LOUQE Raw S1 Mk I (Rhodium Grey) Mini-ITX Computer Case

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And when all said and done, the Louqe Raw S1 is hands-down the nicest ITX chassis I’ve ever had the honor of working with. From its stunning, elegant single-piece external shell to the simplicity with which a system inside it pieces together, the Raw S1 is a chassis that I’m going to remember. My guess is that the GPU cooler moves enough air that some of it happens to escape through the top. I don't have a great explanation for the CPU; I suspect the vent changes some internal turbulent flow pattern that keeps hot air closer to the CPU/mobo. We can actually quantify the effect of these poor design choices and how much improvement the gasket offers by measuring the airflow.

These tests are not completely scientifically rigorous; I didn't do repeat testings, and I don't expect that other owners will see the exact same numbers. Again, the point is to share the experience I've had. That being said, my testing did give some really important insights into what the thermal design problems with this case are. It goes without saying that this is a unique and visually striking case, whether you're a fan of the particular aesthetic or not. I'm going to skip commenting on the looks and artistic merit to focus on the practical aspects instead.As for looks, the Ghost S1 is most similar. In fact, it looks quite a bit like the same case stood vertically if a few inches were added all around. This is not an issue; the design of the Ghost S1 is a major selling point for many buyers. However, people who were not fans of LOUQE’s last offering are unlikely to change their minds here. For completeness' sake, I ran a set of tests with all the mods. The vented top fan still doesn't really make much of a difference. As an experiment, I tried to figure out the minimum fan speed required to get close to maximum performance. It turns out that with every fan at 75%, I can get within 1% of CPU performance. It's extremely loud, though, and it still doesn't get the GPU Temps down. Despite the added pain, the extra fan definitely improves things. The CPU is nearing maximum performance. When I tested the extra fan in open air, though, the difference was minimal. This tells us that the real benefit to having the extra fan is not improving static pressure through the heatsink, but rather cool intake air! With such a tight fit, the extra fan basically acts as a gasket for the CPU cooler.

An anemometer is a device that measures air speed. I measured air speed at 9 points around the exhaust vent and multiplied the average by the approximate area of the vent openings to get an airflow number in CFM. It's not perfect, but it will get us some ballpark numbers.Whoa! This is awful. CPU performance has tanked, and GPU temps are through the roof. The Air Temp tells the story here: even with an exhaust fan, the case is not able to get the hot air out.

The new RAW S1 promises full gaming PC power in one of the smallest chassis currently available. Its thin, minimum aesthetic is also unique; the popular Corsair One and Ghost S1 are two of the only other thin cases of this size. Outside of these options, it is rare to find other models that can also support powerful components. In an already limited category, LOUQE aims to situate itself as the best option.The disappointing part is that with ~5mm extra height on the shell and some clever rearranging of the internals, Louqe could have fit a 140x15mm fan on top. I suspect, though, that they wanted a solid top plate for aesthetic reasons. They're clearly good designers, though, so I'm sure they could come up with something.

The PSU will be mounted with the input AC connector pointing up, as close to the front side of the shell as possible. This serves two purposes: it moves the cable routing out of the airflow path, and it points the PSU exhaust up instead of forward, which should help a tiny bit.

Because of this, I would actually say the Raw S1 is perfect – because it does a 100% job at achieving what the designers set out to achieve: a simple, easy-to-work-on minimalist system that looks the part and cools well. I started with some tests of the CPU and GPU without the shell on. This allows us to get a sense for how the coolers perform in the best case scenario (open air) and serves as a sort of thermal performance target. For all the various configurations, mods, etc., I used Cinebench for CPU testing, Furmark for GPU testing, and Unigine Heaven for mixed/gaming. Once that's all done, I'm going to test the other two coolers I mentioned above, and add an intake duct for the GPU.