Case under $200
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Case under $200
Hello. I choose atx midi tower air cooling case with good steel quality under 200$ with best temperature/noise ratio for i7-6700k, msi gtx 980 ti. I don't need 5.25 cages. I find silverstone ft05 and phanteks evolv atx. What quiet case you recommend for single gpu with good temperatures?
Re: Case under 200$
Welcome to SPCR!!!
The FT05 is probably the best air cooling on the market, but you will need a good plan to keep the AP181 under control, the stock settings are not good enough, you need to undervolt them heavily, so a motherboard like Asus with FanXPert will help you a lot. If you still find them too loud for your taste, you can upgrade them to AP182 that allow lower operation and noise, at the expense of cooling. Btw this is not a full steel case, the front and back are aluminium.
Once you quiet down the case fans, probably the GPU fans will be the noisiest, try to chose a GTX980Ti that its quiet, seems MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti Lightning 6GB or go aftermarket with the Prolimatech MK-26 Multi-VGA Cooler.
The FT05 is probably the best air cooling on the market, but you will need a good plan to keep the AP181 under control, the stock settings are not good enough, you need to undervolt them heavily, so a motherboard like Asus with FanXPert will help you a lot. If you still find them too loud for your taste, you can upgrade them to AP182 that allow lower operation and noise, at the expense of cooling. Btw this is not a full steel case, the front and back are aluminium.
Once you quiet down the case fans, probably the GPU fans will be the noisiest, try to chose a GTX980Ti that its quiet, seems MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti Lightning 6GB or go aftermarket with the Prolimatech MK-26 Multi-VGA Cooler.
Re: Case under $200
Thanks. What is the minimum rpm with AP181 fans on Asus motherboard? Performance AP182 better than AP181? I read on the official silverstone website(http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=258) (AP181: 65CFM( 600rmp),noise 17dBA ; AP182: 60CFM (500rpm), 17dBA). MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti Lightning length 33cm, I read from reviews ft05 maximum gpu lengths 312mm. What cpu cooler you recomend for good overclocking(none-window version ft05): Noctua nh-d15, Thermalright Macho rev B, Thermalright True Spirit 140 BW Rev A or others? Its possible with this case build semi passive build(in idle all fans disabled)?
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Re: Case under $200
I've been quite pleased with my black Fractal Define S. Panel and frame are pretty hefty steel, with a truly excellent powder-coat. The front bezel and ModuVent covers are plastic, but have also held up remarkably well to some abuse and don't really look plastic-y. IMO, it's fairly good-looking, very quiet (the direct airflow allowed by removing the 5.25" trays makes a huge difference), and a steal at <$100. It also doesn't have the hardware compatibility issues that stem from the FT05's 90-degree orientation (hard-limited cable bend radius, poor performance with some CPU/GPU coolers, and "confusing" the thermal-management systems of some PSUs).
SPCR's review of the Define S mentioned resonance issues, but I haven't encountered any, even with two 3.5" drives (WD's most recent 2TB Red and an ancient 500GB Samsung) and both stock fans hard-mounted. YMMV, but if you do have issues, there are multiple cheap-and-easy solutions:
SPCR's review of the Define S mentioned resonance issues, but I haven't encountered any, even with two 3.5" drives (WD's most recent 2TB Red and an ancient 500GB Samsung) and both stock fans hard-mounted. YMMV, but if you do have issues, there are multiple cheap-and-easy solutions:
- Adjust the tension of the screws holding the HDD's to the trays. (Little known fact: a rubber's dampening performance is affected by how much pressure it's under.)
- Replace the stock grommets on the HDD trays with Sorbothane equivalents. (Another little known fact: silicone is not a very good decoupling material at the frequencies and intensities produced by HDD's and case fans.)
- Quality, butyl-based, constrained-layer damping sheet (eg, Dynamat) applied to the back of the HDD and/or motherboard tray.
Re: Case under $200
I think that the CoolerMaster HAF XM would fit your criteria.Shaderr wrote:Hello. I choose atx midi tower air cooling case with good steel quality under 200$ with best temperature/noise ratio for i7-6700k, msi gtx 980 ti. I don't need 5.25 cages. I find silverstone ft05 and phanteks evolv atx. What quiet case you recommend for single gpu with good temperatures?
Aside from anything else it has two hot-swap bays which come in handy.
It can be fitted with four 200mm fans (1*side in, 1*front in, 2*top out) to keep everything nice and cool. I have mine with a Corsair H100i under the two 200mm fans and it is very quiet.
Re: Case under $200
The Evolv ATX is primarily a custom water cooling case; it's not very good with air cooling. Gonna have to go with Abula on this and recommend the FT05 which is excellent for air.