Hardware Installation & Test Configuration
The Steelwing ships with a brief manual, a bag of assorted screws, and two pairs of hook-and-loop straps. Normally, the included straps would be a nice bonus for cable management, unfortunately the Steelwing’s lack of tie down spots and places to hide cables undercuts their usefulness.
The Steelwing comes with a standard assortment of front I/O cables that, as expected, match the options present on the front panel.
When it comes to optimizing airflow within the case and keeping the CPU cool, it would normally be better to flip the power supply 180° so the cables are out of the way and so it’s not fighting the CPU cooler for air. However, the power supply mount’s close proximity to the glass panel virtually eliminates air flow to the power supply when mounted the other way around, which can lead to overheating and a shorter life span.
Issues aside, Enermax did manage to make a visually appealing case. The Steelwing’s edge-to-edge tempered-glass side panel provides a stunning wide-open view of the case, and although it’s not as apparent in the photo, the included fan does a better-than-expected job of lighting up the inside of the case.
Good looks aren’t everything however, and we’ve yet to see how the Steelwing stacks up against the competition in terms of performance and value.
Due to the Steelwing’s CPU height restriction, we’re retaining the same modifications to our test platform as mentioned in our previous compact case review.
Noise is measured .5m from the case's front corner, on the side that opens. The numbers are corrected to the 1m industry standard—used by many loudspeaker and fan manufacturers—by subtracting six decibels.
The test duration for today’s review was four hours at full load with the ambient air temperature for the test maintained at approximately 26°C (78.8°F).
Comparison Products
Antec Cube
Bitfenix Portal Mini ITX
Fractal Design Define Nano S
Test Configuration
Drivers and Settings
| Test System Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Sound | Integrated HD Audio |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking |
| Software | |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce 353.30 |
| Chipset | Intel INF 10.0.27 |
| Benchmark Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Prime95 v27.9 | 64-bit executable, Small FFTs, 4 threads |
| 3DMark 11 | Version: 1.0.3.0, Extreme Preset: Graphics Test 1, Looped |
| Real Temp 3.40 | Average of maximum core readings at full CPU load |
| Galaxy CM-140 SPL Meter | Tested at 1/2 m, corrected to 1 m (-6 dB), dBA weighting |
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