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Case noise: steel vs. aluminum .. and recommendations

D

diehlr

Member
Does anyone know how much better (if any) an aluminum case is at insulating noise? The reason I'm asking is I am currently using an Enlight 7237 and while it's decent, the thing resonates vibration horribly. I'm looking into buying a new case for this reason and because my current one is too big/heavy for my needs.

If there are any experts out there, here are my needs:

300 watts PSU (included would be fine)
Good noise insulation (nothing extravagant, I'm not talking dynamat or anything ridiculous)
Medium to small height (2-3 external 5.25" bays, 1 external 3.5" bay, 2 internal 3.5" bays is plenty)
Costs under $100.. cheaper the better.

If anybody has any insight or recommendations, I'd appreciate it.
 
Well "cheap" and aluminum usually don't go together. You CAN get aluminum cases for under $100, but generally they're very thin and light, which could cause them to actually be a little louder (there's simply less material to dampen the sound). If you have more to spend and can get something like a Lian-Li or Chieftec, they are generally better constructed.

There is a thread in hot deals about an aluminum case from newegg that's like $78...you might check that one out. Just do a quick search.
 
Aluminum cases is generally louder than steel cases. And they definitely aren't cheap. Some companies however cash in on the Aluminum material and simply jump into the bandwagon, producing low quality Aluminum cases. Not all Al cases are good. Cases aren't better just by nature of the fact that they are made of Al. Its all about design and construction, and you definitely get what you pay for.
 
I have a Coolermaster alu case and I have no noise problems (but I also have music on ALL the time when I'm at the computer, or I'm watching a DVD, so I don't notice noise much), but it doesn't seem particulaly loud, then again, the four fans make most of the noise.
 
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