low maintenance case with excellent dust filtration?

[makken]

Hi guys,

I'm looking for a case for a build that's going to be used in a dusty workshop environment. The couple I'm building it for isn't exactly known for their computer maintenance so I'm guessing they're not really going to clean it unless something goes wrong.

Any suggestions on what cases I should be looking at? It needs to fit a full size ATX motherboard and have enough cooling to run a 95W TDP CPU and a 'mainstream' GPU (think radeon 7850 level)

 

[dma0991]

Silverstone RV03 or any cases that are built for silence as opposed to airflow like a Corsair 350D/550D. The less air that it intakes, the less likely for dust to get in. Try investing in a few of Silverstone's magnetic fan filters. They can be mounted externally without screws and cleaning them would be an easy task.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Look at a 4U rackmount case, the front to back air flow will make it much easier to filter the air. Lot of them come with front filters as well.

 

[makken]

hmm, those are a bit outside the budget, I'm looking to stay within the $100 mark.

looking at the fractal design define R4 and the bitfenix ghost right now, any thoughts on those two?

 

[It's Not Lupus]

i have the r4 with 2 intake fans and 1 exhaust fan, and there not a lot of dust in it after a couple months of not cleaning the filter and inside.

 

[Alan G]

Fractal Designs Arc Midi R-2 has ample filtration that is easy for the user to clean. Make sure that the front filter removes before you do the build. I didn't check until I was finished and then discovered that one of the push-release clips was broken. Fractal sent a replacement but I need to open the case up to repair this (I'm not in a dusty environment and probably just vacuuming the front intake will be sufficient). PSU filter on the bottom just slides out.

 

[Cerb]

Also, set up the case to only have intakes from the dust filter, and no other case fans, to be sure no dusty air is coming in from anywhere that isn't filtered. Any possible unintended exhausts or intakes should be covered, and will look fine if you use black paper for the visible part (FI, cut a black paper folder to fan size, and screw it into the fan mount of a top exhaust, which would be a perfect dust inlet, and which won't be needed for cooling a computer without a powerful GPU).

The Fractal Design Core series has front dust filters, along with the R4 and Arc Midi, along with Silverstone's Temjin, PS07, and some others, for $100 or less.

 

[aigomorla]

get a DECM approved case.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=36_463_500_514

DECM filters are what i use and i highly recommend them.
The link i supplied gives u kits.. so get a case which has a DECM kit.

 

[Major Orange]

Hi guys! I did not want to start a whole new topic as this one is a little relevant to my question.

So I have been keeping my eye on cases of my preference; currently I do not have a computer (had to give away my former one overseas before moving, which had a CM 690 II Advanced case that I liked a lot) where I am now my computer would be in a basement level room where it would be in the vicinity of a boiler and air conditioning unit. So noise is not -as much- of a problem so long as the case would not be incredibly loud either.

My main concern is actually dust and whether or not it can freely get into my case. Mainly I have sort of been doubting between the Corsair Carbide 500R and the Fractal Design R4.

All was fine and dandy until this morning I noticed this deal going on for the 500R for 70 dollars AR I really like the design with the white and black contrast and I like the thermal cooling the case provides which I was not sure if it should be a concern of mine as do intend to do a lot of gaming. - I am considering jumping on the Sapphire 7970 deal. Though will not run multiple GPUs. Overclocking maybe in the future but I do not even know what cpu to go for yet

 

[Cerb]

The secret will be to do tidy cabling, make sure to use dynamic fan control, positive pressure, and keep temps safe, not crazy low (get a board known to have efficient/cool voltage regulators, and if your CPU reaches 75C peak in the summer, don't panic). Less air moving means less dust that can latch on somewhere. I'm pretty sure the included filters won't catch really fine dust as well as aftermarket would, but they should be adequate, and the case has good cooling performance.

You will still have to check on it every now and then, of course.

 

[Major Orange]

The secret will be to do tidy cabling, make sure to use dynamic fan control, positive pressure, and keep temps safe, not crazy low (get a board known to have efficient/cool voltage regulators, and if your CPU reaches 75C peak in the summer, don't panic). Less air moving means less dust that can latch on somewhere. I'm pretty sure the included filters won't catch really fine dust as well as aftermarket would, but they should be adequate, and the case has good cooling performance.

You will still have to check on it every now and then, of course.

And once again I find myself typing out "Thank you so much Cerb!".
I found some interesting information on positive air pressure on the overclock forums and will consider finding some extra fans for intake. That is basically what that is right? Add more fans to intake air than exhaust air.

I ended up finally starting a thread for my build in order to no longer derail threads with my whining. Thanks for the info.

To anyone later finding this thread for similar reasons: those filters mentioned earlier are called DEMCI (flex) Filters by the way. But they are quite pricy, I looked into them.