Cougar Challenger Mid Tower Case Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging & Bundle3. Cougar Challenger: Exterior4. Cougar Challenger: Interior5. System Installation6. Testing Methodology and Thermal Performance7. Acoustic Performance8. Closing Thoughts9. View All Pages

To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using an enthusiast-grade test system comprised of an Intel Core i7 2600K, Radeon HD 4870 and multiple storage drives. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Cougar Challenger‘s cooling capabilities.

For stress testing we use a mixture of Prime95 and MSI Kombustor to create the maximum heat output. Prime95′s ‘Small FFTs’ setting allows us to stress our CPU. MSI Kombustor’s ‘GPU Burn-in’ mode creates the maximum amount of load our GPU is ever likely to see.

Test System:

• Processor: Intel Core i7 2600k.
• Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V.
• Cooler: Prolimatech Megahalems CPU cooler with 1x Noctua NF-F12 fan.
• Memory: 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR3 2133MHz.
• Graphics card: Radeon HD 4870 1GB with Arctic Cooling Accelero Twin Turbo Pro.
• Power supply: Hiper Type-M 670W.
• Storage drives: 128GB Kingston V100 (OS), 1TB Samsung F3, 320GB Seagate 7200.12.
• OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.

Thermal Performance Test Procedures:

• The case’s default fan configuration is used to give an accurate interpretation of the out-of-the-box performance.
• The Cougar Challenger‘s default fan configuration is 1x 200mm front intake fan and 1x 120mm rear exhaust fan.
• The fans are operating at full speed.
• We allow the system to idle for 15 minutes and record the stable temperatures.
• We allow the system to operate under extreme stress for 15 minutes and record the stable temperatures.

The Cougar Challenger′s default cooling configuration of 1x 200mm front intake fan and 1x 120mm rear exhaust fan was used. Room temperature was maintained at 21°C.

When our system was idling, cooling was a good trait for the Cougar Challenger. The large 200mm front intake fan treated our drives and graphics card to a substantial amount of cool air.

With an extreme load applied and higher amount of heat being expelled by our components, temperatures began to increase more rapidly than we would have liked. The single 120mm exhaust fan had a hard time trying to flush the greater capacity of heated air away from our system. Purchasing an extra 120/140mm exhaust fan to install in the roof would provide a cheap and simple method of decreasing component temperatures.

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