Six Low-Noise, Performance-Oriented Cases, Tested
Table of contents
- 1. Helping Define The High-End Experience
- 2. Building With The Antec Sonata IV
- 3. Building With The BitFenix Colossus
- 4. Building With The Fractal Design Define XL
- 5. Building With The Lian Li PC-B25S
We recently illustrated the features of our six low-noise cases, and today we get to find out how those features help them perform. We provide further detail on the hardware installation process before delving into heat and noise comparisons.
Some of us remember how automotive reviewers panned the Lamborghini Countach for being hot, extremely noisy, hard-riding, and difficult to control. And yet teenagers often dreamed about how the car performed under ideal driving conditions. Meanwhile, automotive enthusiasts with the money to purchase a Lamborghini typically bought a different, more refined performance-oriented car.
More recently, Chris Angelini revealed similar problems in his article AMD Radeon HD 6990 4 GB Review: Antilles Makes (Too Much) Noise and went on to praise a competing product for being detuned to help mitigate those issues. Of course, the most efficient way to quiet a high-performance PC is by choosing a better case.
While many of our readers still get hit with those teenage dreams of ultimate performance as they click through the pages of high-end hardware reviews, more have already passed that phase where, after living with one or two unbearably noisy systems, they're willing to pay a little extra for a combination of slightly-reduced cooling performance with dramatically improved acoustic performance.
Not all of the cases in today’s comparison are specifically marketed towards noise-sensitive buyers though, as each company instead sent us the lowest-noise gaming cases they could find. That could be an issue when gaming boxes are asked to compete against acoustic foam-lined products, but we also know that design plays as much of a role as material in noise reduction. Before we jump to any conclusions, let’s take a closer look at the hardware each of these systems supports, and then see how easily some of that hardware can be installed.
(Ed.: In case you missed it, a couple of weeks back we posted an extensive picture story with these six enclosures in a number of compromising poses. If you'd like to see more angles of each chassis, check out In Pictures: Six Low-Noise Performance-Oriented Cases.)
| Antec Sonata IV | Bitfenix Colossus | Fractal Design Define XL | Lian Li PC-B25S | NZXT H2 Classic | SilverStone Raven RV02-E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | ||||||
| Height | 17.3" | 22.6" | 22.2" | 21.4" | 18.4" | 19.8" |
| Width | 8.1" | 9.6" | 9.2" | 8.3" | 8.4" | 8.3" |
| Depth | 18.9" | 23.2" | 22.5" | 19.6" | 20.6" | |
| Space Above Motherboard | 0.7" | 2.5" | 0.1" | 0.3" | 0.2" | 0.8" |
| Card Length | 11.2" | 13.2" | 13.2" | 11.6" | 12.2" | 12.2" |
| Weight | 20.2 lbs* | 34.5 lbs | 27.6 lbs | 17.0 lbs | 20.6 lbs | 20.0 lbs |
| Cooling | ||||||
| Intake Fans (alternatives) | None (None) | 1 x 230 mm (None) | 1 x 140 mm (2 x 140 mm + 1x 120 mm) | 2 x 120 mm (None) | 2 x 120 mm (None) | 3 x 180 mm (None) |
| Rear Fans (alternatives) | 1 x 120 mm (None) | None (1 x 140 mm, 1x 120 mm) | 1 x 140 mm (1 x 120 mm) | 1 x 120 mm (None) | 1 x 120 mm (None) | None (None) |
| Top Fans (alternatives) | None (None) | 1 x 230 mm (1 x 140 mm, 2 x 120 mm) | 1 x 180 mm (None) | 1 x 140 mm (None) | None (1 x 140 mm) | 1 x 120 mm (None) |
| Side Fans (alternatives) | None (None) | None (None) | None (1 x 140 mm, 1 x 120 mm) | None (None) | None (None) | None (None) |
| Drive Bays | ||||||
| 5.25" External | Three | Five | Four | Three | Three | Five |
| 3.5" External | None | 1 x Adapter | 1 x Adapter | 1 x Adapter | None | 1 x Adapter |
| 3.5" Internal | Four | Seven | Ten*** | Six | Eight | Five |
| 2.5" Internal | One | Seven** | Ten*** | None | Eight*** | One |
| Card Slots | Seven | Eight | Seven +1 | Eight | Seven | Seven |
| Price | $165** | $169 | $150 | $212 | $100 | $173 |
| *case only **with power supply ***shared on 3.5" tray | ||||||
- SilverStone,
- NZXT,
- Lian Li,
- Fractal Design,
- Antec,
- rv02-e ,
- lian-li ,
- sonata-iv
- 1 / 3
- Next
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i7 2600K at 34.5 GHz? o.O
the rv03 is out at less $$$ you guys should do a rv02-E vs rv03 round in the cooling side and thats because the rv03 has more fans
Using a SilverStone Fortress Series FT02B-W here. Basically identical interior design, except in my opinion the exterior is more aesthetically pleasing. Glad to confirm the excellent cooling characteristics.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product
Another big plus with the Fortress 2 is the inclusion of sound dampening foam on every panel, but to be entirely honest with you, due to the open nature of the case, I'm really not sure how much sound it's actually dampening.
34.5 Ghz...
Hell, yes! About time, pushing those extreme overclocks!
I think there needs to be info on how much space there is for graphics cards.
34.5 gigahertz? 34.5 gigahertz? Great Scott!
Marty, I'm sorry. But the only power source capable of generating 34.5 gigahertz of electricity is a bolt of lightning... (begin back to the future theme song!)
34.5 Ghz...Hell, yes! About time, pushing those extreme overclocks!
I bet they were overclocking from Pluto.
I bet they were overclocking from Pluto.
Didn't you watch the news? Astronomers sent a dwarf in a rocket to remove Pluto so it doesn't exist anymore.
RV-03 pushes more air and cools better than the 02, but it's also louder.
Yet, as a gaming case, the Raven 2 Evolution may not fulfill the aesthetic or storage needs of some computing professionals
"Yet, as a gaming case, the Raven 2 Evolution may not fulfill the aesthetic or storage needs of some computing professionals"
This conclusion makes no sense. Why do "computing professional gamers" need storage.
And further the case holds 5 HDDs. That's 1 SSD + 4x2TB of storage.
35.4ghz with silent operation ! Wondering if it can play crysis !
Sonata - top mounted PSU = no go, especially for semi passive ones.
Fractal or Raven? This is harder one.
The specs on page one for the Fractal Design Define XL are wrong. The intake fan is 140mm, not 120mm. There is room for 2 140mm intake fans plus a 120mm intake fan. The specs list incorrectly shows it as one 120mm fan with an alternative for three 120mm fans.
"Yet, as a gaming case, the Raven 2 Evolution may not fulfill the aesthetic or storage needs of some computing professionals"This conclusion makes no sense. Why do "computing professional gamers" need storage. And further the case holds 5 HDDs. That's 1 SSD + 4x2TB of storage.
You mean 5x2TB. It holds 5 HDDs and a SSD.
Also, the FT02, although more expensive, should have been used due to the extra sound dampening material.
Anyone remember the Silio case? is it still in production? Quiet, insulated, cools well.
This is unusual for Tom's...an inconclusive review on poorly chosen hardware.
I do not particularly care for ANY of these cases, thanks anyways..
I'd rate the Bitfinix, Lian Li and Silverstone for having the best aesthetics. Antec's design placing the PSU at the top is anachronistic: heating the top of the case. Silverstone's idiosyncratic design produces the best cooling at the price of more noise. None of these cases give me a second thought about going with the Corsair 600T.
I would love an article about how to "make it yourself".
Do a case with good electromagnetic and noise insulation. With good cooling.
What materials are better? Is electromagnetic insulation that important? (so, is necessary a conductive -metallic- case?)
how do you solve the precise location of backward holes (for motherboard, and boards).
how do you make the holes for different form factors (hint: there are standards)
etc. there is a lot to talk. You can make a cheap case much better than the trademark garbage sold.