Quiet Cases

[jdisney]

My homemade computer sounds like a tornado compared to a lot of other computers (ex. Dell, Gateway). I have a Thermaltake case now but I want to get a quieter case but still ventilated. What kind of cases do you guys have that work well and are quiet too?

Jess

 

[Capricorn]

My homemade computer sounds like a tornado compared to a lot of other computers (ex. Dell, Gateway). I have a Thermaltake case now but I want to get a quieter case but still ventilated. What kind of cases do you guys have that work well and are quiet too?

Jess

I've built or been a part of building systems with the Antec Sonata and Antect Sonata II cases. These are similar, with the Sonata II having a larger power supply and some added ductwork for CPU cooling. I'd recommend either one with the second being more appropriate for newer systems. The systems come with a single 120 mm fan and include the mounting hardware for a second 120 mm fan. I added a second fan (with a low dB rating) to the first Antec Sonata case, and when the system is on it's barely audible.

That said, no quiet case is going to help you if the source of your tornado is your CPU heatsink's cooling fan. On another system I had, the CPU fan spun at 7000 RPM and sounded like a jet taxiing. Even so, that CPU ran hot. (I eventually gave that motherboard, CPU and memory to a friend because it was that annoying.) The ductwork on the Sonata II might act like a muffler somewhat. (I've only built one system with that case and the CPU fan noise wasn't an issue to start with.)

 

[turtile]

Like above: The noise is most likely from the CPU fan or video card fan - not the case.