Many players may not care for RGB lighting, but in the spirit of “You may not see it, but I can’t live without it!” most mainstream components from manufacturers today come with lighting designs, which can be turned off via software. So if you want to have some fun, you should have a touch of sophistication! Currently, the best solution is to go for a high-end air cooling setup, paired with some mid-range entry models, such as non-light strips and non-light graphics cards. Then select a suitable case, and you’re almost there! Emmm… The PC I helped a player build is just that—a nearly no-light productivity machine. I didn’t expect the compact no-light effect to turn out quite nice, so I’m sharing this showcase for reference!
The case chosen is the Fractal Design Define7 Mini, targeted at mid-to-high-end users, emphasizing silence and noise reduction, with industrial-grade sound-absorbing cotton treatment on the panels. The appearance adopts a minimalist design, very suitable for productivity and office use scenarios. There is also a more suitable opaque side version available, but unlike most MATX cases which are relatively affordable, the Define7 Mini is not cheap; it can only be said that the quality and materials meet its price point. Additionally, the case structure design has its unique features, which will be introduced later.Paired with the ASUS ROG STRIX B660-G GAMING motherboard, also targeted at mid-to-high-end users, a B660 MATX motherboard that is certainly not cheap with its premium materials! The motherboard also has a good-looking appearance, embodying the ROG spirit! Moreover, it is a B660 motherboard that supports overclocking non-K series CPUs.The motherboard only supports DDR5 memory, paired with non-light memory, using the pure black heat spreader style XPG LANCER DDR5 5200 16GB ×4, which meets the working requirements. The graphics card chosen is the GALAX RTX3070TI Metal Master OC, a mid-range model with a non-light appearance that does not lose its sense of high-end quality, and its specifications and cooling efficiency are decent.This card is quite long, which almost caused an installation issue. The cooling solution selected is the JONSBO HX7280 dual-tower air cooler, positioned as a near-flagship product, with decent specifications and cooling efficiency. Its pure black appearance with a decorative top cover is truly impressive! The downside is its large size! This installation effect makes future maintenance and upgrades quite challenging.To maintain a unified appearance design, the case’s cooling fans are all JONSBO’s own HF120 non-light performance fans, with the entire case having a fan setup of 5+3. If it weren’t for the long graphics card, we could have added another fan; the actual cooling performance basically meets expectations.Finally, the case’s cable management and back panel effects: the power supply selected is the Super Flower LEADEX HG 850W Gold Modular, with custom black sleeved cables, a non-light, non-RGB solution, which also has the benefit of making cable management much easier. I feel that the actual cable management effect is also quite good.Introduction of Build Components:
ASUS ROG STRIX B660-G GAMING, packaging showcases the motherboard body, with the model embossed on the front, the ROG logo in the upper left corner, the ASUS logo in the lower left corner, and a bunch of graphic labels indicating B660, 12th CORE, OPTANE, DDR5, LGA 1700, PCIe 5.0, AURA SYNC, WIN 11, WiFi 6E.All accessories inside include various connection cables, zip ties, WiFi antennas, membership cards, expansion cards, manuals, ROG keychains, installation CDs, and faith stickers.The motherboard adopts a standard MATX format with an all-black exterior design, featuring geometric cut lines for the heat sink armor, with ROG and STRIX logo elements embellishing it. The I/O armor has ROG’s decorative plate, and the logo has a mirror effect with AURA RGB lighting when lit up.For power supply, it uses a 12+1 DIGI+ digital power module. Moreover, the ROG STRIX B660-G also has an inbuilt G5 PRO CLOCK clock generator, allowing individual BCLK frequency setting, making it a B660 motherboard that supports overclocking non-K series CPUs.The CPU power supply interface is 8+4 (normally a single 8PIN is sufficient).It only supports DDR5 memory, supporting a single 32GB, with a maximum capacity of 128GB, and supports memory overclocking. The right upper corner has two 5V 3PIN ARGB interfaces, along with a simple error correction light, next to the 24 power supply, USB 3.2 GEN1 Type-A and Type-C 5GB connections for the case I/O interface, and below that, four SATA 6GB storage interfaces.The I/O armor is an integrated design, with HDMI and DP video output interfaces from left to right, a BIOS FLASHBACK update button, four USB 2.0 interfaces, two blue USB 3.2 GEN1 interfaces, a red USB 3.2 GEN2 Type-A 10GB interface, a USB 3.2 GEN2×2 Type-C 20GB interface, a 2.5G LAN interface, a Wi-Fi 6 network Bluetooth antenna interface, and audio interfaces (providing a dedicated audio Type-C interface equipped with dedicated onboard hardware and power filtering components for clearer sound transmission).For PCIe expansion, there is one PCIe 5.0 ×16 metal-reinforced slot (provided by the CPU), two PCIe 4.0 ×1 slots, and another PCIe 3.0 ×16 slot (all provided by the chipset). The lower edge has all the necessary expansion interfaces, including 12V + 5V RGB interfaces, two USB 2.0 interfaces, etc. The sound card is ALC1220A + Savitech solution, equipped with dedicated audio capacitors.There are two PCIe 4.0 ×4 M.2 NVMe interfaces, both covered with heat spreaders, supporting 2280 specifications, and one is directly connected to the CPU (close to one PCIe slot), while the other is provided by the chipset and also supports SATA mode.For storage, the main drive uses the XPG S70 PCIE 4.0 1TB, while the secondary drive uses the XPG S11 PCIE 3.0 1TB, both offering a five-year warranty.The XPG S70 additionally provides a super-thin heat sink for players to decide whether to install it. It uses PCIe 4.0 specifications and NVMe 1.4 protocol.InnoGrit IG5236CAA main control, with Hynix high-speed cache solution, self-packaged 3D TLC NAND particles, dual-sided flash particle layout, with an official maximum read speed of 7400MB/s and a maximum write speed of 6400MB/s.The XPG S11 is positioned as an entry-level product, relatively affordable, using PCIe 3.0 specifications and NVMe 1.4 protocol.The LianYun MAP1202A main control, with a no-cache design, supports third-generation Agile ECC+4K LDPC technology, single-sided with 4 memory chips, each with a capacity of 256GB, with the official maximum read speed of 3500MB/s and maximum write speed of 3100MB/s.Paired with memory, the XPG LANCER DDR5 5200 16GB was purchased in the initial stage of DDR5, and later, as prices dropped, four sticks were accumulated. The red packaging prominently displays the memory body.The memory body, paired with a black heat spreader, is made of 1:1 single-sided thickness of 1.95mm alloy material, with a simple yet design-conscious appearance, complemented by brushed surfaces and diagonal lines, with DDR5 and XPG embellishments, with specifications labeled on the inner side.There is a non-light version, and another version with ARGB light guide strips.The GALAX RTX 3070TI Metal Master OC, with black-themed packaging, features a metal master logo and mechanized graphic decorations. Inside, apart from the graphics card and related manuals, a pressure material graphics card support is also included.The official dimensions of the graphics card are 338 × 139 × 69mm (excluding the bracket), using an integrated aluminum alloy shell, with irregular metal lines and triangular geometric hollow decorations on the surface, giving it a clean, simple visual effect with a strong metallic feel, enhancing product quality while increasing heat dissipation area and being resistant to high temperatures.With a triple fan cooling setup, the fan blades are designed based on aerodynamic testing to achieve higher wind pressure and airflow, and they support intelligent start-stop technology.On the side, the exposed fin design enhances ventilation area, with neatly arranged fins, using a short PCB design, dual 8PIN power connectors, and the GALAX logo positioned in the center, with the NV GEFORCE RTX label at the end.The silver-gray metal backplate features mechanical stripes and GEFORCE RTX decorations, with a large area of hollowing out (in the shape of the metal master logo), enhancing heat dissipation by facilitating airflow.In terms of internal cooling specifications, it uses a pure flat copper base with 6 nickel-plated heat pipes.It uses a 3 PCI slot design, with an additional dual-slot cover that can be replaced, featuring nickel-plated treatment and a large area of geometric openings for enhanced airflow, with three DP 1.4a interfaces and one HDMI 2.1 interface provided.Paired with the Super Flower LEADEX HG 850W Gold Modular power supply, it meets platform requirements and reserves some upgrade headroom. The power supply packaging uses black and orange-yellow colors, with the power supply body displayed on the front, indicating 80PLUS Gold certification and model information.Inside, the modular cables come with a storage bag, and the modular cables are black sleeved.The power supply body is designed in standard ATX size (length 160mm × width 150mm × height 86mm), with an integrated fan cover design, and the black paint finish is delicate with a slight gloss. There is also a white version of this model available.On one side of the power supply is a decorative pattern featuring the Super Flower logo, with a surface treatment of convex processing, presenting a subtle sense of high quality!The fan cover has an octagonal wave hollow design, with the Super Flower butterfly logo in the center, and it uses a 13cm fluid dynamic bearing fan that has a unique blade design, resembling a classic golf fan, with three-speed intelligent temperature control for good noise reduction performance, having passed the CYBENETICS LAMBDA-A quiet certification.The power supply label indicates that the +3.3V and +5V output currents are 20A, with an output power of 100W, and the +12V output current is 70.8A, with an output power of 849.6W, achieving 80PLUS Gold certification with maximum efficiency up to 92%. In terms of specifications, it adopts an active PFC design, with all-Japanese 105°C capacitors, half-bridge LLC resonant topology + synchronous rectification + DC to DC structure, and features exclusive 1.2/1.4 times two-stage overload protection.The modular aspect features area division and text labeling, with two groups for CPU, three groups for VGA, and four groups for SATA and MOLEX, while the 24PIN is a combined two groups.The back of the case features a super-transparent mesh design, with a standard AC switch, and a corresponding switch for fan high temperature mode, low temperature mode, and automatic detection mode.The cooling solution is the JONSBO HX7280 dual-tower air cooler, positioned as a near-flagship product, with black packaging showcasing the cooling body and model specifications, with a TDP of 280W.Included accessories consist of two 14CM fans, one 12CM fan, a manual, installation screwdriver, thermal paste, clips (LGA115X / 1200 / 1700 / 2011 / 2066 / AM4), fan hooks, fan speed reduction cables, and a splitter cable.The dual-tower style has 56 layers of high-density fins, providing an ultra-large cooling area of 7459cm², with mainstream level workmanship, and the fin edges are fully folded. The fins are tightly arranged, and the base is pre-installed with pressure clips, which have also been blackened.The design avoids the memory, with the lower fins inwardly recessed. The copper base has a CNC concentric circular mirror finish on the contact surface, and it uses 7 pure copper 6mm black heat pipes, with the fins, heat pipes, and base welded together using reflow soldering technology.The top of the cooler features a black brushed decorative panel, with a bright logo in the center, and the fans are pure black without lighting, with a maximum speed of 1800RPM. The FDB bearing design has a nominal airflow of 83.04CFM for the 12CM fan and 90.20CFM for the 14CM fan.The size of the cooler with three fans is quite large. In actual use, one can make appropriate compromises based on CPU power consumption and case airflow.To ensure a unified appearance design language inside the case, all cooling fans are JONSBO’s own HF120 non-light performance fans, and the packaging is consistent with the HX series, corresponding to JONSBO’s current high-end air cooling products.The packaging style also reflects its positioning, with the main body and accessories placed separately. The accessories include a set of hand-tightening screws, regular self-tapping screws, speed reduction cables, and vibration pads that need to be manually pasted.The fan has an all-black design, with dual-sided shock-absorbing pads, and the blades are shaped for high airflow, featuring a large hub, with an S-FDB bearing design, and a copper shaft pressed in place, ensuring smoothness and stability, along with multi-point dynamic balance treatment. Specific parameters: speed PWM 600-2000RPM, airflow 65.5CFM, static pressure 2.63mmH2O, noise 29.2dBA.Finally, let’s talk about the case, from Fractal Design’s Define7 Mini, targeted at mid-to-high-end users, emphasizing silence and noise reduction, with industrial-grade sound-absorbing cotton treatment on the panels. The appearance adopts a minimalist design, which is very suitable for productivity and office use scenarios, and there is also a more suitable opaque side version available.The front panel is made of aluminum alloy, with a brushed surface treatment, featuring a centrally located power indicator light, and the Fractal Design logo is subtly engraved in the lower left corner.The top I/O design includes a restart button, audio output/input interfaces, a Type-C interface, a power switch, two USB 2.0, and two USB 3.0 interfaces, providing a rich selection of connections.The front panel is fixed with a snap design, allowing for easy removal. The built-in fan bracket comes pre-installed with a 14cm fan, and supports the installation of 120mm×3/140mm×2 fans, and is compatible with 120/140/240/280 radiators (the 360 space is slightly insufficient).The rear of the case has a 12cm fan for exhaust, with standard MATX specifications, equipped with four PCI slot installation positions, and the brackets and one side have ventilation treatment, with the power supply positioned below and featuring an external installation bracket.Both side panels use a snap-on design, allowing for easy opening by toggling the black plastic clips on the upper edge of the rear of the case! This is simpler and more elegant than the conventional screw fixation of four corners, with high transparency tempered glass on the sides, reinforced with steel plates at the top and bottom.The top panel can also be easily removed, featuring a silent panel without openings, along with a ventilated panel with openings, allowing players to choose and replace as needed.The bottom of the panel also has a quick-release plastic dust filter.Once opened, it reveals the top fan position, supporting the installation of 120mm/140mm×2 fans, and is compatible with 120/140/240/280 radiators.Additionally, the top bracket can be removed, enhancing the convenience of installation. It is compatible with ITX/DTX motherboard specifications, and the cable management openings are all equipped with rubber grommets. The tower air cooler can support a maximum height of 167mm, and the longest graphics card can support 331mm (installing a front fan reduces it to 306mm, while an all-in-one water cooler only has 281mm of space).The top of the power supply chamber has heat dissipation openings and graphics card cable routing slots, supporting the installation of two 2.5″ SSD brackets.The front of the power supply chamber features a removable panel design, allowing for the removal of the corresponding panel based on front installation needs.The back of the case features a cable management slot on the left side, with the I/O cables having been simply managed from the factory, aided by Velcro for organization. Other locations are also equipped with Velcro and cable tie hooks, making cable management relatively easy. The rear of the motherboard has two 2.5″ SSD brackets, and the power supply chamber has two pull-out brackets for 3.5″ HDDs, which support displacement and removal, facilitating support for longer power supplies.Finally, let’s take a look at the bottom of the case, which features a through-hole design, with a pull-out dust filter, and four uniquely styled plastic feet, with anti-slip rubber on the bottom.Related Performance Testing:
For the final testing section, the indoor temperature is around 24 degrees, with the side panel of the case closed (with dual 12cm front intake fans, dual 12cm top exhaust fans, and a single 12cm rear exhaust fan), the platform is in its default state, with BIOS lights turned off, and running Windows 11. The actual test results may vary slightly, for reference!First, let’s take a look at the results from the Master Lu software, with a comprehensive performance score of 2045698.CPU-Z.XPG LANCER DDR5 5200 16GB ×4, filled to the brim, XMP failed to activate, with an initial frequency of 4800MHZ, and AIDA64 memory benchmark performance.Main drive XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 1TB, 3DMARK storage benchmark test.Secondary drive XPG S11 PCIE 3.0 1TB benchmark.GALAX RTX3070TI Metal Master OC, 3DMARK scores in various modes as shown above.The graphics card TIME SPY stress test passed with 98.8%, and during the FURMARK full-load test, the GPU downclocked to 1560MHz, with a memory speed of 1188MHz, lasting about 20 minutes, with a core temperature of 75 degrees (junction temperature 93.2 degrees), and a power consumption around 311.6W.CPU full load temperature performance, AIDA64 single-threaded FPU stress test, 12700K at full core 4.7G, lasting about 20 minutes, with the maximum temperature of P-CORE reaching 82°C and E-CORE reaching 70°C, with CPU power consumption around 173W.During the dual-load test, lasting about 20 minutes, the temperature increased significantly, with the graphics card temperature at 77 degrees, the CPU P-CORE maximum temperature reaching 88°C, and the E-CORE maximum temperature reaching 78°C. That’s all for this article! The described and tested content is for reference only! Welcome to leave comments and exchanges!
Introduction:
