The only other issue I encountered in installation was one that is common with all cases of this configuration; if the power supply is install in the lower part of the case you better hope you have some extra length on the main line going to 24-pin and 8-pin sockets. Other than that, the area around the CPU was kept clutter free, and I’m sure that aided in what you’ll see were some interesting cooling results.
Testing
Once everything was installed into the computer, it was time to take a step back and admire our handiwork. The NZXT Tempest does look the part, with it’s blue LEDs and monolithic black front bezel. But we can’t navel gaze all day. Some testing needs to be done to see if this case is more then just another pretty face.
For testing we focused exclusively on thermal performance and noise pollution. Thermal testing was performed using SiSoftware Sandra and AMD Overdrive, with the former used to push the system to full performance and the latter used to monitor system status. The system was left idling for 30 minutes to let temperatures and activity stabilize. Once that was over, temperatures were taken and Sandra was used to push the CPU to 100% and place stress on the RAM. After 60 minutes of this, the temperatures were taken again. Here are the results.
I still had the Arctic Silver 5 installed from our test of the Gelid GC1 thermal compound, which was performed in the Antec P182. It’s interesting to note that the CPU temperatures shown here are extremely close to those posted in that thermal compound review. Ambient temperature wasn’t an issue, as I made sure my office was as cold as it was they day that review was done. It would seem that the NZXT Tempest and the Antec P182 have very similar thermal profiles. This means that it’s going to come down to how loud this case is in comparison.
When it came to noise testing, our methods were much more simple. Noise testing was performed using a DB Meter pointed at the case in three different locations. The directional microphone was aimed on centre, and was perched on a tripod 6 inches away from each target. The room was brought to a silence, and the DB Meter was given a minute to stabilize. This was repeated for each test location.
- Left Panel (Window): 47.2 dBA
- Right Panel: 46.8 dBA
- Rear: 48.8 dBA
The NZXT Tempest isn’t much louder then the Antec P182, and comes in at a similar noise rating to most other cases in it’s class. When listened to subjectively, I did find a more noticeable drone from having all the fans spinning at full speed. I would probably utilize the 3-pin connector each fan has, and connect certain ones to the motherboard so they could be thermally controlled and reduce noise. With all this in mind, it’s safe to say that the NZXT Tempest takes care of business when it comes to thermals, but still needs to quiet down some of its fans.
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