Rosewill Ranger: All About Compromising
by Dustin Sklavos on December 14, 2011 12:10 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- mid-tower
- Rosewill
Noise and Thermal Testing, Stock
However many misgivings I may have about the build and design of Rosewill's Ranger, it can probably be forgiven if the thermal performance and acoustics are there. While I don't have much faith in it keeping a low noise profile (given the amount of ventilation in the design), there's still a chance it could produce excellent thermals.
As it turns out, the Ranger's thermals are absolutely stellar, placing at or near the top of the charts in every discipline at our stock settings. The tight case design could very well be paying off as the air is fairly directed.
Unfortunately, idle noise isn't so hot, though load noise is mostly on par with our other entrants. Enclosures in this market segment tend not to have much in the way of the soundproofing, and the one that does (the NZXT H2) has a design flaw that negates any advantages there. We're not using components that would be good for a "silent" build regardless, and the Ranger at stock settings is at least decent. What about when we crank up the overclock?
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Onus - Thursday, December 15, 2011 - link
As far as metrics go, I agree with you; consistent testbeds are required to make comparisons based on objective metrics valid. All the comments about build difficulty are fairly subjective though, and I believe could have been "adjusted" to take into account the sort of build for which this case would be appropriate. Just as every other part in a computer should be chosen based on the intended uses of the completed system, so should the case be selected based on the components it will house. Despite good thermals, I would not choose this case for a high-end build, but it looks very good for something more modest.Please think of my initial remarks more of a reading between the lines than a criticism of the article; it provided very useful information, but I thought it would benefit from a little more context.
Blaze-Senpai - Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - link
I'd be tempted to just pop ope, the 5.25 inch bays and place a wire mesh in place of it and see how cool the thing really runs.I'm surprised no one has attempted a GPU with power connectors mounted near the bottom edge of the card though, most of the cards are either top or top edge mounted.
DanNeely - Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - link
Looking at the gallery pics I think it uses the same bay covers as my Rosewill X3. They're a relatively coarse metal weave with a foam pad as backing for noise/dust abatement. Pull the foam out and you'll have a fairly free airflow path.