In Pictures: Six Low-Noise Performance-Oriented Cases

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[citation][nom]JohnnyLucky[/nom]I was not impressed with this batch of cases. Doors on the front panel? Gimme a break.[/citation]
For some of us with young (very curious) children, having the power/reset buttons hidden behind a door is very useful. 😀
 
Yes
 
[citation][nom]ATMinside[/nom]Why was Antec 900 not listed?[/citation]
because it is NOT quiet.

The fractal R2 with the right fans is quiet.

Also the new Sonata should be much better with the new side intake(the first one was very limited on intake).
 
[citation][nom]jtt283[/nom]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.[/citation]

It could easily be a mis-vote. I've done that myself in the past, intending to vote down the post I just finished reading and clicking at the bottom instead of the top. It's just one person's opinion if it's a "-1", so I wouldn't worry about it.

😉


 
This is very timely for me as I'm shopping a case for my current build. I have used three generations of Antec Sonata cases in previous builds. I agree with the other comments that the Sonata I/II/II are built like a tank all around. I have always added a range of acoustic and cooling modifications including lining the sides, top, bottom, front door and some internal cavities with high density foam rubber to make them acoustically dead. I add a 120mm front intake fan mounted on the interior side of the drive bay to increase the air flow and replace the stock exhaust fan with a quieter state-of-the-art after market fan. The result has been a truly silent case that's not gigantic or a gaudy eye sore.

I did have to insert dropping resistor to reduce the childish high intensity front panel blue LEDs to being useful indicators rather than being annoying blue room lighting. I also toss out the PSU in favor of a modern modular low noise supply. (Note: cost efficiency isn't my highest priority, this is a hobby for me).

My biggest dilemma is that the Sonata IV changed the air flow pattern drastically from the previous generations by eliminating the possibility of adding an intake fan. That is a show stopper for me as the single 120mm fan just doesn't cut it for any type of performance build.

For those who took exception to the front door I will say that it does a lot to reduce noise! This is quite evident when you open the door. I have also never had one break off. Exposed drives and fans are big noise sources. However, I'd prefer not to open the whole front the case every time I change a DVD so the half door is good compromise.
 
[citation][nom]ribbitsfoot[/nom]My biggest dilemma is that the Sonata IV changed the air flow pattern drastically from the previous generations by eliminating the possibility of adding an intake fan. That is a show stopper for me as the single 120mm fan just doesn't cut it for any type of performance build.[/citation]Wrong, if you have a good CPU cooler, your graphics cards blow out the back of the case and your hard drives don't run hot, you can rely on a single fan behind the CPU cooler even if that CPU is a top-model quad-core and that graphics card is a GTX 580. Overclocking, server-style drive configurations, and poorly designed graphics cooling are causes for the need of additonal fans.
 

Good point, I have no front fans on my Antec 900 and 300 cases since there is enough air leaving the case to avoid hard drive heat issues.

My sonata was a hot case, but i put allot into it, so it was to be expected. When i gave it media center hardware, it was cool and quiet. The new larger side opening should stop the case from having such a hard drive pushing air out since there was very little intake vents on the older ones.
 
[citation][nom]Article[/nom]this passive vent is not likely to get much use with the front-mounted intake fans running.[/citation]

Not with me. I will be installing at least 1 140mm fan as a bottom intake. I found that this lowers VGA card temperature greatly. This is because the fresh, cool intake air blow directs towards my VGA card blower and outside the case.
 
[citation][nom]Article[/nom]Additional photos should be searchable by double clicking an image to bring up our photo album view.[/citation]

And why don't you save us time by including an extra photo showing the fan controllers.

Weird,huh?
 
i like my antec 902 its quiet enough for me and cool enough i actually feel the cool exhaust from the top fan
 
imo, the best case for cooling and quietest would be a steel case, very sturdy, and several large 140mm low rpm fans to blow pleanty of air in through the front, than one or two fans to help exhaust that air out the back.. people have their own opinions on what a good looking case looks like.. my opinion? i think a solid black, meshed front, no door computer case made of anodised aluminum or steel would be the most attractive. it could look heavyduty and live up to its looks. much like my lian li PC-A71f.. i would prefer it doesent have lian li at the bottom of the door. but i cant complain its by far the best case i have ever used.. wish some of the parts of the case were steel though, like the hardrive rack.. although its the most sturdy one i have ever used. i think the hardrives are the one thing that case manufacturers need to pay the most attention to.
 
[citation][nom]JohnnyLucky[/nom]I was not impressed with this batch of cases. Doors on the front panel? Gimme a break.[/citation]

Needing access to the front panel? Gimme a break!
Honestly, these days I have 99% of my stuff on harddrive. I even do re-install of my OS from USB thumbdrives. I need access to a DVD drive maybe once every 3 months, and when I do I just plug in an external USB Blu-ray.

I would imagine that as time goes on that more and more people will be in the same boat - especially with incredibly large a hard drives being incredible cheap.

Cheers,
CList
 
[citation][nom]clist[/nom]BTW, the most valuable thing I got from these pics was an introduction to Fractal Design who I'd never heard of. The case in this pictorial is too large for my tastes, but their R3 model in "Artic White" looks sweet!http://www.fractal-design.com/?vie [...] =2&prod=53Cheers,CList[/citation]

...actually I take that back, I see the case looks nice on close inspection I realized it's all steel... blech. I'll stick w. Lian-Li...
 
Some of the specs on the Fractal Design Define XL are wrong. The rear exhaust fan is 140mm, not 120mm, and the top exhaust fan is 180mm, not 140mm. I just received this case last week and so far it is living up to being a great case. And quiet too.
 
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