Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced Case Review: Little in Almost Every Way
by Dustin Sklavos on July 26, 2012 3:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Mini ITX
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Cooler Master
Noise and Thermal Testing
Now we get to see just how well the Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced's modest cooling system really holds up. It should be a foregone conclusion this isn't an enclosure for any kind of serious overclocking, but hopefully it should be able to hold up reasonably well with a 65-watt dual core Sandy Bridge processor.
Summer is beginning to pick up in California, and with it, ambient temperatures go up. Ambient hovered between 24C and 25C during testing with the Elite 120.
Thermals aren't stellar, but they aren't awful either. Remember that this case is smaller than the other cases save the SilverStone FT03 Mini, which is both more than twice as expensive and more particular about the components it supports (SFX power supply, slot-loading slimline optical drive). SilverStone's design does boast a vastly superior cooling system, but you'll pay for the privilege.
The CPU fan has to work a lot harder to get those temperatures down, too. Our testbed fan, the SilverStone NT07-1156, actually has a switch that allows you to limit how fast it spins. Given that the CPU is peaking at only 56C or so, there's probably enough headroom to relax the CPU fan speed a little to reduce system noise.
Unfortunately the stock fans, however silent Cooler Master wants to advertise them as, make a decent racket. This is really the achilles heel of cases this small; while a better quality fan could probably take some of the edge off, the copious ventilation does nothing to minimize system noise. The only way you're going to get the Elite 120 to run quiet is to substantially limit the fans and possibly outright replace the front intake.
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bobbozzo - Thursday, July 26, 2012 - link
Hi Dustin,for your case reviews, could you please add a "removable filter / unfiltered" description to the Specifications matrix on your case reviews? Maybe in the 'cooling' section (or clone that section since some cases have filters where there are no fans).
Thanks for the great reviews!
Bob
zorky9 - Thursday, July 26, 2012 - link
You're wrong. The Elite 360 could fit an ATX.mgl888 - Thursday, July 26, 2012 - link
The assembly picture gallery is not working for me.!CosmoGeek - Friday, July 27, 2012 - link
I'm thinking about using this with a single SSD drive.I was wonderring if the side fan bracket could be modified to hold an SSD instead of a fan. then the entire drive cage could be removed to improve airflow. Also, it seems like the airflow might be better if the PSU were not mounted upside down.
I think I would use the COOLER MASTER GeminII M4 RR-GMM4-16PK-R2 CPU cooler. One of the Newegg reviewers said it fits.
With these mods, an i7-3770s (65W) CPU, and no video card, it seems like there shouldn't be a thermal problem.
ypsylon - Friday, July 27, 2012 - link
Do we need it? I guess not. Certainly going back to the original question mATX is more flexible option. mITX is mostly for low level HTPC, primitive home servers (if there is enough space for more than 1 hdd), etc. mATX offers much more without ridiculously cramped boards/cases. There is a niche part of the market for mITX, but from my point of view I can't see me choosing mITX over mATX any time soon. In truth I believe in large boards XL-ATX, EATX, it is my bread and butter, but for a server builds in confined spaces mATX trumps mITX in every way.philipma1957 - Friday, July 27, 2012 - link
having built some very nice mATX cases and just finishing this build. I Agree.An Asus maximus v gene mobo in a good mATX case is better in every way but one; Size
just4U - Saturday, July 28, 2012 - link
I am a fan of those gene boards and recently had a oportunity to build a setup with the new Gigabyte M3s (the gene competition) Very nice boards. I'd pick either or over an itx option anyday.7amood - Friday, July 27, 2012 - link
hey dustinI want to know your thoughts on this
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=317&...
7amood - Friday, July 27, 2012 - link
in combination with this... if possiblehttp://www.amazon.com/Noctua-Sockets-Heatpipe-2x14...
CosmoGeek - Friday, July 27, 2012 - link
Wish you could put your own PSU in that thing. I think the PSU up front makes for the most space efficiency. 180mm case fan in a mini-ITX case, nice!