Hiper Osiris

Written by Harry Butler

September 1, 2008 | 08:01

Tags: #120mm #alloy #case #review

Companies: #hiper

Results Analysis

As expected, the Hiper Osiris' top mounted motherboard design served it well, resulting in some seriously impressive thermal performance figures. In fact, the Osiris now ties for the top spot for our CPU stress test with the Zalman GS1000 with a CPU delta T of just 23°C - an awesome result considering the thermal output of our 130W TDP processor, although this really should be no surprise when you consider their remarkably similar fan placement.

Both cases have dual 120mm cooling fans in very close proximity to the CPU heatsink, essentially adding an enormous amount of additional cooling onto the CPU, and resulting is such impressive CPU temperatures at load.

The Osiris also places in the top half of the GPU load test, although this time producing a GPU delta T value a fair few degrees higher than our other leading cases, likely due to the closer positioning of cooling fans to the CPU heatsink and not the GPU. Admittedly our setup is a worst case scenario, as most modern graphics cards exhaust hot air directly out the back of the case, but we expect cases to perform regardless of what gear gets fitted into them.

Sadly, noise levels were disappointing in comparison to the thermal results, and the Osiris very much falls into the "wind tunnel" category of cases. The three 120mm cooling fans were clearly audible over the hum of the office, and with no inbuilt fan controller there's no option to silence them, which is a disappointment considering the decent thermal performance.

Hiper Osiris Results Analysis and Final Thoughts Hiper Osiris Results Analysis and Final Thoughts
Click to enlarge

To use an old adage, "you can't have your cake and eat it," except with PC cases, you can't rely on three 120mm fans to deliver excellent thermal performance and silent cooling. The most impressive performers we've seen, cases like the Lian Li X2000 and Akasa Omega, rely on large numbers of low noise cooling fans to produce excellent cooling and low noise performance, and sadly the Osiris' triple cooling fan solution was never going to match these cases for noise levels.

Value and Final Thoughts

Despite its poor noise levels though, the Osiris has one serious trump card and that's its price. At a penny under £80, the Osiris is a clear £45 cheaper than the Akasa Omega, and £40 less than the similarly performing Zalman GS1000. However, it's still up against our perennial favourite, the Antec P182, which is available for just a few quid more.

However, the Osiris does deliver superior CPU cooling to the P182, as well as a much more individual look and that gorgeous brushed alloy exterior, all for a lot less than many recent cases have weighed in at. For those looking for a PC case below the £100 mark, we'd still point you towards the Antec first, but the Hiper Osiris holds its own at this very competitive price point considering its high standard of build quality and thermal performance.

Hiper Osiris Results Analysis and Final Thoughts Hiper Osiris Results Analysis and Final Thoughts
Click to enlarge

Despite being decent value and having a wonderful alloy construction, there are a few faults that drag the Osiris back down to the underworld. The lack of a removable motherboard tray is certainly one, and while we admit that only those that frequently change their hardware consistently benefit from them, the initial build process is always made significantly easier by their inclusion.

Another is the lack of any extra cooling options, with just the standard three 120mm fan mounts included, not to mention the poor noise levels of the included fans. We never expected the Osiris to run silent, but we still want our cases to be as quiet as possible, and as we've seen previously, extra fan mounts or inbuilt fan controllers can help make up for this.

Despite these faults, we still do really like the Osiris. The one hundred percent alloy construction, removable hard drive cage and impressive thermal performance are all major plus points, and just by handling the case you get a feel for the brilliant build quality of the product. If only it was quieter and had room for a few extra fans and larger motherboards, the Osiris could have been something really special. As it stands, this is still a fine case and at this price still deserves your consideration.

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