As we ramp into GDC and PAX East, we're using the gap in review time to overhaul our testing methodology and test platforms. Yesterday's post revealed our open air GPU testing station, a direction that'll drastically improve our efficiency when testing multiple graphics configurations. Today, we're looking at the new case review test bench. The site has grown substantially in the past two years; we'll no longer be using the same bench for testing all components, and will now use individual systems for testing each component. This will eliminate chance of test error, improve efficiency, and allow each of our writers to specialize in an area.
GN's Staff Writer & Social Media Manager, Patrick Lathan, will be handling most ATX and micro-ATX case reviews going forward. As such, I dropped off a load of parts for Patrick's new test bench, which will be put to immediate use with NZXT's S340. Following his review of the S340, we'll look at Be Quiet's Silent Base 800.
The above video shows some of the components for the bench. The parts list is as follows:
GN Case Test Bench 2015
We're using an i7-4770K for the CPU – provided by CyberPower – running on an in-house purchased ASRock Z97 micro-ATX motherboard. Although micro-ATX is on its way out as a case form factor, especially given the rise of mini-ITX, we wanted enough versatility to review both ATX and micro-ATX cases. All mini-ITX enclosures will be tested with a separate bench; I'll likely conduct mini-ITX case reviews personally, with Patrick taking over ATX and micro-ATX reviews.
The RAM is Kingston's Genesis 2x4GB kit clocked at 1866MHz. This kit of memory was effectively replaced by the HyperX Fury memory, which uses an updated look. We're using a Samsung 840 SSD for the storage.
GN's new case review bench will also feature Be Quiet!'s Dark Rock 3 CPU cooler, a high-end air cooler that will fit in most modern cases. Be Quiet! provided additional support in the form of their Dark Power 750W PSU; although the PSU supplies far more power than our system needs, it allows headroom for expansion when we ultimately perform more intensive testing. The PSU is extremely energy efficient, making it ideal for the long up-times that our test bench will experience. Stability provided by the PSU ensure a more reliable test platform.
As for the video card, we're using an ASUS Strix GTX 960 (recently reviewed) as provided by ASUS. The 960 is an efficient video card with a versatile, somewhat universal size. This makes it ideal for case reviews as it will fit in almost anything.
The case we're using as a “permanent” enclosure for the build is NZXT's S340. The case is the device under test here, so we'll be changing that out regularly as we review more cases.
Keep your eyes on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube as we tour the conventions and prep our case reviews.
- Steve "Lelldorianx" Burke.