In search of silent case.

S

sicminded

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 26, 2008
Messages
237
Hey all,

These last few months, I've been wanting to change my case in search of better thermal efficiency, something with more air flow or WC friendly. But now I'm realizing that another area I'm wanting to improve on is noise levels.

I've been doing a lot of searching and found that a lot of popular choices for silent cases are Antec cases (P180/P182, Solo, Sonata, etc), Lian Li's X500 and PC-B25, and every other case with a door.

My favorite so far is the PC-B25 (if any has pictures to post, please do!). http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=136&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=62 It would be perfect if it had divided compartments like the P180/P182, or if it didn't have the little extra blue ring on the door, and buldging sides.

Are there any other cases built for silent computing that I've missed?
 
IMO, you can't go wrong with the P180/P182.

It certainly seems to be the most popular "quiet" case, with good reason.
 
Stay away from aluminum cases. They simply aren't dense nor heavy enough to dampen noise as well as a steel case would.

+1 for the P180/182 recommendation.
 
Some aluminum cases are thick enough, take the TJ-07 and the zalman cases which use a lot of 4mm+ aluminum
 
filthysanchez said:
Some aluminum cases are thick enough, take the TJ-07 and the zalman cases which use a lot of 4mm+ aluminum
Click to expand...

Right, but neither is marketed as a "quiet" case. Until I see a review of the Lian-Li in question, I'm still leaning towards the P18x series.

OP, check out SilentPCReview's list of recommended cases.
 
thx for the replies.. i have also been browsing SilentPCReview's website, and they rank the p18X series to be the best choice to start a silent pc build. i'm considering the p18X series, but there are a few things that are holding me back from getting one.. They don't come in black, and I don't like the interior color. The SE edition is nice, but don't like the mirror finish on the exterior. I'm not saying the build quality is poor of the p18X series, its definately above average when compared to the rest of the cases on the market, but I like the build quality to be in the range of the Silverstone and Lian Li's.
 
Antec Twelve Hundred

Not the sleekest case, but there's no door to mess with either. The blowhole uses a 200m fan that is basically silent on low, and barely audible on medium. I replaced the five stock fans with Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E fans, and have all of them connected to one of these, and on the 7V setting they're basically silent. All I can hear is a soft murmur of the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 (using an SFF21E as well), and hard drive activity.

The inside comes pre-finished in matte black. Very slick case. The only silver parts are the I/O shield and silver thumbscrews in the bay area that you can only see with the side panel removed.
 
P182. The 1200 900 with open "vents" is not an acoustically sound case. Barely audible and basically silent is good enough for you maybe, but barely audible for some people is too loud, though of course silence is subjective so let's not go further than that. SPCR is the source as some have pointed out and they have a section on cases to check out :) Lian Lis, esp the X500 have been noted to vibrate; steel is definitely the defacto in quieting materials.
 
You want silent you sacrifice cooling, nothing new here. Open areas translate to sound leaking out and the 1200 has plenty of that. Fans play a big part in sound dampening but I doubt you'll want to argue that using similar fans, a P180/2 will exhibit better acoustics than a 1200.
 
sicminded said:
thx for the replies.. i have also been browsing SilentPCReview's website, and they rank the p18X series to be the best choice to start a silent pc build. i'm considering the p18X series, but there are a few things that are holding me back from getting one.. They don't come in black, and I don't like the interior color. The SE edition is nice, but don't like the mirror finish on the exterior. I'm not saying the build quality is poor of the p18X series, its definately above average when compared to the rest of the cases on the market, but I like the build quality to be in the range of the Silverstone and Lian Li's.
Click to expand...

I would like the P18X's except they are so ugly - they look like sterile refrigerators from an MD's office.

Here's another case that advertizes itslef as a sound damper. I have never used it and probably wont because of the lights but I find the looks and drive bays half interesting

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146035

There is also the Cosmos

"Extreme sound suppression was a primary focus of the design"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119138

Careful about the drive bays though I read they are so "sound resistant" they can also trap heat
 
Well the OP clearly states that his/her main reason for changing cases is for better cooling, and the silent/quiet criterion came later.

If cooling is still important, it's going to be difficult and/or expensive to find a silent case with excellent cooling. I considered the Cosmos 1000 until I realized it has no airflow for the hard drives. The Antec Twelve Hundred is heavily vented but still extremely quiet, and the inside is pre-finished in matte black.

If I remember correctly, the Cosmos 1000 does have dampening foam/pads, or at least one in the side panel, but the drawback is that these materials often hinder heat dissipation.

I can tolerate barely audible noise if it means my expensive components are cool and happy, especially my hard drives.
 
Don't settle for the Cosmos. I had one and it was terrible in both acoustics and thermals. Vibration was aplenty in that case and I experienced hard drive vibration like never before that would keep me up (yes it was the case, switching multiple cases with the same drives told me so :)). The fans that come with the case are also loud. Sound dampening material is bogus bullshit, it only works if the rest of your case and hardware is acoustically sound. As for the Cosmos' thermals, you will need to orientate a fan to blow down on the hard drives or they will reach 60c or possibly higher with all 6 slots used up. Intake for cooling your internals is also abysmal as it cannot efficiently draw cool air in. Avoid at all costs.
 
Yes I think its better to concentrate on fairly quiet components rather then a quiet case which usually translates to too hot. The sound of fairly low speed 120 fans is fine. I don't like any kind of rattles (drives me nuts) or high pitched noises (from small video card fans or mother board fans).

With cases aluminum can cause rattles - sometimes. I wouldn't say always avoid them but you might have mod them with dynamat sometimes. I personally wish more companies would make a decent looking steel case..(I like plain and black like a Lan Cool K7 boned or some of Silverstone's cases..)
 
I like steel also because it doesn't smudge as easily. I feel like I have to wear latex medical gloves when handling my Lian-Li A05b.
 
Can't deny the appeal of brushed aluminum. To note, steel retains heat better than aluminum, and you can definitely make a routine for working out with a steel case; aluminum is for wimps who care about their backs (pfft) :D.
 
P182 and mini P180 ( but very soon i wont be an owner of the mini p180 )owner here! this is definitely a very good case! itz quiet and it keep the stuff pretty cool if u install the intake fans well! only one thing not many ppl like about the case is that itz HUGE and HEAVY... but i persoanlly found it not bothering me since i just let it sit right next to me and not moving it... and the roomy chassis allow me to hide my cables better :p
+1 to P182/180
 
lowteckh said:
Can't deny the appeal of brushed aluminum. To note, steel retains heat better than aluminum, and you can definitely make a routine for working out with a steel case; aluminum is for wimps who care about their backs (pfft) :D.
Click to expand...

btw he is an aluminum case owner :rolleyes:
 
thx again for the replies.

to clarify things, i was in search of a more thermal efficient case, but if i go the route of silent computing, i know i will be sacrificing cooling, and i'm fine with that. if i go the route of cooling, i'd go all out cooling and disregard noise levels. lately, i've just been thinking how nice it would be to have a near silent computer.. and if i do a build aimed at silent computing, i'd go all silent computing and sacrifice cooling as needed.
 
I vote Sonata III if you want an extremely quiet case, and a P180 if you want a quiet case with good cooling. It's not quite as quiet as the Sonata 3 but it's close.
 
the case would be on the desk.

i agree the solo and sonata are quiet cases.. but i just don't feel that the quality is there, but they are more on the affordable side.

why i still favor the the Lian Li PC-B25 is that it has two 120mm fans on the intake, and has Lian Li build quality. but its still a toss up between the p18x. also, one case has features i like that the other doesnt, and vice versa... still don't have a confident decision on a silent case right now overall tho.
 
Have you considered the ft01? It has sound dampening on both side panels, and composed of thick 4mm aluminum. It cools very well with two 180mm fans at 700rpm.
 
JaYp146 said:
Stay away from aluminum cases. They simply aren't dense nor heavy enough to dampen noise as well as a steel case would.
Click to expand...
While heavier (=denser) medium slows conduction speed of sound stiffer/stronger bonds between molecules in return increase conduction speed of sound. (so best sound damping material would be both heavy and elastic)
Also because of cooling holes case can't do much to dampen airborne noise.

Only significant difference is in amount of vibration induced noise from case and in first place lot vibrating parts should be thrown to garbage bin or mechanically decoupled from case. After that it's easy to lower level of remaining vibration induced noise by just adding mass to bigger surfaces of case.


GuyClinch said:
The sound of fairly low speed 120 fans is fine.
Click to expand...
Plain low speed isn't enough, there are fans which vibrate badly leading to vibration induced noise.

GJSNeptune said:
The Antec Twelve Hundred is heavily vented but still extremely quiet.
Click to expand...
Quiet only if
A: Components are quiet. (both "direct" noise and vibration)
B: User is half deaf... which isn't that far-fetched considering native environment of Homo Sapiens Urbanus.


GJSNeptune said:
I like steel also because it doesn't smudge as easily. I feel like I have to wear latex medical gloves when handling my Lian-Li A05b.
Click to expand...
Properties of surface finish have exactly zero to do with material below. Painted aluminum would behave exactly similar as steel and Antec P180 SE finish is lot worser than anodized aluminum.
 
sicminded said:
i agree the solo and sonata are quiet cases..
Click to expand...
Sonata isn't that sturdy with its 0.8mm material thickness and bad vibrating fan can make it keep rather bad noise.
why i still favor the the Lian Li PC-B25 is that it has two 120mm fans on the intake, and has Lian Li build quality. but its still a toss up between the p18x. also, one case has features i like that the other doesnt, and vice versa...
Click to expand...
All cases are compromises consisting of mostly mutually exclusive design choises.

For quiet from the start "drop parts in" case Antec P18x is probably best choise.
But B25 definitely isn't among Lian Li's silencing friendly cases. PSU produces quite a lot of heat in small, cramped space so it's better to keep that in bottom of case where it gets coolest air and can concentrate only to keeping itself cool instead of also sucking in heat from other components.
A10 / A20 and V1110 / V2110 don't have that deficiency. Former ones come also with PCI cooling kit which exhausts heat of expansion cards directly while as default V-serie models have only one exhaust for whole motherboard chamber so getting PCI cooler separately would be pretty necessary because one low speed fan can't move that much air.
Older (and among cheaper full tower Lian Lis) A71 is still good and while not coming with PCI cooler it doesn't rely to one fan being able to entirely exhaust heat of all major heat producers. My A71 built project just has been on hold for two weeks because of because of spending week baking myself in French Guiana and associated traveling hassle but adding damping mat with heavy layer removed easily rattling/vibrating behavior of light aluminum very well (weight is still well below similar sized steel case... which can also vibrate) and otherwise design is one of the most silencing friendly of really spacious full towers and PCI cooler can be gotten separately.

Also stock fans are rarely OK and mostly average/mediocre so getting good fans is often necessary...
Case is just "one link of chain" and can't make noisy HSFs/components rmuch any quieter.
 
E.T said:
But B25 definitely isn't among Lian Li's silencing friendly cases. PSU produces quite a lot of heat in small, cramped space so it's better to keep that in bottom of case where it gets coolest air and can concentrate only to keeping itself cool instead of also sucking in heat from other components.
Click to expand...


when u say the B25 isnt one of Lian Li's silent friendly case, the reason u state is that the psu location gives off a lot of heat? i agree if the psu in the B25 were placed on the bottom, it would be better, or if it had a separate chamber for it like the p18x.. but heat doesn't contribute to noise? but do you mean in the sense that if more heat is generated in the case = the need to turn up the fans = noisier case?
 
I'm chucking the Coolermaster ATC 840 on the list.

Lower-priced than many of the LL choices, with 240mm fans and fairly thick sheeting, it deserves a spot. There are many reviews out there lauding its silence and cooling ability. Plus, imo, it's pretty damned good looking, and splits the acoustic difference between a case with a door, and one without, fairly well.
 
thx for the input everyone.

but no one is wanting to buy my tj-09 at this time, so its looking like i'll be trying to silence it. gonna try picking up a whole bunch of noctua fans, sound deadening material, and possibly water cooling the gpus...

heres my plan.. i'm possibly trying to configure my setup to minimize the number of fans.. right now two 120mm fans are dedicated to cool the cpu via a 120.2 radiator. thiking about dedicating the radiator to my two gtx 280s if the radiator can handle it (gotta look it up), and picking up a true for the cpu... so a total of 3 fans to cool cpu and gpus... and right now i have two intake (extra 120mm at the 5.25 bay) and two exhaust fans (extra 120mm fan via lian li bs-03), will reduce it down to 1 intake and 1 exhaust.
 
TJ-09 has so much holes that only thing dampening mats could help is vibration induced noise leaving minimizing amount of created noise as pretty much only option. (Noctua P12 seems to be rather heavily vibrating fan so I would avoid it)

You're right in that it's probably more easier to cool CPU quietly with heatsink than two very hot graphic cards.
 
Why not just get almost any case, and fill it up with Noctua NF-P12s making it basically silent without sacrificing much airflow?
 
Salavat23 said:
and fill it up with Noctua NF-P12s making it basically silent without sacrificing much airflow?
Click to expand...
Exactly fan I would avoid.
Got one with NH-U12P and motor has very strong steps making whole thing one vibrating roller.
 
Check out this lian-li, the PC-A20. Much better looking than the monolithic looking thing, rubber grommets on all drive mounts, good space in the bottom if you remove one of the drive bays to mount a water pump/reservoir(if you're like me, and are uncomfortable mounting containers of water above your PSU, mobo, and components).

MSRP, only $400
buy two

http://www.lian-li.com.tw/v2/en/pro...ex=223&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=62&g=q
 
I got the Lian Li PC-X500 and I have to admit that it's not a naturally quiet case when you first use it and takes a bit of work to make it quiet.

The aluminium is a bit thin and vibrations do resonate. Most people will be fine with it, but for me, it's thin enough that vibration sound does come through. But the worst is the hard drive mount case. The rubber drive holders are simply not thick enough to prevent vibration sound. And the fans could be more quiet, even on the quiet setting.

But the good thing about the X500 is that it's a generally solid case and there are no open noise sources. The front fans are baffled and the rear fans point away from most people. And with a bit of work, noise can be minimised.

I modified my hard drive case to hold the drives using silicone stoppers. The drives are now suspended only using the silicone, no screws at all, effectively isolating them from the case and minimizing vibration sound. As for the case itself, several pounds (weight) of acoustic dampening material has been put in and works out fairly well. And swapped out the fans.

I don't know of any good cases that are quiet when you first receive them. For example I initially really hated the Antec P180 as the top fan was completely unbaffled and radiated all the internal noise. It was such a let down after hearing what a quiet case it was supposed to be (in hindsight, I could probably have modded it to be quiet fairly well). And what I've learned is that if the case itself is solid, with a bit of work you can always make it more quiet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top