What is the QUIETEST CASE that fits 8800GTX?

[bX510]

I am planning to build a 2nd rig, and planning to make it a fast powerful beast but quiet as a mouse. What would you suggest for quietest case? I more variety to choose from.

My specs for future rig,

1. Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt

2 ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

3. EVGA 768-P2-N837-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 KO HDCP Video Card - Retail

4. Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail

5. CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - Retail

6. 2 x Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

7. SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model SH-S182M/BEBN - OEM

 

[soydios]

Antec Sonata II is pretty quiet. I've only built two systems though, one with a Sonata II for a friend, and mine with an Antec P160, so I unfortunately can't say much.
The Sonata II is steel and has its front fan behind the hard drives, so it's quieter than the P160, though. The PSU is very quiet.
And just a heads-up, that 8800GTX will be the loudest component in your system by far.

 

[Shadowknight]

Antec generally makes cases that are "tight" on the inside, so I'd go with another manufacturer. I don't know how quiet it is, but the Thermaltake Armor is supposed to be fairly spacious.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

any case can be quiet as long as u use the right parts, u can switch out the stock 120mm fans for yate loons and switch out your gpu cooler and install a vf900 and your system will be very very quiet...

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: soydios
And just a heads-up, that 8800GTX will be the loudest component in your system by far.

You'd think that would be the case with the fastest GPU available, but its simply not. The reference cooling system on the 8-series is pretty amazing in terms of how well they cool compared to noise. The low-speed 120mm fan on my TT Typhoon is louder than the GTS cooler and the loudest things in my case are my Raptors.

 

[Zepper]

Rosewill R5601. Has 11" of card space. See review here:
http://www.techimo.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=431&sort=7&cat=3&page=1

..b.h.

 

[Woofmeister]

Originally posted by: chizow

Originally posted by: soydios
And just a heads-up, that 8800GTX will be the loudest component in your system by far.

You'd think that would be the case with the fastest GPU available, but its simply not. The reference cooling system on the 8-series is pretty amazing in terms of how well they cool compared to noise. The low-speed 120mm fan on my TT Typhoon is louder than the GTS cooler and the loudest things in my case are my Raptors.

QFT. I can barely hear my 8800GTX fan and it almost never gets spinning at full speed until a couple of hours of gaming. (Good ambients and good air flow in the case help)

 

[bX510]

any other cases suggested?

edit: i don't think a vf900 is enough for a 8800gtx

 

[Nickel020]

Even if a VF900 is enough, the 8800's stock cooling is probably about the same level as the VF900. I was very pleasantly suprised when I got my 8880 GTS.

As for a case, the mos important stuff is that you can use 120mm case fans, that the fan grills aren't too obstrusive and that you mount the fans on rubber "screws" and de-couple the HDs. What components you choose is more important then what case you choose (if the case fullfills the above requirements).

 

[Skott]

The Enermax Chakra is a very quiet case. I use it. Its only real drawback is that it can only fit a Zalman 9700 hsf and smaller inside it. So if you want to use a Tuniq or a Scythe you'd need to look at another case. The Chakra is a very quiet case though. In my set up below only way I can hear anything is when I put my ear up against the 250mm side fan and even then its hard to hear anything. You might want to check it out.

Note: There is a Chakra II in developement but hasnt been released yet as far as I know.

 

[Woofmeister]

Originally posted by: Zepper
Rosewill R5601. Has 11" of card space. See review here:
http://www.techimo.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=431&sort=7&cat=3&page=1

..b.h.

Zepper, I'm thinking of going with this case temporarily while I plan out my water cooling build. We already are reasonably sure that the door will fit my X-Fi I/O drive bay, but do you know anybody who's actually fit two 8800GTXs in SLI into the case?

Edit The Egg has got this case for $39.99. With 3-day shipping, it comes to $57.43. That deal's good enough that I'm tempted to post it in Hot Deals.

 

[Zepper]

Most people who buy that case aren't going to be putting dual 8800s in it - people are just not wired to think $800 worth of vid cards in a $50. case... But I own the 5604 (same chassis as the 5601) and the measured card space is 11".

It looks like the silver version of the 5601 has gone off of special already so it's time to
move!

They may have changed the fans that come with it as the Jamicons I got in mine weren't bad at all noise wise.

.bh.

 

[Operandi]

How about the Lian Li PC-A05B?

It looks like there should be enough room, there is two 120mm fans for good cooling, both fans as well as the hard drives (room for 3) are soft-mounted to help cut down on noise.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Operandi
How about the Lian Li PC-A05B?

It'll make a nice space heater too!

As with most Lian Li cases, it's built upside-down and backwards... really!

That way, the cool air comes in the back, and the hot air comes out the front -- in your face.

Perfect for those cold winter nights...

I suppose, in the summer, you can turn the case around, facing the wall. That way, all you get is the heat coming off your blistering 8800GTX video card!

Don't believe me? Take a LOOK at the reverse air flow...

 

[RonAKA]

Originally posted by: bX510
I am planning to build a 2nd rig, and planning to make it a fast powerful beast but quiet as a mouse. What would you suggest for quietest case? I more variety to choose from.

My specs for future rig,

1. Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt
Same with stock 120mm 3 spd case exhaust fan

2 ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
ASUS P5B DX

3. EVGA 768-P2-N837-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 KO HDCP Video Card - Retail
ASUS EN7600GS Silent- I don't do games..

4. Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail
Core 2 Duo E4300 OC'd to 3.15 GHz at 1.41 V.

5. CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - Retail
2x512 DDR2-667

6. 2 x Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
1x320 Seagate

7. SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model SH-S182M/BEBN - OEM
2 x DVD, 1 RW, 1 IDE & 1 SATA

Just put together a system (see notes added above) using the Sonata II case. It is extremely quiet, however I'm using a much more limited graphics card with passive cooling. Can't see your card not fitting for width, but if you retain the Sonata II CPU inlet air ducting the height may be an issue. Best to check. The ducting can be left out.

With the stock Intel cooler and CPU at idle I'm getting about 36 C on CPU and 36 C on the System based on the ASUS Probe II dashboard. I have not had to increase the manual set 120 mm case exhaust fan off low speed. It is not audible, but may be just if I was to move it to medium. It would be heard on high. The loudest noise which only can be heard when the house is very quiet is the Seagate drive, even though it is mounted with the silicone grommets supplied with the Sonata II. It is a very low frequency noise just barely audible and not at all objectionable.

The Sonata II has options to add addional fans, 120 mm on front, and I believe 92 mm on rear. I would try it with the stock setup. If that does control the heat, then I would move the 120 3 speed fan to the front, and leave it on low, and add a variable speed 120 on the back. Or, put a 92 mm on low in the back to feed the graphics card. Just my thoughts. There are other options. Obviously if you want silence then you need to keep the fans as big and slow as possible.

If you don't overclock I suspect you may be ok with the stock setup. I'm impressed with how quiet the Intel stock CPU fan is even at 2100 rpm. Can't say I've heard it yet, even when running game demos to test stability of the OC setup.

One tip. Get a SATA DVD drive rather than a IDE with a big ribbon cable that can obstruct air flow. The SATA cable is very small in comparision and can be easily routed to minimize air obstruction.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Shadowknight
Antec generally makes cases that are "tight" on the inside, so I'd go with another manufacturer.

I've never found that to be a problem. Of course I've build many SFF setups so any mid tower case is quite spacious for me. Also, most people aren't going to be messing around inside their systems every day, so once they get it built up, they aren't gonna have to get into it for a while (months? for some, years?).

My current favorite is the Antec Solo. Yes, really cramped inside, but it was the easiest "quiet" system I've built ever, and I've been trying to build quiet systems for years.

 

[RonAKA]

Just as an update to my earlier post, I tried the Sonata II with the 120mm case fan on medium. Yes, now you can hear it in a quiet house. And it didn't do much for temps by reducing CPU-SYS temps down from 36-36C to 35-34C. So it seemed to do more for the system than the CPU, perhaps due to the CPU ducting. I then realized that the exhaust fan outlet on this case is right above the CPU ducting inlet, and wondered if there was some recirculation of heat from the case exhaust back into the CPU inlet. So I set the case fan back to low speed and taped a bit of a cardboard baffle between the case exhaust and inlet to the CPU ducting. Now it's running at 33-34, the best yet, so I think recirculation was likely the case.

In any case at least for my OC'd components and stock fan, not bad for temps, and extremely quiet.

 

[Howard]

The P180 works if you take out the upper HD cage.

VinDSL, unless the case is positioned so that your face is very close to either side of the front bezel, I doubt you would be able to tell a difference in temperature between a case like that and a case with conventional flow. All the heat ends up in the room no matter how you cut it.

EDIT: This is probably my last post in either GH or C&C.

 

[Brakner]

When I upgraded my system to a C2D 6400 and ATI x1950xt the only thing I kept was my SONATA II. I found after 15 or 20 minutes of gaming the back of PSU would get pretty hot to the touch. It just seemed the 2 x 8cm fans running at such a low rpm in an enclosed box were not putting out enough CFM to keep it cool under heavy stress. I then swapped the PSU and case for an Antec SOLO with 500w Enermax Liberty, the 12cm fan and wide open vents have kept it luke warm to the touch even after several hours of gaming.

 

[nZone]

Originally posted by: Woofmeister

Originally posted by: chizow

Originally posted by: soydios
And just a heads-up, that 8800GTX will be the loudest component in your system by far.

You'd think that would be the case with the fastest GPU available, but its simply not. The reference cooling system on the 8-series is pretty amazing in terms of how well they cool compared to noise. The low-speed 120mm fan on my TT Typhoon is louder than the GTS cooler and the loudest things in my case are my Raptors.

QFT. I can barely hear my 8800GTX fan and it almost never gets spinning at full speed until a couple of hours of gaming. (Good ambients and good air flow in the case help)

I second this; the GTX fan is probably spinning below 500rpm. I put my ears next to it I don't even hear a sound. And it's not hot either. My back exhaust antec tri-cool fan @medium is the loudest. The hottest component in my case is the ATI TV Tuner 550.

 

[nZone]

Originally posted by: bX510
I am planning to build a 2nd rig, and planning to make it a fast powerful beast but quiet as a mouse. What would you suggest for quietest case? I more variety to choose from.

My specs for future rig,

1. Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt

2 ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

3. EVGA 768-P2-N837-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 KO HDCP Video Card - Retail

4. Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail

5. CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - Retail

6. 2 x Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

7. SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model SH-S182M/BEBN - OEM

I recommend Antec P180:

My rigs:

Pentium D 945@3.74Ghz =>temp 40C idle; game all day long @49C.
CPU Heatsink: ThermalTake Big Typhoon; will replace shortly with Thermalright HR-01.
MB: Asus P5N32-SLI Deluxe => MB temp never reached above 33C.
Graphic: 8800GTX
Memory: 4x512MB
HD: 3 drives; 2x160 RAID 0; 1x80GB
Drive: 1xDVD drive
Power Supply: Antec 550 NeoHE

FANS: 1x120mm rear @medium; 1x120mm top @low; 1x120mm front@low; 1xPCI slot cooler (from Antec Aria case); 1x antec spotcool@low.

Note: the top fan; reverse it to have it intake the air. Decrease case temp about 5C.

Temperature above: I place my p180 case in the enclosed area (circulating hot air) but if place it in an open area the temp reduce at least 10C for the CPU.

 

[kilcan]

Originally posted by: Zepper
Rosewill R5601. Has 11" of card space. See review here:
http://www.techimo.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=431&sort=7&cat=3&page=1

..b.h.

Just wanted to second that. I took this recommendation on my current build and my only complaint is that the fans work TOO good - I'm freezing! lol Very spacious though inside. I had way more than enough room to place all of my components and there is plenty more room to put things if I wanted. The screwless design was very efficient as well, I built two systems last night using this case (one silver, one black) and I put the second one together in less than a half hour - the case is very user friendly.