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Thermal and Acoustic Benchmarks, Conclusion

Test equipment, method, and results

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CPU	Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus
CPU Cooler	Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE
System Fans	Pre-installed (if needed, Cooler Master Masterfan M120)
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Elite Wifi7 Plus Gigabyte Z890M Aorus Elite Wifi Ice
GPU	Asus TUF RTX 4080
PSU	Montech Century II 1050W

Thermal tests showing how a case performs are just one part of deciding whether you should buy it. Other considerations include aesthetics (subjective), noise and how loud it is while keeping your components cool, additional features, and, of course, price. Everyone has different priorities for their PC case, be it RGB lighting, quiet cooling, ample space for your components, or the best cooling possible, noise be damned. Our goal is to give you the information you need to make an informed buying decision.

To get heat into the system, we stress the CPU with Cinebench R26 (multi-threaded test) and the video card with FurMark 2 (1080p). We run the CPU and GPU tests concurrently for 30 minutes, allowing the air-cooled system to reach saturation and stabilize. We then let the system idle for 15 minutes, adjust the fans to 100%, and test again.

Noise-normalized results were among the best for the CPU and warmer than average for the GPU. The CPU averaged 87 degrees Celsius throughout testing, which is a couple of degrees better than most. The video card averaged 81 degrees, which was surprising given the three fans blowing directly at it. These temps will drop a bit if you add more exhaust fans at the top, but these are good results, especially for the CPU, and the case with these fans will keep whatever you put inside running cool, without making much noise at these fan speeds.

Our noise-normalized results are for those who prefer silence, but what if you don’t mind extra noise and just want maximum performance, or you have to run things at high settings to keep high-powered devices cool? This testing is for you. Obviously, when you add fans or an AIO up top, things will change a bit, but this gives you a great idea of ‘out-of-the-box’ performance, noise be damned.

After raising the fan speed to 100%, the CPU only dropped two degrees Celsius, mostly because we could turn the fans up a bit higher than others in the noise-normalized testing. The video card dropped a respectable nine degrees, but was still one of the warmest but in a tightly packed datasets. Again, we expect even lower temperatures with the full complement of fans installed and have no worries it will handle flagship-class hardware.

The loudest this case gets in our configuration was 53 dBA, 11 dBA above our baseline threshold. This is the second-highest among the tested chassis. I was surprised by this result too, since the entire front and top of the case are covered, while others with an open front were a couple of dBA lower. That said, this case as tested has seven fans, and these tested cases often include four (or fewer), so it’s not bad considering it’s close to double the number of fans as others. Even at full power, they didn’t sound harsh, just like fans moving a lot of air in and out.

Montech’s new King 95 3D 10th anniversary case is a notable update from the King 95. I personally own the King 95 Ultra (Limited edition) and love what it offers. And that curved glass corner was a unique feature for cases when it launched. Fast forward to today, the 3D version for its 10th anniversary takes what worked there and builds on it. It’s larger, includes a cool 118-LED contour strip for continuous lighting, and has plenty of room for large internals. At $119.90 without fans, you supply your own, or for $199.90, you can get seven pre-installed Link Fan INF120s and a hub.

Performance was good all around, with the King 95 3D Pro and its seven fans doing a good job keeping the CPU cool in our noise-normalized testing. The video card did run warmer than most, but not enough to be alarming. Cranking the fans to 100% yields slightly better CPU temps, and the GPU dropped considerably, much closer to other chassis’ results. With all the fans running at full tilt, the noise was on the louder side, but it was just air turbulence. In short, feel free to pack this chassis with any hardware that fits, as it will cool without issue. It’s just a bit loud with Link fans turned up. I would like to see E-ATX motherboard support in the larger case, but that certainly isn’t a dealbreaker for most.

The Montech King 95 3D is a solid premium mid-tower chassis. The top glass is a unique addition for a PC case and lets you see inside from almost any angle. It also offers ample room for large graphics cards, CPU air coolers, and a 360mm AIO at the top. The included fans add a lot of bling, but you can buy the non-Pro version of the King 95 3D and choose your own fans for a more subtle, potentially quieter, and less RGB-infused build. If you’re in the market for a larger premium mid-tower chassis and would like to show off your build through three windowed panels, the new King 95 3D (and 3D Pro) should be on your shortlist for a sub-$120 (w/o fans) or sub-$200 (w/seven fans) chassis.