The two most closely-matched case designs take first and second place in our thermal tests, with the case that has the most factory-installed fans topping the chart.

While this editor finds drive doors inconvenient, they do occasionally help reduce the overall noise profile of a case. Thicker material also dampens noise, while vent size and location have a profound effect on how much noise escapes.

Similarities in internal design are not proven in noise dampening, as NZXT and Xigmatek take opposite ends of the chart. Corsair’s 300R is the quietest of the three thin cases, and it is also the coolest of those three.
For our cooling to noise comparison, the word relative refers to how each case compares to the average of cases in this review.
Because lower temperatures produce better results, an inverse scale of thermal performance is needed to give better-cooling cases a higher score. The average temperature of all cases is divided by the average temperature of an individual case to calculate its relative cooling.
The bottom number in a division problem is already inverted (a larger denominator produces a smaller fraction), so the average noise level of each case is divided by the average noise level of all cases to produce a direct result for relative noise reduction.

Taking first place in both cooling and noise, NZXT’s Phantom 410 has the most favorable cooling-to-noise ratio. Corsair continues its dominance as the best of the cheaper models, while Xigmatek’s poor noise control drops it to the middle of the pack.
- Cases For Cost-Conscious Builders
- Building With The Corsair 300R
- Building With The In Win Mana 136
- Building With The MSI Stealth
- Building With The NZXT Phantom 410
- Building With The Xigmatek Midgard II
- Test Settings And Benchmarks
- Temperature, Noise, And Acoustic Efficiency
- Which Chassis Delivers On Value? How About Quality?
BTW,i recently saw Antec 1100 and it's a very good case.for 100 bucks,it's best in it's class-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129178&Tpk=antec%201100
CHeck out the Raidmax Blackstorm....you may find it a very pleasant choice, with good reviews and easy on the price.....and there is plenty of space lol
Better cases:
NZXT Tempest 410
Antec 300
CM 690 II advanced
Cooler Master Storm Enforcer
Can't wait to see what other cases Tom's has in store.
Since this is just the first 5 of 15, could the last article do a recap of all 15? That would make for an awesome article, and allow us to easily compare all the cases.
What??? It's overpriced at $70? Really? Did you read the article or do you just hate Corsair?
case B fits two 120mm fans up front & up top and one 120mm rear
case A comes with three fans yet case B comes with two so lets rate case A as good for internal temps and case B as poor.
rating temps for a case is pointless. focus more on build quality and the cases ability to prevent dust-balls. a case with two fans has poor internal temps...oh wait i have two fans lying around the house...now the case has four fans and temps are so much better...
2. Noise is compared to heat
3. The noise-to-heat comparison is given more consideration than either the noise or the heat
4. Adding your own fans alters the price, so this is the only fair way to do a value analysis.
5. It appears you don't care about performance-to-price. That's fine, the last two paragraphs are specifically what you asked for.
So, what's the complaint?
1. i can stick 10 fans at 10db (scythe 800rpm) in a case or 1 one fan at 35db (scythe 3000 rpm), which makes more noise?
2. noise is not compared to heat, see above example. one fan even at high speeds will not show better airflow then ten at slower speed.
3. your test, your considerations.
4. adding air filters to a case to stop dust bunnies also adds to the price.
5. performance to price in a case is more theory then fact. some people prefer a case with sturdy sides, fewer fan ports for noise to escape, and filters. some want to stick a fan in every whole imaginable so they can attempt to create an internal tornado. some despise a metallic interior, LED fans, molex fan connectors, etc.,.
My complaint is, each case has it's pros and cons. what am I giving up going from once case to another?