• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Silent Performance based Case reccomendations

U

UNhooked

Golden Member
Hello all,

So my current Lian Li A05B has slowly turned into a space heater. I cut a hole open on top and slapped a 120mm fan which helped tremendously but now that I have swapped my Video card to a even longer 460 2win, things have gotten seriously cramped and hotter.

So I was just toying with the idea to upgrade my case.

I do like minimalistic simple design, nothing flashy like the NZXT Phantom series. It has to be able to accommodate long graphics card. Also space is a premium at my place so no Full Towers etc.

Has to have a side fan to blow air on to the toasty video card. Also a top mount HD dock would be nice.

I have narrowed down to couple of cases and was hoping if someone can provide me with their thoughts.

1) Corsair 550D
2) Fractal R4
3) Fractal Arc Midi on Sale at the egg
4) Antec Solo 2

ALso please let me know if anyone has reccomendations not on this list.
 
Last edited:
I think it's kind of counterproductive to buy a quiet case and then put a dual GPU video card inside... If you wanted quiet you shouldn't get such a card in the first place. And if you get such a card, you should be looking to cooling it efficiently.

Out of those four cases I'd definitely go with Define R4, I've got the Define R3 and based on what I've read in reviews the R4 has improved on it in a lot of ways without doing any radical changes. Only takes 140mm fans, great for quiet and cool operation. But I wouldn't put a dual GPU card in it
 
I too have an R3 system which I just built (literally a week or two before the R4 came out). I have no real complaints. It would have been nice if it supported slightly larger power supplies without losing the bottom intake fan position, but other than that, it has done very well for my purposes. I don't have a modern graphics card (returned 2 defective ones already, and waiting for the 3rd to arrive in the next 2-3 days).

System:
Intel i7-3770k
Asus P8Z77-V Premium
Noctua NH-D14
Samsung 830 256GB SSD
Seasonic 1000W Platinum
4x Western Digital 1TB 7200 Black
Promise EX8350 Raid controller
EVGA GTX 260 (been waiting on a working GTX 670)
Fractal Designs R3 case
2x Corsair SP120 Quiet fans (used as front intake to push through the hard drive bays)
 
Yea currently I am trying to decide between the R4 and the 550D.

Also just to clarify. I want a case that is balanced between silent and efficient cooling. The 4870X2 was free and I recently upgraded to the GTX 460 2Win. Both these cards run hot so I am aware that I will always have some sort of noise based on the load. I just want to get something that is reasonably quiet and at the same time cools these cards efficiently thus reducing the overall noise.
 
UNhooked said:
Yea currently I am trying to decide between the R4 and the 550D.

Also just to clarify. I want a case that is balanced between silent and efficient cooling. The 4870X2 was free and I recently upgraded to the GTX 460 2Win. Both these cards run hot so I am aware that I will always have some sort of noise based on the load. I just want to get something that is reasonably quiet and at the same time cools these cards efficiently thus reducing the overall noise.
Click to expand...

FWIW, I went to MC on Sunday to check out the R3 and 550D. (They don't have the R4 in yet). Everything you read about the door is true. The one on display had been opened countless times and still was a pain. The R3 has a place for your fingers on the back of it. The front door foam is *much* thinner than the R3. I can remove both drive cages on the R4. You could easily remove one and move the remaining one near the top or the bottom. That makes it more flexible IMO. I will be ordering later in the week.
 
I've personally owned an R3 case, and helped my brother with his a few months ago and am definitely a fan. With the R4's ability to remove the drive cages it's definitely my recommendation. Given your cooling requirements, I'd purchase an additional fan for the side intake, and maybe another one up top to pull out warm air. I'd also probably end up keeping the front door open whenever your using it for intensive tasks for additional airflow from the fan up front.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top