silent pc case

okeee · Post by **okeee** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 11:55 am

I'm looking for a silent pc case, which ones could you recommend? I'm not looking for very expensive cases, just a decent silent case.

-silent, used for heavy gaming
-large enough to fit in videocards such as engtx260
-NO flashy lights, windows or other extras
-no PSU
-at least 1x 120 mm fan at rear panel, and optional fan at front panel
-pc-speaker included

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 2:15 pm

Antec Three Hundred fits the bill splendedly, except part PC-speaker included and so forth. its nice budget case with bit effort ( and bitumen / heavy dampening matt ) you can get it really quiet and it fits GTX 260.

Decent Silent case. Check Antec NSK series, Coolermaster Sileo, Most of them should be fit GTX 260 and or have removable HDD case to make space suspension and space for GTX 260.

walle · Post by **walle** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 5:14 pm

okeee wrote:I'm looking for a silent pc case, which ones could you recommend? I'm not looking for very (something) cases, just a (cough) silent case.

Bonjour and welcome to SPCR!

Greetings disposed of allows me to proceed making case recommendation, oh happy days.

The Antec P183!

Now...

- Check
- Check
- Check
- Check
- Check
- Pc-speaker (not included) (cough)... check

Would you like to know more?
Gorgeousness reviewed here at SPCR.

Would you like to view propaganda flyers, certifications and rewards?
Gorgeousness centre here at Antec.

Would you like to see moving images?
Gorgeousness user reviewed here on YouTube.

Going philosophical with minor rant.

" I like the user review and the fact that itâ€™s a human doing the review is refreshing, case reviews made by humans are, as you know, far in between on YouTube, fact is that most of the times when doing a quick YouTube search you end up with the pre-programmed SIM character ROBOTMAN spewing his venom whilst trying to give you the perception of some kind of review going on (reminds me of them "intervews" on TV, lots of words yes but no damn interview is taking place, just time ticking), so no wonder I was pleased when finding this one. As a commenter pointed out the lighting could of been better, but that is a minor flaw and doesnâ€™t mess up the overall quality of presentation, he stutters a bit? So what?, he goes with the flow and his speechpattern, not some god damn pre-scripted nonsense, A+ on this one buddy."

Lastly
What on earth is this nonsense I hear about the Antec ThreeHundred being a, pharaprasing here (not much, erhm) â€œ a great silent caseâ€

okeee · Post by **okeee** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 1:11 am

Some motherboards have a build in speaker, this is for both post beep and old games? Does asus p5q-e have this speaker?

Pipps · Post by **Pipps** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 6:03 am

Do you mean a 'silent' pc case, or just a quiet one?

Because the Antec 300, with the air vent on the side, will not be silent. Side air vents are a fundamental design flaw which should be avoided.

Go for the Antec Solo instead. It's the best Antec case out there!

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 5:15 pm

Pipps wrote:Do you mean a 'silent' pc case, or just a quiet one?

Because the Antec 300, with the air vent on the side, will not be silent. Side air vents are a fundamental design flaw which should be avoided.

Go for the Antec Solo instead. It's the best Antec case out there!

Not sure, but you may have to hack up the HDD cage on the Solo to fit large video cards like the GTX260 the OP mentioned.

The Antec 300 will need work, like thejamppa mentioned, to make it a quiet case, but it's cheap as well.

The HDD cage on the Coolermaster Sileo seems to be removable, so it could be a good compromise between a quiet case and price. Check out the SPCR review of the Sileo, which suggests this case has plenty of room for larger video cards of up to approx 10.5 inches long, depending on where the power connectors are located.

Broadleaf · Post by **Broadleaf** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:13 pm

The Sonata Elite:
- This case has a lot of potential for building a silent system and has a lockable door that deters toddlers.
- The case can be quieted further by putting a self sticking floor tile on the side panel.

jterp7 · Post by **jterp7** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:05 am

on the low end I'd recommend a sonata elite, which my friend just bought for her quiet budget build (88@MC). Higher end I'd wait for the FT02 (219 retail ETA August). Mid range, the P182/183 are good choices (130/144@MC)

RoGuE · Post by **RoGuE** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:20 am

if someone handed me a bunch of money and said build me a quiet gaming rig, I would pick me up a p183. hands down. nuff said?

now..if you're on a tighter budget (as the p183 costs a pretty penny for a case), pick out a less flashy case with 120mm fans. stear WELL clear away from 80mm fans..they are loud, fast, and dont move a whole lot of air short of @ jet engine speeds. Look for a well built construction to minimize case resonance, and start thinking about HDD suspension if you really want a quiet system.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:25 am

Pipps wrote: Because the Antec 300, with the air vent on the side, will not be silent. Side air vents are a fundamental design flaw which should be avoided.

which always can be blocked with bitumen matt or tape or whatever to correct this design flaw...

Broadleaf · Post by **Broadleaf** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 2:02 pm

The Antec 300 is probably the worst case for building a silent computer. Everything about this case is the opposite of what you want for a silent build. These are the major flaws for a silent build:

> there is an acoustic leak on the side
> there is an acoustic leak on the top
> there is an acoustic leak on the front

However, the Antec 300 might be the best case for building a silent computer if you used all COMPLETELY SILENT components as it has lots of holes for convection.

Broadleaf · Post by **Broadleaf** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 2:07 pm

When all the choosing is done and you get started on your build here a quieting tip:

You can get a big improvement in the loudness and character of the noise of the rear chassis fan. Put a 2.5 cm (1 inch) duct in between the fan and the chassis grill to give the turbulent air coming off of the the fan blades time to moderate before hitting that nasty cheap steel stamping grill. The easiest way to make this duct is to cut out the guts of a surplus 120mm fan. Next you can use a fan like the Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm 1,150rpm Silent Case Fan. This fan pushes the same amout of air as a 800 rpm fan and is the same loudness as a 800 rpm fan but the character of the noise is much improved.

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 4:00 pm

Broadleaf wrote:The Antec 300 is probably the worst case for building a silent computer. Everything about this case is the opposite of what you want for a silent build:

> there is an acoustic leak on the side
> there is an acoustic leak on the top
> there is an acoustic leak on the front

If the OP wants a case that is also going to be used for heavy gaming, the 300 has some redeeming factors - mainly its potential for good airflow for a reasonable price. There is nothing stopping the OP from blocking the side hole that you've identified or even the top 140mm fan if he doesn't want that either.

I think I remember reading somewhere that the side panels on the 300 can be swapped, or you can block the side vent like thejammpa suggested.

Two front intake fans for a gaming PC could be good for airflow and if the OP makes quiet component choices, noise leak could be lowered.

I guess it all depends on the OP's priorities and whether the OP wants a quiet out of the box case or is willing to do a bit of work on it.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:16 pm

For sure, the 300 takes some work to get it right, but what case out there doesn't? Even the P18x's are being modded by SPCRers to correct their weaknesses in certain setup.

For the price, the Antec 300 offers a great platform for quieting. It needs to be dampened, for sure, and I wouldn't use the HDD cage as is (vertical suspension is the way I went), but it's worth it. You can see my PC below and know that the only noise I hear out of it is maybe the HDD or my PSU when it starts to buzz.

I've even taken the extra steps of blocking the side vents and creating a P180-like PSU chamber using some foamboard. It allows the PSU to stay cool and not be affected by the heat from the GPU.

In the end, it's a pretty cheap way to start out and will allow you the flexibility to do what you want in the future.