Silent PC case for i7-12700K or i5-12600K - Define 7?

noodles002

noodles002

noodles002

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The last PC I built was with a Fractal Design Define R4 case for an i5-3570K, Asus P8Z77-v, with a large Noctua cooler.

I now need a new PC and the only part I can take from the previous build is the graphics card Radeon RX 470. Everything else i'm starting from scratch. This also seems like the worst time to be doing this with current prices but I no longer have a PC and need one.

It's going to be an all-purpose PC which should last for quite some time, enable me to play FPS games if I want to (although i'm cheaping out on the graphics card for the moment). I'm not intending to overclock it immediately but do want the ability to do so. I intend to use it with dual QHD monitors.

I'm leaning towards either the i7-12700K or the 15-12500K - depends on the price,
DDR 4 memory
A midrange motherboard - no idea yet

If I can't use the RX 470 then i'll be using the onboard graphics card for the near future.

In order of priority:
- Silent
- Powerful
- Power efficient

I'm not interested in a windowed case, i'd rather one that's unobtrusive and quiet.
Also not going to water cool it, just a large quiet fan.

I won't be adding lots of drives to it, probably a Bluray/DVD writer and 1 SSD and 1 mechanical drive, maybe an extra drive in the future but less likely.

I'd also want to be able to overclock it, but I think the alder lake CPUs run hotter.

I'm looking at the Define 7, but that's quite large, similar in size to the R4, ideally i'd want something a little smaller but can still take an ATX board.

Is that the right case to look at or should I be looking at something else in the series or another case completely?

Budget: I don't want to spend any more than the Define 7 - but ideally would like to spend less.
 
If you want to add a blu ray drive that limits options unless you buy a caddy, also you want silent but the smaller the case the heat needs to be moved by fans.

Your going to have to compromise somewhere if you want a smaller case.
 
Thanks for the reply, I can live with a bigger case, just wanted to see if I could do it smaller.
It'll probably not be a bluray drive but a DVDRW, even though it's been a while since i've used one (don't want to lose the capability).
 
noodles002 said:
Thanks for the reply, I can live with a bigger case, just wanted to see if I could do it smaller.
It'll probably not be a bluray drive but a DVDRW, even though it's been a while since i've used one (don't want to lose the capability).
Click to expand...
Take a look at the be quiet cases there very good but check cpu cooler height.
 
Fractal Design Torrent, paired with chunky Noctua will return very good temperature for CPU. The front dual 180mm fans are a beast. GPU temperature should be fine.
Only reason swapped the Torrent for the O11 Air mini and splashed on 10 Noctua fans was for slightly lower noise, but the torrent at 40-45% should be reasonably quiet for most users, yet cool the 12700k without issues.
 
Motherboard I’m very happy with the MSI Z690 DDR4 Tomahawk. Shopping around managed to get for 200ish pounds and is a very solid board. Have been using ASUS for ages, no issues, but at similar prices the Asus offerings were very poor.
 
Ah! I too need a very quiet case for my new build with a 12700K.
The Define 7 will be sufficiently quiet, but I am a bit concerned about the cooling - especially because a 12700K is a hot little chip.
I might have to replace some fans and open the door when I'm gaming.
I've also been considering the Meshify 2 - yes I get it, better airflow = cooler case = slower fans = quieter - but the Meshify 2 still won't be as quiet as the Define 7.
Hmmmm.
 
I have a 12600k NH-U12A and a reference 6900xt in a Meshify 2 compact with the stock fans and I’ve set it up to be essentially silent. It’s easily the quietest PC I’ve owned and is very sensible in terms of cooling performance.

It’s so quiet I can barely tell that it’s on.

I don’t think there would be a meaningful difference between a define 7 and a Meshify 2. Perhaps slight, but not night and day.
 
jamieboo said:
Ah! I too need a very quiet case for my new build with a 12700K.
The Define 7 will be sufficiently quiet, but I am a bit concerned about the cooling - especially because a 12700K is a hot little chip.
I might have to replace some fans and open the door when I'm gaming.
I've also been considering the Meshify 2 - yes I get it, better airflow = cooler case = slower fans = quieter - but the Meshify 2 still won't be as quiet as the Define 7.
Hmmmm.
Click to expand...

Get the Phanteks P600S, outstanding case.
 
Drumroll said:
Fractal Design Torrent, paired with chunky Noctua will return very good temperature for CPU. The front dual 180mm fans are a beast. GPU temperature should be fine.
Only reason swapped the Torrent for the O11 Air mini and splashed on 10 Noctua fans was for slightly lower noise, but the torrent at 40-45% should be reasonably quiet for most users, yet cool the 12700k without issues.
Click to expand...

Thanks,

I'm used to the R4 being very quiet and don't want to go back to anything louder, wouldn't this expose any coil whine?
Also would it be a dust magnet?

Drumroll said:
Motherboard I’m very happy with the MSI Z690 DDR4 Tomahawk. Shopping around managed to get for 200ish pounds and is a very solid board. Have been using ASUS for ages, no issues, but at similar prices the Asus offerings were very poor.
Click to expand...

Yeah it looks decent, but seems a little pricey at the moment :(

jamieboo said:
Ah! I too need a very quiet case for my new build with a 12700K.
The Define 7 will be sufficiently quiet, but I am a bit concerned about the cooling - especially because a 12700K is a hot little chip.
I might have to replace some fans and open the door when I'm gaming.
I've also been considering the Meshify 2 - yes I get it, better airflow = cooler case = slower fans = quieter - but the Meshify 2 still won't be as quiet as the Define 7.
Hmmmm.
Click to expand...

Similar, I was thinking of opening the door when gaming. That said it might be a moot point as it;s quite expensive at the moment!

rare said:
I have a 12600k NH-U12A and a reference 6900xt in a Meshify 2 compact with the stock fans and I’ve set it up to be essentially silent. It’s easily the quietest PC I’ve owned and is very sensible in terms of cooling performance.

It’s so quiet I can barely tell that it’s on.

I don’t think there would be a meaningful difference between a define 7 and a Meshify 2. Perhaps slight, but not night and day.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll have a look at that.

Kelt said:
Get the Phanteks P600S, outstanding case.
Click to expand...

That's another one I considered but it doesn't have an optical drive bay.
 
Last edited:
Just an update, thank you all for your suggestions, i'm going to go with the Meshify 2 Compact solid.

I'm ditching the internal optical drive and a mechanical hdd. The only noise source should just be the PSU, CPU and case fans.
 
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