NZXT, S340 Elite ATX Mid Tower Case -..VS..- Fractal Design Define R5 -..VS..- Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Glass

robbob_70

Honorable
Sep 16, 2012
167
0
10,680
Hi,
I'm on the quest for a quiet computer.
I use my rig mainly for gaming and media.

I'm completely out of my depths regarding which case would be best for me.
My only priority is that it is as quiet as possible - so i've been looking at closed off, sound-proofed cases.
My concern with such a case is it overheating the components. I don't plan on doing any overclocking however.

I plan on replacing all the fans in the case i end up purchasing with; Noctua - NF-A14 ULN 140mm Fans as i've been told they are among the quietest available.
However, i'm not sure how many fans is optimal for a sound-proofed closed off case such as the three i've chosen in the title..

My understanding is you want fans in the front and fans in the back to create a good airflow path, also having one in the roof/top of the case - presumably as heat rises.
What's the ideal setup regarding fans in these types of cases? Is it two in the front, one at the back near the GPU and PSU and one in the roof?

A lot of these cases seem to be quite customizable - you can for instance remove the sound-proofing panel on the roof of the case and add an additional fan.. but i don't know of the pros and cons for doing so. I'd assume that'd only be necessary if your internal temps were getting too high.. as by doing so you'd be losing some benefit of the sound-proofing..


Out of the three i've listed which would you recommend as quietest, with best airflow?
I'm prepared to kit it out with as many Noctua 140mm fans as is optimum.
There's quite a significant difference in price of the above three - £82 for the R5 and £170 for the Phanteks.
I don't understand why one case would cost more than twice the others..
I'm not set on the above three cases, they're just the ones i've been recommended so far.
--
I haven't looked into other methods of cooling besides fans as my head starts to spin..
But with these fully enclosed cases is water cooling, rads e.t.c. recommended? Or can a few fans suffice?

My Rig to be is:
MSI 980 ti
i7-4790k
Sabertooth mark 2 motherboard
16GB Ram
WD Red 3TB
SSD 250GB
PSU
I'm considering a 520w fanless PSU or potentially a EVGA SuperNova 850 W P2.
both are a similar price, the 850w would give me headroom for future expansion - but a completely silent PSU sounds like a good thing.

I'm using a 24" 1080p 144hs monitor.


Sorry this post got so long.
Thanks very much in advance for any recommendations and insights.
Regards,
RB
 
What cooler are you planning to use on that 4790K? The cooler might also have an influence on the case that you buy. Regarding the PSU, might want to take a look at a PSU which has a passive fan mode. Like I have a corsair Ax860 and the fan is currently in passive mode so it doesn't spin if the load on the PSU is under 50%. So its basically a totally silent PSU.
 
Currently i have a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Air CPU Cooler, however it doesn't seem to work all that well - as my CPU temps tend to be pretty high..
I'm not sure what options are available for CPU cooling, i presume my Cooler Master needs a case with a fan in the top as the cooler master fan points straight to the roof.

The EVGA SuperNova 850 W P2 i'm considering getting has an eco mode where the fan doesn't start up till it's under load. Which is fine for me as i usually game with headphones on.
 


When you say temps are high..what would that be because I know those 4790K's tend to run hot in general.
Maybe consider in adding a 2nd fan to the hyper 212 Evo. It might lower the temps by a few degrees.
That cooler will fit in all of those cases. I would look at the fractal design R5. Its a seriously good case all round.
 
Thankyou Charl15, i shall.
I can't remember the temperature - but when i took it into a shop the technician was a bit alarmed at how hot it was and i remember reading into it and finding out it was a bit on the hot side.
I think i might not have applied the thermal paste correctly.. - it's passable though.
 

TRENDING THREADS