Antec DF800 FLUX Testing
A Note on Testing
For our 2022 case testing, we’ve updated our testing thesis and test methods. By selecting a set of air-cooled components that present a very high thermal challenge for cases under review, we have moved away from using thermal probes as a point of comparison.
Instead, our goal is to show whether or not a case enhances or inhibits performance, as well as the thermal and acoustic results recorded during testing.
Our primary focus is on the performance of the installed ATX 2022 Review Rig, and our presented test results are taken under the following circumstances:
- All stock – CPU defaults on the MSI Z490, four Antec case fans
- Overclocked – CPU set to 5.0GHz, GPU power raised to 113% (250w), four ADATA case fans
- Antec reverse fan on PSU shroud, CPU, and GPU at defaults
- Antec reverse fan on PSU shroud, overclocked
Our tried-and-true loading method is to use a combined load of Cinebench R23 multi-core and the default Furmark GPU stress test. With the CPU overclocked to 5.0GHz and the GPU power raised to 113%, the 2022 ATX Case Review Rig is able to pull a steady 750w at the wall and produces 50dB of noise under an overclocked load.
How we interpret the results
Things to keep in mind:
- Lower power usage directly correlates to lower system performance
- Lower temperatures at the same power usage result from superior cooling
For the Antec DF800 FLUX, we found that the stock cooling wasn’t able to handle our overclocked 10900K – it was at its absolute limit and hitting 100c and pulling 245w, and was throttling to reduce temperature. The additional reverse fan did not help temperatures slightly, but not enough for the CPU to be considered safe in an overclocked configuration.
The reverse fan did drop the temperature of the efficient MSI RX6800 by four degrees Celsius, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but might make a difference with hotter, more power-hungry GPUs.
Discussion (8 replies)
Join Discussion →But can it fit a STRIX 4090? ;)
It actually should, fitting GPUs up to 405mm in length, where the Strix 4090 is at 358mm. Height should be okay too, but one won't have much room for that PCIe power connector and may wish to consider CableMod's right-angle adapter.
I like Antec. This should pop up on sale for under a hundy at some point. I don't really care about glass or LED disco lights, so if they offer a cheaper version omitting those that would be cool (not one listed on their site tho).
What I don't like is no dust filter for the front 3 intake fans. It has a bottome, side and top filter, but not on the front, where the primary intake is. Dust filters are a must for me and really cuts down on the cat hair intake.
The subtraction of glass should cut the price a bit, though I don't expect there to be much savings from dropping the RGB fans. You can just choose to not turn them on if you like, as they're the 5v kind that can be run from a motherboard header.
Only thing I could think of was the limited intake up front; a front filter is going to cause further restriction and potentially increase fan noise, or otherwise potentially limit cooling.
Yeah I mean when done right they can make a huge difference without impeding airflow. But all too frequently not. My P100 has a nice front filter, easy to pop off and clean. It doesn't eliminate dust intake but it helps a lot... and I have 3 cats so it gets cleaned frequently
They were my go to brand for power supplies, and cases back in the day. They seemed to fade away, but I'm glad to see them coming back into the market again. As far as this case goes, it's a nice case, but the only thing that sets it apart from other cases is the front. The overall case seems like just about any other mid tower out there.
Not much anyone can do. This configuration has become a standard of sorts, and is really the limit of performance while keeping the system compact as well as using the most accessible components.
Most innovation is being focused on either larger or smaller systems. Many higher-end boards are EATX now, and even some more mid-range boards. On the other end, if one is willing to put up with a few compromises, ITX delivers quite a wallop in a small package. But that's just considering 'features' and 'specifications'; cooling is an entirely different matter!
You're probably right there. It's kind of up to the end user to make it their own.