Awesome setup, and great tips! Interesting point about running CPU rad as intake, that's what SilverStone recommended but I had a hard time seeing why. One big advantage is getting coolant tubes away from fan blades... almost impossible as exhaust. But performance-wise, all your extra exhaust fans and your PSU setup are what keep it from becoming a hot box.
Nice to know that SilverStone is combining the audio ports into just one. Tell me if you decide to bring these cases to South America, I'd love to buy something like a FARA, those seem like a lot of airflow.
Thumbs up. If you wanted to take the thermals angle any further you could buy several temperature probes and place them in the case. In this scenario you could highlight "case fails" if there are big hot spots. By the time a case has 3 or 4 fans there probably won't be any hot spots, but as bought some cases are better than others.
That's a good suggestion. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to take that next step in analysis, as it is already quite time consuming to do just CPU and GPU data!
Cool. I bought the 14 off the back of your review and it went incredibly well during build. Isn’t the 15 pretty similar but just has upgraded materials / ports? Will have to check it out.
Is it just me or did Mr. OT compare the SG 14 without extra fans to results from other cases WITH extra fans? I really felt like he didn't show its cooling potential. Really looking forward to this TBG review...
@@TheTechBuyersGuru That review was kinda off putting. He's very influential in the SFF community and I'm sure many people avoided the SG14/15 because of that. Not everyone will go for a 240mm AIO(more points of failure, noise, maintenance, value, etc.) so there's a scenario where you will use a DC Assassin 3 or NH-D15 and compare it with cooling in other cases. The LianLi TU-150 & InWin A1 can fit the NH-D15 but are pretty much starved for ventilation on the top side of the motherboard. He also kept the stock fan & left the top fan slot slot empty whereas he was filling up other cases with NF-A12x25/15's to the brim. Looks can also be subjective, I personally like the white SG14 compared to the white NR200.
Silverstonetech verified the front panel is strong enough to use as the base for SUGO 15, aka Xbox Series X style. Can you run some temperature tests using air cooler, with the 140mm exhausting and the side panel+GPU intaking air?
Just curious, but did it occur to you to try testing the case with a CPU cooler that's small enough to allow a rear exhaust fan, as Silverstone clearly intended? This bugs me about case reviews in general (not just yours), but I always see people testing small cases with gigantic CPU coolers that force them to make compromises on case fan size/placement. It doesn't matter how big your CPU cooler is if you aren't exhausting hot air out of the case. Priority number one in a build is ensuring good case airflow (*especially* exhaust--people also put way too much emphasis on intake fans), and once you do that, then you see what kind of CPU cooler you can fit into the build. Given the configuration(s) you went with, your thermal results are unsurprising. You mounted a single intake fan that is just blowing directly into the power supply. Then you try reversing the fan, forcing it to fight with the power supply to exhaust air. I get that you can technically fit a case fan in that position, but it's a *terrible* place for a case fan. If you swapped out any of those gargantuan CPU coolers with an NH-U12s (for example), and then put a 140mm exhaust in that rear far mount, you would probably improve all of your thermals by at least 10c. Probably more. There's no reason the SG15 should perform any worse than the SG14, with a good airflow configuration. It's literally the same case layout, with all the same venting.
I hear what you're saying. My recommendation is actually always to run these systems with liquid cooling. But many people are interested in big air coolers. Part of the reason I did this review this way is because literally everyone wanted to see the case run this way, and I didn't think it would work as well as everyone thought it would. I actually recommend you check out my more recent review of the Sliger S620 to learn more on this topic: ruclips.net/video/nVccM6iepts/видео.html As for using a smaller cooler with an exhaust fan, this really only makes a difference if there is room for airflow between the fan frame and the cooler. In an ITX system, this is almost never possible. And while you may think the CPU temps with a U12S and a rear fan would be better than a D15 without a rear fan, I respectfully disagree. Based on my extensive testing on the channel of more fan and cooler configs than anyone else on RUclips, I know that rear fans actually mostly help the GPU. See more here: ruclips.net/video/iCn-XL-HyXg/видео.html One last thing: the SG15 will actually outperform the SG14 with the same config, as I stated in the review, because it has better vents and better filters. But I did not test the same config, the reasons for which I also explained in the video. In case you didn't catch it, here's my SG14 review using liquid only: ruclips.net/video/48j4QRSVKxU/видео.html I appreciate, by the way, that while you clearly thought I did this review wrong, you asked your question without being condescending to me. That is rare on RUclips.
If you flip the top 120mm bracket, you can squeeze a few mm extra clearance, have you checked to see if doing so allows you to fit a 120x25mm fan alongside the Fuma 2?
Interesting theory. I haven't tried that, and I'm wondering if it would hit the top panel. The system is disassembled at this point, so I can't test it, but I do know that slim fans (120mm x 15mm will work).
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Yeah slim fans are an option, but I wanted the better airflow from regular fans. Flipping the top bracket should give you 5mm extras or so and won't hit the top case panel, it even looks clean. Some reddit user did it with their Sugo 14 (same internals) to fit the DRP4 (163mm height) with a slim noctua, as seen here: i.imgur.com/lSVLV5W.jpg
@4:10 you showed it is not possible to use a top case fan together with a large air cooler. However, if an AIO were to be used with a rear 140MM case fan, in that scenario, would the top case fan fit? - a 25 thick top fan or 12mm thick top fan?
I genuinely can't wrap my head around that price, it looks a lot like the internal layout of the Fractal Design Core 500/Node 304 which are both significantly cheaper than this. I think the only thing these case have over the Fractal alternatives is the triple slot PCIe bracket.
That's why i recommend the SG14 in the video. The Fractal is totally outdated and isn't worth buying today. I've used and recommended it for builds in the past, but times have changed. In addition to not fitting most high end video cards, the other huge problem with it was PSU cable clearance, which caused major interference with video cards that would seem to fit based on specs.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I totally agree, between the two, the SG15 makes absolutely no sense. I have the Core500 housing my HTPC, never really had any issues with it running a 1070 founders, but I am using an SFX psu in there which is probably why I never had a clearance issue with it. Agree it's outdated but I would say that is also true for most of these cube style cases - my main reasoning for this form factor over something truely SFF was that my other half *needed* a blu-ray drive to watch her DVD collection. Here in the UK the Core500 is about £60, the SG14 is looking like £90 - for me I'd sink that money into performance/storage rather than the case. Good review though, keep it up :)
You can see my initial reaction to the SG14 with regard to the Core 500 when it was unveiled at CES2020: ruclips.net/video/QKojOX7lL58/видео.html I'd say that if you already have a Core 500 and have components that fit in it, obviously there's no reason to upgrade. But you would be very challenged getting any new GPUs in that case if you were actually using an ATX power supply. With your SFX unit, you are probably OK as long as you stick to dual-slot cards.
Finally, big air testing on SG 14/15 :) Can you please give the clearance to the right of the motherboard and the PSU bracket? I'm wondering if an NH-C14S will also fit in the SG 14/15. The other reviewer showed VRM thermals are a bit toasty compared to other ITX cases and a big downdraft cooler like NH-C14S will easily solve this.
About 7mm between motherboard and side fan bracket, 10mm between motherboard and PSU bracket. The C14S almost certainly won't fit, and I think it would do more harm than good in terms of thermals anyway.
Oh great, thanks for the info. I was just basing the possibility of using an NH-C14S base on thermal testing of similar cases(but they don't fit NH-D15 hehe). I guess the airflow from the NF-A15 fans will still hit the VRM heatsinks and give better thermals than just a 240mm AIO.
Could you tell Silverstone to please modernize their classic matx, tj08-E? Perhaps, maybe even ask for a sample to test. I’m curious how well that case does with new hardware.
I'm glad you like the TJ08-E, I do too. But there is no further update of that case coming, as SilverStone has already tried releasing updates that didn't sell well, namely the following: RL08: amzn.to/2JVUfUN LD01: amzn.to/2JNhpwm As for re-testing an old case that I tested 6 years ago long before I was on RUclips, well, to be honest that's not going to happen. It's completely outdated, with a massive drive cage where no drive cage should be, a loud 180mm fan, optical drive bays where fans should be, and a power supply mounting system that won't allow fresh air intake to the PSU. Case design has changed dramatically since the last of the Temjins was released to accommodate the components people actually use today.
Very informative tests. From the looks of your test fit a Noctua NF-A12x15 or Scythe Kaze-1212 will probably clear the top fan mount to get better GPU thermals. FWIW, an Asrock or Asus B450/B550 motherboard with its extra 10-11mm top clearance compared to Gigabyte ITX boards will fit the NH-D15 but as you concluded the Fuma 2 is probably the sweet spot & you will get clearance for a top mounted exhaust 12-15mm thick fan as bonus. I think adding fan mounting support on the left panel or 5-10mm more clearance up top will greatly reduce GPU thermals.
All good points. I can only test on the motherboard I have, and socket spacing is indeed critical. But it isn't even consistent within a given brand. My B450 I Aorus and B550 I Aorus boards do not have the same spacing. And note, the D15 was WAY outside the zone, meaning that the fan bracket wasn't even mounted in those images I shared. An extra 10mm might get the D15 into the case, but wouldn't allow the use of that fan bracket, meaning no air intake. I do like your idea of adding an NF-A12x25 or Scythe Kaze Flex Slim to the top of the case. I should have thought of that!!!
I think it’s also worth checking out the Noctua D9L. It’s cooling capability isn’t as good as the big air coolers, but it will get the job done well with outstanding compatibility. Lots of room for fans for ITX cases. Another option for this case could be the Noctua NH-12A - I suspect it would have room for at least a slim fan
Hi Ari 😁🖐 another terrific video 👍🍻. I think you might fit a Slim fan above the Fuma 2 to give better airflow. I have slim 140mm Noctua fans as well as oem slim fans which are either 80 or 90mm and about 7mm thick which would easily fit. Maybe worth a look at for a future update? Looking forward to the next episode.👍🇦🇺🍻😁
Yes, a slim 120mm fan (but not 140mm) can be mounted above the Fuma 2, and might be the ideal air cooling configuration. I still think liquid is the way to go, but for fans of big air, you have a great suggestion. Alas, I'm not going to be returning to this case in the future, as I'm moving on to my next series of videos!
The PSU always exhausts out. Flipping it only determines where it draws air in from. Setting top fan to exhaust may help depending on what your GPU is, but it doesn't fit above most GPUs nor does it fit above most CPU coolers, so it's really not that useful.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thanks, because I’ve purchased one to modify my old E3-1230v3 to be my Plex and Steam game server. I’m using 120 liquid cooling and my CPU temp keep 55-60’C when the CPU using up to 50%, I’m wondering if I add 1-2 top fan could cool down the entire case.
Hello! Maybe a bit weird question, but can this case accommodate small microATX boards? Like Gigabyte H310M H, for example (it's just 226 x 174 mm). Official Silverstone site does not provide exact dimensions.
No, it cannot. ITX and mATX are not interchangeable. If you'd like an MATX case with about the same overall dimensions, go with SilverStone's SG11: amzn.to/3lfkpi0
So decided to push a SFF
Awesome setup, and great tips! Interesting point about running CPU rad as intake, that's what SilverStone recommended but I had a hard time seeing why. One big advantage is getting coolant tubes away from fan blades... almost impossible as exhaust. But performance-wise, all your extra exhaust fans and your PSU setup are what keep it from becoming a hot box.
Nice to know that SilverStone is combining the audio ports into just one.
Tell me if you decide to bring these cases to South America, I'd love to buy something like a FARA, those seem like a lot of airflow.
thank you for this in depth review. I was disappointed how Optimum tech review SG-14 and SG-15...At least you are giving justice to those SG-14/15
I think they have some merit, especially with liquid cooling.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru For sure. As you remind both cpu and gpu thermals were great with 240 aio in sugo 14.
Thumbs up. If you wanted to take the thermals angle any further you could buy several temperature probes and place them in the case. In this scenario you could highlight "case fails" if there are big hot spots. By the time a case has 3 or 4 fans there probably won't be any hot spots, but as bought some cases are better than others.
That's a good suggestion. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to take that next step in analysis, as it is already quite time consuming to do just CPU and GPU data!
Been waiting on this review, Remember OT isn't always right about cases.
He certainly had a strong opinion about this one. Hopefully my review provides additional information.
Cool. I bought the 14 off the back of your review and it went incredibly well during build. Isn’t the 15 pretty similar but just has upgraded materials / ports? Will have to check it out.
Is it just me or did Mr. OT compare the SG 14 without extra fans to results from other cases WITH extra fans? I really felt like he didn't show its cooling potential. Really looking forward to this TBG review...
@@TheTechBuyersGuru That review was kinda off putting. He's very influential in the SFF community and I'm sure many people avoided the SG14/15 because of that.
Not everyone will go for a 240mm AIO(more points of failure, noise, maintenance, value, etc.) so there's a scenario where you will use a DC Assassin 3 or NH-D15 and compare it with cooling in other cases. The LianLi TU-150 & InWin A1 can fit the NH-D15 but are pretty much starved for ventilation on the top side of the motherboard.
He also kept the stock fan & left the top fan slot slot empty whereas he was filling up other cases with NF-A12x25/15's to the brim.
Looks can also be subjective, I personally like the white SG14 compared to the white NR200.
Silverstonetech verified the front panel is strong enough to use as the base for SUGO 15, aka Xbox Series X style. Can you run some temperature tests using air cooler, with the 140mm exhausting and the side panel+GPU intaking air?
Just curious, but did it occur to you to try testing the case with a CPU cooler that's small enough to allow a rear exhaust fan, as Silverstone clearly intended? This bugs me about case reviews in general (not just yours), but I always see people testing small cases with gigantic CPU coolers that force them to make compromises on case fan size/placement. It doesn't matter how big your CPU cooler is if you aren't exhausting hot air out of the case. Priority number one in a build is ensuring good case airflow (*especially* exhaust--people also put way too much emphasis on intake fans), and once you do that, then you see what kind of CPU cooler you can fit into the build.
Given the configuration(s) you went with, your thermal results are unsurprising. You mounted a single intake fan that is just blowing directly into the power supply. Then you try reversing the fan, forcing it to fight with the power supply to exhaust air. I get that you can technically fit a case fan in that position, but it's a *terrible* place for a case fan. If you swapped out any of those gargantuan CPU coolers with an NH-U12s (for example), and then put a 140mm exhaust in that rear far mount, you would probably improve all of your thermals by at least 10c. Probably more. There's no reason the SG15 should perform any worse than the SG14, with a good airflow configuration. It's literally the same case layout, with all the same venting.
I hear what you're saying. My recommendation is actually always to run these systems with liquid cooling. But many people are interested in big air coolers. Part of the reason I did this review this way is because literally everyone wanted to see the case run this way, and I didn't think it would work as well as everyone thought it would.
I actually recommend you check out my more recent review of the Sliger S620 to learn more on this topic: ruclips.net/video/nVccM6iepts/видео.html
As for using a smaller cooler with an exhaust fan, this really only makes a difference if there is room for airflow between the fan frame and the cooler. In an ITX system, this is almost never possible. And while you may think the CPU temps with a U12S and a rear fan would be better than a D15 without a rear fan, I respectfully disagree. Based on my extensive testing on the channel of more fan and cooler configs than anyone else on RUclips, I know that rear fans actually mostly help the GPU.
See more here: ruclips.net/video/iCn-XL-HyXg/видео.html
One last thing: the SG15 will actually outperform the SG14 with the same config, as I stated in the review, because it has better vents and better filters. But I did not test the same config, the reasons for which I also explained in the video. In case you didn't catch it, here's my SG14 review using liquid only: ruclips.net/video/48j4QRSVKxU/видео.html
I appreciate, by the way, that while you clearly thought I did this review wrong, you asked your question without being condescending to me. That is rare on RUclips.
If you flip the top 120mm bracket, you can squeeze a few mm extra clearance, have you checked to see if doing so allows you to fit a 120x25mm fan alongside the Fuma 2?
Interesting theory. I haven't tried that, and I'm wondering if it would hit the top panel. The system is disassembled at this point, so I can't test it, but I do know that slim fans (120mm x 15mm will work).
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Yeah slim fans are an option, but I wanted the better airflow from regular fans. Flipping the top bracket should give you 5mm extras or so and won't hit the top case panel, it even looks clean. Some reddit user did it with their Sugo 14 (same internals) to fit the DRP4 (163mm height) with a slim noctua, as seen here: i.imgur.com/lSVLV5W.jpg
@4:10 you showed it is not possible to use a top case fan together with a large air cooler. However, if an AIO were to be used with a rear 140MM case fan, in that scenario, would the top case fan fit? - a 25 thick top fan or 12mm thick top fan?
A 140mm fan mounted in the back may prevent the installation of an AIO, but two 120mm fans will fit.
I genuinely can't wrap my head around that price, it looks a lot like the internal layout of the Fractal Design Core 500/Node 304 which are both significantly cheaper than this. I think the only thing these case have over the Fractal alternatives is the triple slot PCIe bracket.
That's why i recommend the SG14 in the video. The Fractal is totally outdated and isn't worth buying today. I've used and recommended it for builds in the past, but times have changed. In addition to not fitting most high end video cards, the other huge problem with it was PSU cable clearance, which caused major interference with video cards that would seem to fit based on specs.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I totally agree, between the two, the SG15 makes absolutely no sense. I have the Core500 housing my HTPC, never really had any issues with it running a 1070 founders, but I am using an SFX psu in there which is probably why I never had a clearance issue with it. Agree it's outdated but I would say that is also true for most of these cube style cases - my main reasoning for this form factor over something truely SFF was that my other half *needed* a blu-ray drive to watch her DVD collection.
Here in the UK the Core500 is about £60, the SG14 is looking like £90 - for me I'd sink that money into performance/storage rather than the case.
Good review though, keep it up :)
You can see my initial reaction to the SG14 with regard to the Core 500 when it was unveiled at CES2020: ruclips.net/video/QKojOX7lL58/видео.html
I'd say that if you already have a Core 500 and have components that fit in it, obviously there's no reason to upgrade. But you would be very challenged getting any new GPUs in that case if you were actually using an ATX power supply. With your SFX unit, you are probably OK as long as you stick to dual-slot cards.
Great content, thank you for the work
Much appreciated!
Good conclusion. An air cooler user.
one more thing. Isn't putting a tower on the work table inviting electrostatic discharges potentially damaging electric components?
I've done about 100 builds and never had that happen, so I think the answer is "probably not".
Finally, big air testing on SG 14/15 :)
Can you please give the clearance to the right of the motherboard and the PSU bracket? I'm wondering if an NH-C14S will also fit in the SG 14/15.
The other reviewer showed VRM thermals are a bit toasty compared to other ITX cases and a big downdraft cooler like NH-C14S will easily solve this.
About 7mm between motherboard and side fan bracket, 10mm between motherboard and PSU bracket. The C14S almost certainly won't fit, and I think it would do more harm than good in terms of thermals anyway.
Oh great, thanks for the info.
I was just basing the possibility of using an NH-C14S base on thermal testing of similar cases(but they don't fit NH-D15 hehe).
I guess the airflow from the NF-A15 fans will still hit the VRM heatsinks and give better thermals than just a 240mm AIO.
The results were... surprising. You'll see. ;)
Could you tell Silverstone to please modernize their classic matx, tj08-E? Perhaps, maybe even ask for a sample to test. I’m curious how well that case does with new hardware.
I'm glad you like the TJ08-E, I do too. But there is no further update of that case coming, as SilverStone has already tried releasing updates that didn't sell well, namely the following:
RL08: amzn.to/2JVUfUN
LD01: amzn.to/2JNhpwm
As for re-testing an old case that I tested 6 years ago long before I was on RUclips, well, to be honest that's not going to happen. It's completely outdated, with a massive drive cage where no drive cage should be, a loud 180mm fan, optical drive bays where fans should be, and a power supply mounting system that won't allow fresh air intake to the PSU. Case design has changed dramatically since the last of the Temjins was released to accommodate the components people actually use today.
Very informative tests.
From the looks of your test fit a Noctua NF-A12x15 or Scythe Kaze-1212 will probably clear the top fan mount to get better GPU thermals.
FWIW, an Asrock or Asus B450/B550 motherboard with its extra 10-11mm top clearance compared to Gigabyte ITX boards will fit the NH-D15 but as you concluded the Fuma 2 is probably the sweet spot & you will get clearance for a top mounted exhaust 12-15mm thick fan as bonus.
I think adding fan mounting support on the left panel or 5-10mm more clearance up top will greatly reduce GPU thermals.
All good points. I can only test on the motherboard I have, and socket spacing is indeed critical. But it isn't even consistent within a given brand. My B450 I Aorus and B550 I Aorus boards do not have the same spacing.
And note, the D15 was WAY outside the zone, meaning that the fan bracket wasn't even mounted in those images I shared. An extra 10mm might get the D15 into the case, but wouldn't allow the use of that fan bracket, meaning no air intake.
I do like your idea of adding an NF-A12x25 or Scythe Kaze Flex Slim to the top of the case. I should have thought of that!!!
I think it’s also worth checking out the Noctua D9L. It’s cooling capability isn’t as good as the big air coolers, but it will get the job done well with outstanding compatibility. Lots of room for fans for ITX cases. Another option for this case could be the Noctua NH-12A - I suspect it would have room for at least a slim fan
Have you tried reaching out to Sliger for a S620? It's basically a smaller, but more premium CoolerMaster NR200.
Thanks for the tip. I hadn't seen that new model. I'll reach out to them and see what they say, but after my SV590 review, they went cold on me.
Hi Ari 😁🖐 another terrific video 👍🍻. I think you might fit a Slim fan above the Fuma 2 to give better airflow. I have slim 140mm Noctua fans as well as oem slim fans which are either 80 or 90mm and about 7mm thick which would easily fit. Maybe worth a look at for a future update? Looking forward to the next episode.👍🇦🇺🍻😁
Yes, a slim 120mm fan (but not 140mm) can be mounted above the Fuma 2, and might be the ideal air cooling configuration. I still think liquid is the way to go, but for fans of big air, you have a great suggestion. Alas, I'm not going to be returning to this case in the future, as I'm moving on to my next series of videos!
Thanks for great content! I would definitely go with AIO cooling.
Thanks as always for stopping by, Tony Beckett!
I’m curious on the psu position, what if I flip the psu + top case fan and pull the fresh air outside instead to push out?
The PSU always exhausts out. Flipping it only determines where it draws air in from.
Setting top fan to exhaust may help depending on what your GPU is, but it doesn't fit above most GPUs nor does it fit above most CPU coolers, so it's really not that useful.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thanks, because I’ve purchased one to modify my old E3-1230v3 to be my Plex and Steam game server. I’m using 120 liquid cooling and my CPU temp keep 55-60’C when the CPU using up to 50%, I’m wondering if I add 1-2 top fan could cool down the entire case.
So you got high temps using coolers that didn't allow you to fit the case's exhaust fan, as the case was actually designed for in the first place?
LOL, second commenter in 30 minutes to post this? Must be coming from a forum somewhere! The small cooler brigade!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru ok
I'd expect the cost to be around £130-150 in the UK
Hello! Maybe a bit weird question, but can this case accommodate small microATX boards? Like Gigabyte H310M H, for example (it's just 226 x 174 mm). Official Silverstone site does not provide exact dimensions.
No, it cannot. ITX and mATX are not interchangeable. If you'd like an MATX case with about the same overall dimensions, go with SilverStone's SG11: amzn.to/3lfkpi0
Hi there! Did you try to twist the psu around so it sucks in gpu heat?
Nice Review
Glad you enjoyed it