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Best Silent Gaming Case

Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:30 am
by JackieTran
I read the recommended list but I didn't like them.
I want a full atx case or mid size [Tower]

I currently have the in-win dragon rider and its way too loud.

Also, do the dampening foams actually work? There are still holes in the vents so won't sound come out of there.

Please post what you feel is the best silent case with good airflow. If you like the recommended ones, feel free to tell me. If alot of people like the same case, ill just set do and buy it :D

Re: Best Silent Gaming Case

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:58 am
by lapon
Welcome! What about the recommended list don't you like? I was looking at a Antec P280 and a SoloII, the SoloII actually has an excellent review from here, and it manages to keep things pretty cool while being quiet and small. What kind of system are you putting into this new case? Perhaps you can keep your existing one, and get some new, quieter fans for it? There are lots of fan locations on that case, and a little bit of quiet airflow goes a long way.

Re: Best Silent Gaming Case

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 1:24 pm
by kuzzia
I personally believe that a case only has limited impact on noise level. Silencing a computer can only be achieved by changing hardware IMO.

I don't have any recommendation to cases apart from those mentioned in the "recommended" list.

Re: Best Silent Gaming Case

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 3:48 am
by Pappnaas
As kuzzia said:

You won't get any benefit from just dampening your case. List ALL your PC parts and we might be able to tell you what to change first.

Re: Best Silent Gaming Case

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 5:22 am
by ces
kuzzia wrote:I personally believe that a case only has limited impact on noise level. Silencing a computer can only be achieved by changing hardware IMO.
agreed

Re: Best Silent Gaming Case

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:48 am
by Olaf van der Spek
ces wrote:
kuzzia wrote:I personally believe that a case only has limited impact on noise level. Silencing a computer can only be achieved by changing hardware IMO.
agreed
Really? Good airflow, vents at proper positions and no vents at other positions seem quite important to me.

Re: Best Silent Gaming Case

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 10:22 pm
by Das_Saunamies
Olaf van der Spek wrote:
ces wrote:
kuzzia wrote:I personally believe that a case only has limited impact on noise level. Silencing a computer can only be achieved by changing hardware IMO.
agreed
Really? Good airflow, vents at proper positions and no vents at other positions seem quite important to me.
It's a package, isn't it.

The principles have been discussed many times over, and the basic picture is this: you can never truly quiet a "raging beast" of a rig without excessive measures, whereas even a "poor" case will do with quiet hardware. Less noise, less problems! (and less investement and elbow grease required post-assembly)

The trick is, as Olaf pointed out, that a good case will provide good airflow and air path management - this helps not only with cooling, which helps keep even a quiet rig that much quieter or at least cooler (we all want good things to last, right?), as correctly designed air paths are vital for real, SPCR grade silence. The less sound escapes the better, right? Unless your rig is fully passive, but how likely is that for a gamer.

I would wager the impact ratio to be about 75/25 (hw/case) if you go for silent parts - the case is the icing on the cake, cutting out the last highs from fans and electronics (foam, layers, layout) and lows from HDDs or heavy duty fans (mass, rigidity, suspension(!)) as well as lowering overall sound volume through projection (away from user) and absorption (again, foam and mass). A good case rounds out the acoustic profile of a rig. Also, the impact a well designed case can have on cooling is unquestionable, especially with low-noise, low-airflow (even semipassive) cooling.

As for recommendations, I was impressed by the Fractal Design Define Mini I have now. I am a gamer (Battlefield 3 and Dota 2 currently), and it comes across as very suitable for the job: whereas HDD cooling is less than optimal, the bottom ventilation ensures almost noise-free intake for the GPU cooler and the front side vents and grilles provide a good path for the CPU cooler. The case is also very sturdy, cutting out a good chunk of the noise from my 2 HDDs, and has just enough foam to nix fans. The modular vents in the case can be blocked so no extra noise escapes, but still provide an option if you need extra cooling performance. It is also staggeringly affordable for such a quality product.

Unless you use more than 3 HDDs (why would you?) or more than 3 add-on cards (again, why?), you can easily go mATX/minitower. With the mobo and case I have I could even go SLI. Although at 9.5 kg and almost at regular tower height, the Define Mini is not as mini as they come - but it is good for heavy duty.

If you're already locked into ATX, my second choice for this type of use was the Antec Solo II. It has an excellent pedigree for a good reason and favourable reviews. I did not like some of the mechanics used (fan covers and HDD installation I think), but those would not have been real issues, more like inconveniences.

PS. With these two as a baseline, I'd take another look at the recommended list and especially the reviews to understand why they are the cream of the crop and what the caveats of particular models may be. If you're after looks, well, that's a different ballgame, isn't it.

Re: Best Silent Gaming Case

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 4:45 am
by quest_for_silence
JackieTran wrote:I currently have the in-win dragon rider and its way too loud.
The Dragon Rider is perfectly fine, and if it's actually too loud, then - more probably that not - you're currently not driving properly the fans.

Also swapping the stock ones with something more efficient usually helps.