Wanted: Absolute smallest full ATX case.

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Decibel

2[H]4U
Joined
Nov 10, 2000
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I have a full size system I want to downsize to be as small and light as I can get.

I'm looking to house a q9550, tower cooler, GTX280. I'm also hoping for decent nearly silent cooling. (Any suggestions on aftermarket GPU cooling would also be appreciated,)

What are my best options? Lian Li PC-A05N? NZXT Panzerbox?

There's a machine shop here at work, I've some ideas... I'd love to build one, but can't find the time. Hell, I even have some plans drawn up.
 
Decibel said:
I have a full size system I want to downsize to be as small and light as I can get.

I'm looking to house a q9550, tower cooler, GTX280. I'm also hoping for decent nearly silent cooling. (Any suggestions on aftermarket GPU cooling would also be appreciated,)

What are my best options? Lian Li PC-A05N? NZXT Panzerbox?

There's a machine shop here at work, I've some ideas... I'd love to build one, but can't find the time. Hell, I even have some plans drawn up.
Click to expand...

If you are concerned about silence, then the Panzerbox probably wouldn't be a good choice, as it's pretty loud (at least according to the reviews I've read). Also, you probably wouldn't be able to fit a very large aftermarket GPU cooler in the Panzerbox because the PSU sits right above the PCI slots. (Although, I don't see why you would need to use an aftermarket cooler on the GTX 280.)

I'd go with the Lian Li PC-A05N. A lot of people here have it, and there is a thread on this forum with many pictures of systems that use this case.

Edit: Here's the thread: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133290
 
aamsel said:
Can you recommend the PC-A05N when quiet is a requirement?
Click to expand...

Entirely depends on the fans you use. There isn't any soundproofing but the stock A05 doesn't have any direct sound leakage either. The case also has rubber mounts for hard drives, so in my personal experience with it as long as you have a fairly quiet fan you'll be fine.
 
kencheeto said:
Entirely depends on the fans you use. There isn't any soundproofing but the stock A05 doesn't have any direct sound leakage either. The case also has rubber mounts for hard drives, so in my personal experience with it as long as you have a fairly quiet fan you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I have been debating leaving an Antec Solo which is dead quiet, but, having had a Lian Li PC-60 years ago, I certainly thought that just the overall aluminum-ness of it would have to make it louder than most typical steel cases? Like, when a DVD drive spins up, isn't it louder overall?
 
Thanks. Y'all are confirming my research, which has been pointing me towards the PC-A05N... Any more suggestions for cases I haven't seen yet?

Anyone know if the top panel of the PC-A05N is strong enough for me to mount a carry handle? I've been lurking that thread pretty heavily for a couple of weeks and don't recall seeing any pictures.
 
aamsel said:
Interesting. I have been debating leaving an Antec Solo which is dead quiet, but, having had a Lian Li PC-60 years ago, I certainly thought that just the overall aluminum-ness of it would have to make it louder than most typical steel cases? Like, when a DVD drive spins up, isn't it louder overall?
Click to expand...

I haven't had a similar steel and alu case side by side but have used both. Used an A05 in the past and am using an Antec NSK3480 currently. In my experience, the difference in noise between the two for optical drives is negligible. This is coming from someone who expects near silence, and my hearing is relatively good. Of course you'll want to mount anything securely to avoid any rattling but resonance has not been an issue at all.

However, I've been fortunate enough to have quiet hard drives and optical drives. Perhaps someone else can chime in with a bad experience?

Decibel said:
Thanks. Y'all are confirming my research, which has been pointing me towards the PC-A05N... Any more suggestions for cases I haven't seen yet?

Anyone know if the top panel of the PC-A05N is strong enough for me to mount a carry handle? I've been lurking that thread pretty heavily for a couple of weeks and don't recall seeing any pictures.
Click to expand...

Having had the older A05 version, I don't think they've changed panel thicknesses since. I would be wary of using any handles that don't provide a good amount of support. Certainly nothing you simply screw into the top- if I were to pick out a handle I'd choose one with decent mounting plates. Perhaps a carrying strap would be better?
 
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