Cost effective system enclosure - The Xigmatek Midgard - reviewed by MetkuMods

Xigmatek Midgard

Cost effective choice for budget minded users

Author:	Jouni 'Jipa' Vasama
Published:	06.10.2009
Manufacturer:	Xigmatek
Product Group:	System enclosures
In English Suomeksi

Temperatures

The load tests were ran twice, with the bundled fan controller controlling the two case fans. The fan on the boxed CPU cooler was set to run at 100% all the time. For the load tests, Furmark and Intel Burntest were used.

Hardware used for the test:

Processor: Intel C2Q Q9450 (2,66 GHz, 1,26 V, boxed cooler)
Motherboard: Asus P5Q-VM
Memory: Team Group 2*2 GB Dark Xtreem
GFX Card: Gainward 8800GT Golden Sample
Hard drive: Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB
Power supply: Corsair TX750
Enclosure: Being tested...

Xigmatek Midgard Case Review

First of all, the Xigmatek's case fans are very, very quiet and don't move much air. This combined with the extremely open design of the case are the two main reasons for the small difference between the two tests. The slow turning fans can't really produce a significant airflow through the case.

For a "gaming chassis" the results aren't too impressive. The combination of all the ventilation and fan holes and only two quiet fans doesn't really seem right... While the hard drive remains at a stable 30 degrees through the test, both the idle and load temperatures on the CPU and GPU are some of the highest we've seen from a tower case.

Noise

The funky black-and-orange fans turned out to be really quiet. Again, though, that just isn't enough to make the setup quiet when the case is full of holes. The Midgard gets some extra points for the noise level of the actual fans as well as the rubber grommets on the HDD-mounting, but it just isn't really a case for silence-oriented users.

Conclusion

PROS

Lots of ventilation possibilities

Cheap

Fan controller

Quiet fans

CONS

PCI quick locks

Inadequate dust filters

Stock cooling not up to the task

Lack of rubber lined holes for water cooling hoses while specs list them

Bronze Award - Cost effective!

There's a lot going for the Midgard and it's definitely a good first attempt at the case markets. For such an inexpensive case the feature-set is great. There are all the tool-less features, black frame, plenty of optional cooling possibilities and a couple of very quiet fans. Unfortunately though, the tool-less locks on the card slots feel downright flimsy and all the ventilation holes don't do much good without fans installed on them. Another main issue is the lack of dust filters. The front panel has filters for the front fan and the drive bay covers, but that just isn't going to do much when the whole case is full of holes.

Overall then, if you are on the markets for an inexpensive gaming case and plan to upgrade the cooling with a couple of fans, this might just be the choice for you. For the money it's definitely a good choice, but just needs some work to really stand out.