Antec 300 vs Antec 302 vs Fractal Design R3?

[slpnshot]

I know it's a bit of a long-shot, but does anyone have a comparison between the acoustics in an Antec 300(ver 1 if there was any difference between models for sound), Antec 302, and the Fractal Design R3?

I'm hearing great things about the Fractal, but I've seen a recent report by Anandtech that indirectly compares the Fractal R3 and the Antec 302 with the Fractal only beating the Antec by ~1dB.

And it doesn't seem like much has been changed between the Antec 300 and the 302 in terms of acoustics, although it's hard to get graphs comparing the two since the testing will use different components.

So overall, I'm just worried that if I upgrade from the Antec 300 to either the 302 or the Fractal, I wouldn't actually notice a noise improvement.

My case isn't jet engine loud by any means. I do think I'm just overly sensitive to repetitious noise in general, but any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

I've owned a 300 and currently own a Fractal R3. The Fractal is much, much quieter (at least by my standards) than the Antec. (I haven't used a 302). The Antec has loud fans (even at their lowest setting), no front door, and no sound dampening at all. The 140mm fan on top is particularly noisy, as it vibrates the top panel of the case.

EDIT: The R3 also comes with a PCI slot fan controller. On the lowest setting, my system still gets adequate airflow for gaming.

 

[lehtv]

Those three are not in the same category. Fractal R3 does everything 300 and 302 do, but with cherries on the cake - including better acoustics. I have not compared R3 to 300 personally, but it goes without saying that the included fan controller and the noise absorbing padding make it superior. I owned an Antec 900 with fans set on low and my current R3 is easily better.

but I've seen a recent report by Anandtech that indirectly compares the Fractal R3 and the Antec 302 with the Fractal only beating the Antec by ~1dB.

That was probably with Fractal's fans running on 1000RPM.

 

[slpnshot]

Thanks Mr Monkey & lehtv!

That really helps me a lot. I don't mind dropping 100-150 on a case, I just didn't want to drop it on an useless upgrade. I was just shocked at how close the noise comparison was between 302 and the R3 considering that the Antec didn't seem to put any emphasis on noise reduction components.

@lehtv

I wasn't trying to knock the Fractal by any means. I realize that the price range between the three makes the comparison a bit ridiculous. I was originally going to just compare the 300 vs the R3 but I when I saw the 302 review I was really curious why the noise was so low for a case with no noticeable focus on sound dampening.

 

[piasabird]

Doesnt seem to me that the Antec 300 makes very much noise. However, I am not using a video card inside my case, and I am using the Antec 430 Basiq power supply. I only use the 2 basic fans on the top and in the rear as exhaust. I have my fans on the low setting and the case is on a wooden stand sitting on the floor. I have mine connected to a HDTV. Maybe if it was on a hard surface with no rug on the foor and it was absolutely quiet, I could hear it better.

Maybe the black coating makes it quiter.

 

[Rvenger]

Antec 302 is substantially quieter than the 300 because it has no front fans or even a spot to put them in. The top fan is improved and much quieter than the 300.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

Doesnt seem to me that the Antec 300 makes very much noise. However, I am not using a video card inside my case, and I am using the Antec 430 Basiq power supply. I only use the 2 basic fans on the top and in the rear as exhaust. I have my fans on the low setting and the case is on a wooden stand sitting on the floor. I have mine connected to a HDTV. Maybe if it was on a hard surface with no rug on the foor and it was absolutely quiet, I could hear it better.

I was probably exaggerating a little when I said it was "loud." Computer noise is extremely subjective. I bought a video card for an HTPC recently after reading newegg reviews claiming it was "so quite," but to me it sounded like a "jet engine" at idle.

The R3 is noticeably quieter when compared to the 300. However, the 300 would probably be quiet enough for most non-mentally-ill people. (I've been known to go hunting around the room putting my ear on things if I hear a noise that *may* be coming from my computer.)

 

[Maximilian]

300 and 302 are not designed with acoustics in mind, not to say they are loud but the R3 trumps both of them in that department. 300 and 302 are extremely rugged cheap cases though, im very satisfied with my 300.

 

[slpnshot]

Yes my 300 gave me pretty good mileage for what it was worth. Most of my friends tell me my computer is pretty quiet whenever I ask, but I guess I fall into one of the 'mentally-ill people' in that I'm overly sensitive to repetitious noise.

It definitely looks like I'll be investing in a R3. Thanks again guys.

 

[mike2fix]

You might to actually look at the Fractal if you can, build quality leaves something to be desired for a $100.00 case IMHO but I will admit, it is quiet.

 

[TheStu]

You might to actually look at the Fractal if you can, build quality leaves something to be desired for a $100.00 case IMHO but I will admit, it is quiet.

In what regard is the build quality lacking? And not to derail, but if you have tried other Fractal cases, is this endemic to their entire collection, or just the R3? I am seriously considering the Arc Midi to replace my Cooler Master 590

 

[slpnshot]

You might to actually look at the Fractal if you can, build quality leaves something to be desired for a $100.00 case IMHO but I will admit, it is quiet.

Well I did hear that the HD bay is a bit prone to amplifying HD vibration. Not to mention that the fan and fan controller isn't that great in quality, but I'm not expecting the moon with a 100 dollar case.

I just want silence at this point, but not completely at the expense of cooling from I've seen with the Antec Solo II.

Newegg is shipping this out today! Can't wait!

 

[lehtv]

You will no doubt be another happy R3 owner

 

[birthdaymonkey]

The one thing that irritates me about the build quality of the R3 is how easily the grommets come off the holes when you're running the cables. That, and I wish there were more room behind the motherboard tray for fat PSU cables.

 

[mike2fix]

I have only owned one Fractal case, the R3 and probably would not buy another Fractal. I usually buy Lian Li and find the quality vastly superior to the Fractal and I'm comparing a $100.00 LL to the Fractal, not one of the 200+ LL's. The grommets are loose as mentioned and just the overall fit, finish and quality of materials used in a $100+ case is not what it should be. I like some of the features of the R3 but just think for what they charge, it should be built better and with better materials. I know the R3 is very popular and a of people like them but I feel if they compared it to one of the comparably priced Lian Li or Silverstone cases, side by side, they would agree. Some would argue that the Fractals are not supposed to be in the same class as Lian Li or Silverstone but the R3 is certainly priced in that category. I think I got my R3 for 69 or 79 when it was on sale and I think that price is a stretch given the build/material quality.

I also currently have an Antec 300 Illusion and while certainly not as feature rich as the R3, I still find the materials and build quality superior to the Fractal.

I really have no personal reason or motive to attack the R3, I have one sitting in my dining room empty because it just seemed/felt like a fairly flimsy case to me and I did actually complete a build in it.

 

[slpnshot]

No that's fine, I'm always welcome to hearing multiple inputs regarding a topic. I'm sure you are merely trying to give additional insight into your experience with a product and that's great.

It's just at the moment, my focus is on silence(without going to the extreme of going fanless or something like Solo II's cpu temps though). Thanks again for all the help, I really hope this case helps a lot with my noise woes.

 

[lehtv]

The one thing that irritates me about the build quality of the R3 is how easily the grommets come off the holes when you're running the cables.

I can agree on that. But in the end I just removed all the grommets, they're pretty much useless with a sleeved PSU any way. It's easier to route the cables without them. Other than that, I'm satisfied with the build quality, but it doesn't feel as though it's oozing with quality. The main selling point of this case is that it's quiet. Corsair 550D similarly specialized but it's a step up in build quality and price.

 

[dkm777]

I'll also chime in about the build quality. In my R3 case the rivets on the hard drive cage are a little loose and the cage sometimes buzzes if both drives are seeking. I can't imagine what the sound will be when I fill all the hard drive slots . if only i had access to proper tools, I'd redo the rivets and fix this problem for good. now I have to resort to light whacks to the top when buzzing starts.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

To get around the hard drive vibration problem, I removed a few trays and ran some stretch magic elastic to suspend my hard drive. There's *just* enough room in there to suspend a drive (or two) horizontally. You could do a better job if you had the patience to suspect your drives vertically, but even with my "adequate" horizontal suspension, there's no more vibration.

 

[slpnshot]

Good news, Neweggs has the R3 on sale and credited me the difference! $90~ after tax with no shipping cost.

@birthday

Good to know that there is at least a bit of wiggle room for a suspension setup.

 

[slpnshot]

Update: Got the case last night, set it up this morning.

First impression from the case so far.

People weren't kidding about the gromlets. The water cooling gromlets fell out of the case just from taking it out of package.

I kind of have to squeeze my cables in the back, but my 'front' looks pretty awesome.

One of the front intake fan latch came broken. Sadness.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

ouch. oh well, thats how cases are

 

[lsv]

I've built both cases and would much rather have R3. It's way quieter and has a few extra options. The build quality could use some work but at $100 you can't go wrong.

 

[slpnshot]

Second update.

The little gripes aside(only thing I'm truly sad about is the broken latch...), the case has made a noticeable improvement in my system noise.

When I play around with my gpu fan at 25-60%, the noise difference isn't as pronounced as it was in the Antec. It seems that my psu got louder(but probably just subjectively louder because everything else got quieter?) and even after oiling it, it's still producing too much noise. Time for another~ upgrade

One of the case fans seems to have bad balancing, considering that it's noticeably louder than the other.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the case.

Thanks again for all the input guys.

 

[lehtv]

When I play around with my gpu fan at 25-60%, the noise difference isn't as pronounced as it was in the Antec. It seems that my psu got louder(but probably just subjectively louder because everything else got quieter?) and even after oiling it, it's still producing too much noise. Time for another~ upgrade

Did you use to have PSU fan up in the old case, and do you have PSU fan down in the R3? that will obviously change how you perceive the sound made by the fan