Best Silent Mini-ITX PC Cases (2018)

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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Derek Semeraro
Posts: 124
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2017 6:49 am

Best Silent Mini-ITX PC Cases (2018)

Post by Derek Semeraro » Tue Apr 24, 2018 5:28 pm

While the sound dampening materials in cases marketed for their quietness help reduce some noise, a build's quietness is mostly determined by what's on the inside. For this reason, this list is more focused on air flow rather than sound dampening materials.

Criteria
* Compactness
* Ventilation
* If it's a tower case, it should support 140mm and a medium-large air cooler.
* Build quality and aesthetic
* Value for the price

Silverstone Sugo (~$40)
Image

Cooler Master Elite 110 (~$40)
Image

Thermaltake Core V1 (~$50)
One of the larger cases on the list, but unique style and well ventilated.
Image

Fractal Design Define Nano S (~$60)
One of the most well-rounded and solid choices on the list.
Image

Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX (~$70)
May be harder to find nowadays, but it's elegant, perfectly sized.
Image

Fractal Design Node 202 (SFX) ($80)
This is the most compact case on the list to support a video card.
Image

Realan E-W60 (Pico) ($90)
The most compact case on this list (no video card). Aluminum. Vents on sides, back and bottom.
Image

NZXT H200i ($125)
Most expensive choice on this list, but may be my favorite.
Image

BrianL
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Dec 26, 2018 9:25 am

Re: Best Silent Mini-ITX PC Cases (2018)

Post by BrianL » Sun Jan 13, 2019 10:20 am

[quote="Derek Semeraro"]While the sound dampening materials in cases marketed for their quietness help reduce some noise, a build's quietness is mostly determined by what's on the inside. For this reason, this list is more focused on air flow rather than sound dampening materials.

Criteria
* Compactness
* Ventilation
* If it's a tower case, it should support 140mm and a medium-large air cooler.
* Build quality and aesthetic
* Value for the price

Silverstone Sugo (~$40)

Cooler Master Elite 110 (~$40)

Thermaltake Core V1 (~$50)
One of the larger cases on the list, but unique style and well ventilated.

Fractal Design Define Nano S (~$60)
One of the most well-rounded and solid choices on the list.
Image

Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX (~$70)
May be harder to find nowadays, but it's elegant, perfectly sized.

Fractal Design Node 202 (SFX) ($80)
This is the most compact case on the list to support a video card.
Image

Realan E-W60 (Pico) ($90)
The most compact case on this list (no video card). Aluminum. Vents on sides, back and bottom.

NZXT H200i ($125)
Most expensive choice on this list, but may be my favorite.

Thanks for this so much. I finally decided to go with the Fractal design because it seems the best fit for my needs.

Thanks so much,
Regards,
Brian.

[Mod: removed all other images to clarify post.]

NeilBlanchard
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Location: Maynard, MA, Eaarth
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Re: Best Silent Mini-ITX PC Cases (2018)

Post by NeilBlanchard » Mon Jan 14, 2019 5:31 am

Hi Brian and welcome to SPCR,

There were 2 Fractal Design cases listed (only one had a working image). Which one did you get?

t0bi
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2019 1:47 pm

Re: Best Silent Mini-ITX PC Cases (2018)

Post by t0bi » Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:09 am

As I was going to build PCs for lan parties I was confused which case to get. Chose Phanteks Enthoo Evolv as its the perfectly desgined case and fit just right according to my needs

toughluck
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2018 11:54 pm

Re: Best Silent Mini-ITX PC Cases (2018)

Post by toughluck » Mon Apr 01, 2019 6:45 am

Those NZXT H200i and Phantex Enthoo Evolv ITX share one design flaw and I would recommend against them at all cost.
Namely, while the PSU shroud looks neat, it blocks virtually all airflow to the graphics card unless you get a single slot GPU (not a chance). They basically force you to use water cooling.
Fractal Design Define Nano S narrowly mitigates this issue, but only if you get a reasonably short power supply and the graphics card has a blower cooler.

You didn't mention two possible cases that I would recommend:
1. Fractal Design Node 304. Similar size to the Silverstone Sugo, but well suited for mounting a GPU, as there is a (filtered) vent next to it.
2. Silverstone Raven RVZ (01E through 03) series. I think they are as compact as Fractal Design Node 202 that you mentioned, but with better cooling ability.

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