Which case?

lightforce · Post by **lightforce** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 2:00 pm

I'm looking for a quiet case. I will not overclock etc so that doesn't have to be a consideration. Basically I just want the most quiet case I can get my hands on, for the least money. I'm not going to use the pc for gaming either so I'll probably do fine with 300w or so. And I don't know anything about building computers so I'm afraid putting extra fans etc is not an option for me. It needs to be as quiet as possible straight outta the box. Here's what they've got:

Antec Sonata - pretty expensive, I rather not chose this one unless it's REALLY much more quiet than the others. $181

AOpen Miditower H600B 350W (read that this is suppose to be real quiet, anyone have hands on experience?) $121
Aopen Miditower H500a 300w Silent Usb $113

Chenbro Miditower Gaming Bomb 350W Silver $126

Chieftec Miditower Dragon DG-01BD-U 300W $113
Chieftec TG-103, MidiTower ATX, quiet fan, 3 x 5,25" , 2 x 3,5" and 2 x inside 3,5", S $115

Compucase Miditower CI-6A21 300W Silent $118

Thanks for any info on the above, links to reviews etc. need to make up my mind which one to go for.

PretzelB · Post by **PretzelB** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 2:11 pm

Out of the box quiet is going to be difficult. Most of the fans and or heat psus that you get with a case are not known for silence. There are a few Antec cases that come with the True line of power supply (which I like) but some find them not good enough.

I would normally recommend the Sonata based on what I've read (not experience) but your price is very high. I assume you're not in the US because that price is way more than any US deal I've seen.

Assuming you're not in the US it's hard for me to judge cheap. My general advice would be to get an empty cheap case and then buy the fans and psu separately. The Compucase can be had for fairly cheap, as well as some Chenbros. Both are good choices. I would also recommend you look at the reviews and mods done by people here on those cases. You may develop a preference for one over the other based on how much work you deem necessary for the case.

lightforce · Post by **lightforce** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 2:28 pm

I'm in Sweden and I'm buying everything at the same store. So I might have to pay a little extra for some components but hopefully get a good deal on others so it evens out.

Quiet for me would be around -30db for the whole system or so, let's say as quiet as the most quiet Dell's ever been. Something like that.
Basically I just want a quiet PC that might be running all night once in a while without disturbing my sleep.

The only other Antec available is the LAN boy which comes with 350 watt "smart power" whatever that brand is.

GamingGod · Post by **GamingGod** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 2:42 pm

the quiet dells are like 25-35dbs

lightforce · Post by **lightforce** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 3:14 pm

Well isn't 25-30db possible with any of the cases I mention?

PretzelB · Post by **PretzelB** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 4:42 pm

lightforce wrote:Well isn't 25-30db possible with any of the cases I mention?

I'm no expert but I think it's possible with the case ... it's the psu and the fans that can be a problem (not to mention the little fans on the mb and graphics card and the hdd).

I've read reviews/articles on the Chenbro, Compucase, and Sonata at this site recently. All appear to be good starts for silence. I haven't checked the site for the other cases.

GamingGod · Post by **GamingGod** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 5:03 pm

You should be able to get down to the 20-25db range with aircooling. Dells are pretty quiet but you can make one even quieter.

MrMajestic · Post by **MrMajestic** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 1:56 am

Of the cases you listed, I would go for the Compucase Miditower CI-6A21 300W . Its basically the same case as the Antec SLK3700AMB, which I have, without the door and a different PSU. Its a good case, but might take some modding to make it perfect.

chylld · Post by **chylld** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 4:43 am

If I had to choose from that list I'd actually opt for the chenbro. it has really good airflow and it's extremely easy to work with (it's tool-less) so installing components will be a breeze. it'll definitely be a good case to help you get into the groove of things before you start tinkering and wanting something better

note that with the chenbro you'll have to buy the power supply separately.

also with the aopens - i'm not sure about the 500a/600b, but i have a 600a and it's not quiet at all. my 0.02

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 6:17 am

I'd definitely go with the Compucase Miditower CI-6A21 if I was you. The HEC PSU that comes with it isn't too bad and the case is great. It's the same as the Antec SLK3700AMB but without a door over the front drive bays. I don't think any of the other cases on your list even touch this one. The only thing you'd have to do to the case is cut out the fan grills, otherwise you're ready to go.

Here's a review of the 6A21.

lightforce · Post by **lightforce** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 7:22 am

thanks for the info. i read that the compucase doesnt come with fans. so i would need to buy 1 or 2 fans separately. question is if 1 120mm fan will be enough? (i will run amd 2500 i think, no graphic card, 512mb, 1 harddrive)

so if i need 2 fans that will be a total of $170, nearly as much as antec sonata. (not sure antec sonata is better ie more quiet though)

lightforce · Post by **lightforce** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 7:35 am

about the aopen h600b is a new version called "silent power" basically they put in a 120mm fan in the original case in order to make it more quiet. the fan is a 120x120x25 mm
Yate Loon, D12SM-12, 350w.
wether this fan is more quiet than the fan on compucase or sonata i don't know?

i've seen reviews of all three cases and they all say the same thing "theyre quiet" i just find it hard to figure out which one is the best.

the reviewer of h600b says about the psu that is one of the most quiet he ever heard, modified ones included.

MrMajestic · Post by **MrMajestic** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 12:43 pm

lightforce wrote:thanks for the info. i read that the compucase doesnt come with fans. so i would need to buy 1 or 2 fans separately. question is if 1 120mm fan will be enough? (i will run amd 2500 i think, no graphic card, 512mb, 1 harddrive)

so if i need 2 fans that will be a total of $170, nearly as much as antec sonata. (not sure antec sonata is better ie more quiet though)

I think one would be enough with your setup.

lightforce · Post by **lightforce** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 1:13 pm

Yup I think so too, thanks for the help