Testing Results & Conclusion
For the purposes of comparison, we are using the NZXT H700i, the Bitfenix Enso, and the be quiet! Dark Base 700. The cases used for comparison are of similar sizes and feature sets, and all have tempered-glass side panels.
CPU core temperatures on our budget quad-core Core i5-7500 processor running at 3.8GHz were very impressive. With the case's fans set at 1400 RPM, the Cougar Panzer G, thanks in no small part to the generous airflow provided by the triple 120mm intake fans, was more than capable of keeping temperatures in check. Processor temps never exceeded 37°C over the ambient temperature of 25°C. This puts the Panzer G into a tie with Cooler Master's Master Case H500P Mesh chassis and ahead of the NZXT H700i. No easy feat
Graphics-card temperatures fared even better, at 45°C over the ambient, our test GPU turned in the best performance of any of the cases we used for comparison purposes. Obviously this level of heat dissipation can be attributed to the sheer amount of unobstructed airflow, as well as the close proximity of the intake fans to our graphics card. Let's see if all this cooling performance has to come at a cost to acoustic performance.
With tempered glass panels on the front, top and both sides of this chassis, it came as no surprise that system noise was some of the best we have seen. At just 32.2 dBA under load, these results are better than the CMT510, NZXT H700i, and on par with the Dark Base 700. If keeping system noise low is at the top of your list of priorities, you'd be hard-pressed to find a quieter chassis.
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 five of our tests to determine a base value.
The Panzer G offers ticks all the right boxes, including design, functionality and performance. However, even though this chassis is less expensive than direct competitors, we believe a $100 price point would make this a deal you just couldn't pass up. Overall, this is a great case, even at $120.
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