Cases|Damping

The Sileo 500 is a departure for Coolermaster, the company's first case designed expressly for silent PC enthusiasts. How well did CM cover the fundamentals of quiet computing in this modestly priced case?

The Antec P183 is an update of the iconic P182. At first glance, the two cases look very similar, but the P183 has much improved intake ventilation and a redesigned bottom chamber to accommodate Antec's new proprietary CP line of power supplies (as well as longer ATX units).

Silverstone cases are usually well-constructed with good fundamentals and dispense with frivolous aesthetics and features. The Raven is perhaps their first departure from this course and it is certainly a dramatic one. Not only is the outside radically different from anything they've done before, the motherboard tray has been rotated 90 degrees clockwise.

It's marketed mostly to industrial system integrators, but the TC-100 is a bit of a sleeper case for mini-ITX. Fanless cooling using heatpipes and stereo amp style heatsinks, and a AC/12VDC adapter in a case that DIY enthusiasts would probably enjoy. With an SSD, it can be completely silent.

The Apex MI-008 is one of the few widely available mini-ITX cases on the market. It looks great but the low price tag may have you wondering... it couldn't possibly be quiet, could it? Well if it isn't, we do have a few tricks up our sleeve...

The long awaited "Son of Fusion" is finally here. It's much bigger than the highly successful Fusion/NSK2400. We dive in to find out how this new Antec case is similar to and different from its predecessor.

The 2008 initiative to improve SPCR's audio testing process involved the construction of an anechoic chamber and upgrades of test equipment to take advantage of the lower noise floor in the chamber. The chamber development will be detailed elsewhere; this article covers the new equipment details.

No one from SPCR is in Taipei for Computex, but that doesn't stop us from bringing you exclusive photos, information and a video of Antec's aptly named Skeleton chassis. We've also got photos and info about the upcoming P183 and Sonata Elite cases.

The Mini P180 incorporates key features from the P182 -- dual thermal chamber design, sound-deadening multi-layer panels, and silicone grommets -- in a micro-ATX case with 120mm and 200mm fans. Antec describes it as a "petite portable case." We took it for a long ride in SPCR's test lab.

Silverstone has a huge lineup of home theater PC cases. The GD01 and LC17 are mid-size models that can accommodate ATX motherboards. They look quite different at a quick glance, especially when the GD01 is equipped with the optional VFD, but under the skin they're almost identical. How well do they perform the role of silent entertainment machine?

The Home Theater market is burgeoning with so many high end cases that it takes something special to stand out. Moneual hopes that something is an LCD touchscreen. Their idea gets our gadget juices running, but the devil is in the details, and we expect good software, good thermal design, and excellent acoustics to go along with it. Can they do it?

Antec has updated its popular NSK-3300 with a new power supply and some tweaks to airflow and cable management. The power supply is its 80-Plus EarthWatts, making the NSK-3480 the first 80-Plus certified case on the market. Can Antec make a good thing better?

The P182 is the second generation model of one of Antec's most popular high end case ever, the P180. It has been upgraded enough to justify a new model designation. We take a close look at the Special Edition, a mirror steel finish version that has apparently become an object of desire for the computer dandy.

Zalman's HD135 follows up on its HD160 Media PC case by making it an inch shorter and sleeker while adding space for three more hard drives. Zalman has made some interesting cases in the past, but their fans have been consistently noisy, which is surprising for a company that made its mark as a quiet component supplier. Can the HD135 impress?

From time to time we run across products that appear to be made for each other. That seemed to be the case with AOpen's mini-ITX i945GTt-VFA motherboard and Silverstone's mini-ITX LC-12 case to go with it. Both feature fanless, DC-based power delivery and a tiny form factor that just begs to be put on show. Alas, it was not a match made in IT heaven. How did this match go bad?