Final Thought

Our first benchmarks with our new test bed in the all-aluminum V6000A was the first step in creating an arena, which is up to date with current hardware standards. Our use of an Athlon 64 based test bed will provide much needed information on the performance and quality of upcoming cases from leading manufacturers, like Thermaltake, to assist us better in choosing the right product.

We could not compare our results, since this was our first go with the new test bed in a standard mid-tower chassis. We can, however, compare temperatures to the manufacturer's recommended operating temperatures of each piece of hardware.

We mentioned earlier that AMD recommends to run the Athlon 64 3200 under its maximum operating temperature of 95 degrees. At about 54 degrees under its maximum temperature, we can say it is a safe temperature at which to run.

As far as the other components go, the HDD sat directly behind the intake fan at the front, constantly cooling it and keeping it at a safe temperature. We also saw the DDR running at a constant temperature. The OCZ DDR that we used to benchmark came with heatsinks as do all new high bandwidth DDR modules.

In our noise tests, the V6000A performed on an average of 53dBA with only its case fans running. It did much better than the VM3000A as well as its clone from Opus Technologies, the MT-200. Using higher quality fans made for a quieter running case, which made it an even more attractive choice for desktop users.

For an all-aluminum case with as many features as it had, the Thermaltake Damier V6000A is fairly priced at around $160 through online retailers. Though there are many alternatives that are priced slightly lower, the Damier V6000A will not disappoint when it comes to performance.

Benchmarking
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  • Operandi - Thursday, July 22, 2004 - link

    I agree with the above comments, it's becoming pretty clear that this isn't the type of case your target audience is looking for.
  • skiboysteve - Thursday, July 22, 2004 - link

    "Our results show that the CPU was kept at a stable operating temperature, at 56.2 degrees, which is about 40 degrees Celsius below the Athlon 64 3200's maximum recommended operating temperature."

    "System On-Time CPU
    30 43.6"

    What??
  • skiboysteve - Thursday, July 22, 2004 - link

    i have the 3000a and I love it to death, although i have to agree, there are way too many wires. I did a great job hiding them though so the window looks good.
  • Pollock - Thursday, July 22, 2004 - link

    No, #1, check some of the previous case reviews here; there ARE uglier things. Several of them.
  • TrogdorJW - Thursday, July 22, 2004 - link

    I have to agree. Sure, it's big and roomy. It also scream, "I LOVE THERMALTAKE!" Personally, I would rather make a different kind of statement with my case.

    You know what someone needs to do? Create a case with pre-installed fans and wires, with a separate power unit (a very small one should suffice) to provide all of the fans and other devices with power. They could build the system with all the fans installed and still keep the majority of wires hidden away. And they should use 120mm fans spinning at lower RPMs. *That* would be something to spend $160 on!

    Spend $160 on this monstrosity? Ugh. If you need big, there are better options. If you want silent, there are MUCH better options. If you want bright lights and gawdy flash, however, this case fits the bill. I'm sure there are a bunch of teenagers out there that think this case looks totally l33t. They're welcome to it, I suppose.
  • JKing76 - Thursday, July 22, 2004 - link

    That is truely the ugliest thing I have ever seen.

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