NZXT Tempest 410 Elite: Jack of All Trades
by Dustin Sklavos on September 1, 2011 3:20 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- mid-tower
- NZXT
Testing Methodology
For testing ATX cases, we use the following standardized testbed in stock and overclocked configurations to get a feel for how well the case handles heat and noise.
| Full ATX Test Configuration | |
| CPU |
Intel Core i7-875K (95W TDP, tested at stock speed and overclocked to 3.8GHz @ 1.38V) |
| Motherboard | ASUS P7P55D-E Pro |
| Graphics Card | Zotac NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (244W TDP) |
| Memory | 2x2GB Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer DDR3-1600 |
| Drives |
Kingston SSDNow V+ 100 64GB SSD Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gbps Samsung 5.25" BD-ROM/DVDRW Drive |
| CPU Cooler | Zalman CNPS9900 MAX with Cooler Master ThermalFusion 400 |
| Power Supply | SilverStone Strider Gold 750W 80 Plus Gold |
A refresher on how we test:
Acoustic testing is standardized on a foot from the front of the case, using the Extech SL10 with an ambient noise floor of ~32dB. For reference, that's what my silent apartment measures with nothing running, testing acoustics in the dead of night (usually between 1am and 3am). A lot of us sit about a foot away from our computers, so this should be a fairly accurate representation of the kind of noise the case generates, and it's close enough to get noise levels that should register above ambient.
Thermal testing is run with the computer having idled at the desktop for fifteen minutes, and again with the computer running both Furmark (where applicable) and Prime95 (less one thread when a GPU is being used) for fifteen minutes. I've found that leaving one thread open in Prime95 allows the processor to heat up enough while making sure Furmark isn't CPU-limited. We're using the thermal diodes included with the hardware to keep everything standardized, and ambient testing temperature is always between 71F and 74F. Processor temperatures reported are the average of the CPU cores.
For more details on how we arrived at this testbed, you can check out our introductory passage in the review for the IN-WIN BUC.
Last but not least, we'd also like to thank the vendors who made our testbed possible:
Thank You!
We have some thanks in order before we press on:
- Thank you to Crucial for providing us with the Ballistix Smart Tracer memory we used to add memory thermals to our testing.
- Thank you to Zalman for providing us with the CNPS9900 MAX heatsink and fan unit we used.
- Thank you to Kingston for providing us with the SSDNow V+ 100 SSD.
- Thank you to CyberPower for providing us with the Western Digital Caviar Black hard drive, Intel Core i7-875K processor, ASUS P7P55D-E Pro motherboard, and Samsung BD-ROM/DVD+/-RW drive.
- And thank you to SilverStone for providing us with the power supply.
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Shinobisan - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link
I'm seriously looking at the Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T case.Seems to have everything I want, but I would really like to see a good review on it before buying. Any chance y'all could get your hands on one?
bobbozzo - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4028/corsair-graphit...I think the only difference with the Special Edition is the window and possibly the fan controller.
BTW, I helped my friend build a system with the Corsair 600T, and I have an Antec P182.
The Corsair is much wider, but I'm not sure that it has any functional advantages over the Antec, other than bigger fans.
Shinobisan - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link
Yep, that works.Malih - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link
the way front USB ports is laid out on 600T makes it easier to use multiple ports in case you plug something.bigger backplate opening.
easily removable front+top dust filter.
Although I kindof wish the fan RPM on 600T control is a volume control instead.
There's also the P183.
Dustin Sklavos - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link
I like the looks of the Corsair 600T, but for performance and acoustics I actually still have to give the nod to Rosewill's Thor v2 at roughly the same price (if not a bit cheaper). If you don't mind the aesthetics, the Thor v2 will run cooler at roughly the same noise level.ckryan - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link
Samsung's BD drives - they seriously make any case look good with their mirrored tray and a piano-finished glossy black which looks anything but chintzy. Optical drives are largely forgettable affairs, but its hard to ignore the aesthetics. I could get by with a $20 DVD combo, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I paid several times as much just for a better looking BD drive. It looks especially good with black aluminum enclosures, but does seem to class up cheaper plastic cases as well.
I actually broke the sata connector on mine, buy RMAing it was painless as well, which always counts for something in my book.
Dustin's reviews are some of the best anywhere, and I like the commitment to cases in a world where work a day component coverage is getting squeezed by so much other gear.
Dustin Sklavos - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link
That comment just made my day. Thank you!ckryan - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link
You've been on a tear recently.arswihart - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link
Looks like well cooled, quiet cases are finally becoming the norm. But, an ATX motherboard is overkill most of the time these days. I guess the case makers are just stuck in the past.stm1185 - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link
That pretty much sums up my thoughts on this case. I was thinking NZXT had the best designers with the Phantom, then the H2, but then they put out this thing and its just so ugly in comparison.