Performance Analysis

We’ve done some refining of our case testing procedure, which you can read about in the Test Setup section. There are no drastic changes, and old results are still useful for general points of comparison, but we figured this would be a good time to reset the graphs and retest the open test bench scenario to give us a baseline to work with. As it happens, the results for this barely changed once averaged out, but as we’re now doing average-of-three results, we wanted to restrict the data presented solely to the newer method, and this is what we’ll add to going forward.

Sadly, the MSI MPG Sekira 500G has fairly bad out-of-box cooling for both the CPU and GPU, delivering average delta T results that are 8°C and 5°C warmer than the open bench. In fact, the CPU delta T is one of the highest we’ve seen so far at 61°C, and the GPU at 55°C is definitely on the warm side too. We had some time to play with, so we set about removing panels to identify where the problem was.

Usually, cases with exhaust fans don’t do this badly on CPU cooling, so the result here was especially surprising. Then again, MSI is only using a 120mm fan, and the roof definitely isn’t aiding natural ventilation. We therefore retested the case with the roof off, and immediately dropped the delta T result by 4°C, indicating that it is trapping heat in this area, an effect that could be exaggerated if you have a more powerful HEDT CPU. Fitting a roof exhaust fan should help to deal with this and give the case the extra boost it needs to force air out through those side-mounted vents, and naturally an all-in-one liquid-cooler would achieve this too.

However, it is quite obviously the front panel that is the biggest impediment to the cooling abilities of this case. That’s true of many cases, but here we have the numbers to demonstrate it. With the front panel removed, the two 200mm fans are completely unobstructed on the outside and suddenly are able to deliver a real gush of cool air, far more than probably any case we’ve tested in recent years – it’s really rare to get a pair of 200mm fans, after all, and they each shift plenty of air. The case layout ensures this is funnelled directly through to the CPU and GPU coolers, and we end up with a CPU delta T that is well below the open test bench result and a GPU delta T that also improves on it, albeit by a less significant amount.

We’re not suggesting anyone actually remove the front panel, but it goes to show just how much the it’s blocking airflow. The side vents that feed the front fans look large, but they’re actually positioned mostly behind the fans, and even the section in front of them is partially blocked by the internal plastic frame. 

One benefit of having a highly insulated case is that noise has a tough time escaping as well, and we did notice that the MSI chassis is better at containing sound than many other more ventilated cases. However, whether this is worth the tradeoff in CPU and GPU thermals is up to you – we reckon MSI has gotten the balance wrong, especially when you consider that poor cooling most obviously presents itself as higher and louder fan speeds (as well as lower clock speeds) thanks to your components being placed under greater strain.

Conclusion