MSI MPG Gungnir 120R Mid-Tower Case Review

MSI recently reached out to us to see if we would be interested in reviewing its improved version of the Gungnir mid-tower chassis. MSI’s latest model, the Gungnir 120R, boasts a new front panel allowing for enhanced airflow and, in theory, better temperatures on the internal components. While the original Gungnir 110R displayed adequate cooling properties in our tests, MSI recognized that improvements were possible with only a slight facelift. In this review, we will highlight the differences in the new Gungnir 120R while referencing our original review of the 110R.

Features and Specifications

The MPG GUNGNIR 120R is a mid-tower gaming chassis identical to the Gungnir 110R except for the front panel. Like the 110R, it has an all-black satin finish with a tinted tempered glass left side panel and a tempered glass partial front panel. In addition, the 120R features an improved front panel with additional mesh at the center.

The input/output panel is highlighted by a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port capable of up to 20 GB/s. There’s also a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (5 GB/s) ports, HD audio jacks, an ARGB controller button, along with power and reset buttons.

MSI includes four ARGB 120 mm fans for airflow, three sitting at the front of the chassis, with one at the rear. The Gungnir 110R and 120R utilize three filters located at the front, top, and bottom rear for the PSU intake. Also included is a powered ARGB hub for powering up to six ARGB devices from either the I/O LED button or via the motherboard’s controller.

Regarding storage, the Gungnir 110R and 120R hold up to four storage devices. There are two SSD trays capable of mounting 2.5″ drives and a removable HDD caddy that houses up to two 2.5″ drives or two 3.5″ drives providing ample storage options.

The MPG Gungnir 120R specifications and features tables below are from the MSI website.

MSI MPG GUNGNIR 120R Features
	GO AHEAD, POP YOUR STYLE The MPG series brings out fashionable products by showing extremely unique styles and expressing a conceited attitude towards the challenge of the gaming world. With extraordinary performance and style, the MPG series defines the future of gaming fashion.
	The Foundation of Excellence Excel with the MPG GUNGNIR 110 Series, the epitome of high standards in a mid-tower chassis. Designed with versatility, constructed from high-quality materials, and born for performance. Choose eminence and embrace excellence.
	FRONT USB 3.2 GEN 2X2 TYPE-C Synergize the MPG GUNGNIR 120R with a compatible MSI motherboard through bridging with a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port for high speed data transmission.
	MPG GUNGNIR 120R Can install up to 6x system fans, providing ventilation and stable performance to the whole system. Built-in ARGB fans with striking lighting and vivid lighting effects. Tempered Glass Side Pane displaying RGB lighting effects. The magnetic filter on the top vents being easily remove for cleaning. Use the fan cable to create more possibilities for adding more fans to your system. Click through the profile at ease and choose a favorite. Built-in ARGB fans with striking lighting and vivid lighting effects. The LED Switch button can intuitively control and switch 9 lighting effects.

MSI MPG Gungnir 120R New Features

To see our in-depth review of the Gungnir 110R, please follow this link. As the 120R is identical to the 110R in every aspect except the front panel, we will only highlight the new front panel and follow up with additional thermal and acoustic testing.

The front panel for the Gungnir 120R maintains a similar aesthetic to the original 110R with its prism-like angular glass panels. The major improvement MSI incorporated is the additional mesh panel at the center that runs the full height of the chassis. Additionally, at the bottom, the angles are far more aggressive allowing an even larger intake surface area. At the top, MSI has included a black and chrome MSI dragon crest emblem. This is much more prominent than the original black-on-black logo from the 110R. With the front panel removed, you can see how much steel mesh they have added. Naturally, behind the front panel is the same full-height fine mesh filter as the 110R.

MSI MPG Gungnir 120R

Front

Logo

Front Panel Removed

Thermal and Acoustic Testing

In this section, we test the thermal and acoustic aspects of the MPG Gungnir 120R. The results are normalized based on an average ambient temperature and decibel reading. At the time of testing, the ambient temperature was 24.2° Celcius with an ambient Decibel reading of 37.2 dBA.

Thermal Testing Procedure

To remain consistent with our previous thermal testings, we test all chassis in their stock orientation. We set all fans to full speed and apply an overclock to the CPU and GPU. The overclock will be as high as possible, maintaining stability and staying within the thermal limits of the components. To apply a load to the CPU and GPU, we use AIDA64 Engineer’s stress test, selecting the CPU, FPU, Cache, and GPU sub-tests and running it for about a half-hour. This will allow us to reach the maximum internal case temperature for the test system. Next, we remove the side panel and continue the test by measuring the maximum temperature without the side panel. If the case gets proper airflow, the case temperatures will remain within a few degrees of the original result. If there is a significant temperature drop with the side panel removed, the case is starving for fresh, cool air.

The results show a marked improvement for the Gungnir 120R. The internal case temperature was only 2.4° Celcius over ambient with the side panel attached. This is a 1.6° improvement over the Gungnir 110R and about as good as any case we’ve reviewed with this method. We noticed a temperature drop of only 0.3° C with the side panel removed. This impressive result shows the new mesh front panel providing excellent airflow.

Acoustic Testing Procedure

The acoustic testing is a newcomer for our case reviews as the MSI Quietude 100S was the first to be tested in this way. For testing the chassis acoustics, we set the case in a typical placement on the desk with the front of the chassis facing forward and the Decibel meter 20 inches from the chassis. An ambient noise reading of 37.2 dBA was measured while the house and surrounding areas were at their quietest. It was necessary to switch off the air conditioning for this test as the meter was picking up a very slight hum from the compressor outside. With the ambient noise noted we then booted the test rig with the CPU and case fans set to performance mode in the BIOS and allowed the RTX 2070 fans to remain off during idle testing. Finally, we reboot again setting the CPU fan, case fans, and GPU fans to 100% to record the maximum decibels.

We expected the Gungnir 120R to be considerably louder than the MSI Quietude as the latter has several noise abatement features. But the reality is that both systems are impressively quiet during full-speed testing, producing only ten and a half decibels above ambient. You can attribute this to the RTX 2070 running at full speed. When the system is at lower fan speeds, such as idle or minor web surfing, the Gungnir is nearly inaudible at only 4.4 dBA over ambient. To put that in perspective, the outside AC unit produced 3 dBA over ambient.

Conclusion

The MSI MPG Gungnir 120R offers a noticeable thermal improvement over the previously reviewed 110R. The new front panel that it sports still maintains the original’s cool aesthetics, except for the increased amount of steel mesh and the chrome logo. We truly enjoyed the original Gungnir and are glad to see MSI continue to make improvements on an already great platform. You can purchase the new Gungnir at either Newegg or Amazon for $119.99. We can easily recommend this chassis to anyone looking for a great mid-tower case in this price range.

-John Nester (Blaylock)

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• MSI MPG GUNGNIR 110R Mid-Tower Case Review
• MSI MPG Quietude 100S Mid-Tower Case Review
• MSI MPG Velox 100R Mid-Tower Case Review