A Trio of Thermaltake Towers
by Joshua Buss on August 16, 2006 2:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Benchmark Comparisons
To get as meaningful a comparison as possible between the three cases we installed the same set of hardware into each one: our standard ATX test bed. Each system used the default fan configuration the case came with, which meant two 120mm fans running at 12V in each case. The ambient air temperature during all tests was kept at a steady 23.5 degrees Celsius.
With similar overall designs and the same number and placement of fans in each case, we didn't expect to see much difference in cooling performance between the three units. However, taking a look at the component temperatures chart below showed us that we needed to look a little closer at what each case was doing thermally.
No doubt the reason the Eureka was getting such low CPU and GPU temperatures was its large ventilated area on the side panel directly above these components. This decision is interesting for a case designed more for sever use though, considering it sacrifices airflow over the hard drives, which shows up as considerably higher temperatures for our system hard drive and MOSFETs.
Between the Eclipse and the Aguila, things are much closer. Without ventilation on the sides they pull the majority of the air through the front, resulting in much lower hard drive temperatures - especially under load. Both cases keep generally good temperatures across the board, but the Aguila's ability to stifle drastic heat changes from idle to load certainly deserves merit.
The temperature benchmarking results are interesting at the most, but the noise level testing was downright shocking for the three cases.
Even with only two large fans, the Eureka case came in registering a full 42 dB-A on our sound meter. This surprised us, because subjectively, we really felt the Eclipse was just as noisy. It seemed that the rear fan in both cases could benefit form a fan controller reducing its voltage to 10 or 9 volts - at the stock 12 V setting there was a very noticeable hum from the Eclipse and the sound of moving air from the Eureka.
Coming out of this arena the Aguila was a clear champion. With competitive temperatures and a very pleasant lack of annoying whines, the Aguila's fans were definitely tuned and placed the best for good performance without annoying sound levels.
To get as meaningful a comparison as possible between the three cases we installed the same set of hardware into each one: our standard ATX test bed. Each system used the default fan configuration the case came with, which meant two 120mm fans running at 12V in each case. The ambient air temperature during all tests was kept at a steady 23.5 degrees Celsius.
| ATX Test Bed | |
| DFI LanParty UT 915P-T12 Pentium 4 530 Prescott 3.0ghz OCZ 512MB DDR2 x 2 Zalman CNPS 9500 Heatsink Seagate 120gb SATA Hard Drive Chaintech GeForce 6600GT Zalman VF-700 Cu GPU Cooler MSI DVD-CD/R/RW Combo drive Zalman ZM460-APS PSU |
 |
With similar overall designs and the same number and placement of fans in each case, we didn't expect to see much difference in cooling performance between the three units. However, taking a look at the component temperatures chart below showed us that we needed to look a little closer at what each case was doing thermally.
No doubt the reason the Eureka was getting such low CPU and GPU temperatures was its large ventilated area on the side panel directly above these components. This decision is interesting for a case designed more for sever use though, considering it sacrifices airflow over the hard drives, which shows up as considerably higher temperatures for our system hard drive and MOSFETs.
Between the Eclipse and the Aguila, things are much closer. Without ventilation on the sides they pull the majority of the air through the front, resulting in much lower hard drive temperatures - especially under load. Both cases keep generally good temperatures across the board, but the Aguila's ability to stifle drastic heat changes from idle to load certainly deserves merit.
The temperature benchmarking results are interesting at the most, but the noise level testing was downright shocking for the three cases.
Even with only two large fans, the Eureka case came in registering a full 42 dB-A on our sound meter. This surprised us, because subjectively, we really felt the Eclipse was just as noisy. It seemed that the rear fan in both cases could benefit form a fan controller reducing its voltage to 10 or 9 volts - at the stock 12 V setting there was a very noticeable hum from the Eclipse and the sound of moving air from the Eureka.
Coming out of this arena the Aguila was a clear champion. With competitive temperatures and a very pleasant lack of annoying whines, the Aguila's fans were definitely tuned and placed the best for good performance without annoying sound levels.
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raskren - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I'm tired of these Nite Brite cases designed for the 15 year old boy. Come on! How about something a little more professional? I don't need or want giant holes, windows, or cases covered in LEDs!JoshuaBuss - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
despite what the majority of comments seem to point to, the fact is Thermaltake's cases sell like hot-cakes. people like them.. and no, I'm not just talking about 15 year old boys. different strokes for different folksOperandi - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
Nickelback, the Chevy Cavalier, and Huffy bikes sell like “hot-cakes” too yet all three suck, hmm… how about that?People like them sure but based on the comments here not the Anandtech demographic.
JoshuaBuss - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
trust me, the 'active anandtech comment posters' demographic is nothing like the 'active anandtech reader' demographic ;)Le Québécois - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
Amen !Forbin85 - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I have to agree. What's with the doors on the front too?I actually just bought myself a Coolermaster Centurion 534 for my Conroe build.
bob661 - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I have a red Aspire aluminum case. I can't find my case anywhere anymore so I'm assuming it's been discontinued although steel versions can be found. Very simple design with side facing hard drive trays damn near the same as the Aguila. I'll have this case for a LONG time before I give it up. BTX will probably be the only way I'll change it.AMD4ME2 - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I personally like screws! to hold in my expansion cards! I work on alot of machines daily and seriously... I'm sick of opening computers and finding expansion cards bouncing around in the case because of some wimpy screwless design.SilthDraeth - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
"Once our install was completed we noticed how much the honeycomb grill acts like a standard case window, but frankly we appreciate the ventilation and EMF shielding it provides more than just the cool factor."Just how much EMF shielding do you think an aluminum grill provides? And you mention that you like the ventilation, while at the same time, you express your worry over your hard drives getting to hot???
and
"This decision is interesting for a case designed more for sever use though, considering it sacrifices airflow over the hard drives, which shows up as considerably higher temperatures for our system hard drive and MOSFETs."
I guess you can say the case is designed for servers. I actually thought it was a small form factor case, instead of an ATX case for building your own standard computer in.
On a positive note I like the Aguila's design, but I still do not think it touches the Coolermaster Praetorian.
JoshuaBuss - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
good point. I'll see if I can re-word that.