Datasheet figures next to each other, and the airflow balance, pressure verdict and case air heating that the fans in each box compute to behind that case's own front. Calculated with the CaseFlow model, not measured.
| DeepCool CH170 DIGITAL | Fractal Design Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Mini-ITX | SFF |
| Volume | 19.0 L | 16.3 L |
| Dimensions | 380 × 250 × 200 mm | 374 × 110 × 395 mm |
| Front | mesh dust filter | mesh dust filter |
| Fan mounts | front 1 × 120, top 1 × 120, rear 2 × 120, bottom 1 × 120, side 2 × 120 | top 3 × 80, side 2 × 120/140 |
| Radiator support | side 240 mm | side 120 mm |
| Dust filters | front, top, bottom | – |
| GPU length | 305 mm | 335 mm |
| Cooler height | 172 mm | 70 mm |
| Stock fans | none | 2 × Aspect 14 PWM (side) |
| Stock airflow, max rpm | – | 122 in / 0 out CFM |
| Stock pressure verdict | ships without fans | positive, worst case included |
| Case air at 290 W | – | +4.4 K |
| Stock fan noise | – | 38.5 dB(A) |
| All mounts, reference fans | 184 in / 158 out CFM 4 / 3 mounts | 117 in / 158 out CFM 2 / 3 mounts |
With a reference pressure-optimized fan on every mount the CH170 DIGITAL moves more air. The CH170 DIGITAL ships without fans, so only the mount capacity row compares. The pressure verdict describes the stock fan set, not the case: stronger or extra intake fans in the free mounts, or slower exhaust fans, turn a negative balance positive.
Each stock fan contributes CFMmax · derate · rpm/rpmmax behind its wall's mounting class: filtered mesh
front and side mounts as dust filter, bottom as floor + filter, top and rear as open grille, solid and glass fronts as side-slit intake at
roughly half of a mesh front. Front, bottom and side blow in; top and rear blow out.
| Mounting | Airflow blades | Pressure-optimized |
|---|---|---|
| Open grille | 0.88 (0.80–0.95) | 0.88 (0.80–0.95) |
| Dust filter | 0.70 (0.60–0.80) | 0.78 (0.70–0.86) |
| Floor + filter | 0.64 (0.52–0.74) | 0.72 (0.62–0.80) |
| Solid or glass front | 0.50 (0.40–0.62) | 0.58 (0.48–0.68) |
Worst case sums intake at the low end of each band and exhaust at the high end; positive there means positive regardless of how the estimates fall. Case air: ΔT = 3.1 · W / throughput (m³/h), with an open-cooler GPU putting its full board power into the case air plus board, RAM and drives. Capacity puts a reference pressure-optimized fan on every mount at max rpm — 120 mm 60 CFM, 140 mm 75 CFM — a generic good fan, not a product.
Mount counts, radiator support and clearances are datasheet figures. Nothing here is measured; the same model runs in CaseFlow.