Xigmatek Gigas Case Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Xigmatek Gigas: Exterior4. Xigmatek Gigas: Interior and Installation5. Testing Methodology and Performance6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

For our tests we will be using a Noctua NH-L12 CPU cooler to cool a AMD Vision A8-3850 APU.  Our test system also features an AMD Radeon HD 6670 graphics card.

Test System:

Processor: AMD Vision A8-3850
Motherboard: Asus F1A75-M Pro
Cooler: Noctua NH-L12
Thermal Paste: Arctic Cooling MX-3
Memory: 4GB (2x 2GB) Crucial Ballistix 1600 MHz
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 6670
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower 750W
System Drive: Crucial M4 256 GB
Monitor: Viewsonic VX2260WM
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

Software:

CPUID Hardware Monitor
Prime95 64-bit
Furmark V1.9.2

To test the thermal performance of the Xigmatek Gigas we loaded our test system for 15 minutes using Prime95 and Furmark and recorded the maximum temperatures reached using CPUID Hardware Monitor.  We then restarted the system and left it for 15 minutes before recording idle temperatures.  Room temperature was maintained at 17 degrees C for the duration of our tests.  We are then going to try a stress test, when loading the A8-3850 with 1.46 volts.

As you can see the temperatures recorded are quite impressive, even when overclocked.  This is thanks to the great airflow through the chassis as a result of the four included fans.

To test the noise performance of the case we placed a digital dBA meter 1m from the front of the case and replaced the Radeon HD 6670 with a HD 5550 Silence.  We also momentarily detached our CPU cooler's fans so we were only taking the noise into account from the case fans.

The noise level generated by these fans was below the 30 dBA minimum sensitivity level of our noise level meter.

The noise from the case is barely noticeable under normal conditions except for a quiet low-pitched hum.  If you do find this annoying, Xigmatek include an variable fan speed adapter with the case which fits in an auxiliary expansion slot in the rear panel.

Unfortunately this only has three 3-pin outputs, though, so you will need extra adapters to connect all four fans.

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