Recommendation for BIG + QUIET case

[grokr]

I've got a Corsair Air 540. I love the roominess and the dual chambers because it's so easy to work in, but it's a really noisy boi (stock fans on intake/exhaust and the Corsair 240mm AIO radiator). Can anyone recommend a similar form factor case but with the noise-suppression of something like the BeQuiet Dark 900?

[Chris Pratt]

You don't necessarily need a different case. Going with something with noise-damping may be more quiet, but you're going to lose a significant amount of cooling potential in the trade. There's nothing about that case that would make it inherently more noisy that anything else, so I would simply just populate it with better fans (which you can then run more slowly, because they're better), and set a silence-optimized fan curve.

[grokr]

So something like Noctua NF-P12 on the radiator and NF-P14S on the case?

[Chris Pratt]

Noctua recommends A fans across the board now. They're superior to all their other fan types in most applications. The P fans have the highest static pressure, but aren't great at airflow. The F fans are also high static pressure and have better airflow. However, they only exceed the A fans when unimpeded. Similarly, S fans have the absolute best airflow, but only when completely unimpeded.

 

Also, the Redux line is the budget category. Performance is basically the same, but noise levels are higher. Since your main complaint is noise, I'd avoid those entirely.

 

Long and short, just get some A12s. If you can fit 140mm anywhere, it would be better to use A14s there, as they'll be even more quiet for the same performance.

[grokr]

Thanks for the help.