Another SPCR recommended list: Cases
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Cases: Basics & Recommendations updated again -- Nov 9/05. Many small changes all around.
Re: Also
You can order it directly from FKi, as of a month ago the price was actually less than it used to be when you could buy it retail. Fk has started targeting the SI market more than the retail.sgent wrote:I'm not sure if the FK is even available in the US -- I wasn't able to find it listed anywhere.
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I really like the latest version of this article - lots of information packed into an article that's short enough that no one has an excuse not to read it.
There's an amusing omission in the Yeong Yang "Mars" description: "very 120mm grills front and back for great airflow." Not sure how a grille can be "very 120mm". May I suggest inserting "open"?
I hate waiting, but the Antec P150 hasn't arrived in Australia yet...
There's an amusing omission in the Yeong Yang "Mars" description: "very 120mm grills front and back for great airflow." Not sure how a grille can be "very 120mm". May I suggest inserting "open"?
I hate waiting, but the Antec P150 hasn't arrived in Australia yet...
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Nice reading, even for the third time now!
@MikeC: found two small typos:
CAVITY RESONANCE
One poorly understand aspect of PC noise is cavity resonance. The air in any mostly enclosed box or space exhibits one or more resonances centered at certain frequency points. Any noise that falls close to these resonance points become accentuated and amplified. Note that this does not have to do with any panle vibration at all, but the vibration of the air in the cavity — hence the term cavity resonance. A good explanation of resonance concepts, including cavity resonance, is available from this page at the Sound and Hearing section of the HyperPhysics web site.
@MikeC: found two small typos:
CAVITY RESONANCE
One poorly understand aspect of PC noise is cavity resonance. The air in any mostly enclosed box or space exhibits one or more resonances centered at certain frequency points. Any noise that falls close to these resonance points become accentuated and amplified. Note that this does not have to do with any panle vibration at all, but the vibration of the air in the cavity — hence the term cavity resonance. A good explanation of resonance concepts, including cavity resonance, is available from this page at the Sound and Hearing section of the HyperPhysics web site.
will these do
[quote="cyberknight"]that's cuz Antec cases are easily accessible.
it's really hard to find a decent case that isn't a CoolerMaster or Antec in Canada[/quote]
There are many custom enclosure manufacturer in Canada. I like Protocase [ http://www.protocase.com ]. But you need to provide your details [like enclosure design in CAD format], and they will make it. I tried quiet a few time, and it works out damn well. Don't want to hang over to the off-the-self cases and compromise my design, when i can get what i want.
Some other case manufacturer in Canada:
http://www.ctidirectory.com/search/prod ... de=2751600
it's really hard to find a decent case that isn't a CoolerMaster or Antec in Canada[/quote]
There are many custom enclosure manufacturer in Canada. I like Protocase [ http://www.protocase.com ]. But you need to provide your details [like enclosure design in CAD format], and they will make it. I tried quiet a few time, and it works out damn well. Don't want to hang over to the off-the-self cases and compromise my design, when i can get what i want.
Some other case manufacturer in Canada:
http://www.ctidirectory.com/search/prod ... de=2751600
Hi guys, I just re-read the article based on the link on the front page. A couple of notes:
Page 1 says "Antec P180 breaks new ground in many ways..." I think that should be changed to "broke new ground"... P180 is not really new, and the feature mentioned specifically ("independent thermal zones for improved cooling of all components") is now available in a couple of other cases.
On Page 2, the table in the Media PC section says "On desktop next to monitor on on floor under / beside desk". I'm pretty sure that was supposed to be "or on floor".
Also, the Centurion 5 as sold now (at least on Newegg and at NCIX... probably also the others) comes without a PSU. The rear fan grill also changed for the better since the review (see newegg picture), but that's off-topic.
Personally, I'd remove the " (!!) " from SLK3700AMB's description on page three (the 120 mm fans, which the emphasis refers to, are a pretty common feature these days), but that's up to you.
Page 1 says "Antec P180 breaks new ground in many ways..." I think that should be changed to "broke new ground"... P180 is not really new, and the feature mentioned specifically ("independent thermal zones for improved cooling of all components") is now available in a couple of other cases.
On Page 2, the table in the Media PC section says "On desktop next to monitor on on floor under / beside desk". I'm pretty sure that was supposed to be "or on floor".
Also, the Centurion 5 as sold now (at least on Newegg and at NCIX... probably also the others) comes without a PSU. The rear fan grill also changed for the better since the review (see newegg picture), but that's off-topic.
Personally, I'd remove the " (!!) " from SLK3700AMB's description on page three (the 120 mm fans, which the emphasis refers to, are a pretty common feature these days), but that's up to you.
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Pretty much completely revised -- http://www.silentpcreview.com/Case_Basi ... mendations
Nice update, thanks!
One question... On the page 6 / current cases you list volume in litres as a reference to size (nice!) but don't show a rating for noise and airflow. On the page 7 (retired cases) you do show ratings for noise and airflow.
It would be nice to see a rating on the current cases to show noise and airflow... I really don't care how a case I can no longer buy performs, but it would be helpful to be able to compare cases that I may be buying in the future.
One question... On the page 6 / current cases you list volume in litres as a reference to size (nice!) but don't show a rating for noise and airflow. On the page 7 (retired cases) you do show ratings for noise and airflow.
It would be nice to see a rating on the current cases to show noise and airflow... I really don't care how a case I can no longer buy performs, but it would be helpful to be able to compare cases that I may be buying in the future.
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I'm not sure that's there's any definitive study which "proves" this, but I can vouch from personal experience that very low/no airflow PCs do tend to break sooner. For more info, just go through some electronics/thermal documentation sites. Try, for example, a search on Tony Kordyban.Olaf van der Spek wrote:Is there any proof for this?Even in a very low power system, eliminating all forced airflow usually shortens component life.
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We wanted to get away from this. It was too specific, and it's too dependent on chosen components and local conditions. Those things will be removed from the retired list as well. My reasons are detailed in the article:psyopper wrote:Nice update, thanks!
One question... On the page 6 / current cases you list volume in litres as a reference to size (nice!) but don't show a rating for noise and airflow. On the page 7 (retired cases) you do show ratings for noise and airflow.
It would be nice to see a rating on the current cases to show noise and airflow... I really don't care how a case I can no longer buy performs, but it would be helpful to be able to compare cases that I may be buying in the future.
Cases that measure within a couple of decibels of each other in our review tests don't necessarily translate to real user differences. So many other factors come into play: The ambient noise and temperature, the particular components in the case, typical usage patterns of the operator, etc. A case ranked 9 in the old system might have performed identically to one rated 8, depending on components and conditions. The fine differentiations we could make under our lab test conditions may not necessarily be heard in real use by typical users. Hence, those ranking were not always useful.