Corsair 450D vs. Fractal Design Define R5 - Noise & Aesthetics

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Michael_D

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Hi there, I've been thinking about changing my Corsair 300R case for a while now, (mainly due to the amount of noise it makes), and so I've narrowed it down to two cases; Corsair 450D and the Fractal Design R5...

Now, I am looking for both; silent performance as well as good aesthetics, which I think both cases deliver. I also prefer having a larger window on the side panel of a computer which the 450D does have. However, I can't be certain about the noise difference between the two cases. Knowing that the 450D is a high airflow case, it's obvious that it would be louder than the R5, which is equipped with the noise cancelling foam inside. But by how much, is the question?

I'm drawn more towards the R5, but the main thing putting me off it is the from door panel - I like fans to be visible at the front when the PC is on. Please tell me what you guys think...

Thanks!
 
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ssddx

ssddx

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if you want silence, take a look at the nanoxia deep silence cases. we recently built an i7-4790k, gtx960 system and stuffed it in the ds3 and its quiet enough that you almost do not know its on. the side panels are heavy with sound deadening material.

no window, but a window can create more sound. not super open but open cases create much more noise. airflow is sufficiently good.

i have the 750d myself and its at least 2-3x as noisy easily. while its not as noisy as some other cases, the more open design combined with a window sure make a difference.
 
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jimmysmitty

jimmysmitty

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It sounds like you want looks and silence and that is a very hard combo to do TBH. The 450D was designed more for performance than silence and most "silent" PC cases tend to have no windows and a front door, with open fans there is more noise.

If you want looks then you are stuck going with something like the 450D.
 
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Michael_D

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Yes, I'm kind of stuck in-between the two, but I think I would favour silence over airflow... Also, what are your thoughts on the noise levels of the NZXT H440?
 
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jimmysmitty

jimmysmitty

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I have heard good things about the NZXT H440 but have never used it. While looking though I came across an interesting case, the Corsair 600C. Never saw it before but it looks to be for silence and looks.

The best way to tell is to look at reviews. But remember they wont emulate your exact build, just close enough.

Silence is very hard to achieve without sacrificing performance. What specs are you running?
 
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Michael_D

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I've had a look at the 600C and it looks fantastic, apart from the fact that its inside is flipped upside down, which i am not a fan of. My PC specs are:
- MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition Mobo
- i7 4790k CPU water-cooled by Corsair H60
- Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming GPU
- 16GB Hyper-X DDR3 RAM
- Corsair RM750W PSU
- 1 64GB SSD, 1 500GB HDD (soon to change to another SSD)
- Corsair 300R case

 
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jimmysmitty

jimmysmitty

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Well the idea behind it is cooling better. Cool air settles, hot air rises which means cooler air towards the bottom allows the components to cool better. The other benefit is that the HDDs are no longer in front of the fans so you have cleaner air flow.

I would say that a 450D would be quieter than your 300R but you can always swap fans out for quieter solutions. The only thing you wont be able to silence much is the H60. Unless you plan to go for ultimate silence in that case the Fractal case would be better unless you look at the cases SSDDX suggested.
 
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Michael_D

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Yeah, soon enough I'll be operating simply on two SSDs, which the R5 comes in handy in giving the option of placing them behind the motherboard. After looking for the R5, I can't find a single place that has it in stock until January, so I might go for the 450D.

As for the noise, the H60 is relatively quiet. When it comes to fans, what would you recommend as a good quality and quiet fan that can be either LED or controlled via a 4-pin connector? At the moment I'm using the Corsair's AF120/140s LED fans and they aren't too quiet...
 
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jimmysmitty

jimmysmitty

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The normal Corsair AF fans are made for air flow and the SP are static pressure (made to push through radiators or pull air from tight spaces like the front of the 450D). If you want quet then you would need the AF120 Quiet Editions or look at this review of 103 different 120mm fans:

http://us.hardware.info/reviews/5770/103-12cm-case-fans-review

You could also get a case that allows for 140mm intake fans instead of 120mm. 140mm fans will give better air flow at the same RPM and noise levels or the same air flow as a 120mm fan at lower RPM and noise levels.

Just remember when picking a fan to not only consider the noise levels but the CFM. You need a good amount of CFM to have efficient cooling.

If you do get a case that happens to have a front end like the normal Corsair 450D (not the air flow edition) you need to get a high Static Pressur fan (like the Corsair SP series) to be able top pull air from the smaller side intakes on the front. If you get the 450D Air Flow Edition then you are able to get the quieter fans similar to the AF120s instead.
 
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Michael_D

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Great, thanks for all your help! But in the end I've decided to go for the NZXT H440 (I know, all this for nothing ha!). But it was mainly out of the three, and I think that the H440 offers both; silence and good aesthetics.
 
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