### Current best air cooled cases - rate them here ###

jaybee

jaybee

jaybee

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What order would you put these cases in in terms of air cooling performance and noise. So two lists:

List 1 (1 is best/top) Cooling performance
List 2 (1 is best/top) Quietness

Antec 902
Antec 1200
Antec Darkfleet 85

Coolermaster CM-690 II Advanced
Coolermaster HAF 922
Coolermaster HAF 932
Coolermaster HAF X
Coolermaster Storm Sniper
Coolermaster Scout

Corsair 600T

NZXT Phantom

Lancool Dragon-Lord PC-K62

Silverstone Raven RV02


Why no case X or other case. Simply because these are the current cases I am considering although am biast towards the cheapest and best compromise. If you feel a case that is competitive with the above list on cooling performance/noise compromise then feel free to add it, but I would like to try to stick to the above list and cases that are preferably <£140. (I know not all the above are)

Ta all
 
aww man your forgetting about open air bieng the best for air cooling !cough! antec skeleton!!! lol, but i have had the storm sniper and had pretty good success with it.

edit: btw my experience with open air has been much quieter than closed cases
 
List 1 (1 is best/top) Cooling performance

silverstone fortress ft02

List 2 (1 is best/top) Quietness

silverstone fortress ft02
 
I had Lancool K62 for few weeks, the cooling in that case was horrible. My i7 [email protected] would idle at 45-50c with a noctua d14 :mad:

The best cooling case has to be the Silverstone Fortress FT02.
 
Paying attention to the thread because its relevant. Though with the Antec 1200 on TWO, I'm very tempted... juts need to check on getting cables behind the back pannel.
 
C64 said:
List 1 (1 is best/top) Cooling performance

silverstone fortress ft02

List 2 (1 is best/top) Quietness

silverstone fortress ft02
Click to expand...

Totally agree with this man.
I'm also a little offended and saddened its not in the list at all :(
 
Have to agree with the ft02, the rotated mobo configuration coupled with 3 180mm fans working with natural thermal dynamics to produce the best air cooling on the market. It's also a handsome case.
 
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You may like the FT02, but in tests the antec 1200 is still THE best air cooler, for temps, not the quietest though, used to have one, in the end I ended up replacing the fans
 
ok fair enough, though it doesnt state what speed the antec fans were on and looking at their noise levels it was prob med, if high the antec makes a lot more noise but also cools a lot more, both good cases anyway, wasnt debating that, cant find the review I was referring to atm, Im sure theyll all be within a coupla degrees anyway so nothing to write home about
 
Exceedingly happy with my Raven 2, 3x 180mm fans on low with a single Apache exhaust has my machine whisper quiet and surprisingly cool for a crossfired machine.
 
Cooling in my Coolermaster HAF 932 is very good. Running my E5200 @ 3.7Ghz and never goes much above 50c with a Zalman cnp cooler.

Edit: I expect the fans would be noiser though if you didnt have a fan controller like me.
 
@Spooter: A controller for the main case fans? I thought about that but then they weren't noisey enough to warrent my doing it. I sit a couple foot from my case and my hdd spinning up is noisier than the fans.

Out of that list I only have personal experience with the HAF 932 so can't comment on the rest but it is quiet and flows quite a bit of air. Downside to it is though that there isn't any dust filters so one of the other cases is probably better overall.
 
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No Silverstone Fortress FT02B because it's too expensive. This is primarily for cases under £140 but I did extend it to some that stretch slightly over that budget.
People talk about the Silverstone a Fortress FT02B a lot, but what is the difference between it and the Raven RV02 ? Specifically what is the difference to warrant an extra £60 and what is the cooling performance difference between them?
 
95thrifles said:
ok fair enough, though it doesnt state what speed the antec fans were on and looking at their noise levels it was prob med, if high the antec makes a lot more noise but also cools a lot more, both good cases anyway, wasnt debating that, cant find the review I was referring to atm, Im sure theyll all be within a coupla degrees anyway so nothing to write home about
Click to expand...

okay but then you can say add as noisy high cfm fans to many a case and claim it's cooler
 
In response to other posts now that I have more time.

Open Air "Cases" like the Skeleton:
Not practical for me in my life. I need a proper closed case as have kids. End of.

Silverstone FT02:
Way too expensive. I don't see the benefit of it over the Raven RV02, especially not £60 worth.

Akasa Eclipse:
Generally can't buy them new anymore and it's an old uncompetitive case on these modern day cases in terms of features.

Coolermaster ATCS40:
I have been looking at this case. It has good features but I think it compromises a bit on the cooling performance with its intake design so left it out. For the money there are cheaper alternatives that cool better I think.



As for the Raven RV02. I have a couple of issues with it. First of all let me just say it's definitely the one to go for out of the RV01, RV02, FT02. The RV01 was/is a good case but it's £140 and the only benefit you get with it is the better designed hard disk arrangement. That's not worth £35 to me over the RV02. The FT02 is £175 and is basically identical to the RV02 so that's out.
The RV02/RV01/FT02 cooling design generally seems to be raved about on here. I'm personally not so sure but willing to give it a go. It appears to be the best cooler AND at the same time provide quiet cooling performance. However, I do have a couple of issues with the RV02 which is the one I would get:

1: It's very deep, to the point where it would barely fit under my desk and would infact compromise the cooling being a heat trap.

2: It benefits from having ventilation down both sides of the case due to the bottom intake design. I would want to push one side up against the side of a desk so this might hamper cooling slightly.

3: Dust. Yes it has dust filters, but this would sit on a carpet and it's going to pull in dust straight from the carpet onto the fitlers and I can see them getting clogged quickly.

4: Side window on the right side. Pointless for me and a lot of others due to that side being against a wall/desk. A minor point.

5: Hard disk caddy is not removable easily once the motherboard is attached, atleast not without mucking about with the front bezel.

6: Can't fit really long graphics cards without taking the middle intake fan out.

7: 90 degree rotation design means cables come out the top of the case. You have to rip the top panel off to plug anything in like USB if your front two ports are already used. Plus you can't fit in a DVI to VGA adapter or vice versa and still get the top on I don't think?

8: There was something else but I think it's minor.



At the moment I keep coming back to the Antec 1200. The Antec 1200 is sooooo close to the Raven RV02 in tests on both noise and cooling. In fact in a couple I think it's slightly better in that silent PC review. But generally they seem to be the best two. I like how the 1200 is narrow and not too deep. I know it is much taller, but height of a case is not an issue for me, its the other two dimensions that matter to me for fitting it under my desk. Same price as the RV02. The RV02 I can see being quieter just by the way the fans are down at the bottom and "out of line of ear" so to speak. I like how the 1200 is just a simple high air flow design though with 3 intakes, 2 + 1 exhaust.
 
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