Just remember that TPUs testing methodology makes the thermal charts a bit pointless - that there are better cooling cases that were simply reviewed without fans.
Don't get me wrong, the Meshify 3 is a well-cooled case, but plenty of other cases on the market have as much (or in many cases even more) airflow than this - it's just that the TPU testing methodology doesn't give them a chance if their stock configuration omits fans - which is extremely common since many of the best cases are radiator-focused designs where buyers would end up wastefully throwing out fans if they were included.
I agree, the stock configuration testing method has its drawbacks when it comes to flexing those case cooling muscles. For ones with no fans or weak cooling, no doubt, at stock they lose their ability to fully shine but some of that drag is mitigated with the test setup's 240/280/360 (2/3 fans) CPU cooler (depending on cases allowances).
The upside is, these days, a lot of cases come with decent airflow and 3+ fans out the box. A good number included in TPU charts, like the Montech AIR Pro, Torrent, Lancool 216, Phanteks G500A, the old Corsair 465X (owned), etc. The Lian Li 217 review is about to drop with 5 fans and its already knocked the Mesh 3 off the top spot on CPU temps but a bit behind on GPU. The performance difference is no-doubt negligible but you know how it is, us lads treat every performance metric like its life and death. Point is, even if its not all about max performance or fair comparisons, well-cooled stock setups still reveal meaningful performance characteristics.
Speaking of
"throwing out fans" - This is less likely if you're buying a case designed with a complete out of the box experience in mind, usually optimized for both airflow and aesthetics. Similar to my old and still in use Corsair 465X and the Lancool 216 (the latter which I've been eyeing for some time) - and theres more. It's in this sort of space, where the Meshify 3's stock aesthetic forms the core part of the case's identity, where you'd expect the buyer to stick with the stock config.
It's just a shame Mesh 3's full experience (proprietary fan controls, HUB and case lighting) is only made possible for a silly asking price. In the least, for the $160 variant, Fractal should have offered those higher led count 'case lighting' strips alongside premium RGB fans without the overpriced and perhaps over-hyped ambience nonsense.
