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For comparison purposes, we brought in the iBuyPower Snowblind, the NZXT's H710, the Corsair iCUE 465X RGB, and the Fractal Design Define S2 Vision, to give you a good idea of where the Vybe sits compared to its competitors with similar sizes and feature sets. We also tested the Vybe with the company's own APEX water cooling solution, a $149 option.
Despite the size of the intake vents lining the side of the front panel, the dual-120mm intake fans feeding the single 120mm exhaust fan provided more than enough airflow into the chassis to keep our test system temps in check. CPU temperatures leveled off at 58 degrees Celsius over ambient. These results bested the competition across the board, though just by a slim margin. GPU temperatures maxed out at 51 degrees Celsius over the ambient room temperature, putting the Vybe into a tie for second place.
As always, sound pressure level readings were taken with two off-the-shelf dB meters from two different angles. With the fan speed set at the maximum 1,200 rpm, our test system registered a just 29.7dBA at idle. With the test system under load, sound output reached a maximum of 32.1dBA, also tied for second place.
Cooling efficiency and noise levels are both ways to measure performance. Determining acoustic efficiency, also referred to as cooling-to-noise ratio, is a matter of averaging all of our tests to determine a base value. The Maingear Vybe performed better than the majority of our test group, while costing significantly less.
Bottom Line
The Maingear Vybe is a feature-packed chassis that has something for everyone. Power users will like the thermal and acoustic performance. Gamers will love the case's looks. All kinds of userswill enjoy the case's quiet operation, and everyone will no-doubt love the budget friendly $120 asking price.
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