Enermax Maxflow Wind Tunnel Case

Newegg has a $199.00 Enermax Maxflow CS-718B case that looks very unique and interesting. The mobo is turned 180 degrees so that the CPU sits near the bottom of the case. At the bottom front and bottom rear are 120mm supply and exhaust fans with an arched plastic duct/shield between them. A "wind tunnel" is created between the plastic duct and the surface of the mobo. The CPU sits in this wind tunnel. Newegg has pics.

It seems to me this innovative approach will provide continuous good fresh air flow over the CPU cooler and keep noise levels down via the large 120mm fans. It also means that none of the hot air from the CPU intrudes into the rest of the case, further reducing the amount of fans and noise needed to keep the interior cool.

Does anyone have experience with this case? I am willing to spend $199.00 on it (including a 460 Watt ps) but I have the following concerns:
-Does it indeed provide good cooling at low noise levels?
-What are the limitations on CPU cooler size because it is required to fit under the plastic duct?
-Will an Abit IC7-Max3 fit? The plastic duct on the MAX3 looks like it might not fit below the windtunnel duct.

Looks very nice. I like the idea of the windtunnel but it's nothing new. Some old HP XA and XU systems had something similar except is was a non-transparent plastic piece that redirected CPU fan's air to an exhaust opening. I like the fact that this one actually has a fan at the end that sucks the air! I read some reviews and the only thing they tell you to look out for is that some of the mobos that it advertises to be compatible with, it's actually not. I would doublecheck!

Not unique, silverstone had a case like that a while ago. Can't really answer your questions, but will look around.

I would like to get some info on this case myself.

I am surprised that no one here has used or is familiar with this case. I will probably take the plunge and buy one eventually (month or two) and will certainly post my experience with it. I hate to give up the quality and elegant appearance of my current Lian-li case but I am about saturated with the noise (even with relatively quiet Panaflow fans) and inefficient airflow pattern.

I was interested in this case as well (was thinking of incorporating the wind tunnel idea and upside down mb). there is a guy with this case and another wind tunnel one for sale on ebay. I asked him how well that wind tunnel works. He says it helps a bit but its not a huge difference.

Here's a review of the temjin (silverstone) case of about same design.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article203-page1.html

That chassis appears to be identical to the Silverstone TJ-06.
If so, you are paying a real premium for the different front bezel (which is worse looking than the SS IMO).

As far as the "windtunnel" goes....
Depending on your chosen HSF, you may not be able to fit the plastic tunnel in place.
I was not able to install it over a Thermaltake XP-90, but it will clear my Zalman 7700cu just fine.
I can't really comment on it's effectiveness when installed as it seems to be a tradeoff...using the windtunnel will keep CPU temps marginally lower, but sys temp will rise a bit.
Not installing it seems to give me better overall temps, but I am still in the process of testing different fans/placement so I'm not sure yet.

One thing I AM sure of...I am ( and have been for nearly a year) completely sold on the advantages of the pseudo-BTX motherboard layout.
If nothing else, your video card will like being flipped hot-side-up and I also think that cable management is better.

The Enermax shares the same HDD cage with the Silverstone and I think it's the first thing that needs to be changed. I have removed mine ( a matter of a few rivets) and mounted a 120mm fan in the space below the PSU (check the Newegg pic...there is ample room) and then made custom mounts for the HDDs. This dropped drive temps alot from the stock arrangement.

The supplied 80mm fan on the front panel is essentially useless, it doesn't move enough air to reach any component that may benefit and appears to be an afterthought to me. I pulled mine out and haven't missed it at all.

I am playing around with some custom airducts and seem to be making headway, but as usual, my PC is a work in progress and it'll prolly never be finished. Right now my a64 3000+ is running 30-32 idle and 37-39C full load and the noise level is very low.

I like and recommend this chassis...whether you get the Silverstone or the Enermax is up to your wallet and sense of aesthetics.

I certainly appreciate all the great input. If I go with the wind tunnel design it will probably be the Enermax. It is more expensive than the Silverstone ($199 vs $140) but it does come with a 460 Watt power supply and a few other nice, but unnecessary, spiffs. I also like the appearance of the Enermax better and that does count for something.

Now let me complicate things.

I am also looking at the Lian-Li PC-V1000B. It also uses an inverted mobo design but the interior case design is significantly different from the Enermax/Silverstone. I am interested in hearing thoughts on the comparison of these cases. My current Lian-Li case gives me reasonable cooling but at the cost of too high a background noise level (even with relatively low noise Panaflow fans). My decision is really based on which of these designs will give me at least as good cooling as I have now but with a significant enough reduction in noise level to warrant the expense and effort. I have had good luck with Lian-Li quality but the fact that the case is full of tiny holes has me concerned with how much noise will escape and if air flow through the case can be effectively controlled.

clocker2 said:

I can't really comment on it's effectiveness when installed as it seems to be a tradeoff...using the windtunnel will keep CPU temps marginally lower, but sys temp will rise a bit.

Right now my a64 3000+ is running 30-32 idle and 37-39C full load and the noise level is very low.

Click to expand...

I was wondering what would be your temps idle and load if you removed the wind tunnel? is it 1-2 degrees or like 5 degrees difference?

(building a legos case and wondering if I should incorporate the wind tunnel design)

The temps I posted were with the windtunnel removed, but my modified front fan in place.
I can no longer mount the windtunnel as I've swapped out the stock fans/mounts which the piece uses as it's mounting points.