silentpcreview.com - Cases & Damping

Cases: Basics & Recommendations

Wed, 12 Mar 2003 11:49:36 +0000

Our reference modus operandi about silent & cool cases, with models recommended on the basis of reviews. Nov 16, 2007: Update adds & retires many items.

Antec Mini P180: A micro-ATX P182

Fri, 7 Mar 2008 07:49:10 +0000

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 GD01 and LC17 HTPC Cases

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:43:05 +0000

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?

Moneual MonCaso: Touchscreen Gadgetry and Solid Cooling in One?

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 08:44:16 +0000

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 NSK-3480: 80-Plus Case

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 21:48:56 +0000

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?

Antec P182 Advanced Super Midtower Case: P180 v.2

Thu, 24 May 2007 10:18:45 +0000

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 HTPC case: Gasping for air

Sat, 30 Dec 2006 01:30:42 +0000

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?

MoDT Mismatch: AOpen i945GTt-VFA & Silverstone LC-12

Tue, 5 Dec 2006 06:50:23 +0000

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?

mCubed's HFX mini: Fanless HTPC "heatsink case"

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 04:27:48 +0000

mCubed delivered a complete HTPC system in a HFX mini case to Christoph Derndorfer, our eager European correspondent. His review of this classy, sleek low-profile, high end, fanless "heatsink case" finds there's more to silencing than fanlessness.

QMicra from PC Design Lab: SFF Super-sized

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 03:58:27 +0000

A high end SFF case from PC Design Lab recently arrived at the SPCR lab. It may be Small Form Factor (barely), but it's got room for four drives, two graphics cards, an ATX power supply and tall heatsinks. It also comes with several silencentric features that set it apart from the competition. The question is, can it live up to its promise, or, more importantly, its price tag?

Antec NSK3300: Quiet Out-of-the-Box

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 04:52:46 +0000

Antec brings the sophistication of separate cooling zones from their big P180 to a small, inexpensive microATX case. The NSK3300 is bundled with a 300W SFX power supply, and is promoted as "small, quiet and highly efficient". SPCR takes a close look to see if the new case is really all those things.

Lian Li PC-101: Aluminum Can be Quiet!

Fri, 7 Jul 2006 04:41:42 +0000

Lian Li projects a certain image: Classy, sexy, and very expensive. Quiet doesn't come to mind, but Lian Li seems to be trying: The PC-101 is billed as a "Classical Silent" case. What does that mean? We're always skeptical that an aluminum case can be made quiet... but this time, we are pleasantly surprised.

Zalman HD160 Home Theater PC Enclosure

Wed, 17 May 2006 16:35:17 +0000

The HD160 is Zalman's first more-or-less conventional PC case, designed for a quiet, high performance HTPC. All-aluminum construction, front panel VFD display with MCE remote control, a prominent front panel volume control knob, and a fat price tag to match it all identifies the HD160's high end aspirations. How high does it reach?

SilverStone Temjin TJ-07

Sun, 14 May 2006 08:16:15 +0000

SilverStone's new all-aluminum flagship case is a huge, ambitious model that features a unique, amazingly heavy uni-body construction and split thermal chambers. The power supply and hard drives are in a separate chamber at the bottom, and all components are fed with fresh air. Obviously, it's a case for extreme cooling performance. How about for low noise?

Antec NSK2400 / Fusion Media PC Case

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 20:59:42 +0000

The NSK2400 is described by Antec as a desktop case, which suggests a throwback to an earlier era. The cosmetics and styling leave no doubt that this case is designed to blend well into modern audio/video equipment racks. The NSK2400 was designed expressly with both low noise and effective cooling in mind. It is, in many ways, an adaptation of the Antec P180 to the horizonal, slimmer profile of a media PC case. Its cooling performance is such that it may even find a niche as a quiet gaming case. POSTCRIPT, Dec 20, 2006: The high end version, Fusion, is covered in this poscript on the last page.