Question basic PC case

FireDragon76

Junior Member
Jul 10, 2020
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I'm looking for a basic PC case as my old Antec Sonata is getting antiquated (it has AC '97 only on the front panel, and USB 2.0), I am planning to get a new PSU (my old one is 9 years old and starting to experience voltage sag, especially after my last CPU and graphics card upgrade), and I just figure it's time to think about upgrading rather than trying to squeeze yet more life out of a 16 year old PC case.

The problem I am having is that I keep my PC in a bedroom and I am sensitive to bright LED lights, especially white or blue blinking lights. Unfortunately, alot of the newer cases have clear side panels or they have illimunated power buttons, which means the selection of suitable cases is quite small.

My motherboard is a micro ATX motherboard, so using a smaller case wouldn't be an issue.
 

HerrKaLeu

Member
Nov 23, 2016
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You should list what hardware you plan to use.... for cooling and PSU sizing.
You can disconnect the power LED. But then it will be infuriating to trouble-shoot a boot problem if you don't see if you just turned the PC on, or off.

Modern cases have much larger fans and better airflow design than older designs.
 

FireDragon76

Junior Member
Jul 10, 2020
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My Antec case's cooling performance is actually good compared to some cases I have owned. I have two 120mm case fans. The motherboard temperature is below 34 degrees at idle and the CPU idles around 42. None of my components are overclocked.

The front header for audio is simply out of date AC'97 and the case is aging in terms of features (it doesn't even fit dual slot video cards well).

I have a Ryzen 5 3600 and a Geforce 1650 Super. My motherboard is a 2 year old low-end Asus board, but it doesn't have problems running the Ryzen 3600. I also have a Soundblaster AE-5, which is generally good except for the mic input, which is just bad, not even Nvidia RTX Voice can fix it (low dynamic range and high noise, perhaps coming from dirty power on he 12v rail - I ordered a new 500W 85 plus Gold Antec to replace it).

My tastes are conservative and I prefer things to be minimalist and understated, which is one reason I haven't upgraded my case in a long time.
 

Steltek

Diamond Member
Mar 29, 2001
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You might look at a Silencio S400. You can do either micro-ATX or mini-ITX in it, which is an upside for future upgrades.

The only downside it has is that it will tend to run a little hotter, but on the plus side it is silent, isn't loaded with LEDs, and doesn't have a glass door.
 

HerrKaLeu

Member
Nov 23, 2016
100
5
81
You could add a sound header if you feel comfortable to drill and dremel.
Look at Fractal Design Define if you want conservative looking cases.

for good thermals and sound, look for the following:
- bottom mount PSU
- easily cleanable filter (inc. for the PSU intake)
- large 120 or even 140 front fans, maybe bottom intake fans
- generous rear openings
- HDD not blocking the front fans (many have vertically mounted HDD... obviously we are int he age of SSD anyway)

Note that most newer cases did away with the 5.25" for DVD writers in favor of front fans.