Noise and Thermal Testing, Overclocked

Going into overclocked testing after seeing the results from the stock tests didn't leave me with much confidence in the Corsair Vengeance C70. Performance is basically on par with the much quieter Obsidian 550D, while Antec's Eleven Hundred is running away with the crown at as much as $40 cheaper. As you'll see, overclocking didn't treat the C70 much better.

CPU Temperatures, Overclocked

GPU Temperatures, Overclocked

SSD Temperatures, Overclocked

At this point Corsair's own Obsidian 550D is basically running away from the C70 at virtually every metric. I expected at least GPU temperatures to do well with an intake fan sitting right behind the video card, but as a whole the C70 just isn't competitive.

CPU Fan Speed, Overclocked

GPU Fan Speed, Overclocked

There does seem to be one place where the C70 holds an advantage over the 550D, though: fan speed on the CPU. The 550D has virtually no thermal headroom left on the CPU, while the C70 can probably handle just a little bit more. On the GPU side the situation is flipped, though that could also be chalked up to slightly higher ambient temperatures during testing of the C70.

Noise Levels, Overclocked

Under load the C70 winds up being the loudest case we've tested, with even Fractal Design's $40 Core 1000 besting it and generally providing a better performance profile overall. Meanwhile the 550D is able to provide comparable (or better) performance at substantially less noise.

Noise and Thermal Testing, Stock Conclusion: Corsair's First Real Misfire
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  • LeftSide - Saturday, May 19, 2012 - link

    I couldn't agree more! I actually love the design and want the green, but I would have to replace the glass in the side. The perforations just look cheap. I wonder if it's easy to replace?
  • ClutchNerd - Wednesday, March 13, 2013 - link

    Double wall some 32-bit digi camo duct tape from walmart. Effective, clean (Doesn't get that crap dust residue buildup), and goes great with the olive green. FYI to everyone calling it "Ammo can green"....it's actually "Olive green" which is the exact same color used by the military.
  • Barbarossa - Friday, May 18, 2012 - link

    George from Corsair here - first things first, the review was very thorough, Dustin. Thanks for paying attention to the details.

    The thermal performance results are somewhat surprising - we've got a couple of internal test platforms we use to just thermal performance, and the C70 was among the best. In fact, the specific reason we moved the fans to the back of the hard drive cage was because it dropped GPU temps in our tests 2-3 degrees at idle and even more at load.

    Thanks for the comments and suggestions - even though your results don't match ours, there are so many possible configurations that I'm sure we were bound to be surprised sooner or later.

    It sounds like the ID isn't really for you - that's fine. The C70 is the most outlandish/aggressive design we've ever done. We knew it'd be love it or hate it. As a company, one of our strengths is refined and streamlined designs - we felt like taking a step in another direction with this case.

    Again, thanks for the review - even though it isn't 100% positive, it only helps us develop better cases going forward.
  • Dustin Sklavos - Friday, May 18, 2012 - link

    George, I'm really psyched that you guys popped up here.

    You know I'm a big fan of Corsair's hardware and I kind of just have to report on what my experience is with the kit. As far as the ID goes, I tried to be fairly balanced with it and keep in mind what the readers are usually into, but judging from the comments here you don't have anything to worry about.

    I think it's definitely an unusual step for Corsair. I don't want to ever discourage you or any other company from being daring with their products and trying radically different approaches/designs/etc. I just feel like you weren't as experimental with the internal design as you could've been. Apart from the random crap like trouble tightening the screws, the overall logic of how the case comes together is stellar and I want to see that progress in future cases.

    You guys are SO CLOSE to making a bulletproof case design and I think you'll get there. I want to see the ease of assembly and typical acoustics of a Corsair and the thermal performance of a SilverStone. Corsair doesn't have an enthusiast standby in their stable yet quite like Antec's P180/182 were or SilverStone's FT02 can be, but like I said...you're really close.

    As a sidenote, if you'd like to share your testing data with me and what your results looked like, it can at least inform my future reviews.
  • LeftSide - Saturday, May 19, 2012 - link

    George, can you comment on how the side plexiglass is installed? Could I easily replace it with a custom solid plexiglass? The perforations for the side mount fans are the only thing keeping me from getting this case.
  • soloburrito - Friday, May 18, 2012 - link

    I don't see how any air can make it past the hard drive cage and feed those front fans. I bet removing just one cage and having a fan pulling in cool air directly from outside the case would make a noticeable difference in temps

    That said, i really like the design as far as "gaming" cases go. It stands out, but yet it's still fairly classy maintaining clean lines and staying away from cheap, glossy plastic to add "flare". Check out the other colors. The white version looks fantastic with the "smoked" side window.

    Open up the hard drive cages a little more and add a top fan from the factory. A $140 case that only includes 3 120mm fans (albeit good quality) seems a little too frugal, Corsair. At the very least put the third fan on the side panel or roof to stimulate better airflow inside the case.
  • Zebo - Friday, May 18, 2012 - link

    Looks like something you attach to a tank not really suitable for house.
  • milkod2001 - Friday, May 18, 2012 - link

    @Corsair George,
    if you still here,
    is Corsair planning in future revisions of 600T add all magnetic dust filters and internal USB3 header as 550D comes with? These are only thing holding me off that case :(
  • Barbarossa - Friday, May 18, 2012 - link

    I can't comment on any unannounced stuff. Sorry man.
  • Gunbuster - Friday, May 18, 2012 - link

    I wish newegg would get these in stock....

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