Silent yet good cooling case?

[larciel]

Looking to replace my vibrating antec case, I've searched for various cases and need suggestion which one to get

Antec Sonata Designer 500 (Is this basically Antec SOLO in a white cover?)
Antec Sonata III
Antec P182
Cosmos 1000
Lian Li aluminum for old time's sake

I need minimum 4HD space and GOOD HD cooling capability. Antec seems to have space for 2x 92mm fans infront of the case which I think is a good place for the job.

Cosmos i've heard of bad stories about cooling and I think I wouldn't spend $200 for case+PSU when new rev will come out soon

If you have better rec's please.. fire away

 

[JBDan]

The Antec designer 500 comes in white/silver and black/silver AND has an 500W earthwatts PSU included if I'm not mistaken. The SOLO is a solid case (same w/o the PSU). And for 79$ @ the 3gg not bad. It has room for 4 HD's when you use sled vs the suspension, but 4 is it's max. The SOLO "can be" very quiet and has good cooling. SilentPC has a good review on it as well as many others on the web. THat's my vote

 

[NoelS]

larcial,

Not better, just another rec...

The Antec Nine Hundred does a great job of cooling, with two 120mm fans in front of the 2 HDD cages and one 120mm on the back and a 200mm on top. There is an optional mounting location on the side window for another 120mm, so all in all more fans than you could ever want... and all but one is supplied (and 3 speeds on each of them). It is a heavy case, especially after putting a PSU and all the insides in it. I think it runs about 30 pounds plus some, but I hear the COSMOS is pretty heavy, too. The 900 is a smallish mid tower, with a bottom mounted PSU; will hold 2, possibly 3 HDDs in each of the cages (there are 3 cages, but realistically, only 2 are used for the HDDs, one is for the opticals and a floppy). When the mobo is in place, there isn't an awful lot of room for all your cables, etc, but with perseverance, it can be put together nicely. I had an ASUS Commando mobo in mine with 3 SATA HDDs (2 in one cage, 1 in the other), a Corsair HX620 PSU, 2 opticals and a floppy. It all fit in, but I gave the case up because it was too heavy for me to be hoisting from my desk area to my bench area for fixes, changes, etc.

One caution, once you get it all put together, it's difficult to change HDDs since the cages are hard to move because of cables (fan, data and power) all hooked into them. But if you plan to build and leave alone, it's a nice, cool case

Noel

 

[Zepper]

Being as porous as it is, the 900 really isn't quiet by nature - the 180 series is. If you can buy all new components, the 900 can be made reasonably quiet with careful selection.

.bh.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Solo is a very good case. It's heavy, but very quiet.

 

[Sheninat0r]

The Nine Hundred is nowhere NEAR quiet. P180/P180b, P182, and P190 would be MUCH MUCH quieter. Lian-Li is nice also, but since aluminum is less dense than steel it will transfer vibrations more easily. I also like Lian-Li's design better than Antec's, but that's just me.

 

[CallMeJoe]

I have a C2D cooled with a Sunbeam Silent Whisper in an Antec Solo. Seasonic S12-430, Yate Loon 120mm exhaust & 92mm on the HDDs. I can barely hear it from 4 feet away.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

1. case's dont have a sound rating.
2. no such thing as silent unless theres no moving parts in it =]
^^

a case is as loud as the fan's you use. i'd suggest any case with at least 2 x 120mm fans @ 1500rpm (+- 2000rpm) for quiet/adequate cooling

 

[Skunkwourk]

Im very happy with the P180. Im using a Scythe Ninja without a fan, and all of the other fans are set to low, the loudest thing in there is my video card. Planning to change that to a passively cooled GPU, which leaves only the 3 case fans.

 

[s1d3way]

my friend has a Cosmos 1000, and it sure is one silent SOB. The case is regid, with thick sound dampening on the side panel. the front drive bay cover helps keep the noise down as well. I could barely hear the rig runs at idle.

If you want a quiet case, dont get anything with any open ventilation, and be ready to spend.

 

[musicetime101]

Anted 900 is quite good, and if I remembered correctly that it is on sale for $80 in newegg.

 

[tsponholz]

I'll put my vote on the Cosmos for cool and quite. I built a rig in one and even with the stock fans it is really quite. I wouldn't say silent, but would say whispers. Pretty good given that is has four fans running on the case alone (his has 6 when you include the PSU and CPU Cooler).

One thing to keep in mind about the Cosmos though -- it is fricken HUGE!!! :shocked: I would seriously get out a tape measure and give yourself a good idea of the size before you buy. Or better, go have a look if you can.

My Lian Li is not quiet. Not loud, but I am definately working on solutions to hush things up a bit.

I was considering the Sonota Designer 500 when I bought. By all accounts they are good, quite cases so long as you don't need a lot of room inside.

 

[jonmcc33]

The Antec Sonata series is not good for cooling at all. I highly advise against this case. It's good for a low end and quiet rig but if you are a gamer, avoid at all costs.

 

[kenrippy]

the antec 900 is very quiet, only a slight hum if you put your ear up to it. (with fans on low setting) if set to medium or high, then it becomes more audible. it's a SUPER case for cooling hdd's & overall air flow.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: larciel
Looking to replace my vibrating antec case...

Antec Sonata Designer 500 (Is this basically Antec SOLO in a white cover?)
...
I need minimum 4HD space and GOOD HD cooling capability. Antec seems to have space for 2x 92mm fans infront of the case which I think is a good place for the job.

Yes, Sonata Designer, Solo and P150 are all the same case. Don't know if P150 is available anymore. Designer comes with a PSU that you may not need. For good pricing on the Solo, check out ProVantage.com, or wait for it to be on sale with rebate from Frys.com. Last one I got cost me around $20 after rebate.

"Vibrating" cases are from a couple of sources, but mainly the hard drive and fans. Secondarily are ill-fitting side panels, but the fans/HDDs are still the primary source. With the Solo, the HDDs mount on really soft grommets (or even suspended, but one fewer drive). That's a good start. Then, get two quiet 92mm fans for the front and a quiet 120mm fan for the rear. It comes with a 120mm TriCool, but even on lowest speed setting I find that fan to be on the noisy side. When mounting the fans, use soft fan mounts such as these. For the front fans, nothing can stick out as there is a filter in front of them, so you can't use the ones that stick out on both sides.

Once you get this case set up this way, then it will be nice and quiet. It will be so quiet that you will start to hear the CPU, power supply and video card fans. After that you may end up at SilentPCReview.com.