Which case is quieter - Antec Sonata or Dell PowerEdge 400SC server case?

[LukFilm]

I want a really quiet computer, but don't know which case is quieter. I think I read that Dell PE400SC case are quieter than even Antec Sonata, can anyone who had both confirm? Thanks!

 

[Gravity]

I have no experience with that particular dell but I just built a pretty fast sonata and it's very, very quiet. I think Dell uses rais to mount the drives so the sonata will have an edge there. Sonata uses rubber gromments mounted to the bottom of the drive so the drive isn't in contact with any part of the case.

If you do get the dell please come back and give us your impressions.

 

[BTSpope]

im not so sure about the 4002c, but the 2400 series is practically inaudible. All this talk of quiet pc's makes me nostalgic for my old dragon orb with a 7000rpm delta. That fan could make your ears bleed

 

[RaymondY]

I can't speak about the Sonato, but I do have a Dell Poweredge 400SC with a P4 2.6c, 2-WD SE HD, Plextor 708A and a Radeon 9800 Pro. This system is extremely quiet, I can't tell the system is on usually except during the dead of night when everything in my house is off.

I love the PE400SC, 100% stable and QUIET!!!!!

 

[InlineFive]

The Dell 400SC is very quiet but you could built a system in a Sonata that's just as quiet even though it might take some ca$h.

 

[bub]

Can't comment on the Dell, but the Sonata is slick!

Very quiet even with extra 120mm fan.

Great 380w power supply which is important these days.

Unique front drive AND internal drive mounts are great.

Beautiful black finish if you like black.

Left hand hinge on front door is sort of a bummer for me.

There are some vent holes at the top on each side which defeat the front filter. I taped over the right side vents and taped some Scott foam to the inside of left vents.

You will not be sorry you bought this case.

 

[Zap]

It comes down to do you want to build your own or to buy a pre-built machine? If you build your own, then go for any of the "quiet" cases with grommets for hard drive mounts, such as the Sonata you mentioned, or the Antec 3700 series (from memory I think SLK3700BQE), or the Antec P160 series aluminum case. Also, the Kingwin aluminum cases use rubber grommets and are 2mm thick aluminum.

The case is the right place to start for a quiet computer built from ground-up (meaning, not trying to make a noisy computer quieter). Next, choose your components wisely. Seagate or Samsung hard drives are quiet. Zalman 7000 series CPU HSF are quiet and good enough for the highest end CPU. For video, Artic Cooling Silencer is good for Radeon series, while Zalman HP80C is good for Nvidia series. Choose from a whole bunch of quiet power supplies, such as the A+GPB Titanium 420W or the Antec TruePower series (not silent, but fairly quiet), or any Zalman unit. Even many of the Fortron units are fairly quiet. Round out your system with quiet fans.

 

[Dug]

I've heard both.
The Antec way will be more expensive, but that's the route I went.

Important factors-
Need a quiet cooler for your video card, such as the silencer mentioned earlier.
Need a quiet heatsink and fan such as the Zalman alcu 7000 and run it about 15-1700 rpm.
Need a Seagate IV or V, or better yet a Samsung.
Need to hook up the 120mm fan to the fan connector on the Sonata for 7v.

This will be very, very quiet. Quieter than even 1 Panaflo L1A 80mm fan running.

The 3700 series cases from Antec are also very quiet, but you have to spend extra money on a different power supply, and spend the hassle of rewiring to 7v. (Which you don't have to do with the Sonata.)

 

[Bonesdad]

both cases are silent...problems start when you put a power supply and fans in it...

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Dug

Need a quiet heatsink and fan such as the Zalman alcu 7000 and run it about 15-1700 rpm.
Need a Seagate IV or V, or better yet a Samsung.
Need to hook up the 120mm fan to the fan connector on the Sonata for 7v.

I just want to clarify a bit and add to what Dug said...

The Zalman 7000 series HSF comes with the Zalman FanMate which will let you adjust the fan speed manually.

I'm not quite sure if the Seagate Barracuda IV or V is still available. Though the IV was probably the quietest hard drive, the current 7200.7 drives aren't too bad, plus they perform a lot better. In fact, the 200GB 7200.7 model utilizes 100GB/platter densities for some really high sustained DTR.

The Sonata's power supply is a TruePower 380 (with single fan). The TruePower power supplies have dedicated "fan only" connectors which undervolt based on temperature.

Originally posted by: Bonesdad

both cases are silent...problems start when you put a power supply and fans in it...

LOL, of course a case with no mechanically moving parts in it would be relatively silent.