Looking For Cool Quiet PC Desktop Case?

[Ratsneve]

I'm looking for a quiet cool Desktop (horizontal) PC case.

What makes for a quiet case?
1. Hole cutouts for larger slower turning fans?
2. Designed in or added insulation?
3. Material?

What makes a cool case?
1. Hole cutouts for larger slower turning fans?
2. Design?

Standard mb and psu sizes. Starting off with Core 2 Duo E6300. No interest in multimedia--this is going to be a gaming machine. Horizontal of desktop setup is important but not at the expense of running cool and quiet.

Thanks.

 

[waylander]

I find that horizontal set ups aren't as cool (temp) as towers are, they don't typically have as good airflow.

Nothing better than a tower case with intakes in the front and side and exhaust in the rear and top.

 

[MG37221]

I'm looking for a quiet cool Desktop (horizontal) PC case.

What makes for a quiet case?
1. Hole cutouts for larger slower turning fans?
2. Designed in or added insulation?
3. Material?

What makes a cool case?
1. Hole cutouts for larger slower turning fans?
2. Design?

Standard mb and psu sizes. Starting off with Core 2 Duo E6300. No interest in multimedia--this is going to be a gaming machine. Horizontal of desktop setup is important but not at the expense of running cool and quiet.

Thanks.

These are probably worth a look. I feel these guys make the finest towers I've worked with (I own and use three) and am therefore, quite confident their desktop cases would be equally awesome.

 

[calyn]

This case might have a decent airflow. At least it doesn't have the generally loud 60mm fans, but 2x75mm and one 92mm. But a tower is generally better.

 

[pengwin]

I find that horizontal set ups aren't as cool (temp) as towers are, they don't typically have as good airflow.

Nothing better than a tower case with intakes in the front and side and exhaust in the rear and top.

technically speaking waylander. a horizontal case has an edge over tower's. with horizontal u can place fans on the top and heat will just rise out.

anyways, silverstone prolly makes the best desktop cases

 

[jaguarskx]

While getting a "quiet case" is a good start, you need to realize that all the other components inside your PC will determine how loud the PC will be.

Power Supply - The fans in most power supplies are noisy. There are a couple of fanless power supplies, but they aren't really meant for setup where other components are throwing off a lot of heat. For example, a Crossfire or SLI setup.

Recommendation:

1. Seasonic S12 PSU series
2. Antec NeoHE PSU series

Heatsink Fan - Stock HSF are generally noisy. You'll probably want to replace it with a quiet HSF such as the following:

1. Scythe Mine (SCMN-1000)
2. Scythe Ninja (SCNJ-1000P)
3. Thermaltake Big Typhoon
4. Zalman CNPS7700-CU

Hard Drives - Hard drives makes noise whenever they are being accessed. Aviod the WD Raptor if you want a quiet system. The quietest hard drives are made by:

1. Samsung - Spinpoint series
2. Seagate - 7200.10 series

Case Fans - You'll need fans to cool your case. 120mm fans are best size fans to get because in general they can move as much air as 92mm or 80mm fans, but at a lower speed so less noise in general. Good quiet fans are as follows:

1. Nexus D12SL
2. Antec TriCool
3. Yate Loon
4. Globalwin

A Fan Mate II is recommend for each fan so that you can slow down the speed and decrease noise.

Or get a front panel multi-fan controller like the:

VANTEC NEXUS 3.5" MULTI-FAN CONTROLLER - SILVER

or the

ANTEC NEXUS 3.5" BLACK MULTI-FAN CONTROLLER - BLACK

Video Card - There are some passively cooled video cards, but they will cost slightly more than fan cooled video cards and they will not be the most powerful cards. For example:

1. GIGABYTE GV-NX76T256D-RH Geforce 7600GT 256MB

2. ASUS EN7600GT SILENT/2DHT/256M Geforce 7600GT

3. ASUS EAX1600XT SILENT/TVD/256M Radeon X1600XT 256MB


For more powerful video cards, you may want to consider aftermarket GPU coolers like the following:

1. ZALMAN VF900

2. ARCTIC COOLING Accelero X2

Check for video card compatiblity for buying a HSF.

 

[waylander]

the only problem with that is there are fewer places for intakes... they may exhaust better but from everything i've read on HTPC cases they are always a pain to keep cool and quiet.

 

[dmantech]

I would try the Cooler Master Paretorian. It's quite and keeps components
on ice.

 

[pengwin]

the only problem with that is there are fewer places for intakes... they may exhaust better but from everything i've read on HTPC cases they are always a pain to keep cool and quiet.

it u can get one that sits an inch off the ground u ca put a few fans as intake in the front/bottom.

 

[corvetteguy]

This ins't a horizontal case but i think you'll like it unless you need it to be horizaontal...Aerocool extremengine3t

some better pics on toms but don't mind the review... they overreact about the plastic bit at the front. pics

Probably the best case thats similar to this but larger is the thermaltek armor

 

[pengwin]

im sure a P180 could easily out perform the AeroCool.

 

[corvetteguy]

im sure a P180 could easily out perform the AeroCool.

I don't know why everyone thinks that case is SOOO good. It looks pretty plain to me. CAn you please enlighten me as to why its so great? 8O

 

[pengwin]

im sure a P180 could easily out perform the AeroCool.

I don't know why everyone thinks that case is SOOO good. It looks pretty plain to me. CAn you please enlighten me as to why its so great? 8O

well..lets see 3 high performance 120's cool the system, HDD heat + PSU heat is kept seperate from the actual system there for reducing temps massively.

oh, and its quiet.

 

[chuckshissle]

Yeah I have the Kandalf and other that it has plenty of ventilation I also use quite fans. So now the only only thing I can slightly hear is the psu. You can put some sound insulations inside the case but it will increase the inside temps as well. So the best way too have a quite case is getting a highly ventilated case that allows more air flow so that low rpm and quite fans can be used too cool down the components.

 

[Ratsneve]

Yeah I have the Kandalf and other that it has plenty of ventilation I also use quite fans. So now the only only thing I can slightly hear is the psu. You can put some sound insulations inside the case but it will increase the inside temps as well. So the best way too have a quite case is getting a highly ventilated case that allows more air flow so that low rpm and quite fans can be used too cool down the components.

Although I haven't fully resolved what case I will end up with I am still thinking of a horizontal desktop unit foremost with no cooling fans or vents on top so that I can put my 360 and/or PS3 there without creating cooling issues. At least one big/large low rpm fan and other open venting in the front. I really only need maybe 1 x 3.5" bay and 2 x 5.25" bays and some USB ports. Inside besides the mb w/ onbrd sound & Ethernet it will be 1 PCI-e and 1 hdd and 1 DVD burner. Since Dual-Core with Hyper-Threading sounds like it is going to be such a power/heat hog I'm likely to stay away from it as long as gaming doesn't demand it.

Of case interest is the brand new Thermaltake Mozart Xt. Talk about incredible but exciting overkill on my part if I abandoned a desktop case and got that instead--wow!

In all this case/system building I'm trying to get something that will be functional for me and will last--a case I can build newer systems into.

Thanks.

 

[chuckshissle]

In that case you need a full tower, get the Kandalf or the Armor with 250mm side fan and you wont' be dissappointed.

 

[Ratsneve]

I have taken an about face on this and pretty much decided on the Antec P180B Mid Tower because of its cooling, quietness, and room but here are some questions I would like to resolve from those who know this case:

I've read that the door does not fully open 270 degrees flat against the side of the case as advertised? Is this true and/or is this a problem?

The front door flexes/warps with heat changes? Is this a problem? Someone also reported the lower hinge loose and needing to tape the door open to keep it from wanting to close?

Cheap looking aluminum trim? Not sure where this is specifically? I could wait a few days to actually see the case at a dealer and I probably should.

What are the advantages of locating the psu at the bottom of the case? Since heat rises always why not compartmenting the psu at the top of a case?

What 600 watt or so psu do you recommend that have long enough cable lengths? Or, what modular psu?

Inspite of these minor details above why is this still a good case to get all things considered?

Thank you.

 

[306maxi]

I have taken an about face on this and pretty much decided on the Antec P180B Mid Tower because of its cooling, quietness, and room but here are some questions I would like to resolve from those who know this case:

I've read that the door does not fully open 270 degrees flat against the side of the case as advertised? Is this true and/or is this a problem?

The front door flexes/warps with heat changes? Is this a problem? Someone also reported the lower hinge loose and needing to tape the door open to keep it from wanting to close?

Cheap looking aluminum trim? Not sure where this is specifically? I could wait a few days to actually see the case at a dealer and I probably should.

What are the advantages of locating the psu at the bottom of the case? Since heat rises always why not compartmenting the psu at the top of a case?

What 600 watt or so psu do you recommend that have long enough cable lengths? Or, what modular psu?

Inspite of these minor details above why is this still a good case to get all things considered?

Thank you.

The issue with warping has been solved. Antex have changed the design of the front door so it's of the same 3 layer construction as the rest of the case. No one has reported any issues since. The door DOES open 270 degrees. Anyone who says anything else is lying. I usually keep the door closed but the door is happy to be @ 90 degrees. If you have it at 270 it will want to close oh so slightly and remain at maybe 250 degrees. It certainly isn't a cheap looking case either. It is also a joy to work on. You never find yourself having to force anything because the case is ever o slightly warped. It just fits together like a dream The PSU is in it's own compartment at the bottom because that way you can put 4 hard drives in the bottom compartment and due to the fact that the compartment is fairly well sealed off very little of the heat is going to get into the top compartment. That wouldn't be possible with it in the top.

I have an Antec NeoHE 550W PSU in mine and the cables can reach anywhere in the case

The one bad thing I've heard about the black P180 is that it scratches easily. I was about to get a black one before I heard that but got a silver/black one and it looks really nice. I think either would look really good. My g/f even likes it and she's not really impressed by anything PC so I think that says something about the looks of the case

 

[JeanLuc]

Yeah I have the Kandalf and other that it has plenty of ventilation I also use quite fans. So now the only only thing I can slightly hear is the psu. You can put some sound insulations inside the case but it will increase the inside temps as well. So the best way too have a quite case is getting a highly ventilated case that allows more air flow so that low rpm and quite fans can be used too cool down the components.

Although I haven't fully resolved what case I will end up with I am still thinking of a horizontal desktop unit foremost with no cooling fans or vents on top so that I can put my 360 and/or PS3 there without creating cooling issues. At least one big/large low rpm fan and other open venting in the front. I really only need maybe 1 x 3.5" bay and 2 x 5.25" bays and some USB ports. Inside besides the mb w/ onbrd sound & Ethernet it will be 1 PCI-e and 1 hdd and 1 DVD burner. Since Dual-Core with Hyper-Threading sounds like it is going to be such a power/heat hog I'm likely to stay away from it as long as gaming doesn't demand it.

Of case interest is the brand new Thermaltake Mozart Xt. Talk about incredible but exciting overkill on my part if I abandoned a desktop case and got that instead--wow!

In all this case/system building I'm trying to get something that will be functional for me and will last--a case I can build newer systems into.

Thanks.

You want a quiet case with good air cooling? This is probably the best case on the market (well one that’s not priced for billionaires),

AcoustiCase C6607A

You buy the case and then you add noise absorbing materials to the case which makes the case virtually inaudioable. I have one of these for two years now, my only criticisms of the case is when its fully built it makes the case very heavy, also the build quality isn't the best (but by no means bad). And from experience I would also say make sure you get a decent PSU one that has a quiet fan.

BTW Mines in black not beige. Black = Cool Beige = 80's

 

[Ratsneve]

I have taken an about face on this and pretty much decided on the Antec P180B Mid Tower because of its cooling, quietness, and room but here are some questions I would like to resolve from those who know this case:

I've read that the door does not fully open 270 degrees flat against the side of the case as advertised? Is this true and/or is this a problem?

The front door flexes/warps with heat changes? Is this a problem? Someone also reported the lower hinge loose and needing to tape the door open to keep it from wanting to close?

Cheap looking aluminum trim? Not sure where this is specifically? I could wait a few days to actually see the case at a dealer and I probably should.

What are the advantages of locating the psu at the bottom of the case? Since heat rises always why not compartmenting the psu at the top of a case?

What 600 watt or so psu do you recommend that have long enough cable lengths? Or, what modular psu?

Inspite of these minor details above why is this still a good case to get all things considered?

Thank you.

The issue with warping has been solved. Antex have changed the design of the front door so it's of the same 3 layer construction as the rest of the case. No one has reported any issues since. The door DOES open 270 degrees. Anyone who says anything else is lying. I usually keep the door closed but the door is happy to be @ 90 degrees. If you have it at 270 it will want to close oh so slightly and remain at maybe 250 degrees. It certainly isn't a cheap looking case either. It is also a joy to work on. You never find yourself having to force anything because the case is ever o slightly warped. It just fits together like a dream The PSU is in it's own compartment at the bottom because that way you can put 4 hard drives in the bottom compartment and due to the fact that the compartment is fairly well sealed off very little of the heat is going to get into the top compartment. That wouldn't be possible with it in the top.

I have an Antec NeoHE 550W PSU in mine and the cables can reach anywhere in the case

The one bad thing I've heard about the black P180 is that it scratches easily. I was about to get a black one before I heard that but got a silver/black one and it looks really nice. I think either would look really good. My g/f even likes it and she's not really impressed by anything PC so I think that says something about the looks of the case
Very good. I will have a chance to look at one in a few days before buying. And thanks for the psu recommend too.

 

[306maxi]

I have taken an about face on this and pretty much decided on the Antec P180B Mid Tower because of its cooling, quietness, and room but here are some questions I would like to resolve from those who know this case:

I've read that the door does not fully open 270 degrees flat against the side of the case as advertised? Is this true and/or is this a problem?

The front door flexes/warps with heat changes? Is this a problem? Someone also reported the lower hinge loose and needing to tape the door open to keep it from wanting to close?

Cheap looking aluminum trim? Not sure where this is specifically? I could wait a few days to actually see the case at a dealer and I probably should.

What are the advantages of locating the psu at the bottom of the case? Since heat rises always why not compartmenting the psu at the top of a case?

What 600 watt or so psu do you recommend that have long enough cable lengths? Or, what modular psu?

Inspite of these minor details above why is this still a good case to get all things considered?

Thank you.

The issue with warping has been solved. Antex have changed the design of the front door so it's of the same 3 layer construction as the rest of the case. No one has reported any issues since. The door DOES open 270 degrees. Anyone who says anything else is lying. I usually keep the door closed but the door is happy to be @ 90 degrees. If you have it at 270 it will want to close oh so slightly and remain at maybe 250 degrees. It certainly isn't a cheap looking case either. It is also a joy to work on. You never find yourself having to force anything because the case is ever o slightly warped. It just fits together like a dream The PSU is in it's own compartment at the bottom because that way you can put 4 hard drives in the bottom compartment and due to the fact that the compartment is fairly well sealed off very little of the heat is going to get into the top compartment. That wouldn't be possible with it in the top.

I have an Antec NeoHE 550W PSU in mine and the cables can reach anywhere in the case

The one bad thing I've heard about the black P180 is that it scratches easily. I was about to get a black one before I heard that but got a silver/black one and it looks really nice. I think either would look really good. My g/f even likes it and she's not really impressed by anything PC so I think that says something about the looks of the case
Very good. I will have a chance to look at one in a few days before buying. And thanks for the psu recommend too.

Have a look on this site as well

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article249-page1.html

 

[ZOldDude]

I'm looking for a quiet cool Desktop (horizontal) PC case.

What makes for a quiet case?
1. Hole cutouts for larger slower turning fans?
2. Designed in or added insulation?
3. Material?

What makes a cool case?
1. Hole cutouts for larger slower turning fans?
2. Design?

Standard mb and psu sizes. Starting off with Core 2 Duo E6300. No interest in multimedia--this is going to be a gaming machine. Horizontal of desktop setup is important but not at the expense of running cool and quiet.

Thanks.

Coolermaster....take a look.