Looking for a quiet case with good airflow and sound dampening materials out of the box

[Wolverine2349]

I know often silence with good airflow is contradictory and hard.



This is for all air cooling no liquid cooling at all

Will use a Noctua NH-D15S with dual 140mm fans and an Asus Tuf RTX 3090 video card. Only 2 SATA SSDs and no HDDs nor optical drives

Does not have to be whisper quiet, but want quiet and low noise and also smooth noise that is more consistent without vibrations and pitches which makes it more bearable

But a case with a good optimized meshify front panel with at least 3 in take 120/140mm fans or at least 2 200mm fans that can provide good airflow at low RPM and thus low noise



And of course at least 1 exhaust 120/140mm or 200mm fan that provides good exhaust with low noise



And rest of case and mounts have good anti vibration and sound dampening material that does not impede airflow where the fans are.



Like side panel and top cover sound dampening material



Also a PSU shroud in cable management back of case so bottom of case can be wide open for best GPU thermals as Gamers Nexus tests seem to indicate cases without bottom mounted PSUs in the main area have top tier GPU thermals. So an open mesh at bottom of case good as well.



I like Be Quiet cases, but unfortunately even their airflow models do not have a separate PSU chamber that is away from main bottom area.



I would like one with included good fans and ready out o the box.



Closest things I have found is Thermaltake View 51, but it has solid front panel and not a mesh. And Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 as well but no included fans so who knows how well airflow is optimized



Is there any other cases anyone knows of



I have searched and such a case I would like does not seem to exist at least not that I know of based on reviews.

Basically case that would be quietist with reasonable and best thermals for both the 12900KS with the Noctua cooler and Asus Tuf RTX 3090.

 

[pavel]

I know often silence with good airflow is contradictory and hard.

This is for all air cooling no liquid cooling at all

Does not have to be whisper quiet, but want quiet and low noise and also smooth noise that is more consistent without vibrations and pitches which makes it more bearable

But a case with a good optimized meshify front panel with at least 3 in take 120/140mm fans or at least 2 200mm fans that can provide good airflow at low RPM and thus low noise



And of course at least 1 exhaust 120/140mm or 200mm fan that provides good exhaust with low noise



And rest of case and mounts have good anti vibration and sound dampening material that does not impede airflow where the fans are.



Like side panel and top cover sound dampening material



Also a PSU shroud in cable management back of case so bottom of case can be wide open for best GPU thermals as Gamers Nexus tests seem to indicate cases without bottom mounted PSUs in the main area have top tier GPU thermals. So an open mesh at bottom of case good as well.

I like Be Quiet cases, but unfortunately even their airflow models do not have a separate PSU chamber that is away from main bottom area

I would like one with included good fans and ready out of the box.

Be Quiet Silent Base 802?
Stock fans of any cases - just aren't quiet - they are often 3-pin but if you really value a quiet fan, you need to buy your own.
I bought a Phanteks P500A - because of price - but, I wanted a P600S - you should check that one out. It has some sound dampening material - it's mostly at the back - but, it's decent quality. The prices in the USA, Australia - aren't too bad - AFAIK. You can choose either temperated glass version or solid metal side panel. The front panel comes off - and thus, converts into a mesh front.
I would just buy a case and replace stock fans with Be Quiet fans, Noctua fans or Arctic P12s/P14s - based on what you are willing to spend. Get 4-pin pwm pst fans, whatever the brand. 'Quiet cases' is mostly about design, air flow that you choose and the fan speeds/static pressure, fan settings. Obviously - cooling, too - so make sure the cooling setup is optimal (good air cooler etc.).

 

[Wolverine2349]

Be Quiet Silent Base 802?
Stock fans of any cases - just aren't quiet - they are often 3-pin but if you really value a quiet fan, you need to buy your own.
I bought a Phanteks P500A - because of price - but, I wanted a P600S - you should check that one out. It has some sound dampening material - it's mostly at the back - but, it's decent quality. The prices in the USA, Australia - aren't too bad - AFAIK. You can choose either temperated glass version or solid metal side panel. The front panel comes off - and thus, converts into a mesh front.
I would just buy a case and replace stock fans with Be Quiet fans, Noctua fans or Arctic P12s/P14s - based on what you are willing to spend. Get 4-pin pwm pst fans, whatever the brand. 'Quiet cases' is mostly about design, air flow that you choose and the fan speeds/static pressure, fan settings. Obviously - cooling, too - so make sure the cooling setup is optimal (good air cooler etc.).

Yeah thanks for reply and advice. Yes I have heard stock fans are often not very good. Though have heard some cases it is bad to add fans as it messes with airflow? Is that true or FUD. I suppose you do not want top fans as that can mess with airflow but adding to front or rear is fine and helpful??

And Be Quiet Silent Base 802? Are the included fans you are saying not good? Aren't Be Quiet fans some of the best quality and quietist around??

And yeah I always use best air cooler and edited my post. Its a Noctua NH-D15S which is one of the best around.

 

[MrGuvernment]

Fans included with most cases are the cheapest ones of any brand and thus no quiet compared to better quality ones.

 

[Wolverine2349]

What are some of the best quality fans with lowest noise at 1000 RPM you can buy?? Any recommendations?

And what do you think of Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 with 3 140mm intakes and 1 140mm exhaust?? Good setup or is there something better?

 

[pavel]

Yeah thanks for reply and advice. Yes I have heard stock fans are often not very good. Though have heard some cases it is bad to add fans as it messes with airflow? Is that true or FUD. I suppose you do not want top fans as that can mess with airflow but adding to front or rear is fine and helpful??

And Be Quiet Silent Base 802? Are the included fans you are saying not good? Aren't Be Quiet fans some of the best quality and quietist around??

And yeah I always use best air cooler and edited my post. Its a Noctua NH-D15S which is one of the best around.

I'm not an expert and probably not a good authority - since, I am learning this stuff, too. But, regarding airflow - it depends on how you set up the fan - intake/exhaust - positive/negative/neutral pressure and so on. I would suggest researching/reading up on it. Generally, as I understand it - a common setup is 2 or 3 fans in the front - intake, 1 or 2 at the top (optional) - exhaust - and then a rear exhaust fan. The other consideration is the graphics card - which is normally horizontal but some options for vertical mount - mean a difference in the air flow configuration in the case.

It's usually not very complicated unless you have additional expansion cards or cables in the way - stuff impeding air flow. So, good cable management can help.

What are some of the best quality fans with lowest noise at 1000 RPM you can buy?? Any recommendations?

And what do you think of Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 with 3 140mm intakes and 1 140mm exhaust?? Good setup or is there something better?

The first question in particular is subjective. I like Arctic P14s (or P12s) or at least, I plan on trying them out. Noise is subjective and besides the air flow noise - there is noise of the fan motor - so keep that in mind. Some have a more pleasant noise than others.

I don't know much about that case but it looks pretty good. I like Phanteks cases (I wanted to buy the P600S) and I picked one, the P500A. That setup sounds fine. You could always try one or two in the top - and leave/remove them depending on the temps/noise?
I like this video - the youtuber tests different fan configurations (both 120s and 140s):

 

[hititnquitit]

The only case I know of that comes with solid fans and pre installed deadening material is the bequiet! Dark Base 900
https://www.newegg.com/p/2AM-0037-00019

It doesn't have a mesh front. That's the only one that comes close.
Your better off finding the case you like the best and sound proofing it yourself and as others have said, getting your favorite fans to pair with it.

 

[pavel]

Yeah thanks for reply and advice. Yes I have heard stock fans are often not very good. Though have heard some cases it is bad to add fans as it messes with airflow? Is that true or FUD. I suppose you do not want top fans as that can mess with airflow but adding to front or rear is fine and helpful??

And Be Quiet Silent Base 802? Are the included fans you are saying not good? Aren't Be Quiet fans some of the best quality and quietist around??

And yeah I always use best air cooler and edited my post. Its a Noctua NH-D15S which is one of the best around.

If you go with the Be Quiet case - just use the fans that came with it and if you want additional fans, pick the same or something else a bit cheaper. I went to the top of my budget so now I am trying to save $ on fans - I think the best deal for fans are Be Quiet (expensive but quiet), Noctua (same) and Arctic P12s/P14s. I plan on getting the P14s.

I am putting at least one fan on the top, probably 2. I plan on getting an AIO to mount on top later - so, I didn't want to get fans only to not use them later. But, the deal on the P14s (5-pack) comes out to $10/fan here. I got the P500A case - and I was going to try the stock Phantek fans but something tells me I'll still want something (even more) quieter.

You can't go wrong with either Silent Base 802 or Fractal Design Meshify 2 - I would pick the cheaper of the two or if are priced similarly, I would take the Silent Base 802 - I like the look of the case and it has sound dampening panels.

That's a good air cooler - my relative got that one. I think either of those cases with that cooler would be a good set up. I would set up the fans this way: 3 at the front-(intake), 1 or 2 on top-(exhaust) and a rear fan-(exhaust). 3 fans at the front (intake) and 3 fans-2 on top-1 on the rear- (exhaust) - theoretically, gives you neutral pressure - if I'm not mistaken.

 

[TheSlySyl]

I'm a huge fan of Fractal, I have a Define 7 XL right now that has a ton of 140mm fans and everything in my case is absolutely silent except for the GPU when it gets to top speed.

I'd have gone with a Meshify 2 XL if it existed at the time I was rebuilding my case, and if you don't need all the space for hard drives that I require - you could go for a smaller version.

The included fans are super quiet, but also don't push much air, so I've replaced most of mine with arctic p14s. Not that it's necessary, but I do have a lot of really hot components. (8 hard drives, 4 nvme drives, etc.)

 

[Wolverine2349]

Thanks for all help everyone. I decided to get the Fractal Torrent. Should provide excellent airflow and relatively low noise unless you run all included fans maximum Though really any 140mm fans at 1600 RPM and 180-200mm fans at 1200 RPM are going to be at least somewhat loud just no way around it.

Plus I doubt I will have to run them near that fast even under intense load. Though there will be some noise, it's impossible to be super quiet with RTX 3090 and 12900KS lol. But should be able to be only moderate noise with a good airflow case.

And dampening materials and such from Be Quiet just reduce airflow probably even unintended. So I just gave up on the whole idea of extreme quiet under super load. More open mesh with lower speed will be relatively more quiet anyways and move much more air than dampened stuff. Dampened stuff also does help with coil whine and vibrations, but none of the components I have have any coil whine nor vibration issues issues except RTX 3090 has mild coil whine under load as all high end video cards do these days it seems.

 

[bananas1]

+1 for any Fractal Design tower. Take a look at the features you want but the quality is top notch. The pieces snap together neatly, they're easy to use, easy to maintain, they're designed really well. Perhaps other cases are equal in quality, but I don't think you can do better.