"Quiet" mid-tower case?

[stultus]

I am looking to downgrade from my full tower HX08 to a nice little mid-tower case (too heavy for lan gaming!). I am trying to determine what case I should get. I was looking at the Aopen HX45(A), but it "burrs" on my brother's system and I've read about it happening to others online. So, I really don't want a noisy case. Looked at the 7237, but it's 19" deep, which is just about 2-2.5" too deep for my desk.

I will get an Enermax Whisper PSU after I get the case, so the PSU that comes with the case isn't too important. Are there any models out there that you all have that are quiet?

The Antec KS282 looks pretty good but comes with a 300W PSU that I don't want to buy. Can anyone comment on its noise level (i.e., if it vibrates/burrs when the computer is on)? I might just buy it and sell the PSU.

 

[rondeemc]

Here is a link to the Fong Kai 603 which if I got I would want to switch over to a 300 watt ps anyway even thought the 250 it comes with is very good. About half-way down the page is are a series of links to several articles including one from AnandTech which should help you with your decision. In fact just do a browse through their mid-tower selection. Some of their prices are a little high but they are a nice source for comparison.

Hope this helps

BTW they even sell the power supply you are talking about. It is $49 if you get if with the unit or $69 by itself. Just another option.

 

[h0vic]

How quiet you computer is depends a lot on the fans in the case. Since noise is important, get 1 or 2 fans (front intake & back exhaust) that are rated under 30dBa. As for the HSF, get an Alpha or TaiSol with a Sanyo Denki 19CFM (super quiet) fan.

Fong Kais, Antecs, Addtronics, In-Wins, Enlights, Lite-Ons, and some other companies make that provide good air control as long as there isn't abstruction in the air path such as cables.

 

[Tweakmeister]

www.sp-usa.com Silent PC

 

[mechBgon]

I was thinking of the Enlight 7237, Russ is out of stock on the power supply but he would be a good place to get it from: CompuCheap Directron actually wants $48 for the case and a $49 upgrade charge to upgrade from the 250W to the Enermax 330 whisper PSU. Looks like it will be another couple weeks before CompCheap has the power supply in stock, however.

One of the things about the 7237 is that it isn't too heavy, the metal is apparently 0.8mm steel. It has a Sunon ball-bearing fan included even if you buy the case without the power supply, but if your CPU fan is pretty quiet, you might notice some motor noise from the included Sunon and either drop it to 7 volts or replace it with a couple of quiet fans. Panaflo L1A 80mm fans or the quiet Adda 80mm would be a couple of possibilities, although CompuCheap doesn't sell them.

 

[rondeemc]

Has anyone had experience lining a case with some type of sound absorbtion material? If so where did you get it.

 

[stultus]

Well, as long as we're talking about pricing...

I've decided to pick up the 7237 for myself. Best pricing I could find would be at emscomputing.com (click on cases, most popular cases) for $42 shipped. Best for Enermax 330W PSU was at ucdweb.com for $64 shipped. $106 for the both. Good reseller ratings on both of them, too!

 

[rondeemc]

stultus
if you just want the case with no PS look at Onvia They have the case for $35.89 with free shipping. Had about 146 left when I checked.

 

[polypterus]

Onvia has the 7237 for $36 shipped...

Edit: I see someone beat me to it... there's no way to delete these things?

dc

 

[ZenOps]

If you are looking for quiet, and you know how to rip apart a PSU without seriously harming yourself, you might want to replace the fan only. Like a lot of others, I really like the Panaflo's, The FBA08A12L1A 80mm fan moves 24CFM at 12Volts and is rated at 21.0 dbA ( I can hear no discernable noise at all ) Heck, if your computer is built well enough you can run it at 7Volts ~12CFM, and I am positive you will not hear anything.

I have a P550E Oc'ed to 733 Mhz with standard Intel heatsink and generic 60mm fan running at 7V and A PSU with the above mentioned panaflo running at 7 volts. When the harddrive shuts down, I cannot tell the system is on other than the power led The 60mm makes a fair bit of noise more than the 80mm Panaflo, but once I put the cover on it is muffled (I guess cuz its in the middle of the case )

http://www.panasonic.com/industrial_oem/appliance/pdf/fba08a.pdf