EggXpert

I'm in need of a quiet, and therefore cool (I assume), case for my new build.

It gets hot in Florida during the summer and the A/C isn't always on which normally brings my already not so quiet case to a dull, aggravating, roar.

I was looking at the Antec P18X line. The P183 is perfect for me, but a bit too big. I've read through silentpc and the like but I favor personal experience over laboratory testing.

I'd prefer the case not be all flashy and whatnot. I don't need lights, sounds, plastic/glass/see through windows. In other words, I don't need it to give me a seizure when looking at it.

The specs, I s'pose. Only mid size and smaller need apply. Realistically I will probably only toss 2 hdd's in. 4 would be stretching it but support for it would be nice. Also 2 dvd drives at most. I'm not picky about what it would have on the front of it as far as esata or firewire since I don't have a firewire device and anything esata can just come out the back for all I care. Not a gamer, so no need for 2 giant video cards and tremendous heat sinks all around. Will most likely go for an intel proc. e8400 but amd is still a choice, thats another post however.


If you can't be bothered to read all that. Quiet, cool case - obnoxious flashiness kept at a minimum. Not a gamer. At all. What are your picks? The cooler, quieter the better. $150 ish is about my max on the case.

 Has anyone owned any from the sonata line and then from the P18x line? The P180 series seems like its made for quiet, but I can't ignore the Sonata line which seems to be quiet enough for most people. The fact that many of the Sonatas come with a 500w power supply is an added bonus (assuming that the supply is quiet as well).

For reference I'm running a Dell Dimension 3000 now. http://www.thetrailingedge.com/images/products/Dell%20Dimension.jpg

Honestly if you want to you could look into micro cases.  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119193

 Extremely affordable and simple design.  Coolermaster makes great cases with a range of variety. 

 Another suggestion is to buy another Dell.  They make some really quiet compact computers now a days.  My XPS 420 hardly makes a peep at all.

---

Thanks! I hadn't really looked at Coolermaster at all.

 I enjoy this Dell but a couple of months ago I asked them one simple question and got the runaround for 2 weeks, still ended up without the answer. I'm anti dell and probably will stay that way, this one is secondhand.

Also, I'd really like the experience of building my own.

I dont have anything against Dell but I know what you mean.  There is being proud of something you built yourself.  Im starting my own system too.

---

I have a lot against Dell. I fix people's computers as a part time gig and Dell represents 90% of the serious issues, mainly due to subpar components. But I digress.

You can't go wrong with Lian-Li or Cooler Master. Here's my Lian-Li which I love to death. As you can see it's not flashy ;). It's not that small but larger means better airflow means cooler means quieter. The only gripe I have with it is that the side panel has a tendency to vibrate and rattle. I easily fixed that by adding a bit of duct tape to the case/panel interface. You can't see it from the outside and it ensures a snug fit. I have also used the Cooler Master Elite mentioned above for a few customer builds. It's smaller but a quality case for sure.

I also live in a hot climate (Hong Kong) similar to Florida so I have some experience. Rules of thumb:

• Larger case->more space for heat to dissipate->less potential noise.
• 120mm fans front and back, or at least back. Nothing smaller is acceptable.
• Get fan controllers (or one multi-fan controller) so you can turn your fans down a bit. Almost all the noise is in the top 15% of fan speed. So you can run at 85%, getting most of the cooling but a fraction of the noise.
• Get a PSU with a 120mm fan mounted inside the case. That is, the PSU fan should blow air into the PSU. This contrasts with "traditional" PSUs that pull air out with a fan mounted on the outside edge. This will cut the PSU noise dramatically. Or you can go fanless with a Zen, Silverstone or CoolMax fanless. Unfortunately the latter types are limited to 450w.
• Use efficient silent fans like Scythe S-Flex or SilenX. The shape of the fan blades has a massive impact.
• Get large CPU and GPU heatsinks from Scythe, Thermalright or the like. Larger-> more heat dissipation->silence.
• Hard drives are big noise makers. Get these Logisys Hard Drive Silencers to fix that. Unfortunately you'll have to use 5 and 1/4 slots but in my opinion the decreased noise is well worth it.
  

I followed the advice at silientpcreview on quiet cases.

I used the Antec P182 on my roomie's computer that records a lot of audio on his PC. Like you said, though, it's a big case. When I was building my media center computer, I picked the Antec P150, which is also highly recommended by silentpcreview. It's a midtower, as opposed to the tower that the P183 is. However, it's unvailable now, and was replaced by the Antec Solo. The Solo isn't as nice because if you need the front fan, which it sounds like you might need in your non/AC space, they changed the configuration on the new Solo vs the P150 for the worse. Also, the Solo doesn't come with a PSU like the P150 did.

Right now, my media center in the P150 only uses the rear fan, and a CPU fan (chose active cooling). It stays nice and cool, even with three drives in it. Have quiet fans and can't hear it at all.

Like you said, the Sonata III looks like a good buy and very similar to the Solo but it doesn't look like it's built as well. Not any sound dampening material. Still, I wouldn't be afraid to give it a try. It's likely what I'll use for my next build. You can always add sound dampening material if needed.

Thank you for your posts! I came here to make another post about silent cases and then found this one.. silly me. I completely forgot I had even posted it.

You can't go wrong with Lian-Li or Cooler Master. Here's my Lian-Li which I love to death. As you can see it's not flashy ;). It's not that small but larger means better airflow means cooler means quieter. The only gripe I have with it is that the side panel has a tendency to vibrate and rattle. I easily fixed that by adding a bit of duct tape to the case/panel interface. You can't see it from the outside and it ensures a snug fit. I have also used the Cooler Master Elite mentioned above for a few customer builds. It's smaller but a quality case for sure.

 
Thanks for the tips. That Lian-Li is nice. I will definitely take a look at your build. Nearly silent is what I am aiming for. That Lian Li case is nice, especially with their power supply combo. And cheap.

I also live in a hot climate (Hong Kong) similar to Florida so I have some experience. Rules of thumb:

• Larger case->more space for heat to dissipate->less potential noise.
• 120mm fans front and back, or at least back. Nothing smaller is acceptable.
• Get fan controllers (or one multi-fan controller) so you can turn your fans down a bit. Almost all the noise is in the top 15% of fan speed. So you can run at 85%, getting most of the cooling but a fraction of the noise.
• Get a PSU with a 120mm fan mounted inside the case. That is, the PSU fan should blow air into the PSU. This contrasts with "traditional" PSUs that pull air out with a fan mounted on the outside edge. This will cut the PSU noise dramatically. Or you can go fanless with a Zen, Silverstone or CoolMax fanless. Unfortunately the latter types are limited to 450w.
• Use efficient silent fans like Scythe S-Flex or SilenX. The shape of the fan blades has a massive impact.
• Get large CPU and GPU heatsinks from Scythe, Thermalright or the like. Larger-> more heat dissipation->silence.
• Hard drives are big noise makers. Get these Logisys Hard Drive Silencers to fix that. Unfortunately you'll have to use 5 and 1/4 slots but in my opinion the decreased noise is well worth it.

Excellent tips!

I believe I've narrowed down the case choices to either the Antec Solo or Antec Sonata Elite. Both have 120 MM rear fans. The Elite has some sort of nifty blowing feature through vents in the side while the Solo does not, but I really liked the fact I can suspend the hard drives in the Solo. At this point it seems like a toss up but I'm leaning towards the Elite due to the extra cooling. Maybe I can find those drive silences like you pointed out, they're discontinued here..

Is that going to be enough air going through there you think?

Does anyone have a suggestion for the type of PSU mentioned here? The ones which pull air out with the fan on the outside edge? I'm not too sure how to begin looking for that. 500-600 watts is more than enough power for me. I think 430 might be cutting it too close. I plan on keeping this PSU for a while and I may need more juice later.

I was looking at this for a CPU Cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185096 I'm probably getting a AMD Phenon !! x2.. i think its the 550. Would this baby fit in the Sonata Elite?

Also, this is a dumb question but is the CPU cooler the same as the cpu heatsink? And if its not should I invest in a cooler and also replace the stock heatsink? If so, with what.

Can anyone recommend a small, quiet, GPU? Preferablywith an nvidia chipset. It doesn't need to do much besides play videos and provide basic 3d support with OpenGL/Compiz Fusion..

Back to the case! Since this was a case thread to begin with... I go so far off topic it isn't funny. Right now I am leaning towards the Sonata Elite because of the fan plus blower on the site. Hopefully the rubber grommets will do a decent job keeping the drives quiet.

Should I look into replacing the 120 mm fan on the back of the Elite with something else.. maybe quiet or something that will provide better air flow?

Plagueboy: Hopefully I can get away without a front fan as all the cases I have looked at don't have one.. I've been looking at the P150 and P182. I hear they are great. Haven't crossed them off my list yet!

Thank you all for so much help.