Sharkoon Pure Steel RGB

[Darksaber]

Sharkoon aims to eliminate plastic altogether with the Sharkoon Pure Steel chassis, a solid enclosure with a unique layout at a price that essentially makes it a no brainer in both its basic and ARGB variant.

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[Sithaer]

I'm getting In Win 101 vibes from this since I have that case.

If I remember right then I paid somewhere close to 100$ 'after taxes' for the 101C model back in 2018 May and this had no fans at all nor RGB controller.

Also from what I can see the glass side panel is more sealed than mine, even with a ~balanced intake/exhaust fan setup the small cut outs on both sides of the panel let some dust in and it builds up over time.

Other small issue I have with this bottom fan design is that with an ATX mobo once the bottoms fans are installed its almost impossible to reach the front panel/small connectors there. 'not that its something I often have to do but still'

 

[Chrispy_]

Am I the only one thinking that this would actually look amazing without tempered glass - just a pure flat steel panel....?

 

[DrCR]

Remarkable how much louder it is compared to the P120, which seems to be similar at first glance at least. [Edit: NVM, I'm assuming the provided noise numbers don't provided for a ceteris paribus comparison of just the cases but encompasses the respective fan packages provided as well.]

This and others for me have the odd vibe of being cases designed for 5.25" bays that were not cut in. Unless you're water cooling, it seems like a lot of case space for no particular reason. I'm still running an ancient P182, and my next case won't be this big.

 

[altermere]

the PSU in here acts like an exhaust sucking in all that hot air propped up by the bottom fans. why cases like this are still made in 2020, and advertised as "gaming" to boot? they could at least drill some holes at the top so the PSU pulls fresh air from there.

 

[Caring1]

They tried, they really did, but it's a fail.
An overhead ATX PSU, no thanks, make it a flex or smaller internal unit with flex cable to a rear power socket and it might work, but then the bottom air intake is also one of the dumbest ideas out there, especially with such small feet on the base.
The side if used as intake would work better but is limited to two fans, and exhaust fan options are limited.

 

[Sithaer]

They tried, they really did, but it's a fail.
An overhead ATX PSU, no thanks, make it a flex or smaller internal unit with flex cable to a rear power socket and it might work, but then the bottom air intake is also one of the dumbest ideas out there, especially with such small feet on the base.
The side if used as intake would work better but is limited to two fans, and exhaust fan options are limited.

While I can't speak for this exact case but the bottom x3 fans in my case do pull in a fair ammount of air. 'its actually collecting/sucking in small dead flies under my PC over time,good that theres a filter'

2 fans on the side is exhaust and one at the back.This was In Win's suggested way of mounting even tho in my system its complete overkill, only did it for the looks.

For the average user/mid range builds/no OCing even this design is enough, I have zero overheating or noise issue with a case like this.

 

[kiriakost]

I did note several positive points, but what currently missing from their product line this is the Sharkoon Pure Steel Classic.
The one with option for optical drives too.

At the review I did not spot the actual thickness of the steel.
Due the total weight I will assume 0.8mm

 

[Imouto]

the PSU in here acts like an exhaust sucking in all that hot air propped up by the bottom fans. why cases like this are still made in 2020, and advertised as "gaming" to boot? they could at least drill some holes at the top so the PSU pulls fresh air from there.

I don't think PSUs drawing air from inside the case is a problem anymore.

 

[micropage7]

looks pretty good and at some points it brings NZXT feel

 

[ExcuseMeWtf]

I don't think PSUs drawing air from inside the case is a problem anymore.

It is probably not a problem if you run locked i3/i5 or some stock Ryzen 3/5. If you do some significant overclocking, it would definitely be, as PSU fan would need to spin up, worsening acoustics and/or reducing PSU lifespan.

Also a personal preference to have more clearance in CPU socket area.

 

[kiriakost]

It is probably not a problem if you run locked i3/i5 or some stock Ryzen 3/5. If you do some significant overclocking, it would definitely be, as PSU fan would need to spin up, worsening acoustics and/or reducing PSU lifespan.

This is a poor assumption, most fragile part within a PSU this is the electrolytic capacitor with 24/24 specification at 125 Celsius.
PSU fan speed this is controlled due temperature this generated when PSU load increases significantly.
In other words 5C higher of PSU air intake this will not force any fan speed increase which will be noticeable.

PSU placed at the top of the case this is in favor of air-cooled systems.
PSU placed at the bottom this is a case for water cooling.

Classic PC case this is 100% for air-cooled systems.

 

[ExcuseMeWtf]

This is a poor assumption, most fragile part within a PSU this is the electrolytic capacitor with 24/24 specification at 125 Celsius.

Incorrect. In most PSUs primary and secondary capacitors are rated at 105C. For lower end units could even be 85C.

Also they are not exclusive potential point of failure.

PSU fan speed this is controlled due temperature this generated when PSU load increases significantly.

PSU load is not exclusive factor for internal PSU temperatures either. Ambient temperature is pretty obvious other one.

In other words 5C higher of PSU air intake this will not force any fan speed increase which will be noticeable.

You don't know for sure ambient difference will be 5C in each case.

You can't also say for sure it won't be noticeable without knowing how specific PSU controller is tuned.

Regardless, adding heat output corresponding to about 150-200W of power consumption of substantially overclocked HEDT CPU is definitely non-negligible factor for PSU fan controller. Either it spins up, and therefore is louder, or PSU internal temps rise. Simple.

 

[Chrispy_]

In most PSUs primary and secondary capacitors are rated at 105C. For lower end units could even be 85C.

Yep.

Also, PSUs are rated and tested at 50C operation typically, so when it says 750W Gold that means 750W 87% efficient at less than 50C.

If the PSU fan is trying to cool itself with 50C pre-heated air, it won't be running at 50C so it won't be capable of delivering 750W and it won't be running as high as 87% efficient either. It's not going to instantly fail but you're no longer getting the performance stated on the box.

 

[kiriakost]

Incorrect. In most PSUs primary and secondary capacitors are rated at 105C.

105C it is.

For lower end units could even be 85C.

There is no such a thing at pulsing PSU.

PSU load is not exclusive factor for internal PSU temperatures either.

As electronics engineer I am well aware of the TC location.

You don't know for sure ambient difference will be 5C in each case............. You can't also say for sure it won't be noticeable without knowing how specific PSU controller is tuned.

I am well aware of everything about PSU construction and diagnosis.
What I am not aware this is of how poor will be the choice of its one PSU buyer.
Technology this is based on electrical standards, at dirt cheap PSU the Chinese does not follow them.
Apples to apples comparison can be made when the PSU worth over 100 Euro-dollars.

 

[Imouto]

I'd like you to notice how utterly insane is thinking the air flowing through the PSU would be anywhere near 50°C. The delta between the intake air and the outake air would need to be more than 15°C on an already 35°C room. And oh boy the temp in that room having a device constantly pumping 50°C air into it would climb so fast you'd be more worried about your well-being than your PSU. The airflow you'd need to keep the rest of your PC components cool is more than enough for your PSU in normal circumstances, stop taking things to extremes to make a point.

 

[Chrispy_]

I'd like you to notice how utterly insane is thinking the air flowing through the PSU would be anywhere near 50°C. The delta between the intake air and the outake air would need to be more than 15°C on an already 35°C room. And oh boy the temp in that room having a device constantly pumping 50°C air into it would climb so fast you'd be more worried about your well-being than your PSU. The airflow you'd need to keep the rest of your PC components cool is more than enough for your PSU in normal circumstances, stop taking things to extremes to make a point.

Using the FLIR camera on my work phone says that the external surface temperature of my steel NZXT case exterior is 44C which is warm to the touch but not hot - and I'm running modest hardware at low load. That means the ambient air at the top of my case near the CPU cooler exhaust is at least 44C and that's with a stock 3600 and 2060S. Sure, I could increase the case airflow to reduce these temps but why bother? I prefer a quiet and warm PC over a noisy and cool one.

Honestly, I think I may have low-balled 50C. If your CPU cooler is doing its job properly the air coming off it will be approaching the temperature of your CPU die in exactly the same way that the water temperature in a watercooled loop can exceed 50C. In terms of heat transfer, fluid is fluid, whether it's air, water, or glycol.

 

[Imouto]

Sure, I could increase the case airflow to reduce these temps but why bother? I prefer a quiet and warm PC over a noisy and cool one.

I think you might be overdoing it. I like silence but the temp of your chassis is the composite of the outside temp and inside temp. Even more, the inside temp has air flowing through it lowering the temps so I'd say you are actually strangling your airflow and your components run red hot. Did I mention taking things to the extreme? I think so.

On the other hand one thing I like even less than noise is my computer freaking out like a laptop when under load. I bet your fan curves look really steep approaching higher temps and whenever you run anything demanding your fans ramp up really fast. Not only that, I bet they keep jumping between fan speeds.

Honestly, I think I may have low-balled 50C. If your CPU cooler is doing its job properly the air coming off it will be approaching the temperature of your CPU die in exactly the same way that the water temperature in a watercooled loop can exceed 50C. In terms of heat transfer, fluid is fluid, whether it's air, water, or glycol.

In terms of heat transfer, unless someone runs their computer throttling their airflow like you do, the difference is negligible and you might even be consuming more power by running your components at higher temperatures. So the efficiency point is moot and the PSU fan saves you from installing one in the chassis or running the ones you have at lower speeds meaning less noise. In cases without many cooling setup options flipping the PSU opens new ones.

 

[kiriakost]

Using the FLIR camera on my work phone says that the external surface temperature of my steel NZXT case exterior is 44C which is warm to the touch but not hot - and I'm running modest hardware at low load. That means the ambient air at the top of my case near the CPU cooler exhaust is at least 44C and that's with a stock 3600 and 2060S. Sure, I could increase the case airflow to reduce these temps but why bother? I prefer a quiet and warm PC over a noisy and cool one.

This is interesting feedback, this proving that when the CPU Air cooler this is in harmony with the PC case design, internal temperatures they drop down at expected or at anticipated levels.
My system and CPU cooler design, will have identical superior performance even at this Sharkoon Pure Steel RGB because I do not count at PSU as part assisting cooling.
Two 140mm fans over the CPU cooler among of one 120mm, all three pushing heat out of the box, this is instant removal of any heat created by total of active parts in a PC case.
What I do hate this is that a bottom installed PSU this will act as vacuum cleaner and a dust collector.

 

[Chrispy_]

the temp of your chassis is the composite of the outside temp and inside temp.

Sort of correct, but if you know your thermodynamics - any conductive boundary between two fluids will be at the equilibrium temperature calculated by the temperature*velocity of the fluid on either side. Since the outside air is damn-near static, that side of the equation is almost zero, so the equilibrium temperature is almost equal to the inside temperature. Thermodynamics 101 - well, maybe 102 or 103 but it's been a few years since I did my degree....

TL;DR is that the temperature of a case panel will be close to the internal air temperature of a case. Paint isn't a good conductor and steel isn't perfect either, but their surface area to thickness means that their impact on the calculation is negligible.

Even more, the inside temp has air flowing through it lowering the temps

Uh, the heat is flowing out of the heatsinks into the internal air, increasing its temperature. There's no way at all that the inside air is cooler than ambient. If you think that then you simply have no understanding of thermodynamics whatsoever. This is basic mandatory eduction science that every school kid in the UK is taught even before they have the option to pursue arts instead of sciences: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_of_energy#First_law_of_thermodynamics

so I'd say you are actually strangling your airflow and your components run red hot.

Incorrect, because that's not how thermodynamics work. My case has plenty of airflow; 3x140mm intakes and 2x140mm + 1x120 exhausts. At 25C ambient my CPU never exceeds 65C and my GPU never exceeds 80C. It is both cool and quiet by typical PC standards.

I bet your fan curves look really steep approaching higher temps and whenever you run anything demanding your fans ramp up really fast. Not only that, I bet they keep jumping between fan speeds.

Wrong, wrong, and wrong. With six case fans I can afford to run them slow all the time - I choose 800rpm fixed speed. Like I said in my earlier post, I could increase airflow if I wanted to, but 800rpm is quiet and that's what I prefer.

In terms of heat transfer, unless someone runs their computer throttling their airflow like you do, the difference is negligible and you might even be consuming more power by running your components at higher temperatures.

I don't throttle my airflow. I have over 120CFM intake and exhaust. For a case that's only around three cubic feet that means that air is being completely cycled every one and a half seconds. As for these higher temperatures, you're imagining a scenario that doesn't exist. Typical CPU/GPU temps are 60C/70C respectively and those seem pretty reasonable to me.

You seem to be unable to get your head around the fact that a cool and quiet PC exhausts warm air. I'm drawing 250Watts from the wall socket and all of that gets converted to heat and dumped into the air being exhausted from the case. If you bought a heat-gun with a 250W setting, it would make any surface you point it at warm too - that's just basic physics.

 

[Imouto]

Since the outside air is damn-near static,

Of course not.

There's no way at all that the inside air is cooler than ambient. If you think that then you simply have no understanding of thermodynamics whatsoever. This is basic mandatory eduction science that every school kid in the UK is taught even before they have the option to pursue arts instead of sciences: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_of_energy#First_law_of_thermodynamics

Whoever the actual hell said that the inside air is cooler than ambient? Dear lord... you are trying hard here.

I don't throttle my airflow. I have over 120CFM intake and exhaust. For a case that's only around three cubic feet that means that air is being completely cycled every one and a half seconds. As for these higher temperatures, you're imagining a scenario that doesn't exist. Typical CPU/GPU temps are 60C/70C respectively and those seem pretty reasonable to me.

Do the math again because your case cycling the air in it every one and half seconds can't possibly be at 44ºC with components inside it drawing 250W. You'd need way more than 250W for that in a 25ºC room. What you are basically saying is that your components heat up the air inside your case by 20ºC every second and half. And before you tell me your room is at 35ºC you still would need several times that power draw to heat that much air even by mere 10ºC... you'd need way more even for 5ºC.

You seem to be unable to get your head around the fact that a cool and quiet PC exhausts warm air. I'm drawing 250Watts from the wall socket and all of that gets converted to heat and dumped into the air being exhausted from the case. If you bought a heat-gun with a 250W setting, it would make any surface you point it at warm too - that's just basic physics.

Of course it exhausts warm air. Who said otherwise? You are moving goalposts here and you are claiming that I said things that I didn't. Going by your own 250W heat-gun example, if you put a conduct to feed air to a PSU mimicking the CFM of the PSU fan you will find that the temperature of the air won't change the behavior of the PSU that much if at all. Again, we are assuming the heat produced by all the components going through the PSU which is misleading.

Cleaned up inappropriate content, please post in accordance with our forum guidelines in the future. - TPU Moderation

 

[Athlonite]

This case still doesn't make me want to update from my old "All Steel" Silverstone RV02

I don't throttle my airflow. I have over 120CFM intake and exhaust

My RV02 says pfft to that with it's 300+ CFM

 

[Chrispy_]

Of course not. For someone with a degree related to physics you would be schooled by a plumber that knows how the radiators at home work.

There are two orders of magnitude difference between the natural convection and forced case airflow. Just as someone on foot seems damn-near static to someone whizzing past in a car at 90mph. From a comparison standpoint, convection is slow enough to be negligible.

Whoever the actual hell said that the inside air is cooler than ambient? Dear lord... you are trying hard here.

I was trying to make sense of your sentence, "Even more, the inside temp has air flowing through it lowering the temps". Do you want to clarify that sentence?

Do the math again because your case cycling the air in it every one and half seconds can't possibly be at 44ºC with components inside it drawing 250W. You'd need way more than 250W for that in a 25ºC room. What you are basically saying is that your components heat up the air inside your case by 20ºC every second and half. And before you tell me your room is at 35ºC you still would need several times that power draw to heat that much air even by mere 10ºC... you'd need way more even for 5ºC.

Go home. You are drunk.

Uhmm. Do you understand how little thermal density air has? That's how hair dryers, heat guns, and fan heaters all raise air temperatures extremely quickly. 20C over ambient is nothing compared to any of those. You accept that a high-speed fan and a kilowatt heater can raise air temperature by 60C in an instant in any of those examples, yet suddenly a PC case at 1/4 the power draw and 1/4 the airflow is an outrage to you? It's the same physics. It's the same material (air). It's the same calculation.

if you put a conduct [conduit?] to feed air to a PSU mimicking the CFM of the PSU fan you will find that the temperature of the air won't change the behavior of the PSU that much if at all. Again, we are assuming the heat produced by all the components going through the PSU which is misleading.

Incorrect. That's why power supply reviews include hot-box testing - because the performance and efficiency of a PSU does change with temperature. Also yes, we are assuming heat from the components is going through the PSU because this case has a top-mounted PSU with down-facing intake fan sucking the hottest air off the CPU socket and VRMs.[/QUOTE]

I could do the math but I'm honestly tired of dealing with people like you. It was bad enough at OCN to do the same here.

Hey, you started this by calling me insane to think case air could be 50C. I FLIR'ed it at 44C for lower end hardware and you started digging this hole for yourself. Did you do this at OCN too? If you insult someone and then defend it with incorrect assumptions and a lack of understanding, you are going to get resonses like mine. Either deal with it or stop insulting people baselessly.

 

[ExcuseMeWtf]

What I do hate this is that a bottom installed PSU this will act as vacuum cleaner and a dust collector.

Most halfway decent cases have dust filters installed to cover that issue.

Cleaning your room regularly also does the job

I mean let's not pretend top mounted PSUs with unfiltered air intake in less than clean environment do not get dusty over the years...

This is interesting feedback this proving that when the CPU Air cooler this is in harmony with the PC case design, internal temperatures they drop down at expected or at anticipated levels.
My system and CPU cooler design, will have identical superior performance even at this Sharkoon Pure Steel RGB because I do not count at PSU as part assisting cooling.
Two 140mm fans over the CPU cooler among of one 120mm, all three pushing heat out of the box, this is instant removal of any heat created by total of active parts in a PC case.

I'd also like to note your case is significantly larger than the one reviewed, and likely doesn't have sealed front either.

 

[Imouto]

Hey, you started this by calling me insane to think case air could be 50C. I FLIR'ed it at 44C for lower end hardware and you started digging this hole for yourself. Did you do this at OCN too? If you insult someone and then defend it with incorrect assumptions and a lack of understanding, you are going to get resonses like mine. Either deal with it or stop insulting people baselessly.

Because I think you are being dishonest here, you are imposing your personal bias and your calculations are wrong.

I'm done here.