Montech Sky One Lite Evaluation: Novice-Pleasant, however Noisy

September 25, 2022

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PC case and cooling firm Montech isn’t essentially the most well-known element model within the US. However the firm has been churning out merchandise since 2016, often utilizing the tagline “With good worth!” And at $99 with a hinged glass facet panel, mesh entrance and RGB, the Skye One Lite case appears to stay as much as that slogan.

However as we’ll see in our testing and options walkthrough beneath, there are higher choices on the market, making it laborious to suggest for a spot on our Finest PC Instances listing. That mentioned, in case you stay close to a Micro Heart, the place the Sky One Lite sells for a considerably decrease $69.99, it might be value contemplating in case you like this case’s appears.

Specs of the Montech Sky One Lite

Sort	ATX Mid-Tower
Motherboard Assist	Mini-ITX, Micro ATX, ATX
Dimensions (HxWxD)	19.3 x 8.67 x 16.4-inches
Max GPU Size	13.7-inches
CPU Cooler Top	6.69-inches
Exterior Bays	X
Inner Bays	6x 2.5-inch or 4x 2.5 and 2x 3.5-inch
Growth Slots	7
Entrance I/O	Energy, Reset, RGB management, 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB Sort-C (10 Gbps), 1x audio and 1x microphone jack.
Different	Tempered Glass Facet Panel
Entrance Followers	2x 120mm followers
Rear Followers	1x 120mm fan
Prime Followers	None
Backside Followers	None
Weight	16.9 kilos (7.67kg)
Guarantee	1 12 months

Options of the Montech Sky One Lite

Picture 1 of 2

he Montech Sky One Lite takes design queues from a few of the best-performing chassis available on the market, with a mesh entrance and a hinged tempered glass facet panel. The Sky One Lite makes use of an precise door deal with and hinges on the again, moderately than screws or magnets to carry its glass panel on. This works properly, however appears a bit misplaced and old style. Nonetheless, I choose it over thumbscrews.

As to be anticipated from a finances case, the rear facet panel is secured by two captive thumb screws, however the metallic feels very skinny and feels like an incoming thunderstorm when shaken.

The entrance panel is mesh, which doubles as a mud filter, and every pore is 1.5mm (in response to Montech, we didn’t escape our calipers) identical to on the Lian Li Lancool III). Whereas that sounds cool, the efficiency says in any other case, as we’ll see later in our testing. The entrance panel additionally incorporates a lengthy addressable RGB (ARGB) strip, which connects to the case’s brand on the prime.

Montech Sky One Lite

(Picture credit score: Tom’s {Hardware})

The RGB will be adjusted through the case’s entrance IO and, on the whole, the case appears like one thing that’s solely designed for pre-built rigs. Don’t get me unsuitable, the Sky One Lite isn’t an unsightly case, however the design is a bit boring.

The Sky One Lite comes with three non-lit 120mm, 3-pin followers. And if the case market weren’t as aggressive as it’s now, I might say these spinners are nice. Nonetheless, for a similar worth, you should buy the Phanteks Eclipse G360A, geared up with three ARGB PWM followers.

It’s not unusual anymore for case corporations to daisy chain the included followers to 1 header, which is clear within the NZXT H7 Circulate. Nonetheless, these followers had been dead-silent. The identical can’t be mentioned with these followers, as we’ll see in a while throughout testing.

Montech Sky One Lite

(Picture credit score: Tom’s {Hardware})

The Sky One Lite’s IO is first rate: two USB 3.1 (5 Gbps), one Sort-C connector, energy, reset, RGB configuration, microphone and headphone jack.

Inner Format

The Montech Sky One Lite stands at 19.3 x 8.67 x 16.4-inches (HWD), which is a bit taller than the typical ATX chassis. For instance, it is taller than the Fractal Meshify Compact. However the case additionally isn’t that deep, so, don’t mount radiators to the entrance in case you’re operating a protracted graphics card. However then placing a radiator on the entrance is at all times a foul concept until there’s no strategy to keep away from it.

For those who’re new to system constructing or don’t like issues, the Ske One Lite is essentially the most easy case to construct in, thanks largely to its inside roominess. I moved my {hardware} from our earlier case to the Sky One Lite in simply 20 minutes, together with the facility provide.

Montech Sky One Lite

(Picture credit score: Tom’s {Hardware})

Like many chassis, the Sky One Lite comes with three pre-installed velcro cable ties, which do a good job of taming the cables.

Montech Sky One Lite

(Picture credit score: Tom’s {Hardware})

The pre-installed cables are funky, because the Sky One Lite comes with a translucent inexperienced clip that’s used to bridge all the entrance IO cables, moderately than coping with tiny pin headers. I want I noticed this function on extra circumstances, however the shade might use enhancing–primary black is ok.

Montech Sky One Lite

(Picture credit score: Tom’s {Hardware})

The pattern of random-colored cables continues with the 3-pin fan splitter connector, which is white. That may appear much less misplaced within the white mannequin (though the wires are black), however we examined the black model of the case.

Picture 1 of 2

Alongside the cables are two 2.5-inch SSD mounts behind the motherboard tray and a tough drive cage that may home two 2.5 or 3.5-inch drives. Oh, and two extra SSDs will be saved subsequent to the motherboard tray, so Montech didn’t skimp out on storage on this chassis.

Montech Sky One Lite Cooling Choices

The Montech Sky One Lite’s cooling functionality is pretty conventional, and there’s nothing expressly unsuitable with it. On the prime of the case, there’s room for 280mm or smaller followers or radiators. And you’ll really go larger right here, as the facility provide shroud has a cut-out, which elongates the supported radiator or fan house to 360mm. Whereas there’s extra cooling help than meets the attention, the rear of the chassis can solely match a single 120mm, which is pretty commonplace.

Most massive graphics playing cards and tower coolers ought to match within the Sky One Lite. You get 170mm (6.69-inches) of clearance for CPU coolers and 350mm (13.78-inch) for graphics playing cards. So in case you aren’t utilizing one of many greatest AIO coolers, remember to verify the peak of the air cooler you need to use if it’s a giant beast.

Testing {Hardware}

Our testing {hardware} makes use of Intel’s 12 Gen “Alder Lake” platform, which has shaken up the desktop panorama (and brought outstanding spots on our greatest CPUs for gaming listing). We’re now utilizing a Core i7-12700KF, which is being cooled by a Noctua U12s air cooler. Our graphics card is a Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC.

Our motherboard is the MSI Professional Z690-A WIFI. The Aorus Z690 Elite we had been utilizing for earlier critiques died throughout testing of a earlier case, so we needed to swap it out.

Acoustic Outcomes for the Montech Sky One Lite

Montech Sky One Lite

(Picture credit score: Tom’s {Hardware})

Our acoustic check consists of three eventualities: We run the CPU at full load, the CPU and GPU at full load, and an optimized mode. The CPU full load check runs the CPU and case followers at their most velocity. For the CPU and GPU full load acoustic check, we additionally stress the Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC and set the followers at 75% velocity, as a result of in gaming, the followers by no means run at 100% and are far too loud once they do.

For the optimized mode, we run the GPU fan velocity at 30 % and the CPU and included case followers on the lowest velocity they are going to spin.

The acoustic check outcomes for the Sky One Lite had been flatly unhealthy. There’s no different strategy to put it. The Sky One Lite was louder in our checks than even the Corsair iCUE 5000T. However the three included followers in that case are far superior in high quality and cooled our parts much better than most different chassis we’ve examined not too long ago.

Thermal Outcomes for the Montech Sky One Lite

For the thermal checks, all case and CPU fan speeds are set to 100%. The Core i7-12700K is about at a 4.7GHz clock at 1.3v on all efficiency cores to make sure constant energy consumption throughout check eventualities. Letting the GPU run at 75% fan velocity allows it to keep up its energy goal whereas sticking to 1 set affordable fan velocity, in order that the temperature is the one variable.

Montech Sky One Lite

(Picture credit score: Tom’s {Hardware})

One thing that’s turn into more and more apparent as I check circumstances is that, typically talking, the GPU and its followers can typically maintain itself in the case of cooling. Inner airflow is way extra essential to the CPU. A such, the Montech Sky One Lite does a reasonably stable job maintaining our triple-fan RTX 3070 Ti cool sufficient, however the case sits in final place on our thermal testing chart–ignoring the Fractal Design Pop Silent, since that’s a silence-focused case, particularly.

The outcomes from our thermal check are a bit regarding, as this case and the Lian Li Lancool III function the identical diameter of holes within the mesh entrance panel, however the LanCool III manages to maintain our CPU six levels Celcius decrease. And I used to be barely upset by the thermal outcomes from the Lancool III throughout our CPU stress check. Granted, the 80 levels C consequence we noticed within the Sky One Lite testing isn’t near the CPU’s max temp (100 levels C earlier than throttling). However I used to be shocked to see a case with 4 140mm followers not maintaining the CPU temps decrease. The Montech case got here again to earth throughout our GPU check and was only a diploma behind the H7 Circulate in thermals there.

Backside Line

The Montech Sky One Lite’s largest disadvantage is its price ticket, which is $99 at most on-line shops. If we had examined the case a 12 months in the past, I might give it a greater rating, however there are such a lot of choices, a few of them nice, for about the identical worth. I’m taking a look at you, Phanteks G360A. With that mentioned, the Sky One Lite isn’t a foul case; the cooling compatibility is shocking and storage help is unquestionably spectacular. So in case you’re going so as to add some critical cooling and storage in your construct, it might maintain some extra attraction.

As a result of the Sky One Lite is an airflow-focused case, I’m in a position to forgive its loud acoustic check outcomes, to a level. Nonetheless, the tradeoff for a loud chassis ought to be good cooling, and the CPU thermals in our testing had been surprisingly heat, regardless of the mesh entrance and three followers. For about $100, there are lots of better-performing, better-looking circumstances, though in case you can choose the Montech Skye One Lite up at your native Micro Heart for its present worth of $69.99–or much less–it’s arguably a bit extra interesting.

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