Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Maximum Thermal Load – CPU Results
For this first test, I removed power limits from the Intel i9-14900K CPU and ran Cinebench R23 while also running Furmark 2 on the Radeon RX 7900 GRE GPU. This causes total system power consumption to reach around 600W.
This should be considered a “maximum performance” or “worst-case” scenario.
During this test, where both the GPU and CPU are pumping heat into the case, the CPU consumed an average of 256 Watts. This was impressive, outperforming the thermal performance of both the competing Be Quiet and MSI cases.
Maximum Thermal Load – GPU Temperature Results
GPU thermals were also good, measuring 60 degrees Celsius. This is on par with Be Quiet’s Light Base 900 DX, and 5 degrees C ahead of MSI’s Maestro 700L PZ case.
“Gaming” Thermal Load – CPU temperatures
For this next test, I’ve simulated a “heavy gaming” workload by running a 150W workload on Intel’s i9-14900K and a full load on ASRock’s Steel Legen Radeon RX 7900 GRE. This first graph will cover the temperature of the CPU in this situation.
APNX’ V1 has a significant lead of 9 degrees C over MSI’s Maestro’s 700L PZ, and a smaller 2 degrees C over BeQuiet’s Light Base 900 DX on this test.
“Gaming” Thermal Load – GPU temperatures
The chart shown here is also done while simulating a “heavy gaming” workload by running a 150W workload on Intel’s i9-14900K and a full load on ASRock’s Steel Legen Radeon RX 7900 GRE. This graph shows the results of the GPU’s temperature.
This test is another winner for the APNX V1, as it outperformed the Light Base 600 by 2 degrees C and MSI’s Maestro 700L by 5 degrees C!
CPU-only stress test – CPU power consumption and VRM temperatures
This last set of charts will cover results while running a stress test on the CPU only. We’ll look at both the CPU’s power consumption in this scenario and the VRM temperatures as well.
With 264W cooled during the test, APNX has the best thermal performance of cases tested in this review – outperforming BeQuiet’s Light Base 900 by 5W and MSI’s Maestro 700L PZ by 13W!
Conclusion
The APNX V1 is the first fishbowl-style case that I found genuinely impressive. The angled design for intake fans provides better thermal efficiency and performance than competing cases offer.
The base black or white version of this case is available for only $119.99, cheaper than options from many competitors. If you want to upgrade to something slightly fancier, the wood panel version is available for $20 more. Whether you like the wood look, or you’re just after an affordable case to show off your PC parts while also keeping them cooler than other multi-glass-panel competitors, the APNX V1 is easy to recommend.
MORE: Best PC Cases
MORE: Best Mini-ITX Cases
