Thermal Performance
To evaluate the thermal performance of the P180 we ran a loop of Futuremark’s 3D Mark 2005 for 20 minutes before taking temperature readings at various locations. The ambient temperature on the day was a balmy 29.5 degrees.
This temperature was taken in front of the fan on the Arctic Cooler Freezer Pro 7 fitted to the CPU.
This temperature was taken from approximately 1-inch from the back of the PSU.
This temperature was taken from approximately 1-inch from the back of the rear 120mm exhaust fan.
This temperature was taken through the front panel of the chassis, in between the installed hard drives.
Overall, the thermal performance of the P180 was disappointing, especially as it was outperformed by its smaller relative, the P150, in the majority of the tests. Where it did prove effective was with PSU heat performance, inferring that the separate chamber did work. We feel it a shame that it was so restrictive to use, though.