New case needed, quiet and with fan filters being the main requirement

BigEejit

I am sick to death of the fluff infested mess that my old full tower coolermaster case is. It's noisy and the only way to stop it sucking in dust etc would be to put the whole damn case into a filter bag (if such a thing exists). I have to clean it every 6 months, I'll know when to do it because it gets noisy.

So I'd like a new case, the requirements are:
Good looking without blue/red/green/whatever leds, either on fans or on the case itself, cant stand them, dont mind having lit up power button etc.
All air inlet fans must have effective filters (preferable washable)
Quiet ... so only 120mm fans or larger, maybe some sound deadening
Minimum of 2 x external 5.25 slots, 3 x internal slots for hard disks
All my recent builds have been uatx mobo's, but I am transplanting my current mobo which is an full atx board.

I had a look, and came up with Fractal Design Define R3 Computer Case, I look the look of the titanium one:
http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/pc-cases/fd-definer3

Anyone have one, what are the downsides?

Any other cases I should have a look at?

Solitaire

Fractal R3 is a bit pricey on QuietPC and only has two decent fans bundled, but its nice

Unregistered.

I don't think cleaning it every six months is too bad! You could add fan filters and quieter fans to what you have already?

the_syco

Have one of these: http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/pc-cases/cm-cosmos-1000

I find it quite. Of course, if I take the side off, it's damn noisy. When I got it, it came with a 850watt PSU. One 120mm input fan at the bottom, two at the top, and one at the back. Five front accessible bays and seven slots at the back. It's heavy. I find the 4 USB slots at the front top handy. Forget how much I paid for it, but don't regret it.

The fan filters at the bottom; you just slide out, and hoover them, and then slide back in. Do it every so often.

seraphimvc

imo a good quiet PSU and quiet cpu/gpu fans are the major quiet factor, the casing should be the 2nd thing to look at, no?:P

nvus

Fractal Design DEFINE R3, ARCTIC WHITE

My build, hope this helps you out. I tried to include as much info as i could into one post.

You Tube Video of my build below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZvT542DBUY
I upgraded the GPU since this video was made as the only thing making any noise in this case was the GPU and it was driving be crazy so I splashed out on a GTX 460 with the Direct CU option, now its all as quite as a queens fart.

Air flow was a key too me and with big air its often you need compromise on the noise factor. Most if not all cases that can achieve these requirements look like your sitting next to a HMMWV (Humvee) towing a U2 live concert
Really I think you cant go wrong with the Fractal Design DEFINE R3 you can but 7 Fans into it if you want or you can go silent/stealth with it, my point is you have LOTS of room to change your mind and make another choice. And I needed middle ground and this gave it.

I moved the Stock Fractal Design "Silent Series" 120 Fan from the back of the box to the front with the other stock Fractal Design "Silent Series" 120 Fan, and replaced it with an after stock NOCTUA NF-S12B 120 fan. And I added an additional NOCTUA NF-P14 FLX 140 fan to the bottom.




[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]FD-CA-DEF-R3-WH[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Fractal Design[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]99.00 €[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]99.00 €[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Define R3 Arctic White ATX casing, White[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]CMPSU-750TXEU[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Corsair[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]139.00 €[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]139.00 €[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]750TX 750W ATX2.2 Power Supply[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]GH22NS50RB[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]LG[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]25.00 €[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]25.00 €[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]DVD + /-RW DL 22x, SATA, Black, Retail[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]KVR1066D3N7K2/4G[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Kingston[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]93.00 €[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]93.00 €[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]2x2GB, DDR3 1066MHz, CL7[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]BX80605I7860[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Intel[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]285.00 €[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]285.00 €[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Core i7 860, 2.80GHz, LGA1156, 8MB, Boxed[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]MAXIMUS-III GENE[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Asus[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]179.00 €[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]179.00 €[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Maximus III Gene, LGA1156, P55, DDR3, SLI & CrossFireX, μATX[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]600300416[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]N / A[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]11.00 €[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]11.00 €[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Neon 10cm Red (2 bulbs)[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]WD10EADS[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Western Digital[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]83.00 €[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]83.00 €[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]1TB, Caviar GP, 3.5 ", SATA II, 5400-7200rpm, 32MB[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]NF-S12B-ULN[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Noctua[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]17.90 €[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]17.90 €[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]120 x 120 x 25 NF-S12B-ULN 700rpm fan 6.8dB[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]NH-D14[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Noctua[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]74.90 €[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]74.90 €[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Prosessor Cooler NH-D14, LGA775/1156/1366 AM3/AM2/AM2 +[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]NF-P14 FLX[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Noctua[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]23.90 €[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]23.90 €[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]140 x 140 x 25mm fan 120/140mm [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]ENGTX460DIRCUTOP/2DI/1GD5[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Asus[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]255.00 €[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]255.00 €[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]GeForce GTX 460 TOP DirectCU, GDDR5 1024MB, 2xDVI/Mini-HDMI [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Total:[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]€ 1285.70[/FONT]






Specifications
* 8x 3,5 inch HDD trays, compatible with SSD!
* 2x 5,25 inch bays, with 1x 5,25>3,5 inch converter included
* On top of front panel: 2x USB 2.0, 1x eSATA and Audio I/O
* No PSU included (removable filter below PSU)
* M/B compatibility: Mini ITX, Micro ATX and ATX
* 7x expansion slots with sleek white painted brackets
* Supports graphic card lengths up to circa 290mm and CPU coolers with height of maximum circa 165mm
* Supports PSU's with a depth of maximum circa 170mm, when using bottom 120/140mm fan location. When not using the bottom 120/140mm fan location, the case supports also longer PSU's, typically 200-220mm.
* Case size (WxHxD): 207.40x440x521.2mm
* Net weight: 12.50kg

hope it helps

54kroc

Any chance of a bigger pic?:D

BigEejit

Nice job there, thanks for the info. I'm leaning towards the titanium model but white didnt look too bad in fairness.

I might see if I can get it a bit cheaper than quietpc though

/edit
Oh and I have a noctua 120mm 800 and tbh I dont like the noise, yes it is very quiet but in a silent room you can certaily hear the whoosh. I have been trying out akasa apache's and they seem to give the airflow I wanted with less noise

the untitled user

Wow, I have to say I have never ever seen anyone describe a Noctua product as being too loud before Even with the low noise resistor thingy attached?

nvus

Verbatum exerpt from the NOCTUA Product information site, I use the "ULA" version its not as fast as the others or as noisie but it can move more air as a exhaust for your case and Negative Delta air pressure if you want too keep it all clean inside (good for winter) and reverse all your fans but the one exhaust at the back for Positive Delta air pressure (good for summer) you cant go wrong, but they're not cheap and its only really effective if you use a well thought out set up

With the NF-S12B and NF-P12, Noctua provides two premium-class fans which have been optimized for specific fields of application. Choosing the appropriate model can therefore help you to obtain even better results. Nevertheless, both the NF-S12B and NF-P12 achieve good results in virtually all typical applications. So in case you aren't sure which of the two fans is right for you: Don't worry, you can't go wrong with either of the two!



We principally recommend the NF-S12B for the following applications:

• Case ventilation (with the exception of very restrictive fan grills, filters or significant obstruction to airflow)
• CPU coolers with wide fin-spacing
• Water-cooling radiators with wide fin-spacing
• All applications where minimum noise emission has first priority

We principally recommend the NF-P12 for the following applications:

• CPU coolers with tight fin-spacing
• Water-cooling radiators with tight fin-spacing
• Power supplies
• Storage solutions
• Cases with very restrictive fan grills and filters
• All applications with significant obstruction to airflow

Succeeding the vastly successful NF-S12, the NF-S12B is a next generation quiet fan featuring Noctua's advanced SCD2 technology as well as a highly optimised blade geometry with Bevelled Blade Tips that improves its award-winning predecessor's airflow efficiency by up to 10%. Topped off with Noctua's time-tested SSO-Bearing, 6 years warranty and super-slow 700/500 rpm speed settings, the NF-S12B ULN is a premium quality fan for ultra-low-noise applications where maximum quietness has top priority.


More information:
NF-S12B Blade Design
NF-S12B & NF-P12: Technical Backgrounds
Which fan is right for me?




Size
120x120x25 mm


Bearing
SSO-Bearing


Blade Geometry
NF-S12B Blade Design with BBT


Rotational Speed (+/- 10%)
700 RPM


Rotational Speed with U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%)
500 RPM


Airflow
56,9 m³/h


Airflow with U.L.N.A.
38,2 m³/h


Acoustical Noise
6,8* dB(A)


Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A.
5* dB(A)


Static Pressure
0,44 mm H2O


Static Pressure with U.L.N.A.
0,23 mm H2O


Input Power
0,6 W


Input Current
0,05 A


Voltage Range
12 V


MTBF
> 150.000 h


Scope of Delivery

• Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor (U.L.N.A.)
• 4 Vibration Compensators
• 3:4-Pin Adaptor
• 4 Fan Screws

Warranty
6 years

Hope it helps

BigEejit

the untitled user wrote: »

Wow, I have to say I have never ever seen anyone describe a Noctua product as being too loud before Even with the low noise resistor thingy attached?

I actually lost that resistor thing, the fan is running at ~900 rpm when the box is under load and I can hear it (but then again I have hearing like a bat).
I'll have to have a poke around again for that resistor wire, it may make a difference :pac:

Solitaire

Ah the wonders of a non-modular PSU - I see dead people builders' tape :pac:

BigEejit

I forgot to mention that I have the noctua on my htpc as an exhaust fan, with 2 x akasa apache running at ~400 rpm blowing in on hot components (fanless 5570 graphics/fanless power supply and on the northbridge/ram slots)

By starting up without individual fans running I found that the noctua is the noisiest thing in my htpc. I'm using a scythe shuriken on the processor (athlon x2 610e - 45watts) thats running at ~500 rpm. Nothing else spinning i nthe htpc except the occasional blu-ray/dvd and my pair of raided hard disks that spin down after 5 minutes.

My gaming PC that I am replacing has very few quiet fans, the fans I have used to be quietish but years of dust (you can never _really_ clean a fan) and crud made it noisy. Overclocking may also have made it a teensy bit noisier :pac:

the untitled user

Ah! So the Noctua fan is the noisiest thing because it's running at near twice the RPM of the rest of your fans, which would fairly explain things Worth looking for that resistor all right, there shouldn't really be much of a difference between the Noctua and the Akasa's when run at the same RPM. Might save a few bob.

nvus

Try not to worry about the noise of any fans until you get the case you want, be it the DEFINE R3 or what ever you choose in the end.

My reasoning behind posting the over clocking screen shot was to show that you can run this case hot and its still pretty quiet outside.
The best thing about the R3 is that you can start with all the vents closed with their Moduvents sealed and its very quite but might be a bit too hot for over clocking or SLI so you just remove a vent n stick a fan in.

Stock this case is great and gives you room for upgrades be it bigger CPU's SLI's or even for water cooling and all this for less than 99€. Not too many cases around these days that can pull that off.

I used to think that silent cases meant heat and cool/cold case meant noise, this case proved me wrong.

BigEejit

the untitled user wrote: »

Ah! So the Noctua fan is the noisiest thing because it's running at near twice the RPM of the rest of your fans, which would fairly explain things Worth looking for that resistor all right, there shouldn't really be much of a difference between the Noctua and the Akasa's when run at the same RPM. Might save a few bob.

We are talking about two different computers here, the noctua is in my htpc, this case is for my gaming/whatever computer.

I ran one of the apache's at 700 rpm (ish) and it was quieter than the noctua in the same slot. And when I say I didnt like the noise, I mean it is clearly audible to me on my couch ~ 10 feet away from the htpc (with the noctua supplied rubber mounts being used). It may not be audible to you at all... does not mean that they are silent.

the untitled user

BigEejit wrote: »

We are talking about two different computers here, the noctua is in my htpc, this case is for my gaming/whatever computer.

I know, it just sounded like the Noctua fan annoys you where the resistor thingy could improve things.

BigEejit wrote: »

I ran one of the apache's at 700 rpm (ish) and it was quieter than the noctua in the same slot. And when I say I didnt like the noise, I mean it is clearly audible to me on my couch ~ 10 feet away from the htpc (with the noctua supplied rubber mounts being used). It may not be audible to you at all... does not mean that they are silent.

Nothing is totally silent, I know where you're coming from. There are nights when the DVR in the room below me prevents me from going to sleep, and it doesn't even have a fan

nvus wrote: »

Try not to worry about the noise of any fans until you get the case you want, be it the DEFINE R3 or what ever you choose in the end.

It can actually be worth thinking on in advance if noise is a serious concern. One of the reasons being is that fans running at different RPMs can occasionally produce some serious resonance depending on how the resulting frequency spectra interact.

vandammaged

Hey I got a shuttle on of theses and built it up its savage.

BigEejit wrote: »

I am sick to death of the fluff infested mess that my old full tower coolermaster case is. It's noisy and the only way to stop it sucking in dust etc would be to put the whole damn case into a filter bag (if such a thing exists). I have to clean it every 6 months, I'll know when to do it because it gets noisy.

So I'd like a new case, the requirements are:
Good looking without blue/red/green/whatever leds, either on fans or on the case itself, cant stand them, dont mind having lit up power button etc.
All air inlet fans must have effective filters (preferable washable)
Quiet ... so only 120mm fans or larger, maybe some sound deadening
Minimum of 2 x external 5.25 slots, 3 x internal slots for hard disks
All my recent builds have been uatx mobo's, but I am transplanting my current mobo which is an full atx board.

I had a look, and came up with Fractal Design Define R3 Computer Case, I look the look of the titanium one:
http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/pc-cases/fd-definer3

Anyone have one, what are the downsides?

Any other cases I should have a look at?

nvus

I mean is the stock fans with the DEFINE R3 are pretty good and very quite, and perhaps your noctua fan would be better suited for the other case and not the HTC case. Perhaps its the environment its in that's making all that noise, it might perform better in a full ATX case. Its still an interesting topic I'm looking forward to seeing what you decide to do and how it turns out so I can compare my own