Looking for a good-looking silent case

[rotmaster]

Hello everyone, I am looking for a good looking case to go with my build. Being silent is a good aspect to have. I want to show off my hardware. I want a good quality case. Budget is under 200$ if possible.

Specs:
i5-6600k
h100i v2 cooler
4x4gb 2400 ram
asrock pro4 motherboard
m.2 ssd
sata radeon ssd
gigabyte 1060 6gb
evga 650w g3 powersupply

Thanks to everyone for the input!

 

[greens]

Don't expect a case to make much of a difference in sound. Get a case you like the look of.
You can add all the sound insulating (and heat insulating) materials you want - they make very little difference overall.

You have a pump AND fans on your CPU, you have fans on your 1060, fans on your PSU. All of these things move air - and moving air makes noise - no way around it. You can reduce noise a bit by eliminating turbulence - that is how those expensive noctua fans work, all those nubs and ridges are supposed to reduce turbulence. But the fact is moving parts move air and moving air creates noise in our ears.

 

[Dan_44]

I have a Fractal R3 midtower case and although quite heavy as it is made with thick metal and has a sound dampening inner layer made of foam with a meterial finish. Any fan outlets you don't use have their own seperate sound dampening patch that simply screws into the fan holes. It has great clearance, tool free HDD cage screws and case screws, easy to remove dust filters on 2 front fans and 1 bottom plus a dust filter that slides in/out below the PSU fan outlet. Cable routing and usb3 on front panel witch has a swinging door to access your fans and optical drive. I have seen the R5 which is basically a much better updated version but I don't know if it includes the sound proof interior padding foam like this, I assume it does.
Have a look at what Fractal have to offer as my case is very quiet and only a low sound from the top fan can be heard when my room is silent.
Thick metal build and sound proof padding/foam are 2 characteristics your future case should have.

 

[greens]

Foam padding doesn't help sound proof at all unless it is leaded vinyl, which is extremely expensive.
Foam can reduce echo, prevents vibrations, etc, but overall the net effect is that a small amount of noise is converted to heat, and the rest of the sound is allowed to pass through the case.

Think about this - if you have a metal box you get echo - which means the sound is actually bouncing back and forth right? the sound is staying IN the box - not leaving it.

By adding foam you actually allow the noise an EASIER path out! The reason music studios and theaters have cones and foam isn't for their neighbors - its to ALLOW sound OUT of the room - and therefore eliminate any echo on the recorded track.

Granted foam does have some effect on high pitch sounds, which can be most troubling. But the vast majority of PC noise comes from the droll of fans moving air, which is almost impossible to eliminate.

TLDR:Case foam is a pretty much a gimmick.

 

[jagsta21]

i purchased the s340 elite and a kraken x62 with stock fans i can hear the hard drives.

 

[Dan_44]

Foam padding doesn't help sound proof at all unless it is leaded vinyl, which is extremely expensive.
Foam can reduce echo, prevents vibrations, etc, but overall the net effect is that a small amount of noise is converted to heat, and the rest of the sound is allowed to pass through the case.

Think about this - if you have a metal box you get echo - which means the sound is actually bouncing back and forth right? the sound is staying IN the box - not leaving it.

By adding foam you actually allow the noise an EASIER path out! The reason music studios and theaters have cones and foam isn't for their neighbors - its to ALLOW sound OUT of the room - and therefore eliminate any echo on the recorded track.

Granted foam does have some effect on high pitch sounds, which can be most troubling. But the vast majority of PC noise comes from the droll of fans moving air, which is almost impossible to eliminate.

TLDR:Case foam is a pretty much a gimmick.