SPCR

I'm building a second computer, and I see there are quite a few cheap cases (sub $100 range) that look like they could work. Any recommendations of which one is good and what to avoid?

I like the Fractal Design R4, but I was wondering if I could get by cheaper.

Edit: Even alternatives for around $100 to the Fractal Design R4, looks like there is a Nanoxia Deep Silence (1 or 2) that's about the same price and has more 5.25 front bays. Looks nice.

Looks like you have to use a screwdriver to remove the front fan filter on the Nanoxia Deep Silence 2 case.

Cooler Master Silencio 550 from the review: " the Silencio should retail for US$65~$70, making it the most affordable case that we can describe as quiet with a straight face."
If you add a graphics card to the build the better airflow and cooling capacity of the Fractal R4 are worth the extra cost.

NetTechie wrote:Any recommendations of which one is good and what to avoid?

For which system?

quest_for_silence wrote:For which system?

I'm looking at separating my uses, so this would be for gaming mainly. I'm thinking the foam would silence the noise of the graphics card fan enough to not require going to water cooling later.

I've read a few reviews and watched some videos, and it seems the Fractal R4 is a good design, almost competing with the Silverstone FT02 I have.

NetTechie wrote:I'm thinking the foam would silence the noise of the graphics card fan enough to not require going to water cooling later.

Not even by mistake: the right way is to choose a quiet graphics card.

NetTechie wrote:I've read a few reviews and watched some videos, and it seems the Fractal R4 is a good design, almost competing with the Silverstone FT02 I have.

The R4 is a good design, but it's not under $100, and it depends on the graphics card TDP (it's usually quite effective up to 130-140W).

What about giving a read on some reviews?

quest_for_silence wrote:Not even by mistake: the right way is to choose a quiet graphics card.

Umm, when you load up a game the card spins at it's fastest speeds, making noise. Are there cards that don't?

NetTechie wrote:

quest_for_silence wrote:Not even by mistake: the right way is to choose a quiet graphics card.

Umm, when you load up a game the card spins at it's fastest speeds, making noise. Are there cards that don't?

Well not all are screamers, like the MSI Gaming twin frozr seem to be pretty decent in both noise and temps. Or you can go aftermarket cooler like Prolimatech MK-26 and place fans that are inaudible to you, same principle of CPUs heatsinks.

I have the MSI Twin Frozr, before they came out with the Gaming series. It isn't as loud as some I suppose, but it certainly makes noise when it spins up to max RPM's.

I'll look into that Prolimatech MK-26, looks pretty nice. I tried one of the replacement heatsinks before, on a video card, and it seemed rather risky for the installation, almost touching components. Also, it didn't cool the ram, and there was no room for decent ram heatsinks after adding the gpu heatsink. I think it came with tiny little heatsinks for the ram that looked barely enough. Maybe this one is better though.

I got a Define R4 case, and I love it! It's no Silverstone FT02 for airflow, but for silence, it's almost inaudible, even with a cheap Corsair CX600M power supply (120mm fan). I have the internal fans set to 7v, the middle setting, and it seems it doesn't make hardly any noise. I'm liking the 140mm fans.

quest_for_silence wrote:The R4 is a good design, but it's not under $100, and it depends on the graphics card TDP (it's usually quite effective up to 130-140W).

The case was 99.99 at Micro Center. That's what set the benchmark, to see if I could get something cheaper. I've seen cases recommended in the past that were in the $60 range, but this one is super nice so I went for the extra.