[vblanche]

Hello,


ok, i built this rig:


Antec NSK2480 Desktop case

GigaByte GA-E7AUM-DS2H

Intel Dual Core E5200

Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 1TB

Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5/G 4GB Kit 800Mhz


however, I'm not too happy with noise level.


I posted here a question regarding possibilities to improve noise level, Renethx kindly suggested to replace fans, use speedfan. I'm planning on, indeed, changing case fans for scythe fans, CPU cooler from intel stock to thermalright + scythe fan or Scythe Shuriken (but thermalright + silent scythe fan sounds better to me. any comment on that?). I installed SpeedFan.


however, I would like to know which case - you guys - think is the most silent. I don't really care about format desktop, htpc, miditower...I think I prefer to privilege noise level to volume case will take in the room.


thanks a lot in advance.

vini

 

[tomdahlberg]

I would suggest the same advice as Renethx, it's probably the best approach in your situation. If I remember correctly the NSK2480 got pretty good marks in regards to noise, you should be able to find more reviews of silent cases and other noise canceling technologies and methodologies at silentpcreview.com

 

[jhhoffma]

I would agree that the Tricools are not very quiet, even on low and have some funky vibrations that can resonate inside the case. I use dampening material to help in my HTPC (not NSK2480). The 800rpm Scythe Slipstream is the best choice for a case fan, as it's dead quiet at 12v and moves more air than other 120mm fans at the same speed, unless there is a lot of resistance.


I don't recommend using Speedfan unless you have no other options, as it's not foolproof, works only on some headers on some motherboards, and only works while it's loaded in windows, which means that at bootup, you have everything going full speed.


The Scythe Shuriken is ok, but the Ninja Mini is much better. You should be able to use that heatsink on your CPU without a Fan since a case fan is so close.


For sure, the quietest cases are the ones with nothing in them.

But in the real world Antec makes the best cases for running quietly They're not perfect and usually require some work, but the are a good place to start. The P180/P182 are excellent cases for quiet computing. However, you can make your case quiet if you try. Using premade dampening materials is costly, but can be effective. I use self-adhesive vinyl floor tiles with headliner fabric over top (foam and felt) to dampen my cases to reduce vibrations. But first step is to get rid of the components making the most noise.