cheap case plus good fans vs prebuilt good case

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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kntrip
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:27 pm

cheap case plus good fans vs prebuilt good case

Post by kntrip » Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:31 pm

Hello there I'm looking to build a (mostly) silent gaming rig.
I'm wondering whether it would be better to buy a cheap case and good fans or if a good case with fans included would be enough

so, option a could be some 20-30$ case and 3-4? good fans
and option b would be something in the range of:
Nanoxia DS3
Fractal R4
Coolermaster silencio 350
Aerocool DS200

another question is, as I like much more those "plain" front cases, will it affect cooling performance against a"grilled" front case like for example Coolermaster N200?
graphics card will be something in the range of gtx960, for cooling performance questions, but that will be solved later
I dont care about using a microatx mb, a matx case can be fine
so, any help/suggestions will be appreciated, thanks in advance
Greetings

CA_Steve
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Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: cheap case plus good fans vs prebuilt good case

Post by CA_Steve » Sat Jul 25, 2015 6:27 am

Welcome to SPCR.

A couple of problems when you drop into the bargain basement for cases:
- not as well made. Might have sharp edges, flimsy build, etc
- might not have features you want
- might not be suited for silent performance (poor airflow through the case)

Then, when you consider decent case fans cost $10-25 each, your $30 case with 3 fans turns into a $60 to $100 one.

There might be some exceptions out there for a low price build (BitFenix Merc Alpha was cheap but decent performer), but I'm not caffeinated enough for a deep dive. :)

Clean front vs open mesh front: It's case by case (bad pun, sorry). If the mfgr did a decent job with the side air vents on the clean front case and didn't use an overly restrictive filter, it can work out fine.

Have you looked at the Fractal Design Define S? Cheaper and better performer than the R4.

kntrip
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:27 pm

Re: cheap case plus good fans vs prebuilt good case

Post by kntrip » Sat Jul 25, 2015 6:40 am

thank you for the fast response

I know the final cost will be more or less the same but I was wondering if dedicated silent fans would be a qualitative jump against stock fans in those silent cases

I'll check that Define S, sounds good and not really expensive.

Greetings

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