TheRetroArcade
Veteran
Posts: 11,125
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Asking the important questions.
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During all my time at PC Gamer, there has been but one idea that feels a bit like flying too to the sun. I am, of course, talking about cramming as many anime figurines as I can into my PC and monitoring the impact on performance. Thankfully, I've got the figurines, a Hyte Y40 PC case with tool-free, pop-off panels, and an otherwise engaged editor.
My methodology is straightforward enough: I'm going to gradually add figurines to the inside of my gaming PC, running FurMark 2 to track any thermal fluctuations. Each time I add more figures, I'll run both the 1080p and the 1440p benchmark presets.
First, let's establish the base line: I'm testing on the iBuyPower RDY Y40 Valorant VCTA R003. On the temperate September day I carried out testing, my RTX 4070 Super enjoyed an ambient temperature of about 34°C / 93.2°F. Without even a whiff of anime inside the PC case, temps shot up to 83°C / 181.4°F under a 100% GPU load in Furmark 2. And, let me tell ya, our Jacob really wasn't kidding when he said those iBuyPower fans get loud under load.
The 1080p benchmark returned a score of 11568, and 195 fps. The 1440p benchmark finished with a score of 7812, and 132 fps. With the baseline established, I couldn't help but wonder: is it really all downhill from here? To find out, I installed the first of many Miku Hatsune figurines.
Immediately after sealing up the machine with one 10 cm figure inside, ambient temperature picked up by a couple of degrees before quickly falling back down to 34°C. I noticed a similar temperature fluctuation more or less every time I replaced the glass panel, though generally things didn't stay toasty for long during testing.
This chart shows fluctuations in average frame rate in relation to how many anime figures were placed inside the PC case
This chart shows fluctuations in average frame rate in relation to how many anime figures were placed inside the PC case
This chart shows fluctuations in temperature in relation to how many anime figures were placed inside the PC case
This chart shows fluctuations in temperature in relation to how many anime figures were placed inside the PC case
Honestly, I'm surprised by these results. Having read countless comments under a cool, internally decorated build pearl-clutching about airflow, I was expecting a much more significant performance hit.
While the 1440p benchmark did see a dip to 130 fps around the eight anime figure mark, the frames sat pretty at 132 even after I crammed in more plastic. As for the 1080p benchmark, I actually saw a peak of 198 fps with eight anime figures inside the case. This doesn't necessarily show placing plastic inside your PC actually improves performance, but it's definitely tempting to make that claim.
Alright, let's talk temps: at 20 figures, the 1080p benchmark peaked at 84°C / 183.2°F. Otherwise temperatures under 100% GPU load were remarkably consistent. I was also surprised to see ambient temperature drop back down to 34°C / 93.2°F relatively quickly after each benchmark, despite all of the moulded plastic I'd crammed inside my PC.
No, despite my best efforts, it wasn't runaway temperatures that brought my experiment to an end but a much more practical matter: space.
Turns out, physics has a lot to do with ensuring a plastic facsimile of your favourite character stands upright. Very simply put that means the spindly legged, twin-tailed form of Ms. Hatsune often needs to be counterbalanced by a wide base. The more outflung her limbs, the bigger the base needs to be to keep her upright.
Unfortunately, that means my taller anime figures (I.E. in the region of 30 cm) took up way more standing room inside of my PC case than I had anticipated—I nearly shore off a bunny ear by sticking my tallest Miku a little too to a fan. Speaking of, things started to look a lil' dicey around the e...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
During all my time at PC Gamer, there has been but one idea that feels a bit like flying too to the sun. I am, of course, talking about cramming as many anime figurines as I can into my PC and monitoring the impact on performance. Thankfully, I've got the figurines, a Hyte Y40 PC case with tool-free, pop-off panels, and an otherwise engaged editor.
My methodology is straightforward enough: I'm going to gradually add figurines to the inside of my gaming PC, running FurMark 2 to track any thermal fluctuations. Each time I add more figures, I'll run both the 1080p and the 1440p benchmark presets.
First, let's establish the base line: I'm testing on the iBuyPower RDY Y40 Valorant VCTA R003. On the temperate September day I carried out testing, my RTX 4070 Super enjoyed an ambient temperature of about 34°C / 93.2°F. Without even a whiff of anime inside the PC case, temps shot up to 83°C / 181.4°F under a 100% GPU load in Furmark 2. And, let me tell ya, our Jacob really wasn't kidding when he said those iBuyPower fans get loud under load.
The 1080p benchmark returned a score of 11568, and 195 fps. The 1440p benchmark finished with a score of 7812, and 132 fps. With the baseline established, I couldn't help but wonder: is it really all downhill from here? To find out, I installed the first of many Miku Hatsune figurines.
Immediately after sealing up the machine with one 10 cm figure inside, ambient temperature picked up by a couple of degrees before quickly falling back down to 34°C. I noticed a similar temperature fluctuation more or less every time I replaced the glass panel, though generally things didn't stay toasty for long during testing.
This chart shows fluctuations in average frame rate in relation to how many anime figures were placed inside the PC case
This chart shows fluctuations in average frame rate in relation to how many anime figures were placed inside the PC case
This chart shows fluctuations in temperature in relation to how many anime figures were placed inside the PC case
This chart shows fluctuations in temperature in relation to how many anime figures were placed inside the PC case
Honestly, I'm surprised by these results. Having read countless comments under a cool, internally decorated build pearl-clutching about airflow, I was expecting a much more significant performance hit.
While the 1440p benchmark did see a dip to 130 fps around the eight anime figure mark, the frames sat pretty at 132 even after I crammed in more plastic. As for the 1080p benchmark, I actually saw a peak of 198 fps with eight anime figures inside the case. This doesn't necessarily show placing plastic inside your PC actually improves performance, but it's definitely tempting to make that claim.
Alright, let's talk temps: at 20 figures, the 1080p benchmark peaked at 84°C / 183.2°F. Otherwise temperatures under 100% GPU load were remarkably consistent. I was also surprised to see ambient temperature drop back down to 34°C / 93.2°F relatively quickly after each benchmark, despite all of the moulded plastic I'd crammed inside my PC.
No, despite my best efforts, it wasn't runaway temperatures that brought my experiment to an end but a much more practical matter: space.
Turns out, physics has a lot to do with ensuring a plastic facsimile of your favourite character stands upright. Very simply put that means the spindly legged, twin-tailed form of Ms. Hatsune often needs to be counterbalanced by a wide base. The more outflung her limbs, the bigger the base needs to be to keep her upright.
Unfortunately, that means my taller anime figures (I.E. in the region of 30 cm) took up way more standing room inside of my PC case than I had anticipated—I nearly shore off a bunny ear by sticking my tallest Miku a little too to a fan. Speaking of, things started to look a lil' dicey around the e...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?