is 700D a better case than the P180?

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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stingy
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is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by stingy » Tue Jan 25, 2011 12:49 am

Hey guys, I want to replace my P180 with something bigger and easier to work with.

It seems the Obsidian 700D is a good choice, but not popular in this forum. Are there any problems with it?

Modo
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by Modo » Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:35 am

It looks pretty solid. If the features are good for your needs, so much the better. It's not the only P18x competition out there, it's just that they don't seem to come here (i.e. donate cases for reviews) much.

quest_for_silence
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by quest_for_silence » Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:48 am

stingy wrote:Are there any problems with it?
It's not optimized for silence, if you may call this a problem (with a $250 case, it may even be).

Modo
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by Modo » Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:02 am

quest_for_silence wrote: It's not optimized for silence, if you may call this a problem (with a $250 case, it may even be).
How so? You've got steel and no front openings or fans, so low vibrations plus no direct noise path to the user. Slap some dampening material on the walls, maybe cover the top vents, and you're good to go. Heck, this might even work fanless, except for the PSU.

stingy
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by stingy » Tue Jan 25, 2011 4:16 am

yep, the 700D case weights @22.3lbs, mainly made of solid steel, while the front plate is aluminum. and thus might be a good case for sound isolation.

I'm running on a i7 system with gigabyte 5750 silent cell:
Image

with
4 X 2TB for photo storage
1 X 2TB for music
1 X 2TB for the Mac OSX
1 X 2TB for Windows

I guess i will need some decent horizontal 140mm fans too

I heard the Lian Li ones aint bad but they are made of Aluminum, which isnt a good material for a silent PC. any comments?

quest_for_silence
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by quest_for_silence » Tue Jan 25, 2011 5:50 am

Modo wrote:
quest_for_silence wrote:It's not optimized for silence, if you may call this a problem (with a $250 case, it may even be).
How so? You've got steel and no front openings or fans, so low vibrations plus no direct noise path to the user. Slap some dampening material on the walls, maybe cover the top vents, and you're good to go.

Precisely: out of the box it is not optimized for silence.

If it should be a valuable point, then Antec Performance and also most of Fractal Design enclosures (eventually, with some respects, even some Silverstones) might offer a better value right "out of the box".

Obviously you may work on it, for sure (as a matter of facts it should weight just 2/3 of the P183 V3), it's one of its best feature (how easy you can work with it), and obviously - if you like its boxed style - it's almost gorgeous.

quest_for_silence
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by quest_for_silence » Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:08 am

stingy wrote:I heard the Lian Li ones aint bad but they are made of Aluminum, which isnt a good material for a silent PC. any comments?

Lian Li alu cases *can* be quiet (just as example look at the old PC-101 SPCR review, but there are a lot of more recent ones, and lots of Lian Li in the General Gallery forum): maybe, as for the Corsair, you have just answering the question if such an expensive case may be just "workable" (and not "near perfect" with reference to quietness).

Modo
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by Modo » Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:15 am

quest_for_silence wrote: Precisely: out of the box it is not optimized for silence.
Neither is the P18x, given its loud fans and vibrating top cover. You're reaching.

quest_for_silence
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by quest_for_silence » Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:47 am

Modo wrote:
quest_for_silence wrote: Precisely: out of the box it is not optimized for silence.
Neither is the P18x, given its loud fans and vibrating top cover. You're reaching.

Hmm, on my old P182 it had never vibrate, nor it does on my Mini P180.

However, I said "a better value right out of the box", nothing more: moreover, even on a Corsair you have to swap its fans in addition to all you have mentioned it's needed to do, if you care quietness.

Last but not least with reference to "value", I obviously don't know in Poland, but here in Italy the 700D is twice the price of a P183 or a Fractal XL, almost three times the price of a Fractal R2, 50% more of a Silverstone Raven Two, a 20% more than a SS FT01, about the same of a Fortress FT02 but without its precious, strong and expensive Unibody construction.

To me it's clear that, with reference to quietness, those boxes offer a somewhat variable better value "right out of the box" (and with a Silverstone or a Fractal you aren't forced to swap their fans, if you mind).

stingy
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by stingy » Tue Jan 25, 2011 7:26 pm

interesting. the 700D is around 150USD in Hong Kong, a lot cheaper than the P183 here.

How to keep the 700D quite than? probably some new fans?

the TJ11 was on my list, until i saw the price tag of 600+USD. damn.

Image

Modo
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by Modo » Wed Jan 26, 2011 2:04 am

Unless you have to buy everything at once, it might be best to wait and see.

I wouldn't dismiss the fans before trying them out. I didn't check, but the manufacturer might be sourcing some middle-of-the-road stuff that is not bad on its own. Also, there is no direct sound path out of the case, so even not great fans might stay quiet enough without modding. If you do need new fans, look for those with fluid/hydro dynamic bearings. It's the type used in the S-FLEX, now much more common.

Some dampening material would be nice, but it might not be required, unless you get a lot of resonance noise from the hard disks. (Treating the walls is often used to stop thin aluminium from vibrating, so a steel case could do without.) Look for thick, adhesive panels. Be careful to a) get enough and b) measure before cutting and applying, as the glue tends to be strong. If you do get it, consider blocking a part or all of the top vent.

stingy
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by stingy » Wed Jan 26, 2011 10:46 am

Cool, I shall get the 700D tomorrow then.

I've just look at the measurement, and it is HUGE, a lot bigger than the P180. no wonder it is so spacious inside.

i will decide later if the foams and new fans are necessary in the 700D. thanks again for the suggestions.

quest_for_silence
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by quest_for_silence » Wed Jan 26, 2011 1:36 pm

stingy wrote:thanks again for the suggestions.
Maybe give a read to Corsair's Support Forum: there are some users who report bad airflow for the 800D.

darkb
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by darkb » Wed Jan 26, 2011 3:54 pm

My mate has the 800D, and despite being huge and heavy its actually slightly annoying to work with. Its huge but its all compartmentalised and there are covers that get in the way / complicate things. Getting power cables to reach can also be a problem, and airflow isn't exactly fantastic. If you do get it, use a table you can walk around during install and be very patient if possible.

The best thing about the 800D was you can fit the swiftek 320 radiator in the top perfectly without case modification, and use slow fans for quiet cooling of power hungry components.

stingy
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by stingy » Fri Jan 28, 2011 8:54 am

Hey guys,

I transferred the system to 700D.

The stock fans are acceptable, but no way they are quite compare to the the scythes spinning at 600rpm in my old P180.

The side covers are ok, but nota as rigid as the P180's for sure.

I sealed the top vents with some acoustic foams, and the noise level from the stock fans lowered a lot, but still noticeable.

My only concern is the air flow in the hard drive area, but they should be fine.

Now I need some scythe fans... hmmmm

here's a photo of my case. IMO, it is a pretty good case with good potential of being silent. It is quite easy to work with too, much better than the P180 in that aspect.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

Veniogenesis
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by Veniogenesis » Wed Feb 02, 2011 10:04 am

How is the 700D in terms of vibration (specifically hard drive vibration)? I've owned a number of cases from Lian-Li, CoolerMaster, and Antec, and the only cases that I've felt were satisfactory in terms of dealing with hard drive vibration were the Antec Sonata and P18x. I'm really intrigued by the Corsair's case offerings (I personally think they look aesthetically amazing and appear to be a breeze to work with), but the issue of vibration with some recent cases I've acquired (i.e. Lian-Li) has made me quite worried. I prefer not to resort to hacks to the 3.5" drive bays since I enjoy being able to use all of them and thus precluding the option of cable suspension, etc.

stingy
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by stingy » Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:09 pm

Veniogenesis wrote:How is the 700D in terms of vibration (specifically hard drive vibration)? I've owned a number of cases from Lian-Li, CoolerMaster, and Antec, and the only cases that I've felt were satisfactory in terms of dealing with hard drive vibration were the Antec Sonata and P18x. I'm really intrigued by the Corsair's case offerings (I personally think they look aesthetically amazing and appear to be a breeze to work with), but the issue of vibration with some recent cases I've acquired (i.e. Lian-Li) has made me quite worried. I prefer not to resort to hacks to the 3.5" drive bays since I enjoy being able to use all of them and thus precluding the option of cable suspension, etc.
Veniogenesis, this is what I have done to the case:

1. replaced the stocks fans with the 140mm scythes fans @ 500rpm x 2, 800rpm x1.

2. added thick paddings, 0.9mm thickness, around hard drive areas and behind the front panels.

3. sealed all of the air holes with the 0.9mm paddings

The paddings are mainly used for stair case or ball room flooring constructions. I shall take some photos tomorrow morning.

With all these mods applied, the set up is close to silent (from 50cm distance), as good as my P180 did. The only noise i can hear is the occasion HD clicking sound. I have no over heating nor stability issues so far.

The side panels are in fact a bit thin/flimsy compare with Antecs. But since you have so much space inside the case, a lot of things can be done for acoustic treatments. I might add padding some thick paddings on the side panels for fun later.

i prefer this case over the P180/183 :D

stingy
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by stingy » Fri Feb 04, 2011 1:54 am

Images added:
Image
Image
Image

Tubby
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by Tubby » Mon Jun 06, 2011 10:32 pm

The top opening seems to beg for a 3x120mm radiator.. does anyone have experience with water cooling a 700D? I imagine some foam and a SSD and you might be good to go. :-)

hsinhow
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by hsinhow » Fri Jun 17, 2011 12:17 pm

Hi,

I just moved from a P182 to Corsair 650D, which is a reduced-size 800D or 700D, and here are my thoughts:

1. P182 is quieter than 650D especially at idle. 650D is made mostly from steel with aluminum from plates. It is a lot lighter than P182. 650D does not have the case chamber divider as we saw in P182. After moving my setup to 650D, I noticed the sound level increasing. However, due to the use of two 200mm fans, the sound profile is OK (lower pitch). I think there are room to reduce the sound levels by reduce the rpm of the 200mm fans. Right now they are running at ~800rpm each which is controlled my the Asus motherboard.

2. 650D has way-better cooling performance than P182. I saw 12 and 21 degrees Fahrenheit temperature drop in my CPU temperature at idle and load. My P182 setup used four 120mm fans compared to 650D's two 200mm + one 120mm fans. My problem with P182 is that, with its front door closed, the internal case temperature won't drop down after heavy load sessions (like video encoding) and, hence, the 120mm fans were kept in high rpm state forever (especially in summer days). This made my P182 system noisier than I like.

3. The 650D is much roomier than P182. They are about the same size with 650D is about half inch wider than P182. The chamber design of P182 make it much cramped after you populated all your components. I believe they can host the same amount of motherboard and drives. 650D even comes with a build-in SATA dock on the top.

I like the P182 and it is a good and solid case. However, many 650D's features and performance point out that Antec need to update the P18x design. Actually, the just revealed P280 is more-or-less move toward the 650D's direction.

BR

GuyClinch
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Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Post by GuyClinch » Fri Jul 01, 2011 12:29 pm

I'd get the 650D - a much easier case to build with. The P180 looks like garbage in comparison (though this is subjective). It has a stupid door that you want to leave open all the time so your poor CPU fan doesn't spin itself into oblivion.

The only thing I don't like about the Corsair is the window..and the fact you can't change the front fan that easy.. Beyond that - awesome case. It's a great case to build a very quiet system around, IMHO.


If you want quiet and don't mind a door - Fractal D. If you hate doors (me) then I like Corsair. If you want something that's pretty stylish but a touch more of a challenge to build something quiet - Lian Li. :P

The 700D/800D are basically watercooling cases. You can air cool with them if you tweak things around (turn some of those top fans into intakes) but they really were pretty much designed for the water cooling community. Those guys love a massive tower case like that.

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