Benchmarks
To find out how well the Tempest 410 Elite can cool, we've loaded it up with an X58 test platform and run a series of CPU and GPU benchmarks for comparison against a variety of mid-tower alternatives.
Firstly, CPU cooling performance is measured by setting fan speed to low and recording CPU temperature when the system is idle. We then apply a 15-minute load of the Prime95 stress test and record CPU temperature again. To demonstrate the chassis' optimum cooling capability, we also set all fans - including the CPU cooler - to high speed mode and re-run the Prime95 torture test for a further 15 minutes.
Secondly, GPU temperature is also recorded in three states; idle, load with fans at standard speed and load with fans at high speed. In this test, GPU load is defined as a 15-minute stint of Furmark.
All chassis are tested only with the standard manufacturer-supplied fans, and to take into account the fluctuating ambient temperature, our graphs depict the delta temperature - that's actual CPU/GPU temperature minus the ambient. Just so we're clear, room temperature at the start of testing was recorded for each chassis as follows:
Fractal Design Core 3000 - 20.9ºC
Cooler Master Silencio 550 - 23.9ºC
NZXT Tempest 410 Elite - 22.7ºC
Corsair Carbide Series 400R - 24.6ºC
Corsair Graphite Series 600T - 19.8ºC
Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T - 20.2ºC
Antec LanBoy Air - 18.1ºC
Corsair Obsidian Series 650D - 21.4ºC
Here's a detailed breakdown of the seven enclosures tested, as well as a detailed list of our test system components:
Comparison Chassis |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fractal Design Core 3000 | Cooler Master Silencio 550 | NZXT Tempest 410 Elite | Corsair Carbide Series 400R | Corsair Graphite Series 600T | Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T | Antec Lanboy Air | Corsair Obsidian Series 650D | |
| Case type | Mid-tower | Mid-tower | Mid-tower | Mid-tower | Mid-tower | Mid-tower | Mid-tower | Mid-tower |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 200mm x 430mm x 480mm | 210mm x 416mm x 505mm | 215mm x 481mm x 496mm | 206mm x 503mm x 521mm | 265mm x 507mm x 592mm | 265mm x 507mm x 592mm | 222mm x 518mm x 490mm | 229mm x 521mm x 546mm |
| Weight | 7.1kg | 9.2kg | 7.8kg | 7.1kg | 12.7kg | 12.7kg | 9.2kg | 11.1kg |
| Available colours | Black | Black | Black | Black | Graphite Grey and Black | White and Black | Yellow/Black, Red/Black, Blue/Black | Black |
| Base material | Steel | Steel | Steel structure with plastic accents | Steel structure with molded plastic accents | Steel structure with molded plastic accents | Steel structure with molded plastic accents | Steel frame and mesh panels | Aluminium faceplate and steel structure |
| Motherboard support | mini-ATX, mATX, ATX | mATX, ATX | mini-ITX, mini-ATX, mATX, ATX, FlexATX | mATX, ATX | mATX, ATX | mATX, ATX | mini-ATX, mATX, ATX | mATX, ATX |
| 5.25in drive bays | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 3.5in / 2.5in drive bays | 6 x internal 3.5in/2.5in | 1 x hot-swap 3.5in 7 x internal 3.5in/2.5in |
8 x internal 3.5in/2.5in | 6 x internal 3.5in/2.5in | 6 x internal 3.5in/2.5in | 6 x internal 3.5in/2.5in | 6 x internal 3.5in 2 x internal 2.5in |
1 x hot-swap 3.5in/2.5in 6 x internal 3.5in/2.5in |
| I/O panel | USB 2.0 x4 Audio x1 Mic x1 |
USB 3.0 x1 USB 2.0 x1 SD Card x1 Audio x1 Mic x1 |
USB 3.0 x1 USB 2.0 x3 Audio x1 Mic x1 |
USB 3.0 x2 FireWire x1 Audio x1 Mic x1 |
USB 3.0 x1 USB 2.0 x4 FireWire x1 Audio x1 Mic x1 |
USB 3.0 x1 USB 2.0 x4 FireWire x1 Audio x1 Mic x1 |
USB 3.0 x1 USB 2.0 x2 Audio x 1 Mic x 1 |
USB 3.0 x2 USB 2.0 x2 FireWire x1 Audio x1 Mic x1 |
| Expansion slots | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Supplied fans | 1 x 140mm (front) 1 x 140mm (top) 1 x 120mm (rear) |
1 x 120mm (front) 1 x 120mm (rear) |
2 x 120mm (front) 1 x 120mm (rear) |
2 x 120mm (front) 1 x 120mm (rear) |
1 x 200mm (front) 1 x 200mm (top) 1 x 120mm (rear) |
1 x 200mm (front) 1 x 200mm (top) 1 x 120mm (rear) |
2 x 120mm (front) 1 x 120mm (rear) 2 x 120mm (side) |
1 x 200mm (front) 1 x 200mm (top) 1 x 120mm (rear) |
| Power supply | ATX (not supplied) | ATX (not supplied) | ATX (not supplied) | ATX (not supplied) | ATX (not supplied) | ATX (not supplied) | ATX (not supplied) | ATX (not supplied) |
| Approx. price | £55 | £60 | £70 | £80 | £120 | £120 | £125 | £125 |
System Configuration |
||
|---|---|---|
| Motherboard | ASUS P6X58D | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7 980X Extreme Edition (with reference DBX-B cooler) | |
| Memory | 6GB (3 x 2GB) Corsair Dominator DDR3 | |
| Graphics card | AMD Radeon HD 6970 | |
| Power supply | Corsair HX1000W | |
| Storage | Intel SSD | |
Thermal performance
Having plenty of mesh on the front, top and back feeds the Temptest 410 Elite with a constant supply of clean air, and it makes for good cooling performance.
Looking first at CPU temperature, NZXT's chassis is able to keep our Core i7 980X suitably chilled in use. Both the low- and high-speed results are impressive.
A high-end Radeon HD 6970 graphics card will get hot in just about any environment, and NZXT's 410 Elite is no exception. Under extreme load, the GPU hit 90ºC with fans at low speed, and turning the fans up to max shaved only 2ºC off the temperature.
The result is middle-of-the-pack performance, and if GPU cooling is a primary concern, you may want to take a look at the cheaper, non-Elite Tempest 410 - its ability to support two side-mounted fans is likely to provide far better airflow for hot-running graphics cards.
Noise
To find out how loud the Tempest 410 Elite can get we're using a PCE-318 noise meter placed at the front of each chassis to take decibel readings with the system idling in two modes; low fan speed and high fan speed.
The Tempest 410 Elite has decent cooling credentials, but it also has the potential to get loud. Very, very loud.
With all three chassis fans hooked up to our motherboard and configured to run in silent mode, the system is suitably quiet - it still gives off an audible hum, but it's perfectly acceptable for a gaming rig. Crank up the fans to maximum, however, and noise levels rise dramatically - it's the biggest jump we've ever seen.
Having large holes at the top of a mid-tower frame provides ample room for a liquid-cooled radiator, but it also allows noise to escape quite easily. Knowing that, it's a shame that NZXT hasn't opted to include a fan controller as standard.