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Quiet desktop pc case recommendations (Read 1848 times)

peewee

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Quiet desktop pc case recommendations
October 22, 2018, 04:11:29 pm
Looking to clean the pc out and install new HDD's and new OS etc, would be nice to swap it into a quieter better built case, seen the odd one that looks good but open to recommendations.

Needs to be able to accommodate
3 x 3.5" drives and a
1 x SSD
1 x  optical drive
Gfx card has a large cooler so needs to be able to accommodate that also.

Cheers Pete

butters

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Depending on the mobo size - ATX at guess - you will be looking at mid or full tower units I suspect. Once you know the size then it comes down to cost, additional features and style in that order on a descending scale (if you are like me).

Personally I would be looking at a full filtered case with a fan controller built in, cable management (space behind the "bottom tray" to get cables neat) and how many fans I can add to it. You want to be aiming at an over pressured case (like a balloon with air in it is the best analogy I can come up with) as it massively reduces dust getting into the case since any gaps are pushing air out. Would be looking at twice as many intake to exhaust fans personally.

I really like Fractal Design - the R6 Tower is a case that may suit but it is not cheap. It does tick all the boxes and more that you specify though. Another option would be the R5 Tower - slightly smaller but no glass side to it which I prefer. Phanteks also look really nice and again have a lot of features to mull over if you want an alternative and have some good reviews.

After that to further reduce noise then decent fans will make all the difference for a really quiet PC - Noctua are excellent and would be my choice if you go down that route but again not cheap. If you do get additional fans them make sure whether you need PWM fans or not before buying them. 

As you can tell I may have been thinking along similar lines (with water cooling options because I can).  ;)

tomtom

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I've a water cooled PC and its excellent... really quiet for the power/heat generated.

butters

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I've a water cooled PC and its excellent... really quiet for the power/heat generated.

Mine doesn't get a huge amount of work most of the time but it is nice to have it there and it is as good as silent most of the time having recently installed a graphics card that has a fan which doesn't spin up its fans till it reaches 45C + . Average CPU temps on mine are 20C - 25C on a 140mm radiator with a push pull set up but it would be nice to build another one simply because this one doesn't have full filtering and could do with at least one more intake fan to boost the case pressure - maybe even put in a custom built water loop while I am at it.  :-\

peewee

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Decided to have a look in the local pc shop on the way home from work, ended up walking out with on e of these https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/leo-waldock/gamemax-silent-white-gaming-case-review/

Seems to fit the bill re price, design and build. Will see what it's like when I swap my stuff over. It has mounts for water cooling so thats a possibility to look at in the future :)

 

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