Can anyone recommend a budget (cheap) silent case?

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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Vilx-
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Location: Latvia

Can anyone recommend a budget (cheap) silent case?

Post by Vilx- » Fri Sep 03, 2010 2:15 am

My current case is something I fished out of a corporate dumpster 7 years ago. It was for free, and it has served me well over the years, but I'm starting to feel that it's not up to the task anymore.

I recently upgraded the innards of the computer, and the modern components are getting bigger and bigger, so everything is quite cramped in there. Also there are hardly any air holes at all. This then reflects on the noise level - as soon as I run any decent game it sounds like I've turned on the vacuum cleaner. Note that I cannot open the side of the PC because of a curious 1-year-old.

I'm a casual gamer, so my current setup includes the following noisemakers:
  • Phenom II X2 550 with default box cooler;
  • Radeon HD4890 with default coolers;
  • Elderly 40+160GB Maxtor HDD (the noisy edition);
  • Fortron 500W (I think) PSU - the least of my worries, but still worth noting for the sake of completeness;
  • Optiarc 7201A DVD-RW drive - rarley used, so not worth bothering with silencing, but it's gotta be there in the end.
As I said, I don't have much money right now, so I'm interested in cheaper solutions rather than quieter ones. Anything's going to be better than what I have now anyway.

So... in which direction should I look? I've seen an Antec case in action once and was quite impressed, but maybe there is something even better/cheaper out there?

datapappan
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Post by datapappan » Fri Sep 03, 2010 2:32 am

First, which part is noisiest? Looks like it's not primarily the case that's causing noise.

If you want more air for your components, a case with large intake fans could serve well, as well as if there's some kind of cpu exhaust.

Check out the Antec 300, it has good exhaust fan positions (fans included), as well as two intakes (no fans included).

/ d

Vilx-
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Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:24 am
Location: Latvia

Post by Vilx- » Fri Sep 03, 2010 2:46 am

Everything's noisy... The HDDs are pretty noisy by default (loud spinning and seeking), so I definitely want something with rubber fastenings. VGA gets extremely noisy when I run a game (naturally, I like to run them at max graphics beauty). No idea about the CPU, those two drown it out, but probably that's noisy too. PSU should be quiet though (it has the big fan and all).

Added: I know that to get things really quiet I'd have to replace the fans and hard drives, but that would require a new case as well. And I think that with a proper air supply and a solid case my problems would become a lot less already.

Big Pimp Daddy
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Post by Big Pimp Daddy » Fri Sep 03, 2010 5:59 am

A few points; 4890 uses a lot of power at load, especially with the stock cooler and most likely with an aftermarket cooler it will make a lot of noise at load. There is no way around this

Those hard drives will make a lot of noise. Suspending/soft-mounting will only have a marginal effect on drives that make that much noise. Of course the hard drive noise will not change under load, so if the machine's idle noise is acceptable, there is no problem here.

First move is to isolate the biggest noise makers scientifically. Turn machine on with one/no hard drive plugged in. Stop PSU/VGA/CPU fans with a pencil and note which one affects noise the most. Once you have solid facts you can better proceed.

I would suggest posting some pictures of your case so suggestions can be made as to cheap/free mods you could make to it to improve airflow/reduce noise.

I realise I have completely avoided answering the original question, but in truth even the most expensive case will not be able to reduce the noise of those components noticeably.

If you insist on replacing the case, with an eye to future upgrades, then I am a firm believer in cheap cases, as my two desktops will attest to. Any case with a 120mm (or larger) outtake fan and a fresh-air PSU intake (or ability to mod one) will be adequate to silence the majority of systems (with well chosen fans and heatsinks). Multiple graphics cards, large numbers of hard drives, and massive CPU coolers dictate a more discerning choice, but I don't believe these will apply to even your future components.

speedkar9
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Re: Can anyone recommend a budget (cheap) silent case?

Post by speedkar9 » Fri Sep 03, 2010 6:41 am

Vilx- wrote:My current case is something I fished out of a corporate dumpster 7 years ago. It was for free, and it has served me well over the years, but I'm starting to feel that it's not up to the task anymore.

I recently upgraded the innards of the computer, and the modern components are getting bigger and bigger, so everything is quite cramped in there. Also there are hardly any air holes at all.
If you have time to waste like me, you could seriously mod the hellout of a garbage case :lol:

However, good cheap case choices include Antec 300 (good airflow), NSK4xxx (& sell the PSU, comes with HD grommets), and the CoolerMaster Elite series, though you'd have to take a few more DIY steps to silence them. (Install sound dampening material to thin panels, flip side panels, cut out fan grills, DIY HD suspension, soft mount fans, etc).

If you live in North America, Newegg's Rosewill line offers some fairly inexpensive cases.

themaster1
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Post by themaster1 » Fri Sep 03, 2010 12:41 pm

I'd suggest a Lancool case, i've never bought one but when i was looking out for cases 6 months ago this brand stood out along with Lian-Li. I've chosen Lian-li (more expensive) because they have aluminum cases.

The model i have considered to buy at the time was the K62, see here

Lian-Li and Lancool are the same company, lancool simply use plastic cases to keep costs down.

Vilx-
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Post by Vilx- » Fri Sep 03, 2010 2:49 pm

The lancool is still twice as expensive as Antec 300. Though looks better too. :P

Oh, yeah, forgot to say - I'm from Latvia, so USA deals don't apply, but we can still get most stuff here, so don't worry about that.

Das_Saunamies
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Post by Das_Saunamies » Fri Sep 03, 2010 8:19 pm

+1 for the Antec 300.

Hard to beat that price, and you get dust filters and plenty of ventilation to boot!

Vilx-
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Post by Vilx- » Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:18 pm

Well, Antec 300 looks like it is. :P

Btw - here are the pics you asked for. Note that I don't have any spare time to do modding work, but perhaps you notice something simple that can be improved already. As long as we're at it - maybe you also have some ideas on how to protect the powerbutton/resetbutton/DVDbutton/cables from the above mentioned little inquisitor?

Pictures clickable.

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Parappaman
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Post by Parappaman » Sat Sep 04, 2010 12:29 am

Nothing quick to do, really. Get a 300 and you won't regret it!
Btw, even a CoolerMaster Elite will be much, much better than your current one, so if you can find one cheap, go get it. Just by swapping the side panels you'll improve its acoustics too, airflow won't suffer much.

Das_Saunamies
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Post by Das_Saunamies » Sat Sep 04, 2010 6:47 am

Vilx- wrote:As long as we're at it - maybe you also have some ideas on how to protect the powerbutton/resetbutton/DVDbutton/cables from the above mentioned little inquisitor?
A fancy-looking cupboard with a sturdy lock. Kids are wary of breaking their parents' things (hence the fancy looks), and a key lock will keep them out 100%. Nothing less will work, I guarantee it. :lol:

Good choice on the Antec 300. I think it's the best value you can get out of a budget case.

Edit1: Since budgetary consideration seem to be a high priority, maybe a little tweaking with the power and reset button would be best. I would suggest not plugging in the reset button at all - as you don't really need it - and setting the power button to Delayed in BIOS and to Do Nothing in Windows. This is basically the same protection any modern electrical device with a soft-off button has.

Vilx-
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Location: Latvia

Post by Vilx- » Sat Sep 04, 2010 11:48 am

My daughter will be 1 year old in two weeks. The fancier the cupboard, the more she will want to explore it. And I've done the power/reset button trick you mentioned already. That doesn't work so well, because the power button on this case is a bit sticky and she likes to hold it down anyway. :P But it's better than nothing of course.

Well... I guess Antec 300 wins then. Everybody's suggesting it. :P The power button on it seems to blend in as well, so maybe that will deter the little fingers. :P

Thank you for your advice, guys (and girls, and everyone inbetween)!

speedkar9
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Location: Toronto, Canada

Post by speedkar9 » Sat Sep 04, 2010 12:21 pm

Vilx- wrote:Well... I guess Antec 300 wins then. Everybody's suggesting it. :P The power button on it seems to blend in as well, so maybe that will deter the little fingers.
Better yet, route the power button to the back of the computer (or out to some remote location on your desk), and stealth the DVD drive.

Heads up on the 300's bottom mounted PSU: I hope your PSU cables are long enough to reach the top connectors on your motherboard, I can't really tell from your pics.

You may want to think about how your going to quiet your components in a 300, such as rigging HD suspension, soft mounting your fans and dampening those thin side panels. Tackle the stock coolers on the CPU and GPU first. I'm working on a modded 300 build atm, hopefully ill be done within the week to give you some ideas in the gallery.

Cheers :)

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