Chieftec Dragon CH-07 Review

Results Analysis

When we fired up the Canyon Flight test in 3DMark06 to stress the GPU, the Dragon CH-07 kept it at a respectable 56°C, 33°C above room temperature. With its 220mm side panel fan bulging out like a tramp trying to steel cheap cider from an off-license, the Dragon CH-07 was on par with the Lian Li PC-P50, with the latter case compensating for the lack of side panel fan with larger, unobstructed roof fans. The Antec Nine Hundred Two was slightly better than both cases, cooling the passive Sapphire HD 3850 to just 28°C above ambient.

The Dragon also performed well during the CPU stress run. With the small FFT test of Prime95 stressing both cores of our 3.46GHz Intel Pentium Extreme Edition 955 the temperature levelled out at 47°C, just 24°C above ambient, another result matched identically by the Lian Li. The Antec also matched the CPU delta T in the CPU stress test, but it managed to keep the GPU delta T lower in the process.

While the Dragon keeping up with the Lian Li in the GPU and CPU tests, the latter case was a couple of degrees cooler when the test rig was idling. It was still a good result for Chieftec though as the delta Ts were identical to the Antec's with its fan speeds turned right up.

Final Thoughts

Performance aside, we have a few gripes with the case: we’d have preferred better provision for cable management and quieter fans for a start. The build quality is juxtaposition of classic Chieftec super sturdiness and cost cutting. The plastic imitation heatsinks along the top and boring grey finish interior aren’t what we might expect for an £80 case.

Then there’s the issue of the PSU partially (or perhaps wholly, depending on your PSU) obstructing one of the roof exhaust fans. Having a PSU mount down the bottom of the case would have stopped this problem, allowing for greater quantities of air to be hoofed out the top, but there isn't - it's simply badly designed.

The Antec Nine Hundred Two provides a lot more features for the extra money and if you can afford to stretch to extra £15 or so, then we feel you really get your money’s worth. The hard disk caddies, individual fan controllers and all over black finish really round off the package.

The Dragon’s cooling performance is what helps it claw back some points. It was close to that of Antec’s Nine Hundred Two and identical to that of the Lian Li PC-P50 in both the CPU and GPU stress tests. Considering that these are two of the best midi-tower cases out there at the moment, we feel that this is a decent result for Chieftec. If you're on a super tight budget then the Dragon offers high-end performance at a slightly more reasonable price than the competition and given that it's only just hit the shelves it could be in for a price drop in near future too.

• Features
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Build Quality
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Ease of Use
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Performance
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• 9/10

• Value
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

• Overall
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

Score Guide