Hello, I am new to these forums.
I am considering my first build, an mATX home use and moderate gaming build using an Antek ISK 600M case. I have not seen much about this case, only one or two reviews. It is a cube case with a front 140mm fan, fed through perhaps constrained side louvers, 120MM rear fan, with a possibility of an 80mm fan to assist in the rear, although it only really cools the SSD. it has a lower SSD/HHD PSU zone and an upper CPU/GPU zone, with generous dimensions that permit a broad part selection and will make the build easier. The Antek has air openings on the side of the case, one by the GPU, one by the CPU cooler. It will sit on my desk behind the screen, so low noise is preferable. I envision no overclocking. Budget is flexible but must remain prudent.
I like the top (where dust settles) with no screens, the possibility of direct air flow to the GPU, and the solid front possibly muffling noise, although it may create turbulence for air to reach the 140mm fan. If the front louvers could accommodate the air flow, i could imagine the 80mm fan doing more good to bolster intake.
Case Antec ISK 600M MicroATX Mini Tower Case
$49.99 [i also considered FD Node 804, Thermaltake V21, and Aerocool DS. Some of the Lian Li's are beautiful, but the more cost-effective seem to have tight dimensions, limiting part selection and making building difficult.]
CPU Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
$196.99 [could go i5-6600]
CPU Cooler Deepcool GAMMAXX 300 55.5 CFM CPU Cooler
$19.99 [could go to a be quiet! low-profile cooler, but it seems smoother airflow would be achieved by directing air to the rear case fan]
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-H170M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
$83.99
Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory
$69.99
Storage OCZ Trion 100 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
$109.99 [could go with a 7200 RPM WD 1TB HHD and a 240G SSD]
Video Card Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card
$188.98 [could go with Asus strix also could go R9 380x; willing to consider GTX 960, but only 2GB is practical, seems limiting to the future]
Power Supply Deepcool 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply
$49.99
Optical Drive Samsung SN-208FB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer
$19.99
Operating System Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)
$86.99
Case Fan Noctua NF-R8 redux-1200 21.1 CFM 80mm Fan
$9.93
Total: $886.82
thank you for your thoughts and comments
kstames
your thoughts re: Antec ISK 600M case for gaming/home build
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quest_for_silence
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Re: your thoughts re: Antec ISK 600M case for gaming/home bu
Seemingly you picked nothing with noise-reduction features/qualities in mind (particularly, I'd say, the case, the fans, the motherboard, the GPU, the PSU), it looks mainly the most cost-effective solution you may afford: I can't say how loud it could be, but it won't be that quiet (whether that was your primary goal).kstames wrote:thank you for your thoughts and comments
kstames
Re: your thoughts re: Antec ISK 600M case for gaming/home bu
Thank you for your comments. Initially, the only adjustments I made to my build were to switch to an ASUS motherboard for better fan control, and to a Corsair CS550M PSU, and a scythe CPU cooler, at these were in practice quiet.
my initial build, as follows:
Antec ISK 600 case - steel panels, no sound insulation, holes for air fans on sides (and rear)
Xeon E3 1231v3 processor with Asus H97M - E - CSM motherboard, DDR3 memory
Sapphire Radeon R9 380 OC dual CU - uses lots of power, but is a better card than GTX 960 at a lower price. the Sapphire appears to be the quietest of them (and has been quiet for me)
Corsair CS550M PSU 9so-so quality, but ran quiet in practice)
Crucial SSD, Toshiba red 1T HDD. the HDD was on sale and a new product - but I think it may be louder than
Scythe iori CPU cooler (downdraft cooler with 100MM fan)
The build went together well. Case fans were somewhat quiet - they never spun up to high RPM's under my use. A better intake fan housing design might have made it quieter, as it had some "whoosh" noise.
However, the metal Antek case panels buzzed loudly, an intolerable sound. I think HDD vibration was responsible for much of this, but disconnecting it still left more noise and buzzing than I could stand. The use of thicker steel, or the use of noise damping material by Antek might have made a huge difference for this case. My sons both have Maingear computers with with Silverstone FT-03 cases, and those represented what I considered an acceptable character and level of noise, being essentially all fan with little vibration/buzzing.
inspired by SPCR's review of the Silverstone FT 05 case, I sent the Antek case and the Iori CPU cooler back, replacing them with a Silverstone FT-05 case and a Scythe Kotetsu CPU cooler. The built case is quiet, noticeably quieter than the FT-03's. I made a couple other changes to the build, upgrading the motherboard to an ASUS Z97 Grypohn, and the PSU to a Seasonic G650. These last two changes had no effect on noise, but were simply meant to enhance future reliability.
The build is quiet, at least enough for me. My budget increased substantially, but my computer should last a long time. I cam to realize that quiet and long term reliability was for me more important than initial budget.
final build list:
Silverstone FT-05 case - expensive, but quiet, great cooling and superior build quality. Sits on the desk behind my monitor. Fans quietly spend most time in their lower range. The secret to this build.
Xeon E3 1231 v3 - Xeon is alot of processor for the price - last generation, but no CPU graphics, so its efficiency does not lag much.
ASUS Gryphon Z97 matx motherboard with DDR3 memory. The ASUS motherboard has lots of fan headers with easy fan control.
Sapphire Radeon R9 380 OC dual CU - uses lots of power and makes lots of heat, but is a better card than GTX 960 at a lower price. the Sapphire was reviewed to be the quietest R9 380. It has been quiet for me, with fans never spinning loudly enough to be noticed. the FT-05 case can provide the airflow to dissipate the heat.
Seasonic g650 PSU - has been quiet so far.
Crucial SSD
Toshiba red HDD - the most suspect part of this build. I can feel some vibration from the HDD on the Silverstone case, but I can't hear it. I may try different methods of isolating the HDD and will report back if any succeed, although the build is quiet, at least enough for me. My budget increased substantially, but my computer should last a long time. could also try a different HDD, or even an SSD.
Regards,
kstames
my initial build, as follows:
Antec ISK 600 case - steel panels, no sound insulation, holes for air fans on sides (and rear)
Xeon E3 1231v3 processor with Asus H97M - E - CSM motherboard, DDR3 memory
Sapphire Radeon R9 380 OC dual CU - uses lots of power, but is a better card than GTX 960 at a lower price. the Sapphire appears to be the quietest of them (and has been quiet for me)
Corsair CS550M PSU 9so-so quality, but ran quiet in practice)
Crucial SSD, Toshiba red 1T HDD. the HDD was on sale and a new product - but I think it may be louder than
Scythe iori CPU cooler (downdraft cooler with 100MM fan)
The build went together well. Case fans were somewhat quiet - they never spun up to high RPM's under my use. A better intake fan housing design might have made it quieter, as it had some "whoosh" noise.
However, the metal Antek case panels buzzed loudly, an intolerable sound. I think HDD vibration was responsible for much of this, but disconnecting it still left more noise and buzzing than I could stand. The use of thicker steel, or the use of noise damping material by Antek might have made a huge difference for this case. My sons both have Maingear computers with with Silverstone FT-03 cases, and those represented what I considered an acceptable character and level of noise, being essentially all fan with little vibration/buzzing.
inspired by SPCR's review of the Silverstone FT 05 case, I sent the Antek case and the Iori CPU cooler back, replacing them with a Silverstone FT-05 case and a Scythe Kotetsu CPU cooler. The built case is quiet, noticeably quieter than the FT-03's. I made a couple other changes to the build, upgrading the motherboard to an ASUS Z97 Grypohn, and the PSU to a Seasonic G650. These last two changes had no effect on noise, but were simply meant to enhance future reliability.
The build is quiet, at least enough for me. My budget increased substantially, but my computer should last a long time. I cam to realize that quiet and long term reliability was for me more important than initial budget.
final build list:
Silverstone FT-05 case - expensive, but quiet, great cooling and superior build quality. Sits on the desk behind my monitor. Fans quietly spend most time in their lower range. The secret to this build.
Xeon E3 1231 v3 - Xeon is alot of processor for the price - last generation, but no CPU graphics, so its efficiency does not lag much.
ASUS Gryphon Z97 matx motherboard with DDR3 memory. The ASUS motherboard has lots of fan headers with easy fan control.
Sapphire Radeon R9 380 OC dual CU - uses lots of power and makes lots of heat, but is a better card than GTX 960 at a lower price. the Sapphire was reviewed to be the quietest R9 380. It has been quiet for me, with fans never spinning loudly enough to be noticed. the FT-05 case can provide the airflow to dissipate the heat.
Seasonic g650 PSU - has been quiet so far.
Crucial SSD
Toshiba red HDD - the most suspect part of this build. I can feel some vibration from the HDD on the Silverstone case, but I can't hear it. I may try different methods of isolating the HDD and will report back if any succeed, although the build is quiet, at least enough for me. My budget increased substantially, but my computer should last a long time. could also try a different HDD, or even an SSD.
Regards,
kstames
-
quest_for_silence
- Posts: 5275
- Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
- Location: ITALY
Re: your thoughts re: Antec ISK 600M case for gaming/home bu
Thanks for sharing and enjoy your build. 