Noise and Thermal Testing, Overclocked

Having been fairly underwhelmed with performance at stock settings, I experienced some trepidation when it came time to test the BitFenix Ghost under much more stressful circumstances. The essential problem is this: making tradeoffs for silence over performance mostly works out under more moderate loads, but high performance and/or overclocked hardware can stress the case's cooling enough to actually negate the sound dampening aspects of the design.

At the same time, I was also optimistic that the fans from be quiet! might acquit themselves better still under the overclocked settings.

CPU Temperatures (Overclocked)

GPU Temperatures (Overclocked)

SSD Temperatures (Overclocked)

There's no nice way to say it: without modified cooling, the BitFenix Ghost's thermal performance under our overclocked testbed is pretty poor. The Ghost needs additional airflow to get truly competitive thermals; the system didn't overheat the way Lian Li's PC-A55 did, but I'd still hesitate to call the thermals any more than "barely adequate" under this much stress.

CPU Fan Speed (Overclocked)

GPU Fan Speed (Overclocked)

Fan speeds tell the same story.

Noise Levels (Overclocked)

With all that in mind, the Ghost is at least successful in keeping noise levels down, but once again it's clear you really do need to add just the right amount of cooling to hit a sweet spot with this chassis design. Idle noise remains quite low, and adding some quiet fans can help bring load noise down substantially.

I'm of the opinion that while performance does improve noticeably with the door removed, the improvement isn't enough to make me suggest the case is being outright suffocated by keeping the door closed. It's a reduction in airflow to be sure, but not a catastrophic one. At the same time, it does negate the Ghost's primary reason for being: muffling noise.

Noise and Thermal Testing, Stock Conclusion: Needs an Upgrade
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  • Dustin Sklavos - Saturday, November 10, 2012 - link

    Nanoxia actually contacted me; I initially declined because their cases aren't available stateside.

    However, BitFenix wasn't exactly easy to come by when I started reviewing their stuff either. Between your request and the potential for press to help them get a foothold out here, I went ahead and contacted them again to see if they're willing to shoot me one of the Deep Silence enclosures.
  • Grok42 - Saturday, November 10, 2012 - link

    This is REALLY great! I had never heard of this case and while it isn't a case I'm personally interested in purchasing because of its size, it looks like a very interesting case that I can't wait to read about. This case looks like it has the potential to be the best in class case for it's category.
  • roberta - Saturday, November 10, 2012 - link

    @Dustin
    Great news!
    I am looking forward to the review of the Nanoxia Deep Silence 1
    Thank You Very Much for All the Superb reviews,
    Roberta
  • LarryDan - Sunday, November 11, 2012 - link

    According to the review in LegitReviews.com:
    "Nanoxia will begin selling cases on Newegg at the end of November or early December, so they will be available in North America very soon! Right now they are shipping the cases and they have to clear customs, so that is what is issue at hand!"

    I'm really glad you're going to review the Nanoxia DS1. So far, it's received quite a few excellent reviews and competes favorably with the FD Define R4 and Antec P280; however, I'm waiting for your analysis for the final word. Based on the other reviews, it appears to be the class winner and it may be the one you've been looking for.
  • jabber - Saturday, November 10, 2012 - link

    ...most people over the age of 18 could handle having in their home.
  • JohnMD1022 - Saturday, November 10, 2012 - link

    Put a door on the front and you lose me.
  • Grok42 - Saturday, November 10, 2012 - link

    My current workstation has a door. I obviously used to really like cases with a door design. They allowed me to close the door and achieve a clean look, reduce noise and still have external drives. Now that there is no reason to have external bays doors are noting but negative for me. The reason this case has a door is that it has 4 external bays. Either they put a door on it or they are not going to achieve a low noise case.
  • JohnMD1022 - Sunday, November 11, 2012 - link

    I do a lot of work for seniors.

    Since we can't hear as well as younger people perhaps noise is less of a factor.

    I advise older people to place their computer on a table next to their work area to make access easier. We don't like getting down on our hands and knees and groping around behind things to disconnect cables.

    And here is the problem with doors.

    They get in the way and they are a hazard. Walk by an open door enough times, and sooner or later you get a broken door or a computer knocked on the floor.
  • Olaf van der Spek - Saturday, November 10, 2012 - link

    > The addition of the BitFenix fans

    Didn't you add BQ fans?
  • Dustin Sklavos - Saturday, November 10, 2012 - link

    Agh, yes.

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