Tests
Tests
Airflow :
Additional ventilation takes the form of three fans, two Thermaltake Riing 14. The two 140 mm fans are located at the top of the case, for extraction.
CPU airflow, original ventilation then supplemented :
Let’s start with the CPU temperature. We’ll keep the front and top of our test case. Let’s see if the airflow is sufficient to influence the cooling of the Core i5 14600KF.
By default, XPG’s Invader X is rather limited in terms of CPU ventilation. As you can see, at full speed, our 14600KF is hotter than in other cases… At low revs, it’s on a par with a Morpheus. If other cases melt better, it’s worth remembering that the CPU cooler doesn’t benefit from direct airflow from the front panel, but from a less efficient cross-flow.
Even so, it’s possible to gain a little by improving the extraction of hot air. However, these gains are rather measured.
Original CPU ventilation airflow without facade or top :
In order to ascertain the limiting factor in the story (and by how much), we remove the top covers while removing the bottom dust filter. The aim here is to show the raw performance of the integrated ventilation..
Removing the case’s side panels (the one positioned in front of the fans) and top panel, we notice that temperatures don’t drop much. There are several possibilities: either the ventilation is asthmatic, or the panels do not restrict ventilation, or the positioning of the fans is not conducive to CPU cooling. In one case, it’s encouraging; in the other, the ventilation could do with some improvement, especially given the number of fans and their performance compared to the competition.
GPU airflow, original ventilation then completed:
We repeat the operation, but with measurements taken on the graphics card. Here, we test with original ventilation, then with added ventilation.
On our graphics card, things get more complicated: at low speeds, our RTX 3050 is ultimately the hottest card in our comparison. Fortunately, as we increase the fan speed, things ease off and the case holds up quite well. What’s more, by improving extraction, there’s a small gain to be made.
GPU airflow, original ventilation without front panel ortop:
We repeat the same test, but with the front panel and top panel removed. Let’s see how this affects card temperatures.
Removing the side and top panels produces significant gains at low speeds. Under these conditions, we gain 5.6°C on the delta, which is no mean feat. At full throttle, although more contained, gains of 4.6°C are up for grabs.
Insulation :
Here, we’re simply measuring the noise emitted by our configuration when running CPU cooling and GPU cooling at high speed.
The Invader X’s natural insulation is very good, as we can see. In fact, at 38 dB, it’s one of the most efficient cases, with only the Dark Base 701 ahead of it. Clearly, the glass front panel does a good job of undermining the noise, providing effective soundproofing without the need for insulating materials.
Original ventilation noise:
This time, we measure the noise emitted by the case’s original ventilation. To do this, the configuration is run in idle mode ( CPU and GPU ventilation at minimum), while readings are taken successively at 5V, 8V and 12V on the case ventilation.
As far as noise is concerned, things are going rather well: with the fan set to maximum, we record some 37 dB. Admittedly, this is not inaudible, but it’s a far cry from the 43 dB of a Dark Base 701, for example. And once again, by regulating the ventilation, you can have a very quiet configuration, provided you have discrete components too.
To sum up:
In actual fact, the XPG Invader X proves to be quite ok thermally, provided you don’t run the mills at low speed. In these conditions, without being catastrophic either, we’ve seen more efficient CPU and GPU cooling. Nevertheless, it has the advantage of offering good sound insulation and rather quiet fans, even if there are five of them!