Yesterday, we embarked on a quest to find the ultimate quiet gaming case. Today, we’re testing three more enclosures: Corsair’s Obsidian 550D, Fractal Design’s Define R4, and Gigabyte’s Luxo M10. How will they compare in cooling, noise, and overall value?
Our quest began as a debate between the merits of internally- and externally-vented graphics cards. While nobody likes noise, I'm equally concerned about heat when I overclock. The perfect case, in my mind, contains noise while effectively exhausting thermal energy. There's just one problem: I don't think the perfect case exists. And packing a chassis with enough dampers to provide the optimal cooling-to-noise ratio would just be inelegant.
That leaves us in search of cases that employ simpler noise-reducing measures, such as drive cages that act as a partial noise barrier between the front panel and graphics card, thicker materials that dampen vibration, acoustic foam that minimizes noise reflection, and high-density acoustic mat that reduces both of those unwanted artifacts.
Happily, the latter two materials are found in the first pair of cases in today’s three-way round-up.

| Corsair Obsidian 550D | Fractal Design Define R4 | Gigabyte Luxo M10 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | |||
| Height | 19.6" | 18.3" | 18.6" |
| Width | 8.7" | 9.1" | 8.2" |
| Depth | 20.9" | 21.1" | 19.5" |
| Space Above Motherboard | 1.1" | 1.2" | 0.3" |
| Card Length | 13.0-17.9"** | 12.1-17.1"**^ | 17.3" |
| Weight | 20.9 Pounds | 26.5 Pounds | 13.0 Pounds |
| Cooling | |||
| Front Fans (alternatives) | 2 x 120 mm (None) | 1 x 140 mm (2 x 140 mm) | 1 x 120 mm (None) |
| Rear Fans (alternatives) | 1 x 120 mm (1 x 140 mm) | 1 x 140 mm (1 x 140/120 mm) | 1 x 120 mm (1 x 92/80 mm) |
| Top Fans (alternatives) | None (2 x 140/120 mm) | None (2 x 140/120 mm) | 2 x 120 mm (None) |
| Left Side (alternatives) | None (2 x 140/120 mm, 1 x 200 mm) | None (1 x 140/120 mm) | None (None) |
| Right Side (alternatives) | None (None) | None (None) | 2 x 120 mm (None) |
| Drive Bays | |||
| 5.25" External | Four | Two | Three |
| 3.5" External | None | None | None |
| 3.5" Internal | Six | Eight | Nine |
| 2.5" Internal | Six* | Eight* | None |
| Card Slots | Eight | Seven+1 | Seven |
| Noise Dampening | |||
| Sides | Foam | Cloth/Mat | None |
| Top | None | Foam | None |
| Front | Foam | Foam | None |
| Price | $122 | $110 | $86 |
| *Shared on 3.5" tray **w/o Center Cage ***By Adapter on 3.5" External Backplane ^Slots 1-6 | |||
The third case, from Gigabyte, uses none of the aforementioned noise-dampening features. Instead, the company hopes that a low price point will help secure a value-oriented victory. At the very least, we expect that it'll give us a point of comparison between more conventional gaming-oriented cases and the ones optimized for acoustics, though we doubt it'll stay within the noise limits established in Part 1.
We’ll find out soon enough, but first, let’s kick off Part 2 with a close examination of Corsair's entry.
- The Quiet Gaming Quest Continues
- Corsair Obsidian 550D
- Inside The Obsidian 550D
- Building With The Obsidian 550D
- Fractal Design Define R4
- Inside The Define R4
- Building With The Define R4
- Gigabyte Luxo M10
- Inside The Luxo M10
- Building With The Luxo M10
- Test Settings
- Heat, Noise, And Heat Versus Noise
- Three Cases Compete; Only One Can Win
I'm sorry Gigabyte, but I don't see anyone buying the Luxo M10.
I'm sorry Gigabyte, but I don't see anyone buying the Luxo M10.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352020
The requirement for a USB 3.0 port on the front of the case is so odd that I almost don't believe I read that correctly. Did I? I've always been a bit dubious of USB on the front of a case for several reasons but I didn't car that much as I don't think they cause problems unless used. However, to ONLY review silent cases with this feature seems like a needless way to eliminate potentially good cases for no good reason. Why not eliminate cases without front panel card readers or audio jacks? Only cases with top mounted PSUs and transverse internal drive bays. While certainly a feature cared about by a lot of people other than me, it seems needlessly outside the scope of the article.
Which would those be ? I found that generally mATX cases are superior in the same price range, but there arent that many options that support all modern standards, seeing how people love their huge fat useless ATX coffins. In regards to this very article, Define Mini is almost exactly the same as Define Normal, and, since it only has 1 fan outlet on top, you could argue Define Mini is even quieter and cooler as a result.
Ive been using a thermaltake Kandalf LCS with custom Fans and even made a custom side fan that is inaudible from 30 CM away, some pads to absorb noise... etc.
Unfortuantelly its always better and cheaper if you do it yourself.
USB 3.0 is one of a very few tangible, day-to-day-relevant differences between cases today and cases yesterday. Like you, I personally don't consider (the lack of) USB 3.0 support on the front panel a deal breaker, but that's why I didn't buy a new case when I built my new rig in October; the circa-2002 case collecting dust in my basement sufficed just fine.
If I were intent to buy a new case, I wouldn't buy one without USB 3.0. It might not be a big deal right now, but a computer case can be used for years and years and years. It'd be a real shame to spend money on a case that doesn't support what will doubtlessly become the new standard in USB connectivity going forward. For what it's worth, I'm grateful that Tom's has its readers' long-term interest in mind.
More to the point though, and to echo the preface to the article, Tom's has to limit the pool of potential subjects for case roundups, or else the review process would take a year. USB 3.0 might seem like an arbitrary criterion, but it serves an important practical purpose both in the immediate term (for the reviewer) and in the long term (for the reader).
All of that said, I wish there were more cases with top-mounted PSU designs. That's not a knock on the review; it's just a comment on the prevailing trend among case manufacturers. The bottom-mounted-PSU design makes a lot of sense in the abstract, but for people like me with thick carpet and many pets, the prospect of placing even a filtered PSU intake on the floor doesn't thrill me. Then again, I'm willing to concede that my needs aren't necessarily the needs of Tom's main readership.
How are you liking it? I have an R3 and a Node 304 and they are both excellent cases. Fractal makes 5 star cases
My 2500K is OC'd to 4.5GHz and will sit at 60C on full load, that is with all fans at 5V and my water pump at 40%. I do however have a nice and cool 4870 in there.
My 2500K is OC'd to 4.5GHz and will sit at 60C on full load, that is with all fans at 5V and my water pump at 40%. I do however have a nice and cool 4870 in there.