In-Win GT1 Case Review: Fighting an Uphill Battle
by Dustin Sklavos on March 8, 2013 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- In-Win
- ATX
Noise and Thermal Testing
When testing the In-Win GT1, expected performance isn't really relevant. The bottom line here is that In-Win has to beat Antec's GX700 because unless the user specifically needs the hotswap bay, the GX700's lower price and smarter fan controller are going to be a better draw.
There's an important note that needs to be made when comparing the GT1's results to previous test results. I've endeavored to get the new motherboard to produce thermal results nigh identical to the old one's, but motherboards can be quirky creatures. In my testing, I've found that while almost all results are comparable between the new bed and the old one, the margin of error on CPU thermals increases by about 2C when comparing to the old board. The new board also polls the core temperatures more frequently, which results in a notably lower overall idle temperature measurement, so keep that in mind. Idle temps on the CPU generally aren't a huge deal unless the delta is over 10C (which basically never happens), but this is worth noting nonetheless.
Ambient temperature for testing hovered around 22C, and the GT1 was tested with both fan settings.
At its turbo setting, the GT1's CPU thermals are competitive with the GX700's best, but everything else is pretty much a wash. Unfortunately, the turbo setting also takes its toll on acoustics.
At its loudest the GX700 is still mighty efficient, while the GT1 produces a heck of a racket. The fact is that the GT1 just doesn't possess the cooling power to compete with the pair of 140mm fans in the top of the GX700.
The overclocked settings don't really help the situation.
At its turbo setting, the GT1 is competitive; at its silent setting, it can keep the video card cool but the CPU loses a lot of thermal headroom.
Unfortunately that "silence" setting is only good for idle noise; when the system kicks up it becomes one of the loudest we've tested. The more open air design of the GT1 does the end user no favors when it comes to noise.
Finally, I loaded the GT1 up with two GTX 580s in SLI and three hard drives to obstruct the front fans.
We don't have any comparative data yet, but we can at least say a couple of things for certain. First, the CPU actually runs cooler in this configuration than our standard overclocked one due to the blower coolers on the GTX 580s exhausting hot air instead of feeding it back into the case. Second, the GTX 580s are working hard. Top GPU temperatures were actually roughly the same between the two cards because they were both hitting thermal limits at around 92C-93C.
And the noise levels tell the rest of the story. Once the system was placed under load, the fans on the GTX 580s swallowed everything else alive and pushed the GT1 to nearly 50 decibels. In other words, this case is loud, and while you can put two high performance cards in it, I wouldn't recommend doing so. It can only barely handle this kind of configuration.
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Sleepingforest - Friday, March 15, 2013 - link
No, the backup shouldn't always be plugged in, otherwise whatever damage happens to the computer (fire, flood, virus, and so on) won't happen to the backup drive. If you get a good external drive, moving it while it's off has no consequences--you know, the thing people do with laptops? There are cameras with USB 3.0 because it's faster, as seen here: http://usbtips.com/nikon-d800-dslr-launches-with-s... I happen to use my phone even when I sit at a computer, so it's helpful to charge it while it's next to me.So no, you look like the idiot here. You have a narrowly focused world view that can't comprehend usage scenarios beyond your own, you don't think through anything you say, and most of what you say is insults anyway.
dawp - Sunday, March 10, 2013 - link
why can't we flag obvious spam like this?CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - link
Because although Anandtech favors whining crybaby commentears, they do not like rude non first amendment jerks who wish to dominate and control everyone else, when it is clear you don't like it, since you wasted our time whining about it and bringing more attention to it.I know, it's hard not to get some revenge satisfaction voting people off the comment area like a 3rd world dictator, if you want that crap go to toms - oh wait you do, then in a frenzy -20 as many people who talk sense as you possibly can, causing everyone else who doesn't have a bleeding tampon on display constantly having to go through the trouble of unhiding the often sentient comments you idiot fanboy whiners have hidden.
Now, that's why I say, and admittedly for the first time ever that may not be exactly correct, but you did ask, you power hungry evil person, and you got an answer.
keithh - Monday, March 11, 2013 - link
I'm guessing that you don't pay the electricity bill. I did the math and it was cheaper for me to decommission a bunch of smaller drives and replace them with a single 2TB drive. The cost was recovered in a couple of years. Further, the newer drives are faster, quieter, and cooler.I second the recommendation to invest in a NAS.
CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - link
Umm, excuse me - but after "several years" of saving 5 watts per drive or so, and you've finnally "recouped your initial costs", although that isn't counting the possible REAL INVESTMENT of that added expense and the wonder of combined interest, you want to spend a wad on a very expensive rip off NAS ?LOL
Dumb as can be, NAS is an "investment"....
Computer parts are not investments - you know maybe - if you are really goofy and you go to the raving loon retro section of ebay you could get a bit more than scrap weight price after a few years.
You aren't INVESTING, okay ?
Pass that along to the thousand other wannabe faux acting CEO's on this board, won't you ?
Spending on crap that depreciates faster than cars is NOT an investment.
keithh - Monday, March 11, 2013 - link
Uh, no Director12, that would give him a whole *4* GB of mirrored data. That's more than enough for lots of applications - especially if you have your important stuff (photos & music) on the NAS in the basement.xygtshadow - Wednesday, March 13, 2013 - link
I do have a pair of 4GB drives from the 90's... But I couldn't fathom using them anymore. They're horrendously slow and my motherboard doesn't even support PATA ribbon cables.angryblanket - Monday, March 11, 2013 - link
1x usb 3.0 port and this thing looks like crap?! It would be OK without the brand naming but my goodness that huge "I U" in red makes me want to willingly gouge my eyes out.CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - link
Please do as they obviously are not used to read articles, thus saving you pain and suffering on your artsy fartsy doofus assessment, better for the feminine area of some girly tupperware get together.sarahjordan - Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - link
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