Cubitek HPTX ICE Review: How Far Aluminum Can Go
by Dustin Sklavos on May 11, 2012 1:20 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Full-Tower
- Cubitek
- HPTX
Testing Methodology
For testing Micro-ATX and full ATX cases, we use the following standardized testbed in stock and overclocked configurations to get a feel for how well the case handles heat and noise.
| ATX Test Configuration | |
| CPU |
Intel Core i7-2700K (95W TDP, tested at stock speed and overclocked to 4.3GHz @ 1.38V) |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 |
| Graphics Card |
ASUS GeForce GTX 560 Ti DCII TOP (tested at stock speed and overclocked to 1GHz/overvolted to 1.13V) |
| Memory | 2x2GB Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer DDR3-1600 |
| Drives |
Kingston SSDNow V+ 100 64GB SSD Samsung 5.25" BD-ROM/DVDRW Drive |
| Accessories | Corsair Link |
| CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo with Cooler Master ThermalFusion 400 |
| Power Supply | SilverStone Strider Plus 750W 80 Plus Silver |
Each case is tested in a stock configuration and an overclocked configuration that generates substantially more heat (and thus may produce more noise). The system is powered on and left idle for fifteen minutes, the thermal and acoustic results recorded, and then stressed by running seven threads in Prime95 (in-place large FFTs) on the CPU and OC Scanner (maximum load) on the GPU.
At the end of fiteen minutes, thermal and acoustic results are recorded. This is done for the stock settings and for the overclock, and if the enclosure has a fan controller, these tests are repeated for each setting. Ambient temperature is also measured after the fifteen idle minutes but before the stress test and used to calculate the final reported results.
We try to maintain an ambient testing temperature of between 22C and 24C. Non-thermal test results aren't going to be directly comparable to the finest decimal point, but should be roughly comparable and give a broader idea of how the enclosure performs.
Thank You!
Before moving on, we'd like to thank the following vendors for providing us with the hardware used in our testbed.
- Thank you to Puget Systems for providing us with the Intel Core i7-2700K.
- Thank you to Gigabyte for providing us with the GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 motherboard.
- Thank you to Crucial for providing us with the Ballistix Smart Tracer memory.
- Thank you to Corsair for providing us with the Corsair Link kit.
- Thank you to Cooler Master for providing us with the Hyper 212 Evo heatsink and fan unit.
- Thank you to Kingston for providing us with the SSDNow V+ 100 SSD.
- Thank you to CyberPower for providing us with the Samsung BD-ROM/DVD+/-RW drive.
- And thank you to SilverStone for providing us with the power supply.
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Samus - Friday, May 11, 2012 - link
I've owned this case for nearly four years.It's called the Silverstone FT02, as you referenced to in your weight analysis. This Cubitek company completely stole the design schematics and made it out of pure aluminum (the Silverstone unibody is steel, panels are aluminum.)
So now that we're on the same page, how is the build quality compared to the FT02? Did they manage to copy that? If so, it's quite a compelling alternative when cost is considered.
Samus - Friday, May 11, 2012 - link
Wait, it's $359? Fail.JarredWalton - Friday, May 11, 2012 - link
Interior design is different, materials are different, and build quality is different, hence it's not just a clone of the GT02. Unfortunately, it's also worse in almost every respect.randinspace - Friday, May 11, 2012 - link
LOL You just spoiled the restraint Dustin was trying to show by saying exactly what he seemed to be thinking. But GT02? Long day?JarredWalton - Friday, May 11, 2012 - link
Meh, fat fingered it. That's what happens early in the morning after being sick all week. :-pImSpartacus - Saturday, May 12, 2012 - link
I know! Mr. Sklavos wrote the nicest negative review ever.Sunburn74 - Friday, May 11, 2012 - link
Its an FT01 clone, not FT02. And using the word clone is somewhat of an understatement when you look at the 2 side by side...JarredWalton - Friday, May 11, 2012 - link
As I said before, internals matter. Here are three shots showing the interiors.HPTC ICE: http://images.anandtech.com/doci/5816/Small%20(8%2...
FT01: http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/cases/2008/sil...
FT02: http://images.anandtech.com/doci/4620/internals.jp...
Calling something a clone because it's a big case with rounded corners is a bit much, considering everything inside looks different. And we're talking cases, so there's not a whole lot you can do -- especially with conservative styling -- that would be "different". Big, black, rounded corners. Yup. But again, FT01/FT02 generally seem like better cases and cost a lot less.
Alecthar - Friday, May 11, 2012 - link
If by "FT02" you mean "FT01," then yes, you're correct.lbeyak - Friday, May 11, 2012 - link
I just don't see any reasons at all why I would want this over the PC-90 "The Hammer".Another good review Dustin, I appreciate it.