Best Cases 2k17

[joshywalrus]

Hi guys! I have really bad OCD with sound, and sadly my PC gets loud when I game, around 50 db. I was hoping I could just buy a better PC case that would be good for airflow and sound dampening, but I really wasn't sure where to start looking. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciate!

Looking for something with good airflow, as well as keeping my PC quiet.
Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Aeacus]

The thing with PC cases is that it isn't the case that makes the noise but instead the case fans you put into there.
If i were to take a "quiet" case like Corsair 400Q and put a Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM fan into it which outputs 43.5 dB(A), then you can be certain that the PC won't be quiet at all, despite the claims it being quiet.

The more fans you have inside the case, the less each fan has to work to maintain the airflow and the less noise fans produce. And that is also a main reason why i have 7 case fans in my Skylake and Haswell builds (full specs with pics in my sig). Since i have that many case fans, i can keep all of my case fans spinning between 800 - 1100 RPM and thanks to this, my PCs are very quiet while still having proper airflow inside them.

So, before going out to buy a new PC case and go through the tedious process of swapping your PC from one case to another (including doing proper cable management), first look towards new fans that you can either add to your case or if old fans are very noisy, replace them completely. Also, getting new fans can be cheaper than getting a new case.

Getting a new case is only viable if you dislike the looks of your current case and want something prettier. But if all that annoys you are the sound fans make, replace the case fans.

To help you further, i need to know your full system specs, including your PC case make, model and also your case fans make, model and how many you have them with fans orientation.

 

[joshywalrus]

The thing with PC cases is that it isn't the case that makes the noise but instead the case fans you put into there.
If i were to take a "quiet" case like Corsair 400Q and put a Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM fan into it which outputs 43.5 dB(A), then you can be certain that the PC won't be quiet at all, despite the claims it being quiet.

The more fans you have inside the case, the less each fan has to work to maintain the airflow and the less noise fans produce. And that is also a main reason why i have 7 case fans in my Skylake and Haswell builds (full specs with pics in my sig). Since i have that many case fans, i can keep all of my case fans spinning between 800 - 1100 RPM and thanks to this, my PCs are very quiet while still having proper airflow inside them.

So, before going out to buy a new PC case and go through the tedious process of swapping your PC from one case to another (including doing proper cable management), first look towards new fans that you can either add to your case or if old fans are very noisy, replace them completely. Also, getting new fans can be cheaper than getting a new case.

Getting a new case is only viable if you dislike the looks of your current case and want something prettier. But if all that annoys you are the sound fans make, replace the case fans.

To help you further, i need to know your full system specs, including your PC case make, model and also your case fans make, model and how many you have them with fans orientation.

Thanks for the response, I totally get what you're saying. The case I have currently doesn't do the job though, I realize the fans are a big factor in the sound, that's why I was going to get a new case and fans with it. I want the best I can get when it comes to sound.

Intel i5-6600k
GTX 1070 FE
Phanteks 400 Silent (Terrible airflow and fans are noisy)
PNY 16 GB
Corsair H100i Liquid cooling
ATX z170 A


I was also thinking about the be quiet! 800

 

[Zerk2012]

Corsair H100i Liquid cooling = very bad for sound. That FE edition card is also very bad for sound.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/nyCjZ8 Replacing the H100
Or replacing the fans on the H100.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/TN49vK Unless you have a very high overclock those 40 CFM fans will work just fine.
Remove the center drive bay on the case.
The R5 case and FD fans are about the best you will get at a decent price.

 

[joshywalrus]

Corsair H100i Liquid cooling = very bad for sound. That FE edition card is also very bad for sound.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/nyCjZ8 Replacing the H100
Or replacing the fans on the H100.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/TN49vK
Remove the center drive bay on the case.
The R5 case and FD fans are about the best you will get at a decent price.

I'd like to keep the parts, but I deff plan on changing the card as it was a gift. The money isn't a problem for me though. Are there any other liquid coolers that are quiet? or should i just gone with a air

 

[Zerk2012]

I would either go with air or replace the fans those FD fans I listed are very good and cheap unless you have a high overclock they will work just fine on the H100.

 

[Aeacus]

Thanks for the response, I totally get what you're saying. The case I have currently doesn't do the job though, I realize the fans are a big factor in the sound, that's why I was going to get a new case and fans with it. I want the best I can get when it comes to sound.

Intel i5-6600k
GTX 1070 FE
Phanteks 400 Silent (Terrible airflow and fans are noisy)
PNY 16 GB
Corsair H100i Liquid cooling
ATX z170 A


I was also thinking about the be quiet! 800

For new case fans, including replacing stock fans on a rad, i suggest getting Corsair ML series fans, 120mm for rad and 140mm for case fans,
specs: http://www.corsair.com/en-eu/cooling/ml-series-fans
120mm pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/LkJkcf,GXkwrH,MpBrxr,wPFXsY/
140mm pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/D34NnQ,cfyxFT,sYNypg,ycH48d/

Corsair ML series fans have great airflow (75 CFM for 120mm and 97 CFM for 140mm) and great static pressure (4.2 mmH2O for 120mm and 3.0 mmH2O for 140mm), so they can be used as a case fan or as a rad fan equally good. They also have a huge RPM range so you can run them at any speed you desire (400 - 2400 RPM for 120mm and 400 - 2000 RPM for 140mm).

In my Skylake and Haswell builds, i also have Corsair ML120 and ML140 fans in use as a case fans.


If you also want a new case then how about Corsair 450D?
specs: http://www.corsair.com/en-eu/obsidian-series-450d-mid-tower-pc-case
video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bmDAfZha44
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/9JvRsY/corsair-case-cc9011049ww

My Haswell build sits in a very similar case to 450D, a 750D Airflow Edition.
Though, Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 is also good case to go for since it too has 7 fan mount locations, as Corsair 450D has.


As far as AIOs vs air coolers go, you won't gain any cooling performance if you go with AIO over air cooler since both are cooled by air. For equal cooling performance between AIOs and air coolers, rad needs to be 240mm or 280mm.

Pros of air coolers:
less cost
less maintenance
less noise
far longer longevity
no leakage risks
doesn't take up case fan slots
additional cooling for the RAM
cools down faster after heavy heat output

Pros of AIOs:
no RAM clearance issues
no CPU clearance issues
takes longer time to heat up during heavy heat output

While how the CPU cooler looks inside the PC depends on a person. Some people prefer to see small AIO pump in the middle of their MoBo with tubing going to the rad while others prefer to see big heatsink in the middle of their MoBo.

Main difference between AIO and air cooler is that with AIO, you'll get more noise while cooling performance remains the same.
Here's also one good article for you to read where king of air coolers (Noctua NH-D15) was put against 5x high-end AIOs, including king of AIOs (NZXT x61 Kraken),
link: http://www.relaxedtech.com/reviews/noctua/nh-d15-versus-closed-loop-liquid-coolers/1

Since NH-D15 aesthetics isn't best due to the beige/brown coloring of their fans, i usually suggest Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 which has far better aesthetics while cooling performance difference is 1-2 degrees Celsius.

Personally, i'd go with air coolers every day of the week. With same cooling performance, the pros of air coolers outweigh the pros of AIOs considerably. While, for me, the 3 main pros would be:
1. Less noise.
Since i like my PC to be quiet, i can't stand the loud noise AIO makes. Also, when air gets trapped inside the AIO (some AIOs are more prone to this than others), there's additional noise coming from inside the pump.
2. Longevity.
Cheaper AIOs usually last 2-3 years and high-end ones 4-5 years before you need to replace it. While with air coolers, their life expectancy is basically unlimited. Only thing that can go bad on air cooler is the fan on it. If the fan dies, your CPU still has cooling in form of a big heatsink. Also, new 120mm or 140mm fan doesn't cost much and it's easy to replace one. While with AIOs, the main thing that usually goes bad is the pump itself. And when that happens, your CPU has no cooling whatsoever. Since you can't replace pump on an AIO, you need to buy whole new AIO to replace the old one out.
3. No leakage risks.
Since there's liquid circling inside the AIO, there is always a risk that your AIO can leak. While it's rare, it has happened. It's well known fact that liquids and electronics don't mix.

Corsair H100i Liquid cooling = very bad for sound. That FE edition card is also very bad for sound.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/nyCjZ8 Replacing the H100
Or replacing the fans on the H100.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/TN49vK Unless you have a very high overclock those 40 CFM fans will work just fine.
Remove the center drive bay on the case.
The R5 case and FD fans are about the best you will get at a decent price.

I got to ask, why are you suggesting airflow fans with no to little static pressure to be used on a rad?

Fractal Design Silent Series R2 120mm fans have static pressure of only 1.07 mmH2O (0.54 mmH2O when used in Low Speed mode) and poor airflow of 40.6 CFM (28.8 CFM when used in Low Speed mode),
specs: http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/case-fans/silent-series-r2-120mm

In comparison, the stock Corsair SP120L fans on the H100i rad have airflow of 74.42 CFM and static pressure similar to the SP120 fan's 3.1 mmH20,
specs: http://www.corsair.com/en-gb/hydro-series-h80i-h100i-sp120l-2700-rpm-replacement-fan