System setup and thermal performance:

• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 @ 3.00GHz, stock cooler
• Motherboard: Abit I90HD
• HDD: Seagate ST3320620AS
• VGA: Nvidia 7900GS
• PSU: Enermax Infiniti 720W

In order to test the thermal performance of the case, we took temperature measurements while the system was powered and working placed on its motherboard box and then compared them with the readings we got when the system was installed inside the case, fully assembled. We used two external thermal sensors to take readings from the video card (back of the chipset) and ambient temperature. The chipset and CPU temperature readings are taken from the motherboard sensors. Finally, the hard disk drive temperature reading is taken from the internal HDD sensor, via the speedfan utility.

Idle readings were taken after the system was left at the windows desktop for 10 minutes.  Load readings were taken after running Prime 95 and PcMark05 concurrently for one hour. All of the case fans are running normally at full speed.

Unexpectedly for a SFF case, the Rogue has extremely good thermal performance. Because the side fans blow cool air directly on the CPU cooler from the right side and the GPU cooler from the left side, they vastly improvethe cooling capabilities of the system. Matter of fact, the video card was slightly cooler inside the case than outside and the CPU temperatures were not much different. All that while the three 120mm fans of the Rogue was making only a whisper-like noise, barely noticeable from a close distance.