power supply, hard drives, etc. plenty of air is being moved through the top part of the case by the 80mm fan in front and the fans in the PSU. The hot air will rise up from the video card and be ejected by the PSU.
And all modern hard drives can be used in any orientation. Western Digital sells external drives with a vertical orientation, just to give one example. The voice coils that have been used in all hard drives for the past 15-20 years are so powerful that gravity is negligible.
Finally, I don't see how you can call the review itself rubbish. You may think that the case itself is rubbish because you have a few problems with it, but the review was nice and thorough IMO (except for the lack of video card temps).
In the article you mentioned concern for adequate video card cooling with this design, but then failed to ever tells how it performed. What's up with that? Some numbers would be nice :)
Water cooling eliminates the need for a change in form factors and is hugely better.
Weight is not an issue in a desktop system! Even if you carry your system around, the kind of weight differences we are talking about are negligible, and I would want the sturdiest case available not the lightest.
#5: I agree that a "miesely 80mm fan" wouldnt be able to do the job of cooling a system in a regular ATX case, but again, the use of that clear plastic casing to separate the hottest running components, CPU and RAM, helps keep that heat from circulating to the rest of the case, specifically by moving it out the back.
#5
-What wrong with it being top heavy? Are you affraid its going to tip over?! It probably weighs a ton.
-The noise was measured from a foot away. If your that close you your computer, your wierd.
-Anyone who cares about cooling doesn't use stock fans anyway. I'd be switching them out ASAP for high CFM high pressure fans.
-Vertically mounted HDD's is probably a better idea, I agree.
-The case is HUGE, you don't need a removable motherbaord tray. Anandtech entioned that.
I think its a great case, and I'm not trying to badger you, I'm just making counter points.
Whata rubbish review.
The case looks awful.Sure it's not a gawdy comic book character looking case,but it's also not very appealing to my conservative eyes.
Top heavy.No dust filters.
Is the cooling that extraordinary to warrant such a high noise level trade-off?? I think not.
Speaking of cooling,what about the rest of the components in the case i.e. Northbridge chip,video card,mosfets etc.?
They're left to a miesely 80mm fan?
Can vertical mounted hard drives be a good idea?
The stylus now has to fight gravity in one direction when searching the platters.No?
No vibration dampening grommets mentioned.No removable MB tray.
I/O panel positioned too low.
49db if your head is within 12" of the case. If it's on the floor and you're in a chair, it's going to sound a bit quieter. This case's thermal properties sound awesome. I wouldn't mind the noise either. I'm running an open case right now with a volcano 7+ set to medium, so the Silverstone wouldn't bother me a bit.
Good review. It's too bad that Silverstone doesn't get someone in there that really understands what's going on. So close, but no cigar. I still think the Berserker is the best one in their lineup and they had nothing to do with the internal design of it.
.bh.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
28 Comments
Back to Article
Bonedoc1983 - Saturday, November 13, 2004 - link
Opps, regarding my LAST post.. the motherboard WAS a NEO2 Plat (MSI K8N - CPU placement is bad for this case) - sorry for the mistake.Bonedoc1983 - Saturday, November 13, 2004 - link
Just build one of these.Of note:
Noise, stock AMD FX-53 Heatsink/FAN (no o/c) was okay. PC sits on floor, barely audible.
HOWEVER the stock CPU/Heatsink (as described) does NOT clear the TUNNEL.. it tweaks it and puts a lot of pressure onto the CPU/heatsink combination. Not good. I had to remove the tunnel. Did not want it rubbing so hard onto the fan body.
Still get decent temps, but a bummer.
Otherwise, quiet, strong case (heavy) and overall great install, large inside and easy to work.
HDs in vertical vs Horizontal do not seem a p
threedd97 - Wednesday, October 6, 2004 - link
I own this case. I won it for free from SystemCooling.com. It's extremely nice. The only problems I experienced were my Cool Drive 4 would not mount at all with the brackets or screws. The way they instruct you to feed PSU cables to the motherboard and other devices is extremely hard to pull off and make it work without a ton of cluster between the motherboard tray and the left panel. Also, the 120mm fans are rated at 2200RPM, but my CD4 displays them running at 1080RPM.Neco - Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - link
To #18 about trying the this case with the MSI Neo2 Platinum...you are right. The CPU placement is too high and the wind tunnel won't let you place a heatsink/fan on the processor.TimTheEnchanter25 - Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - link
I didn't see anything wrong with the review. I've been trying to decide between the 5 and the 6 series and the temp results convinced me to go with this one.With all 3 fans running at only 21db, I can't see how anyone can be concerned with the sound.
I plan on adding another 120mm intake fan over the video card and possibly another 120mm exhust fan at the top between the psu and the top 5 1/4 drive.
Also, I can't find any info on the distance from the cpu to the plastic tunnel. I want to know if a "tower" cooler will fit. I'm thinking about going with the AeroCool HT-101, I think it is 76mm high. I plan on throwing 2 80 mm fans on that to boost the wind tunnel even more.
muddocktor - Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - link
I thought the review was well done myself, except it would have been nice to see video card temps. However, I don't guess you checked that in the other cases tested so that's OK. One thing that kind of bothered me in the review though was Purav Sanghani's assertations that "everyone is looking forward to BTX". I for one, don't see why the motherboard form factor needs to be changed and this case proves my point; you can get the same cooling effect of BTX without changing mobo form factors and making everyone start over from scratch when they upgrade to a new motherboard. Other than that, good review, Purav.MEDISIN - Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - link
Obviously comparing past benchmarks which included the PC-V1000 with a different test bed is pointless. I was asking why you didn't install the CPU/GPU/RAM/PSU you used in the Temjin 6 into a PC-V1000 and benchmark it like the rest of the cases you included.So what your saying is you didn't have a PC-V1000 available when you wrote this article. That's too bad - seeing as how it is the only other case (besides the PC-V1100) that I know of with the same upside-down orientation. It would have been nice to see if Silver Stone could outperform the best of Lian Li. Believe me, they couldn't, but it would have been nice to see anyway.
PuravSanghani - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
MEDISIN:"Mentioned - yes, but why was it not included in the thermal benchmarks?! Being the only other case available with the upside-down orientation, wouldn't it make sense to compare it to the Temjin 6 in both thermal and noise?"
What i meant to say was that the V1000 was the only other case we looked at with this new BTX style. We did not include the V1000 in the charts because of the fact that we have changed our test bed since the PC-V1000 and it would be like comparing apples to oranges.
Same goes for that last statement, the difference in test beds kept us from comparing both cases' benchmarks, we were only comparing those cases with basically the same CPU/GPU/RAM/PSU combination.
Hope that helps!
Purav
MEDISIN - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
In the conclusion Purav writes:"The only other case to which the Temjin 6 can be compared in the market right now is Lian Li's PC-V1000, which we mentioned numerous times in this review."
Mentioned - yes, but why was it not included in the thermal benchmarks?! Being the only other case available with the upside-down orientation, wouldn't it make sense to compare it to the Temjin 6 in both thermal and noise?
Or what about the statement: "Temjin 6...overall, performs much better." when its performance was never compared to the PC-V1000???
karrock - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
"Hideous spider cases"...Chenbro Xpider
http://www.systemcooling.com/chenbro_xpider_ii-01....
karrock - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
Has anyone tried an MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum in this case yet? The more I look at it, the more I think the "wind tunnel" won't work with its CPU placement. To further compound the issue, I'm cooling with an SLK-948U and 92mm fan.davegraham - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
Also, i'd love to know how you can objectively measure dBa levels and temperature levels without a controlled environment? AFAIK, most manufacturers test with a zero-noise chamber for getting true readings on the actual levels of the case and an isolated thermal chamber with controlled temp/humidity to get real temperatures. I would have to say that the results from your testing, unless proven otherwise, are invalid and highly subjective.davegraham - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
I'm curious as to what cases had "hideous spiders" on them? I've not seen one of those yet. I've been looking for a good theme case.slashbinslashbash - Sunday, September 26, 2004 - link
KK: My apologies. The 6 in "Temjin 6" was carried down to the next line on my screen, and I saw '6 12"' and read it as '6 1/2"', without connecting the 6 to the name of the case. In my confusion, I got carried away :) Thank you for clarifying things.KristopherKubicki - Sunday, September 26, 2004 - link
slashbinslashbash: Purav started using a Zalman HSF turned all the way down several reviews ago. He only compares those reviews with the same HSF/mobo/CPU setup. It runs in the 20dba range and does not significantly contribute to the sonic readings. Since all the cases use the same HSF it shouldn't matter anyway.All case reviews are measured from 12", including this review.
>Consistency in measurement is crucial in benchmarking. These things need to be measured exactly the same way every time, not in some ad-hoc fashion. These measurements need to be taken in the same room, with the door shut and the air conditioning turned off, with the case sitting on the same table (with no papers or other sound-absorbing material getting in the way), with the same components in it, with the same SPL meter at the same height and the same distance away from the front of the case. Every time.
They are.
Kristopher
slashbinslashbash - Sunday, September 26, 2004 - link
#12: This is a good question that needs to be answered. Purav has not been consistent. In the past, the cases have been tested with the PSU, CPU, and VGA fans off. This review only mentions turning off the PSU fan. Furthernore, in the Temjin 5 review (and elsewhere, e.g. Thermaltake Damier) the distance at which the sound level was measured was 12", not 6.5". Doubling the distance should theoretically result in 1/4 the sound intensity, i.e. 5-6dB lower. This would put the Temjin 6 near the top of the sound level performance chart.Consistency in measurement is crucial in benchmarking. These things need to be measured exactly the same way every time, not in some ad-hoc fashion. These measurements need to be taken in the same room, with the door shut and the air conditioning turned off, with the case sitting on the same table (with no papers or other sound-absorbing material getting in the way), with the same components in it, with the same SPL meter at the same height and the same distance away from the front of the case. Every time.
A single variation destroys the meaning of the benchmarks... we lose all basis for comparison between the cases. The dB numbers are no good on their own, just like 3DMarks. 44dB means nothing to me, as my case will be sitting on a carpeted floor at least 30 inches away from my ears and under a desk. However, knowledge that one case is quieter than another is useful and might impact my purchase.
T8000 - Sunday, September 26, 2004 - link
This case seems very noisy, like having to turn up the music volume to hear it above the case noise. Not to mention music with quiet passages, that will be unlistenable with such a noisy case.Was the sound measured with running CPU/NB/VGA fans?
If so, could you measure again with watercooling (Zalman Reserator or something) to isolate the case noise from the other components?
If not, could you run the fans at 7V and see how much that helps?
slashbinslashbash - Saturday, September 25, 2004 - link
#5, your comments are rubbish. It came in middle-of-the-pack on loudness, and the temps for other components (northbridge, southbridge, hard drive, etc.) were all comparable to the others, if not less than the others.Video cards are actively cooled, so that's not an issue. In fact, with the upside-down orientation of the motherboard (and therefore video card), this case should outperform all the others in this area. The video card heatsink will finally be facing up instead of down, so the heat can't pool on the underside of the card. Judging by the temps of the power supply, hard drives, etc. plenty of air is being moved through the top part of the case by the 80mm fan in front and the fans in the PSU. The hot air will rise up from the video card and be ejected by the PSU.
And all modern hard drives can be used in any orientation. Western Digital sells external drives with a vertical orientation, just to give one example. The voice coils that have been used in all hard drives for the past 15-20 years are so powerful that gravity is negligible.
Finally, I don't see how you can call the review itself rubbish. You may think that the case itself is rubbish because you have a few problems with it, but the review was nice and thorough IMO (except for the lack of video card temps).
devonz - Saturday, September 25, 2004 - link
In the article you mentioned concern for adequate video card cooling with this design, but then failed to ever tells how it performed. What's up with that? Some numbers would be nice :)Sabresiberian - Saturday, September 25, 2004 - link
Water cooling eliminates the need for a change in form factors and is hugely better.Weight is not an issue in a desktop system! Even if you carry your system around, the kind of weight differences we are talking about are negligible, and I would want the sturdiest case available not the lightest.
PuravSanghani - Saturday, September 25, 2004 - link
Also, looks are a matter of personal preference. Like they say, "One mans garbage, is another mans treasure." or something like that. ;)PuravSanghani - Saturday, September 25, 2004 - link
#5: I agree that a "miesely 80mm fan" wouldnt be able to do the job of cooling a system in a regular ATX case, but again, the use of that clear plastic casing to separate the hottest running components, CPU and RAM, helps keep that heat from circulating to the rest of the case, specifically by moving it out the back.pirred908 - Saturday, September 25, 2004 - link
#5-What wrong with it being top heavy? Are you affraid its going to tip over?! It probably weighs a ton.
-The noise was measured from a foot away. If your that close you your computer, your wierd.
-Anyone who cares about cooling doesn't use stock fans anyway. I'd be switching them out ASAP for high CFM high pressure fans.
-Vertically mounted HDD's is probably a better idea, I agree.
-The case is HUGE, you don't need a removable motherbaord tray. Anandtech entioned that.
I think its a great case, and I'm not trying to badger you, I'm just making counter points.
Subhuman25 - Saturday, September 25, 2004 - link
Whata rubbish review.The case looks awful.Sure it's not a gawdy comic book character looking case,but it's also not very appealing to my conservative eyes.
Top heavy.No dust filters.
Is the cooling that extraordinary to warrant such a high noise level trade-off?? I think not.
Speaking of cooling,what about the rest of the components in the case i.e. Northbridge chip,video card,mosfets etc.?
They're left to a miesely 80mm fan?
Can vertical mounted hard drives be a good idea?
The stylus now has to fight gravity in one direction when searching the platters.No?
No vibration dampening grommets mentioned.No removable MB tray.
I/O panel positioned too low.
epiv - Saturday, September 25, 2004 - link
Avalon - Saturday, September 25, 2004 - link
49db if your head is within 12" of the case. If it's on the floor and you're in a chair, it's going to sound a bit quieter. This case's thermal properties sound awesome. I wouldn't mind the noise either. I'm running an open case right now with a volcano 7+ set to medium, so the Silverstone wouldn't bother me a bit.Gooberslot - Saturday, September 25, 2004 - link
I think this review understates the sound issue. 49db is definitely not quiet.Zepper - Saturday, September 25, 2004 - link
Good review. It's too bad that Silverstone doesn't get someone in there that really understands what's going on. So close, but no cigar. I still think the Berserker is the best one in their lineup and they had nothing to do with the internal design of it..bh.
got the first one in again - whassamatta you?