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Review: NZXT Switch 810

by Parm Mann on 24 January 2012, 09:30 4.0

Tags: NZXT

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qabbnv

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Specification and test methodology

NZXT Switch 810 specification

Material Plastic/Steel
Colour(s) Black or White
Motherboard Support E-ATX, XL-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
Drive Bays External 5.25in x 4
Internal 3.5in / 2.5in x 6
Cooling FRONT, 2 x 120/140mm (1x 140mm included)
REAR, 1 x 120/140mm (1x 140mm included)
TOP, 3 x 120/140mm (1x 140mm included)
BOTTOM, 2 x 120/140mm
INTERIOR, 2 x 120/140mm (1x 140mm included)
Expansion Slots 9
Front I/O Ports USB 3.0 x 2 (backwards compatible with USB 2.0) 
USB 2.0 x 2
SD card reader
Audio x 1 
Mic x 1
GPU Clearance 375mm (max)
Power Supply ATX (not included)
Net Weight 9.1kg
Dimensions 595mm (H) x 235mm (W) x 585mm (D)

Test System Configuration

Motherboard ASUS P6X58D
CPU Intel Core i7 980X Extreme Edition (with reference DBX-B cooler)
Memory 6GB (3 x 2GB) Corsair Dominator DDR3
Graphics Card AMD Radeon HD 6970
Power Supply Corsair HX1050W
Storage Intel SSD

To find out how well NZXT's Switch 810 chassis can cool, we've loaded it up with an X58 test platform and run a series of CPU and GPU benchmarks for comparison against a variety of mid-tower alternatives.

Firstly, CPU cooling performance is measured by setting fan speed to low and recording CPU temperature when the system is idle. We then apply a 15-minute load of the Prime95 stress test and record CPU temperature again. To demonstrate the chassis' optimum cooling capability, we also set all fans - including the CPU cooler - to high speed mode and re-run the Prime95 torture test for a further 15 minutes.

Secondly, GPU temperature is also recorded in three states; idle, load with fans at standard speed and load with fans at high speed. In this test, GPU load is defined as a 15-minute stint of Furmark.

All chassis are tested only with the standard manufacturer-supplied fans, and to take into account the fluctuating ambient temperature, our graphs depict the delta temperature - that's actual CPU/GPU temperature minus the ambient. Just so we're clear, room temperature at the start of testing was recorded for each chassis as follows:

Ambient Temperature During Testing

Antec P280 18.2ºC
Corsair Carbide 500R 18.9ºC
Corsair Graphite SE 600T 21.2ºC
Corsair Obsidian 650D 21.4ºC
Corsair Obsidian 800D 18.2ºC
NZXT Phantom 410 19.4ºC
NZXT Switch 810 19.0ºC
NZXT Tempest 410 Elite 22.7ºC
SilverStone Raven RV03 21.9ºC