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Maximum Thermal Load – CPU Package Power and VRM temperature results
For this first test, I’ve removed all power limits in the MSI BIOS for the Intel i9-14900K CPU and run Cinebench R23. As I’m evaluating thermal efficiency using an air cooler, the CPU will reach TJ Max and throttle in this scenario – so I’ve measured the CPU’s package power readings.
I was a bit surprised to see how much of a spread of results there was in these premium cases, though to be honest I doubt anyone is going to notice the difference in CPU performance between 251W and 264W.
Another way to judge this same scenario is by looking at the motherboard’s VRM temperatures. This reached 75C in this case, a bit warmer than I’d prefer. Ideally, I’d prefer a case that keeps the VRMs under 70 degrees C in this test.
“Intensive Gaming” Thermal Results
The purpose of this second test is to emulate the thermals of a gaming-type workload. This test isn’t a perfect emulation of gaming thermals, as I’m running Cinebench R23 for the CPU load and Furmark 2 for the GPU load, but it’s similar enough in thermal demands for the purpose of this review.
Looking at CPU temperatures, MSI’s case had the CPU reaching 80 degrees C at the end of the test. This isn’t the greatest when you consider that the competing PNX V1 runs degrees cooler with the same fans and other components installed in both cases.
So how about GPU temperatures then? Well, the gap isn’t quite as big there, with MSI’s temperatures 3 degrees C behind BeQuiet’s Light Base 900 DX and 5C behind APNX’s V1.
“Worst case” scenario thermals
This last test is a “worst case” scenario, with both the CPU and GPU being pushed to their limits. While most users won’t encounter a scenario this thermally demanding, this might be of interest to those with more powerful GPUs like Nvidia’s RTX 4090.
The spread between case thermal results is the highest, with a 13W variance between the best and worst results.
The GPU’s temperatures weren’t impacted as badly but still fell behind in MSI’s case, running 5C warmer than the BeQuiet and APNX cases tested for this review.
Conclusion
MSI’s MEG Maestro 700L PZ isn’t for those concerned about budget – it is a luxury computer case with a $399 USD price tag. The build quality is superb, as we’d expect given the price, featuring a single-piece tempered glass wrap-around front combined with etched aluminum on the other sides of the case. The back features plenty of room for cable management (or just stuffing wires), and it arrives with everything you need for a vertical GPU setup.
Its thermal performance could have been better in our testing compared to similar fishbowl-type cases, but it also wasn’t drastically worse than the competition. For those who like the wrap-around glass enough to pay close to $400, it’s a pretty way to show off your high-end components. Just make sure you include some extra budget for case fans, but it supports up to 10, and you’ll probably want more than a few to keep things cool.
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