Give me silence

[Jash96]

What case should I go for if I'm wanting to prioritise silence? Like, the PC case that sits in the back of class with its hood up drawing disturbing things in their workbook? Thinking about migrating my GPU and PSU (fairly new anyway) to an otherwise different PC because as the other components are getting somewhat dated. Mobo's still in DDR3 days. 

 

In terms of fitting things in the case, for the mobo I'm wanting to get a Gigabyte Z390 Designare and my GPU is a Palit GeForce GTX 1070Ti Jetstream. Also thinking of getting a Noctua NH-D15S as a CPU cooler. Maybe swap out the stock case fans for Noctua ones as well? My PSU is a 850W EVGA SuperNOVA G2.

 

Cases I've been looking at are an NZXT H710 and a couple of the Fractal Define ones like the R6 and the 7. I don't work my PC very hard most of the time, when I game it's in 2K but I don't need every GFX slider maxed. From what I've seen usually thermals are sacrificed a bit for silence but for this build I really wanna prioritise silence so I'm fine with the temperatures not being the most OPTIMAL as long as my poor components aren't getting fried. 

 

Any ideas? 'preciate it.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

[Simony]

Fractal design meshify C is pretty good.

[Dedayog]

R6 is nice and quiet, love the thing.  7 was recently reviewed by Games Nexus, but I haven't watched it all the way to the db comparison.

[Robchil]

14 minutes ago, Jash96 said:

What case should I go for if I'm wanting to prioritise silence? Like, the PC case that sits in the back of class with its hood up drawing disturbing things in their workbook? Thinking about migrating my GPU and PSU (fairly new anyway) to an otherwise different PC because as the other components are getting somewhat dated. Mobo's still in DDR3 days. 

 

In terms of fitting things in the case, I'm wanting to get a Gigabyte Z390 Designare and my GPU is a Palit GeForce GTX 1070Ti Jetstream. Also thinking of getting a Noctua NH-D15S as a CPU cooler. Maybe swap out the stock case fans for Noctua ones as well? My PSU is a 850W EVGA SuperNOVA G2.

 

Cases I've been looking at are an NZXT H710 and a couple of the Fractal Define ones like the R6 and the 7. I don't work my PC very hard most of the time, when I game it's in 2K but I don't need every GFX slider maxed. From what I've seen usually thermals are sacrificed a bit for silence but for this build I really wanna prioritise silence so I'm fine with the temperatures not being the most OPTIMAL as long as my poor components aren't getting fried. 

 

Any ideas? 'preciate it.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

depends on budget and taste realy... 

but more larger fans = more airflow at lower rpm = more silent case.   but cooling your box only mitigates the heat in the cpu into the room it is in, if that is not cooled too, no amount of cooling will help  cooling is just an heatexchange, it has to go somewhere. 

[Jash96]

2 minutes ago, jstudrawa said:

R6 is nice and quiet, love the thing.  7 was recently reviewed by Games Nexus, but I haven't watched it all the way to the db comparison.

Yeah I've heard good things about the R6, I was a bit surprised by the fact that the newer models like the 7 are getting generally worse reviews. 

[VIVO-US]

When the computer is in an idle or low power state (such as internet browsing), I've personally found that the fans and other components can make a bigger difference than the case itself.

 

The graphics card appears to have a cooler that's designed to run quietly, and the Noctua CPU cooler will also be a big help.  High quality fans can make a big difference, and soft mounting them (Noctua fans come with silicon pins) will also help to eliminate vibration and resonance noises that can transfer through the case.  The computer doesn't need a lot of airflow to stay cool until you get into gaming, so set the fans to run slowly (maybe 500RPM) until the system heats up (I like to set the fan curve in the 50C to 65C range), either with PWM control or a separate fan controller.  Also, if you're using a hard drive anywhere, make sure it's also soft mounted.

 

With all that, you can have a near silent system even in the cheapest of cases.  All I'd recommend beyond that is using a case with moderate or better airflow!

[berberries]

Silence can be achieved by a define r6 or 7 with all fans replaced by be quiet! silent wings 3 fans. Or you could go with a be quiet! silent base 601 or 801.

[Jash96]

4 minutes ago, VIVO-US said:

When the computer is in an idle or low power state (such as internet browsing), I've personally found that the fans and other components can make a bigger difference than the case itself.

 

The graphics card appears to have a cooler that's designed to run quietly, and the Noctua CPU cooler will also be a big help.  High quality fans can make a big difference, and soft mounting them (Noctua fans come with silicon pins) will also help to eliminate vibration and resonance noises that can transfer through the case.  The computer doesn't need a lot of airflow to stay cool until you get into gaming, so set the fans to run slowly (maybe 500RPM) until the system heats up (I like to set the fan curve in the 50C to 65C range), either with PWM control or a separate fan controller.  Also, if you're using a hard drive anywhere, make sure it's also soft mounted.

 

With all that, you can have a near silent system even in the cheapest of cases.  All I'd recommend beyond that is using a case with moderate or better airflow!

That's fair, I mean there's always snake oil with any product. Improving my fans is defo a priority with this one. I have noticed sound tests from (probably) impartial sources that suggest you can get a few decibels of difference between different cases. 

[alyen]

I really like the Meshify C for its small footprint for a midsize case. I keep the fans at low RPM to keep things quiet. It's not dead silent, but fairly quiet being 2 feet away from me. Make sure you choose a motherboard and fans that allows you set the fans to 0-100 percent speed if you are not going with a noise dampening case.

 

R6 and R7 seem too oversized unless you are filling it with multiple HDD.

[berberries]

Just now, alyen said:

I really like the Meshify C for its small footprint for a midsize case. I keep the fans at low RPM to keep things quiet. It's not dead silent, but fairly quiet being 2 feet away from me. Make sure you choose a motherboard and fans that allows you set the fans to 0-100 percent speed if you are not going with a noise dampening case.

 

R6 and R7 seem too oversized unless you are filling it with multiple HDD.

I personally have BOTH the Meshify C, Define R6 and even the Define R5 (look at my signature for whats in each of them). The only common noise maker I had in all of them is a Corsair H100i Pro RGB (yes it's been re-purposed many times) I hit my PC hard. Like real hard, 2-3 day renders are normal for them. The fans included in the AIO are 2x Corsair ML120. They are known to get loud at about 70%, i keep them at about 50-60% max at the top of the fan curve which is the coolant being above 60C i believe. I set it awhile back on the last PC and never really touched it. All of them sit about 1m away from me, so thats about 3 feet? The same AIO when used in all 3 of the cases were top mounted with the fans blowing upward in a push configuration pushing air through the radiator and out the top of the case. All the cases were set up with 2x intake fans at the front and one exhaust at the back. All case fans are set to a constant 30% i believe, they basically have no fan curve on them because they are case fans, they just have to move enough air while being silent.

 

Define R5 and R6 were basically completely silent with the radiator fans (ML120) spinning at 50-60%.

 

Meshify C wise, there is no real sound dampening in the case. only one being maybe the foam at the intake. It's only silent up till about 40% of the fan speed. above that it gets audible, but not in your face loud. It's bearable but the low hum gets a little annoying if its there for many hours straight, or your brain may just tune it out after awhile.

 

So if you really want silence, Define R6 is the way to go. (not sure about the Define 7 as I don't have it) Meshify C is ok, but it won't reach the level of silence of the define series.

[TheNamelessOne]

32 minutes ago, Jash96 said:

Yeah I've heard good things about the R6, I was a bit surprised by the fact that the newer models like the 7 are getting generally worse reviews. 

The Fractal Define series has been getting worse since the R6 in terms of quality build. And some would say since the R5 because some say the R4 was the last good one. As for me personally I've had the R5 and now the R6 and will not purchase a Fractal case anymore. 

[Jash96]

2 minutes ago, berberries said:

So if you really want silence, Define R6 is the way to go. (not sure about the Define 7 as I don't have it) Meshify C is ok, but it won't reach the level of silence of the define series.

So far in this thread the Define R6 has been getting pretty good notes. 

[berberries]

2 minutes ago, TheNamelessOne said:

The Fractal Define series has been getting worse since the R6 in terms of quality build. And some would say since the R5 because some say the R4 was the last good one. As for me personally I've had the R5 and now the R6 and will not purchase a Fractal case anymore. 

I actually feel the Define R6 is a pretty well built case. It feels about the same as a Define R5 in terms of build quality. Though I remember helping a friend to strip down and completely clean up a system with a Define R4, the Define R4 felt significantly heavier. Meshify C is starting to feel more cheaply built tho, I only really have it because I got it for a steal (guy had it for like 3 months and needed more hard drive space, plastic and all wasn't even peeled) I got it for 30SGD (about 22USD).

 

6 minutes ago, Jash96 said:

So far in this thread the Define R6 has been getting pretty good notes. 

Define series has been a solid case for years for silence and great hardware support. Not sure what's happening with the Define 7 though.

[VIVO-US]

Fractal probably switched to thinner grades of steel to reduce manufacturing costs.  If our own experience with cases is anything to go by, I wouldn't surprised if they were at best breaking even on the previous designs.  PC cases were also hit by the tariffs until just a few months ago, so that would've been another reason to cheapen manufacturing.

[alyen]

41 minutes ago, VIVO-US said:

Fractal probably switched to thinner grades of steel to reduce manufacturing costs.  If our own experience with cases is anything to go by, I wouldn't surprised if they were at best breaking even on the previous designs.  PC cases were also hit by the tariffs until just a few months ago, so that would've been another reason to cheapen manufacturing.

I thought about selling my R5 when I saw how much they are selling for now, but its so hard to find a case with side panel fan for its quality these days. I think I paid $120 CAD from NCIX when i bought it. R5 has got to be the best silent case I have ever owned, but too over sized for the small components I use for the case.

[PCDesignerRy]

Why do people always value silence over performance? Watching a movie takes virtually no performance from case fans. While gaming, crank those fans to high................... with a fan controller. All case fans with the exception of the fans attached to a liquid cooling radiator should be set up with the use of a fan controller so that you can have the selection between silence and performance. But pretty much silent fans sacrifice performance to be silent. I don't mean vibration or buzzing or anything but a 3000 RPM 140mm fan is going to be loud at full speed. But with a fan controller that fan can be adjusted to anywhere from 800 RPM, 400 RPM, 200 RPM, or even off. Do yourself justice and install a fan controller for the fans in your build. The Lamptron FC8 8 channel fan controller is a very very nice choice! 

[seon123]

2 minutes ago, PCDesignerRy said:

Why do people always value silence over performance? Watching a movie takes virtually no performance from case fans. While gaming, crank those fans to high................... with a fan controller. All case fans with the exception of the fans attached to a liquid cooling radiator should be set up with the use of a fan controller so that you can have the selection between silence and performance. But pretty much silent fans sacrifice performance to be silent. I don't mean vibration or buzzing or anything but a 3000 RPM 140mm fan is going to be loud at full speed. But with a fan controller that fan can be adjusted to anywhere from 800 RPM, 400 RPM, 200 RPM, or even off. Do yourself justice and install a fan controller for the fans in your build. The Lamptron FC8 8 channel fan controller is a very very nice choice! 

Some of us like not having to wear headphones when gaming. If the PC is silent at load, I can e.g. fold with it without being bothered. And I can play games at 3AM, without headphones, no game audio, have my cat lying on top of the PC, and listen to him purr.

9 hours ago, Jash96 said:

That's fair, I mean there's always snake oil with any product. Improving my fans is defo a priority with this one. I have noticed sound tests from (probably) impartial sources that suggest you can get a few decibels of difference between different cases. 

You can also consider upgrading the GPU cooler to an aftermarket one. The Raijintek Morpheus 2 and Arctic Accelero Xtreme III/IV are good options. If all the components can be cooled with lower fan speeds, that can help more than just upgrading the fans.

[PCDesignerRy]

4 minutes ago, seon123 said:

Some of us like not having to wear headphones when gaming. If the PC is silent at load, I can e.g. fold with it without being bothered. And I can play games at 3AM, without headphones, no game audio, have my cat lying on top of the PC, and listen to him purr.

You can also consider upgrading the GPU cooler to an aftermarket one. The Raijintek Morpheus 2 and Arctic Accelero Xtreme III/IV are good options. If all the components can be cooled with lower fan speeds, that can help more than just upgrading the fans.

All the while your PC overheats lol if I had a cat, I would NOT allow it to lay on top of my PC. To each his own. I still play at 3 AM with 3000 RPM fans by owning a Soundblaster Katana X...... and a house. Admittedly though, if you liquid cool your RAM, your CPU, your GPU, and any HDDs you have, you should be able to get by with virtually 0 case fans. 

[seon123]

1 minute ago, PCDesignerRy said:

All the while your PC overheats lol if I had a cat, I would NOT allow it to lay on top of my PC. To each his own. I still play at 3 AM with 3000 RPM fans by owning a Soundblaster Katana X...... and a house. 

The PC doesn't overheat, because of the overkill cooling I have. A 212 Evo isn't great, but it's plenty to cool a first gen Ryzen 4 core. And the massive Accelero Xtreme IV is perfectly able to cool the R9 280 at full load, with the fans spinning at idle RPM (3x 92mm at 670RPM)

 

The noise concern isn't for everyone else - the house does have doors. It's for my own sake, and so I can hear my cat. The clock on the wall is louder than the PC, which is kind of amusing

[PCDesignerRy]

1 minute ago, seon123 said:

The PC doesn't overheat, because of the overkill cooling I have. A 212 Evo isn't great, but it's plenty to cool a first gen Ryzen 4 core. And the massive Accelero Xtreme IV is perfectly able to cool the R9 280 at full load, with the fans spinning at idle RPM (3x 92mm at 670RPM)

 

The noise concern isn't for everyone else - the house does have doors. It's for my own sake, and so I can hear my cat. The clock on the wall is louder than the PC, which is kind of amusing

Just our of curiosity since you mentioned that twice, why is it so important for you to be able to hear your cat? That's a quite random detail lol. 

[seon123]

1 minute ago, PCDesignerRy said:

Just our of curiosity since you mentioned that twice, why is it so important for you to be able to hear your cat? That's a quite random detail lol. 

I just like hearing him purr, and the sounds he makes in general. It's just so cute