Quiet PC case??

Narrator · 14-03-2012 3:50am #1

Hey guys,

First off thanks for all the previous help with building my PC, I'm just at the final hurdle.

The sole reason i need the computer is for music production but i've overlooked the case somewhat.

I was goin to get this one but thought there might be something more suited for the job.

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=49126&agid=631

i'm willing to go up to around €50-60 for something that will do the right job.

Thanks

Tea_Bag · 14-03-2012 4:22am

can you stretch to 95? the Define R3 is pretty much the best you're going to get. comes in a few colours.

alternatively, if you're serious about music production, you could house the PC in a different room, and drill holes for monitor/speakers/KB/mouse and i assume you're using an external DAC or whatever?

Narrator · 14-03-2012 4:26am

Thanks for the reply.

I was checking out a few Fractal models alright, they seem fairly tight. this one caught my eye too.

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=49192&agid=631

also this Antec 300 case seemed to be getting good reviews. i dont really know anything about cases though.

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=23029&agid=631

i'd love to isolate the computer in a different room but dont really have the space for it.

Tea_Bag · 14-03-2012 4:40am

the thing about a quiet case as a rule of thumb is: as little fan mounts as possible. more holes = amplification of noise from within.

the R3 is desirable in that its filled with noise dampening foam, including the fan mounts, which are sealed by default.

the cases you listed dont appear to be designed with noise in mind, in any way whatsoever. ive worked with the Antec 300, and ive a fairly neutral opinion of its quality. didnt impress me tbh. its also overpriced imo. The Bitfenix Merc Alpha/Beta are nicer and are only €30.

of course, noise is subjective. people call my case (Corsair Graphite 600T) quiet, but I'd use a different word: Sieve. its just a giant bunch of holes tbh. fantastic for air flow, but killer for gaming. i am running THE worlds loudest GPU though.

Ive built a rig around a Define R3 with an OC'd 2500K (on stock cooler) and a 6970 (reference cooler) and was fairly impressed with its noise, or rather, lack there of. its build quality wasnt perfect, but you cant have everything.

Narrator · 14-03-2012 4:46am

I thought the whole mesh front on the Antec 300 might have been a bit of a bad idea alright.

how about that other Fractal case in the link above, would that be better than the Bitfenix beta or even the Shinobi model??

Tea_Bag · 14-03-2012 4:53am

Narrator wrote: »

I thought the whole mesh front on the Antec 300 might have been a bit of a bad idea alright.

how about that other Fractal case in the link above, would that be better than the Bitfenix beta or even the Shinobi model??

whats the rest of your specs?

it'll certainly be better than the Beta i guess, but really depends on your hardware. if you're doing sound, an aftermarket CPU cooler is a must. €15 on a Xigmatek Loki goes a long way, and together with a passive GPU would mean you'd only need to run 1 case fan.

Narrator · 14-03-2012 5:10am

Tea_Bag · 14-03-2012 5:20am

Seagate HDD's only carry a 1 year warranty atm, you're best to avoid them where possible. worth spending an extra tenner on this Samsung Spinpoint F3

everything else looks OK. you're using onboard graphics?

the Shinobi has better cable management, but i suspect the Fractal is better quality. its your call, i couldnt pick between them.

if you're not OCing, you could drop down to a H61 board and spend the extra on a Define R3? would you use Lucid Virtue/quicksink of the z68 chipset?

Narrator · 14-03-2012 5:28am

Tea_Bag wrote: »

Seagate HDD's only carry a 1 year warranty atm, you're best to avoid them where possible. worth spending an extra tenner on this Samsung Spinpoint F3

everything else looks OK. you're using onboard graphics?

the Shinobi has better cable management, but i suspect the Fractal is better quality. its your call, i couldnt pick between them.

if you're not OCing, you could drop down to a H61 board and spend the extra on a Define R3? would you use Lucid Virtue/quicksink of the z68 chipset?

i thought the use of an extra graphics card would be fairly useless seeing as i'm not interested in gaming.

I've never used lucid virtue before. is that some kind of power management software that come with the Motherboard?

Tea_Bag · 14-03-2012 5:36am

Narrator wrote: »

i thought the use of an extra graphics card would be fairly useless seeing as i'm not interested in gaming.

I've never used lucid virtue before. is that some kind of power management software that come with the Motherboard?

yes, theoretically, but it doesnt apply to you anyway. its used to switch between onboard and dedicated GPU.

why'd you go with a z68 chipset?

Narrator · 14-03-2012 5:47am

Tea_Bag wrote: »

yes, theoretically, but it doesnt apply to you anyway. its used to switch between onboard and dedicated GPU.

why'd you go with a z68 chipset?

I had picked out a the parts from a pc package on ankermann and left out the graphics seeing as it was a gaming pack. The motherboard I picked was about €150 so one of the lads on here recommended the z68 chip from above.

Quiet PC case??

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