Performance Analysis
Assembling our test PC inside the Shinobi was a simple task, thanks to the well placed cable routeing holes and the ample amount of room behind the motherboard tray. Even the fat 24-pin ATX cable fitted easily in the gap between the tray and the side panel, meaning we avoided all the grunting, straining and swearing that occurs when we’re trying to force the side panel onto a case without much room behind the motherboard tray.
Unfortunately for the Shinobi, the results we garnered from our thermal testing weren’t great. With just a single 120mm exhaust fan, the case produced a peak CPU delta T of 60o; a poor result that's much hotter than those from other cheap cases such as the Antec One Hundred and the Xigmatek Utgard.
GPU cooling was disappointing as well, with the GPU hitting a Delta T of a whopping 49oC. This is the worst GPU cooling result we’ve yet seen with our current test kit, which means that the Shinobi sits last on our GPU test graph. The problem is that the graphics card simply isn’t receiving enough air, due to the solid nature of the front panel and the lack of any side ventilation. Granted there are the two meshed channels, which allow in some air, but it’s clearly not enough, at least not without a fan sat behind them actively pulling air through them.
The solid side panels also count against the Shinobi here, as a graphics card can usually draw in some air through the side fan mounts, which are usually open. That said, while the solid side panels may have resulted in the Shinobi struggling thermally, they did have some benefits in terms of noise. The case was very quiet throughout testing, mainly because there simply isn’t much in the way of venting from which the sound can escape.
