Test Results
We can see right away that the small CPU cooler and internally vented graphics card push CPU heat up by around 25° compared to previous hardware, and that the noise-dampened Silent Base 800 copes well with the extra heat; we observe thermal readings only a few degrees higher than Corsair’s free-flowing 760T.
But our noise measurements cause us to question the effectiveness of the Silent Base 800’s foam dampening, as it’s only one decibel quieter than the 760T with the fans running at full speed.
Even though it’s barely warmer and a little quieter than the 760T, the Silent Base 800 still falls around 1% below the 760T in our comparison of temperature to noise.
Fortunately, the Silent Base 800 is also cheaper than the 760T. There’s no way Corsair can make up a $40 price premium with only a 1% performance advantage.
The true challenge for the Silent Base 800 isn’t trumping the value of Corsair’s high-priced Graphite 760T though, but rather overcoming the feature set of mainstream “quiet cases” like the Fractal Design Define R4 and Nanoxia Deep Silence 1. Made from heavier steel and using a heavier asphalt mat, weight is the biggest drawback of those competitors. Both can be bought for $120, and the DS1 even has an eighth expansion slot to allow a fat graphics card in the case’s bottom slot. On a whim, I retested the Deep Silence one and plugged its numbers into the charts to see where it would end up in a value comparison.
