Need a quiet case w/ psu

[Running]

i was looking at the antec sonata II, looks like a good case, i want to keep the cost under 100. any suggestions?

 

[RallyMaster]

what type of case are you looking for? aluminum or steel? door or no door? window or no window? color?

answer those and it would narrow it down pretty well.

 

[Running]

window or no window is fine, don't really care about the color preferably balck or silver, no wild colors. probably a mid tower case. door or no door doesn't matter to me. same with case material but i just want it to be quiet, not necessarily silent though.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Provantage.com has the Antec SLK-3000B w/o PSU (thank god) for <$30. That's the cheap but good on this board. It has a door but can hold 2x120 fans, iirc, it does come with one fan.

The single best deal on a VG PSU atm is the FSP-400 GLN at ewiz.com for <$50. eWiz has scads of mid-towers but I'm not interested enough to look at them all. They have some Iwin & Evercool that look decent. If you want quiet, you need 120 fans.

Look over the cases at ewiz and link what you find here, then the hands on knowledgable will assist in the final cut. If you place function way before form, you will be happier in the long term. A decent case + a VG PSU can be had at $100 if your smart about it.

Plz don't come back with an Assfire case/PSU combo.


...Galvanized

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: Running
i was looking at the antec sonata II, looks like a good case, i want to keep the cost under 100. any suggestions?

You are always better to get a seperate case with a seperate power supply!!
YES-- that can be done for around $100!

 

[Running]

yea i know, but i thought antec cases use antec psu's which are of good quality. what about the CM Centaurion 5? it looks like a good budget cheap case

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Read in total http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=37&threadid=1866059&enterthread=y

What I offered above is the best of the cheapest. I do believe the Cent 5 has no front intake fan. The SLK-3000B can be quiet with the door close but on hot days while gaming the door can be opened & the intake fan turned up. More noise but more cooling air.

You need to read or search threads in this forum inorder to make the most of your dough.


...Galvanized

 

[Howard]

AFAIK the Centurion 5 has a front 80mm fan, but a sizeable fraction is blocked off by the front I/O ports.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: Howard
AFAIK the Centurion 5 has a front 80mm fan, but a sizeable fraction is blocked off by the front I/O ports.

OP's title says quiet and he wants it at $100 for case & PSU.

80mm fans do not=quiet Well they do, if they are fed 5V, then why bother


...Galvanized

 

[pkme2]

My Lian Li PC-60 has a Seasonic S-12 600W & Yate Loon fans, is quiet and nice.

A Lian-Li PC-7B Plus 2 with Fortron 450W PSU is half as much, is just as quiet and nice. (less than 1/2 the price) Running about $141.

Coolermaster Cavalier 3 and FSP 400W PSU is nice and quiet at $100.

All with 120mm fans. You pick what's nice and quiet.

 

[Running]

galvanized yankee, i don't really like the look of the antec case. it's nothing personal i just want it just a teeny bit flashier. oh and i don't think 80mm fans are too loud, i don't need this pc to be silent just quiet enough so i can do other things without it bothering me. well so far i like the Cavalier 3 and the Raidmax X1. any reccomendations on the psu?

the fortron 400w looks like a pretty good one

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Not any 400W Fortron. The FSP-400 GLN.


...Galvanized

 

[Kendral77]

I built a new system with the Antec Sonata II and it was nice and quiet. I also didn't have a problem with the power supply. The 450 ps does a fine job running an AMD dual core processor on a Asus A8N32 MB and a Radeon X1900XT graphics card. I only have one SATA HD and two optical drives.

The only problem that I see with this case is system temperatures. Though under normal usage, the temperature was not a problem, under gaming, it did get too hot for my liking. The MB would get up past 50 C so I ended up going back to my old Antec server case and the MB temperatures droped by around 15 degrees c. But I am going to keep the case for a Home Theater system that I plan on building soon. Any way, I hope that helps a little in your decision making.

 

[Running]

ok thanks for the help. i think im going to go with the raidmax then and add in the front 120mm intake fan.

-edit-
just looked at the fortron, and its a tad too expensive. i'd like to have the psu price at 40-50 if it's possible

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: Running
ok thanks for the help. i think im going to go with the raidmax then and add in the front 120mm intake fan.

-edit-
just looked at the fortron, and its a tad too expensive. i'd like to have the psu price at 40-50 if it's possible

You did not look where I told you too. You want to spend only $40~$50 and have a VG PSU. Here yah go.

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=PS-FS400GN

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=PS-EN5240G

Buy lesser units at your systems risk


...Galvanized

 

[Talcite]

hey galvanized. The sonata II isn't really that quiet. I have built several of them. (work in comp store) You can find quieter. If you do choose this case though, remove the CPU duct and replace the case fan. Other than that, it should be ok. Maybe line it with some acoustic foam after you get the right parts?

 

[Running]

galvanized im just wondering if i could trust those stores, cause i usually order all my parts from chiefvalue/newegg and ZZF. just wondering if they are reliable

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Price check via Froogle for anything you find at any of the stores you listed.
Then always check the resellers rating if it is found cheaper. You can save up to 20%.
That's alot of Mickey D's

Because I live <30 miles from the Egg's SoCal warehouse, I can recieve orders in<36 hours=scary fast. BUT, Newegg does not have the best pricing and/or shipping...Often.

Yes, eWiz is a very trust worthy reseller. My last order took 3 days w/basic ground shipping.
TIP: If you order a PSU from eWiz add something you need to the order, that way they will have to double box it. This will make for a safer transit to Texas.

Consider shopping:
Provantage.com
Overstock.com
Buy.com (some have had issue with them, but not me)
Sidewindercomputers.com
Performance-pcs.com
BuyExtras.com
SVC.com
Jab-Tech.com
Directron.com (Be sure to check out the short but very helpful tutorials in support)
AllElectronics.com
Action-Electronics.com
BGMicro.com
PCHCables.com

A VG build & security tutorial= http://www.mechbgon.com he's a respected member here.

I'm not being funny with the short list. They all have things that meet different needs.


...Galvanized

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: Running
yea i know, but i thought antec cases use antec psu's which are of good quality. what about the CM Centaurion 5? it looks like a good budget cheap case

No they don`t ..
In fact if you talk to the right person some will say the words Antec and Quality do not go together!

I will tell you that The newer Antec PSU`s are better than the older ones becuase Antec is actually trying to improve quality!

I would never ever by any case/PSU combo where the PSU is an Antec.

Just my opinion!

 

[Zepper]

I might suggest you take a look at the Arctic Cooling Silentium series at http://www.svc.com . If they can handle your system (the Silentiums have limitations in size and power for really gonzo systems but they do come with a custom Seasonic PSU), then they're worth a look. Take a look anyway if you've not seen them before,

.bh.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: Zepper
I might suggest you take a look at the Arctic Cooling Silentium series at http://www.svc.com . If they can handle your system (the Silentiums have limitations in size and power for really gonzo systems but they do come with a custom Seasonic PSU), then they're worth a look. Take a look anyway if you've not seen them before,

.bh.

No detailed pics are really offered here http://www.arctic-cooling.com/index.php

For a quiet low power demand system, this is a VG deal indeed. Soon, Arctic will be up-grading the PSU from 350W to what IDK. Yes it is a dedicated PSU made by Seasonic for A/C. It mounts at the lower front and exhausts out the case bottom. It has two exposed 80x45mm fans on the PSU and at top rear of the case. In true A/C style, there is no frame around the fan blades, the fan motor's shaft is made out of ceramic and quite fragile. With rough treatment, they will snap. The fans have a six year warrenty.
This is NOT a modder's case. Buy it and use it silently


...Galvanized

 

[Zepper]

There are some reviews around the web with lots of detailed pix - not hard to find with your favorite search enjine. I think xbit labs did a review of several of them. And yes those open-frame fans are fragile, so if any of the fans are noisy when you receive your Silentium, just RMA them. I think some of the reviewers (SPCR) didn't know how fragile the fans are, so the review is flawed by being based on damaged fans.

.bh.