In the minimal configuration, with no fans to help with airflow, temperatures were noticeably higher, but still not unreasonable, and we experienced no throttling in any of the three tests using the CPU or GPU. In our configuration, removing the side mesh panels made a measurable difference in CPU temperature, but only a 1.5 degree improvement in GPU.
With the top panel set to a medium configuration and the addition of two Phanteks T30 fans set to exhaust at a fixed 800 rpm, the temperatures are excellent for such a small air cooling system. In every test, I could put my hand on the fan and feel how effectively it was pushing hot air out of the system. With the mesh side panel removed, the CPU or GPU temperature difference was negligible. Having a fan to push air through the system really helps the Shift XT. This is the most recommended configuration for those interested in this enclosure.
The temperature in this configuration is why I chose not to test this case with AIO. In this case, if you use AIO for your CPU, not only will the radiator on top prevent hot air from escaping from the GPU, but the heat from the GPU interacts with the radiator fins, reducing hot air. efficiency. If you really want to put the AIO radiator on top, I would actually recommend going with a hybrid cooled GPU. This is because the GPU is the primary heat source in most systems today.
