A recent experiment aimed to answer a peculiar question: what happens when you fill a gaming PC case with dozens of anime figurines? The investigation, conducted using a Hyte Y40 case and an iBuyPower RDY Y40 Valorant VCTA R003 system, involved gradually adding figures and monitoring thermal performance with FurMark 2. The methodology focused on running both 1080p and 1440p benchmark presets at each stage.
Baseline Performance
Before any figures were introduced, the system's RTX 4070 Super was tested under load. On a temperate day with an ambient temperature of approximately 34°C (93.2°F), the GPU reached 83°C (181.4°F) under a 100% load in FurMark 2. The 1080p benchmark yielded a score of 11568 with an average of 195 frames per second, while the 1440p benchmark achieved 7812 points and 132 fps.
The Figure-Filled PC
The experiment began with the addition of a single 10 cm Miku Hatsune figurine. Initial temperature fluctuations were observed, typically a couple of degrees, but these stabilized quickly during testing. As more figures were added, the ambient temperature within the case remained surprisingly consistent, generally returning to 34°C relatively rapidly after each benchmark run.
Even with 20 figures crammed inside, the maximum temperature recorded for the 1080p benchmark was 84°C (183.2°F). The 1440p benchmark saw a slight dip to 130 fps around the eight-figure mark, but later stabilized at 132 fps even with the maximum number of figures. Interestingly, the 1080p benchmark actually peaked at 198 fps with eight figures in the case, though the author cautions against claiming this indicates improved performance.
Practical Limitations
The experiment concluded not due to thermal issues, but due to practical space constraints. The need for figures to stand upright and balanced, especially taller models, meant they occupied significant internal volume. At one point, a figure was placed too close to a fan, causing a concerning noise, which necessitated adjustments and further space allocation. To reach the final count of 20 figures, various characters were used, including some not strictly anime-based, and some had to be positioned lying down to fit.
Conclusion
The testing suggests that a moderate number of anime figures will not significantly impact a gaming PC's thermal performance. However, cramming 20 figures, as in this experiment, is considered excessive and raises concerns beyond just heat. While short-duration benchmarks like FurMark 2 may not reflect prolonged gaming sessions, the experiment indicates that the fear of minor aesthetic additions causing major performance degradation may be overstated for typical usage scenarios.