Thermaltake CAPO X dual-system case passes first cooling review, with upper PC about 5°C warmer

The review, originally published in Japanese, tested an upper AMD system with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor and Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card, and a lower Intel system with a Core Ultra 7 265K processor and GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card. It used Cinebench 2026 to measure processor performance and 3DMark Steel Nomad Stress Test to assess graphics under demanding workloads.

Under sustained workloads, the upper Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Radeon RX 9070 XT generally operated around 60°C. In the lower compartment, the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti reached approximately 60°C while the Core Ultra 7 265K remained near 50°C. Temperatures climbed at the start of testing, then settled without substantial fluctuations across either compartment, TechRadar reported.

Running both computers together raised temperatures in the upper system by about 5°C compared with running that configuration independently. The difference was attributed to heat from the lower Intel system, which appeared to affect airflow through the upper compartment. Warmer air emerging from the upper rear fan supported that explanation, although the test did not establish that every configuration would experience identical temperature changes.

TechRadar reported that installing a faster rear exhaust fan could help remove accumulated heat from the enclosure. Adjusting fan placement, rotational speeds and internal airflow therefore remains important when configuring both systems for sustained workloads. The findings suggest that the stacked arrangement does not automatically cause severe overheating under the tested conditions, but the temperature increase in the upper compartment indicates that heat management still requires attention when both computers operate simultaneously.

Assembly is more demanding than building a conventional single-system desktop. Installing two complete computers requires separate motherboards, power supplies and storage devices, increasing build time. The enclosure's divided chambers provide considerable cable-routing space, helping builders manage connections from both configurations.

One drawback identified during assembly was the lack of a fan hub, which could complicate cable management in a dual-system configuration. Purchasing a separate controller could simplify connections and give builders more flexibility when coordinating multiple fans across both compartments. The CAPO X's layout also requires decisions about how each computer receives and expels air, and builders must consider the interaction between compartments rather than treating the enclosure as two entirely isolated cooling environments. TechRadar characterized the CAPO X as a build for expert PC DIYers.