Gigabyte Poseidon Chassis

Testing continued

For heat testing we ran a series of tests to push the CPU and RAM load to maximum whilst we monitored the temperature of the CPU, GPU and case interior, checking it against the ambient. Before we did this though we got an idea of how well the system holds up when idle and without any active applications running.

Running in an ambient of 25°C, the idle temperatures of the CPU and GPU were 33°C and 42°C respectively. The case interior stayed steady at a pleasant 25°C, flush with the ambient.

Running a standard CPU and RAM blend test which pushes the load up to maximum obviously heated things up a little. Still in an ambient of 25°C, the CPU peaked at 46°C, which is well within range of acceptable temperatures. Impressively, the case's interior temperature still stayed level with the ambient, not going a single degree over 25°C.

Our GPU test is next, which is done using a program called RTHDRIBL which uses real-time, high dynamic range image based lighting simulations to test a graphics card. It’s handy and free, so you can always download it to test our your own system and post screenshots of what your GPU can do in the community.

Booting up RTHDRIBL and setting all the options to full, we monitored the heat coming off of the system in a still steady ambient of 25°C. The CPU heated up a little, treading the middle ground between the idle and CPU load test and settled at 41°C. The case interior heated up a single degree to 26°C, which is still impressively low. The GPU took the brunt of the heat obviously though and jumped up to 58°C, which is still much lower than some cases we’ve run this test on.

So, in heat tests the Gigabyte Poseidon holds up excellently and keeps everything cool – but what about noise-wise? Can the Poseidon be cool and quiet?

Amazingly, the answer is a definite yes. It’s probably not the quietest case we’ve ever had a chance to review, but it’s definitely well within the tolerable levels and if you’re the type to shove your PC in a desk alcove or on the floor under the table instead of right next to the monitor, then you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Gigabyte Poseidon was entirely silent.

Conclusions

We’ve looked inside, we’ve looked outside and we’ve looked at performance on the three crucial factors of ease, heat and noise performance. There’s literally nothing else to look at on or in the Gigabyte Poseidon except for value – so how much does this steel box cost?

Well, if you’re in the UK then the Poseidon is going to set you back £59.28 for the silver version, or £58.71 for the black version, with both of those prices including VAT. There is only a few pence in it, so it’s going to be a purely aesthetic choice. Is Goth Black too passé for you, or is silver a little bit too bling-wannabe for your desktop? Up to you.

In the US the prices are even closer. It’s $79.99 for each, whether you want it in black or silver. Again, the choice is yours.

Either way you can’t really argue with the price as the case is both sturdy and a decent performer in our testing regime. The build quality is adequate and the design is both stylish and sleek and every enthusiast knows that a decent case pays for itself in spades, which is just what the Poseidon does.

Of course, there are other cases which are even better than this one which only cost a little more, but if your budget is strictly set in stone and you can't afford another £20, then the Poseidon is an excellent choice, though there's always going to be one which is slightly better.

• Ease of Use
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• 9/10

• Build Quality
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• 9/10

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

• Performance
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

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

• Overall
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• 9/10

What do these scores mean?