Quietest Case..

EsaT · 6 Oct 2008 at 21:58

Adrianr said:
Presume cable routing in them isn't a problem? It seems notably good with the P182.

Nothing that some minutes and Dremel/similar won't solve:
http://www.nordichardware.com/skrivelser_img/532/A71_19.jpg
http://www.nordichardware.com/skrivelser_img/532/A71_20.jpg
HDD cage has actually bigger holes for airflow in cases made later. (reviewed case looks like original/oldest revision)
I can take tomorrow pics from what my fifth of May assembled case looks from inside. (haven't yet started covering every free spot by BeQuiet combination mat)

Fans coming with case are quite good for apparently ball bearing (also model code hints to that) fans, but not on top (just like Antec tri-cools are just OK) when it comes to noise.
I got myself 1200rpm Scythe Slip Streams (Kaze Jyuni) for replacing them. 800rpm model would be pretty much quiet without fan controller:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article832-page3.html#SS-M

Adrianr · 6 Oct 2008 at 22:10

Dammit, you just had to make my desicion more complicated!!! I only put up this topic so everyone could come along and go "Yeah yeah, the P182 is the quietest case you can buy, go get one now"..

Euro_Hunter · 6 Oct 2008 at 23:02

Don't forget though whichever case you get it will still only be as quiet as the loudest component inside, sure it will muffle it a bit but unless you go fanless it won't be silent.

Adrianr · 6 Oct 2008 at 23:14

Aye i'm not expecting silence.. I'm after the best possible muffling and air flow so I can run many 120mm fans on a lower setting, whilst the case can do it's best to absorb the noise. My PSU will still be the loudest thing in the build, but every little helps!

EsaT · 7 Oct 2008 at 09:32

Adrianr said:
My PSU will still be the loudest thing in the build, but every little helps!

Good PSUs adjust fans speed basing to temperature so if your current case has PSU on top it probably has to suck in lot of heat from components.
Cheaper PSUs do, or don't do it any better than lousily and use probably noisy low quality fans so with them moving PSU to bottom might not help.

And before someone asks those tapes are on top because I added holes for handle like I did with Stacker.

Adrianr · 7 Oct 2008 at 10:30

The PSU is a PC Power & Cooling 750W, so no problem with quality! I'm also thinking with either of those cases, I can have a 120mm fan blowing air directly at the PSU, and as this model has a fan at the rear and takes all the air from the front (Not the bottom or top) it could (i'm hoping) reduce the amount of work the 80mm fan has to do, as it would be getting clean air blown right into it.

EsaT · 7 Oct 2008 at 12:57

Adrianr said:
The PSU is a PC Power & Cooling 750W, so no problem with quality!

OEM Seasonic (went up to 860W in HWSecret's review) so it has good fan controller and is quiet for 80mm fanned PSU but it's still 80mm fan and apparently PC P&C wanted to stay on conservative side in cooling because of high minimum rpm:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article864-page4.html (unlikely that 750W is quieter than 610W version)

Best bet would be making sure that case muffles its noise as much as possible in direction where it would get into your ear directly meaning combination mats in side and same with indirect noise escape path in front but fan can still radiate noise directly out because of its position in back end of PSU.