I Need (want) a new case that is quiet

[Anubis]

gone are my days of OCing the crap out of things and dealing with the fans

I need a new case that's big enough to house what I need but also as quiet as I can make it without turning it into a furnace there needs to be some airflow

I need it to be large enough for the following

I7 3770k + cooler (currently a hyper212 but will prob go to one of those closed loop water ones for noise)
standard ATX size mobo
NVidia 970 - with room to add a 2nd one if needed
5 HDDS (3 SSDs, 2 mechs)
1 optical drive

what is out there that fits this?

 

[lehtv]

Phanteks Enthoo Pro.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9062/phanteks-enthoo-pro-case-review
"The stock cooling fans are meant to compromise between thermal performance and comfortable acoustics, meaning that they are neither too strong nor entirely silent, yet they manage to keep the temperatures within acceptable levels without generating too much noise. They are audible at their maximum speed but the noise level is borderline comfortable for home users. With the PWM fan controller present in the Enthoo Pro, these fans should maintain negligible noise levels while the system is performing casual everyday tasks and turn audible only when the processor load increases significantly, such as during gaming. "

Just install all fans (including the CPU fan) into the included PWM hub, connect the hub to the CPU fan header and set to silent mode in the BIOS. It'll be quiet but capable of cooling dual GPU setups fine. Could be further improved by replacing the included fans with lower RPM ones.

Another option more focused on quiet operation: Fractal Design Define R5. Suits two GTX 970's if you install another intake fan and another exhaust fan.

 

[bonehead123]

Corsair Carbide Air 540...

Big enough to accommodate whatever stuff you wanna cram into it (everything you listed plus more if need be), and also to allow for plenty of airflow with the included front & back fans + a decent cpu cooler. The fans are low-RPM models that move a fair amount of air but do NOT produce hardly any noise at all.

Also you will have lots of cooling & expansion options should you ever revert to your "o/c the crap out of everything" phase

 

[BlueWeasel]

I had the Carbide 540 and wouldn't consider it a quiet case, even with the low RPM fans.

 

[DesiPower]

Fractal Design? I thought there where the standard...

 

[smitbret]

Fractal Design? I thought there where the standard...

I've had a Define Mini and R4 and have been nothing short of amazed by the lack of noise. If I hadn't gone FD I would have gone with the Nanoxia Deep Silence cases.

 

[Deders]

I can highly recommend the Nanoxia Deep silence 1. It slightly outperforms the Fractal R4 and has room for watercooling.

 

[Anubis]

thanks for the suggestions, I went with the Fractal Define R5. Really like the way you can mount the SSD behind the mobo tray, I have 2 back there and it cleans things up a ton, I also have 3 normal HDD in it as well.

its roomy and quiet, a lot quieter then my old case, Temps are not really much different which is also good.

only annoyance is the brighter then the sun blue power LED on it, but everyone uses those damn things now.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Great choice. I love my Define Mini. If you have a choice (although sometimes you just can't pass up a good discount) and want the quietest option, skip the models with side windows.

 

[Dahak]

only annoyance is the brighter then the sun blue power LED on it, but everyone uses those damn things now.

Well you could leave it disconnected, or what i did with my R4 is i have that hooked up as my hdd led, so its not on constantly and when drive activity happens its not as annoying

 

[smitbret]

thanks for the suggestions, I went with the Fractal Define R5. Really like the way you can mount the SSD behind the mobo tray, I have 2 back there and it cleans things up a ton, I also have 3 normal HDD in it as well.

its roomy and quiet, a lot quieter then my old case, Temps are not really much different which is also good.

only annoyance is the brighter then the sun blue power LED on it, but everyone uses those damn things now.

Yeah, I find it comical that Fractal Design keeps the whole design low-brow and conservative and then puts a million watt light around the power button. To its credit, it is a great reminder to shut it off when I go to bed since the whole house seems to be illuminated by the light on my Define Mini. I just leave it disconnected on my server (R4) since it's 24/7 and need no such reminder..

 

[Anubis]

i just use these on them

http://www.lightdims.com/

I have a bunch of them because home theater electronics also have the bright LED issue

they work wonders