In Pictures: Six Low-Noise Performance-Oriented Cases

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ta152h

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All different shades of ugly.

It's surprising case makers don't understand these ugly boxes don't inspire, and something a bit different, and attractive would sell very well.

This is all junkyard material. Unimaginative rubbish.
 
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These cases aren't the best solutions for low-noise performance at all... ok maybe 2 of them are ok but not the best choices. Where are the specs by the way?
 

kinggremlin

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[citation][nom]SHARCRASH[/nom]These cases aren't the best solutions for low-noise performance at all... ok maybe 2 of them are ok but not the best choices. Where are the specs by the way?[/citation]


This isn't a review of the cases, that is forthcoming. This is just a bunch of pictures of the cases that will be in the review.

I'm guessing the Raven was picked because it is a new release, not necessarily because it is a top performer. The FT-02, also by silverstone, is a much better looking case, and does have acoustic foam on the side panels. Cooling is outstanding. As far as cooling to noise ratio goes, the FT-02 should be quite near the top.
 

Destroysall

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The Fractal Design XL is a great case! Good cable management, great airflow, and good noise reduction. That would be my first choice out of this list. The Antec Sonata IV wasn't a bad case at all. Looks very good for a small "budget" oriented case. Second choice for me.
 

mattmock

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I recently got the RV02-E. The 180mm intake fans are very noisy at full speed. At the reduced speed they are still audible but much quieter and still provide enough airflow for my 2x GTX 570s. The hard drive dampening cage isn't so hot. I had to permanently remove one of my 7200 rpm drives to stop a very annoying resonance between two of the drives.
I am currently building a wooden case holder that will go around my case and provide room to install thick sound damping foam. My hope is that I can get a very very quiet computer while still getting enough cooling.
 

Marcus52

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"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Learning to speak in terms of "I" ( "I think there are some beautiful cases in this article" as opposed to "There are some beautiful cases in this article", or "I think these cases are all different shades of ugly" as opposed to "All different shades of ugly") does 2 things:

1) it helps you to remember that your opinion is your opinion and other people may have different ones that are valuable too, and

2) you don't sound like some jerk to others trying to tell them what they should and shouldn't like.

Also, if you have a specific reason for calling an item junk, then spell it out - otherwise you just sound like an ignorant douche. Flatulence has given rise to the fart joke, which goes a long way to redeem the often strong odor associated with it, but there is no redemption for your stinky opinion, which no one cares about.

;)
 
The Sonata III I used for my wife's PC is built like a tank. I don't care for the absence of cable management, and the front door, but the solid quality is unmistakable. It definitely is quiet too, with the fan on low. It is definitely not an extreme overclocker's case due to limited cooling, but it would take a 120mm CPU cooler if desired. It included an Earthwatts EA-500D, making it a good deal for the $130 I paid for it in 2008.
 
Not sure why the "-1." The Antec case is definitely a keeper; my wife isn't a gamer so her GPU is a HD4650 and there aren't a lot of cables to try and hide. I want the under-tray cable runs for my own system and have an Enermax Hoplite just waiting for next month's [re]build. Should I ever need to rebuild or upgrade my wife's PC, we'll definitely be keeping the case.
 

randomstar

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Have an older CoolerMaster Sileo, and it works great. metal front bezel, sound dampening foam, bottom mounted power supply, no frikkin door on the front. been chugging along as a video editing machine for quite a while with no problems.
 

SVoyager

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Might I also suggest the Antec P183 or P193 cases. These look alot like the Fractal define XL and the fractal might actually be a bit superior. The P193 with side mounted _200mm fan_ could change things as far as performance goes, cant tell about noise tho.

Still, the Antec might be good for the upcoming review. I own a P183 and coupled with noctua fans all over, it is difficult to hear anything from this case and I would love to be able to compare it to the Fractal!
 

gm0n3y

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I've built a number of Antec Sonatas over the years for friends/family. Those cases have a good build quality and come with an adequate PSU for non-enthusiasts. I highly recommend that case for any mid-range PC. The main downside of the Sonata is that almost everyone I know that has one has had the front door break off. I haven't used this latest version so hopefully they've beefed up the hinge.

My current case is an Antec P183 that, while not a quiet as the Sonata, has vastly better cooling performance. It also has great build quality.

I don't understand why people dislike having a door on the front of a case. It makes the front look cleaner. Depending on the design it can slightly limit cooling, but its better than having to look at a DVD drive that I've only used to install Windows.
 

ChromeTusk

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Looking forward to this review. I personally have the original Sonata (with blue LED lights on the front) and I love the way it looks. It has enough room for most 120mm CPU coolers. My case also currently houses an HIS H577QT1GD next to an additional 120 mm fan mounted by the hard drives. The added vent on the Sonata IV will really help the airflow.

I hope I can find a similar looking case with the features of gaming cases like the Raven series, Antec 900-series, or CM HAF-series.

BTW, will you guys be reviewing the RV03 anytime soon?
 
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