Chassis question/recommendation + more

[Haizan]

So I'm getting a new chassis. I've been looking at the Corsair 450D, the new Fractal Design R5, NZHT H440 and Phanteks Enthoo Evolve, among others.

Basically, I got three criteria:

1. I want it to be roomy and have good ventilation possibilities.
2. It needs to be as quiet as possible in terms of the material it uses, if there is a conflict with the first criteria, then somekind of balance is needed, but with some weight for #1.

And then the last part is really less a criteria and more a question: is there a need for a fancontrol like the one in Define R5? The 450D hasn't got any, for instance, but can you use software fan controls? Is there any difference? Can someone please elaborate on this. After all, you typically get a new chassis every 5 years or so, at least I do, so I want to get this one right.

Thanks!

 

[MuchResearch]

So I'm getting a new chassis. I've been looking at the Corsair 450D, the new Fractal Design R5, NZHT H440 and Phanteks Enthoo Evolve, among others.

Basically, I got three criteria:

1. I want it to be roomy and have good ventilation possibilities.
2. It needs to be as quiet as possible in terms of the material it uses, if there is a conflict with the first criteria, then somekind of balance is needed, but with some weight for #1.

And then the last part is really less a criteria and more a question: is there a need for a fancontrol like the one in Define R5? The 450D hasn't got any, for instance, but can you use software fan controls? Is there any difference? Can someone please elaborate on this. After all, you typically get a new chassis every 5 years or so, at least I do, so I want to get this one right.

Thanks!

No need for a fan control, just an added perk. Well really it depends on if your mobo has decent built in fan control in the bios.

The really quiet cases usually have worse front intake ventilation to keep the noise down. Usually not a problem if you can use SP fans, and maybe remove a drive cage. How much are you willing to spend on a case?

 

[Zerk2012]

The R5 is a great case as is the 450D, the R5 will be a lot quiter and has good airflow with the stock fans, just remove the center drive bay.

 

[Haizan]

Thanks for the answers, so far. I'm willing to spend about £100 or so. I looked at this review:

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/chassis/61777-corsair-carbide-series-330r/?page=3

The Carbide does seem to do pretty well, it also costs less than a lot of its competition, but it does not have integrated fan controller.
Can someone do go into some detail onto the integrated fan controller. As far as I've understood, people use it to change the fans when they are playing or when they are idle, thus giving them more control over noise. But does it actually make much difference?

And seperately, can you not control your fans via software, do you *need* an integrated solution?


Edit: Just for reference, here's the R5 review:
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/chassis/77465-fractal-design-define-r5/?page=4

Still gets beaten by the Carbide.

 

[MuchResearch]

Thanks for the answers, so far. I'm willing to spend about £100 or so. I looked at this review:

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/chassis/61777-corsair-carbide-series-330r/?page=3

The Carbide does seem to do pretty well, it also costs less than a lot of its competition, but it does not have integrated fan controller.
Can someone do go into some detail onto the integrated fan controller. As far as I've understood, people use it to change the fans when they are playing or when they are idle, thus giving them more control over noise. But does it actually make much difference?

And seperately, can you not control your fans via software, do you *need* an integrated solution?


Edit: Just for reference, here's the R5 review:
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/chassis/77465-fractal-design-define-r5/?page=4

Still gets beaten by the Carbide.

It is really unnecessary if your mobo's bios has good fan control. It is much better to allow your board to handle the cooling because they usually have temp sensors, and will turn down the fans on its own when idle. The manually controlled fan controllers can be a hassle, since you would need to turn them up as temps increased manually, and keep an eye on those things. They are more for looks I'd say, or for ppl with boards that don't have a good bios controlled fan controller.

That being said, if you were to have any fans connected directly to your PSU then a built in fan controller on the case would be quite useful so they don't always run at 100%

 

[Zerk2012]

Your looking for quite get the R5 if not the 450D has better cooling.
Any answer you get here will pretty much mean nothing since nobody knows how much cooling you need without you listing the hardware.

 

[Haizan]

It is really unnecessary if your mobo's bios has good fan control. It is much better to allow your board to handle the cooling because they usually have temp sensors, and will turn down the fans on its own when idle. The manually controlled fan controllers can be a hassle, since you would need to turn them up as temps increased manually, and keep an eye on those things. They are more for looks I'd say, or for ppl with boards that don't have a good bios controlled fan controller.

That being said, if you were to have any fans connected directly to your PSU then a built in fan controller on the case would be quite useful so they don't always run at 100%

Thank you for your feedback, just a quick follow-up on your reply. I'm getting the Gigabyte Z97-Gaming 3 mobo. Any knowledge if it has what you're talking about?

Thanks.

 

[MuchResearch]

It is really unnecessary if your mobo's bios has good fan control. It is much better to allow your board to handle the cooling because they usually have temp sensors, and will turn down the fans on its own when idle. The manually controlled fan controllers can be a hassle, since you would need to turn them up as temps increased manually, and keep an eye on those things. They are more for looks I'd say, or for ppl with boards that don't have a good bios controlled fan controller.

That being said, if you were to have any fans connected directly to your PSU then a built in fan controller on the case would be quite useful so they don't always run at 100%

Thank you for your feedback, just a quick follow-up on your reply. I'm getting the Gigabyte Z97-Gaming 3 mobo. Any knowledge if it has what you're talking about?

Thanks.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say yes. Any high quality motherboard usually does. If you want to be 100% sure go to youtube and find a video of someone showing off the boards bios. If there is a fan control section you should be all set