Looking for quiet ATX case & PSU

Trojan

I'm looking for a very quiet case and PSU for my ATX based machine. I record audio so fan noise is a big issue.

Current setup is very loud, it's an old case with PSU fan on 100% despite low draw.

Where is the most cost effective to get this? Any case or PSU recommendations?

(Power calculators tell me draw is 115 watts idling, 345 under load and recommends 434 watt PSU. I don't mind up speccing that so ong as it is quiet.)

SterlingArcher

Trojan wrote: »

I'm looking for a very quiet case and PSU for my ATX based machine. I record audio so fan noise is a big issue.

Current setup is very loud, it's an old case with PSU fan on 100% despite low draw.

Where is the most cost effective to get this? Any case or PSU recommendations?

(Power calculators tell me draw is 115 watts idling, 345 under load and recommends 434 watt PSU. I don't mind up speccing that so ong as it is quiet.)

Nanoxia Deep Silence 1. Coming from an old case this alone should stomp out 90% of your current noise problems.

Price from amazon around 128.50 euro.

Or alternatively http://touch.adverts.ie/towers/nanoxia-deep-silence-1/9651455#page-top 80 euro situated dubin. And by coincidence a regular here on pc building.

Fractal design r5 non window version. Amazon. 108 euro.

Both good quiet cases with alot to offer other than just quiet operation. Overall probably go the r5.

SterlingArcher

Not really sure what budget you are talking. If them cases are too expensive. give a ballpark figure for psu and case. So can look at cheaper not necessarily that much lesser alternatives.

Serephucus

Can personally attest to the DS1 being a nice case. (Yup, that one's mine. :P)

The main reason I went for it over something like the Define R4 (at the time, now there's the R5, and the S) is that you can buy extra HDD cages for it, which makes it a nice option as a home server if you ever want to repurpose it in the future.

Trojan

SterlingArcher wrote: »

Nanoxia Deep Silence 1. Coming from an old case this alone should stomp out 90% of your current noise problems.

Price from amazon around 128.50 euro.

Or alternatively http://touch.adverts.ie/towers/nanoxia-deep-silence-1/9651455#page-top 80 euro situated dubin. And by coincidence a regular here on pc building.

Fractal design r5 non window version. Amazon. 108 euro.

Both good quiet cases with alot to offer other than just quiet operation. Overall probably go the r5.

Great suggestions, thanks. I like the reviews of both of those, the Fractal seems to be slightly ahead in terms of online commentary.

SterlingArcher wrote: »

Not really sure what budget you are talking. If them cases are too expensive. give a ballpark figure for psu and case. So can look at cheaper not necessarily that much lesser alternatives.

If I could get in and out for close to €150ish for case and PSU incl shipping, that would be great. Can spend more if absolutely necessary, but someone suggested to me getting a new CPU and GFX card and that's not in scope

Serephucus wrote: »

Can personally attest to the DS1 being a nice case. (Yup, that one's mine. :P)

The main reason I went for it over something like the Define R4 (at the time, now there's the R5, and the S) is that you can buy extra HDD cages for it, which makes it a nice option as a home server if you ever want to repurpose it in the future.

I like the DS1, but for right now quiet running is more important than most other considerations including future extensibility. I need to engage the caterpillar drive here

the_syco

I'm using a Coolermaster Cosmos 1000.... for about 9 years (probably 3rd or 4th build in it now). It's heavy with nothing in it, and has padding inside it on the sides. Find it to be fairly quite. Maybe look into a more current Cosmos?

You cannot underestimate how rubber screws help! Have found this sort to be very good, but I'd say rubber you'd need something different for the PSU.

SterlingArcher

One last case suggestion

Be quiet base 600 approx 109 euro amazon. Co.uk

A decent psu say 500w is going to cost you about 60ish(if you add that gpu should aim for 500 unless its a really low power GTX 750 type situation) .

You can get cheaper alternatives with the psu maybe 45 euro but I wouldn't. Maybe a compromise on case come down to something in 70-80 euro price range. Corsair 200r.

Then there are the other noise factors that can be addressed. dropping the optical drive. Ssd over Hdd.

the_syco

SterlingArcher wrote: »

You can get cheaper alternatives with the psu maybe 45 euro but I wouldn't. Maybe a compromise on case come down to something in 70-80 euro price range. Corsair 200r.

Agree completely. A cheapy no-name PSU can either wipe out your system in one go, or slowly kill it over time by underpowering your system.

TerrorFirmer

I wouldn't exactly call a 45 euro PSU a cheapy no name PSU. Plenty of decent 450w Corsair/EVGA/Xigmatek/Cougar etc PSU's in that range, not the worlds best but reliable and decent enough quality.

Cheapy no-name would be the type of garbage you get in Maplins labelled 'G5 ultra gaming power supply 800w' with a single pci-e six pin and weighs the same as a childs shoe.

Moon54

I'd also recommend the Fractal Design R5 as it's very quiet with plenty of upgrade options for you down the road.
The sound proof padding makes it heavy but a fantastic case for the money.

As regards PSU I'd recommend something like the EVGA Supernova G2 550W.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/EVGA-GOLD-Modular-Power-Supply/dp/B0100QRVP0/
It's Gold rated and has "ECO Control Fan system offers fan modes to provide absolutely zero fan noise during low to medium load operations".
Also 7 year warranty with it too. It's pricey @ £71 but worth it in the long run, imho.

These two together exceed the €150 budget, but you can get closer by checking out Amazon Warehouse deals for a cheaper Fractal case.
...There's a White R5 there for £71 atm & a Black R4 for £59.

Of course, I'd never buy a PSU from warehouse deals, that would have to be a full-purchase buy.

Trojan

I tried a couple of other online PSU calculators, all showing a max real world (e.g. gaming maxed out) load of 365W. I'm thinking a 550W is the way to go.

In that range, the Corsair VS550 is €50. Non-modular, but that's not a deal breaker for me so long as it includes cabling for everything I have. Any thoughts on it, particularly noise output?

How would something like that work with the aforementioned Nanoxia DS1 or FD R4/5 with air cooling? That would seem to be within budget and meet the need here.

Moon54

Yeah, it's a decent value-for-money one. Only downside would be its always-on fan, but reviews say it's a quiet one at least.
Anyway, if your going for one of those DS1,FD4/5 cases then that's going to help a lot with noise anyway.

Another option to consider for around the same money could be the EVGA White 600W (~€53) model.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/EVGA-100-W1-0500-KR-500W-Power-Supply/dp/B00H33SFJU/
It has an Intelligent Auto Fan feature.

TerrorFirmer

What's your actual spec? Some of those calculators are ridiculously out in their calculations.

Trojan

It's an AMD FX 6300 with a Radeon HD 6950 1GB. 1-2 SSDs, 2-3 HDDs, a webcam, printer, mouse and keyboard. Actual spec listing.

I do agree that it's a good idea to over-provision on the PSU, and leave room for expansion. but some people are saying that a similar spec needs a 650W PSU and I just can't see how that's the case. My calculations are showing a wattage of 350 or so under heavy load (i.e. gaming), and regular loads of around 150.

Surely a 550W is fine and I'd probably be safe enough even on a 450? Based on that, I think 550w (or a 500w if there are any) are the way to go.

grindle

A 450w would do for a recording PC, but if you're ever pushing that CPU&GPU to 100% while gaming I'd get the 550w just to have a bit of room. Also nice to have a bit of headroom for more storage - DAWs can never have enough storage

R5 all the way for the case as well. My fan profile only kicks in once CPU temps hit 50° which only happens when using intensive synths or effects, or when gaming.
When recording a mic the PC is wholly inaudible, even with a condenser mic. I could hear every slight movement in my chair though, which was a pain. Had to bring a non-creaking wooden chair into the room to stop that.

pawrick

Fractal R5 here also, have the windowed version so not as sound proof as the full cased version + bequiet dark pro power supply (might have overdone it on that bit). Very quiet set up with lots of space in the case for good airflow. Heard nothing but good reviews of the R5 when looking myself and i'm happy I went for it.

TerrorFirmer

The other thing as well is that the HD6950 is very power hungry and pretty outdated. You could get a GTX750Ti for 120 euro, sell the 6950 for 80 euro, and you would have more or less the same performance with a fraction of the power usage, total system probably 250-270w at peak.

Eoinmc97

The Phanteks P400 Eclipse Q is about €80-90 and has a fan controller and noise dampening materials. Perfect to keep noise levels down. With the remainder, you could invest it in an XFX TS 650W PSU, or a similarly priced BeQuiet option. Both PSUs are very quiet, and the extra headroom means the fan shouldn't have to blast away at 1800+ RPM.

TheDoc

pawrick wrote: »

Fractal R5 here also, have the windowed version so not as sound proof as the full cased version + bequiet dark pro power supply (might have overdone it on that bit). Very quiet set up with lots of space in the case for good airflow. Heard nothing but good reviews of the R5 when looking myself and i'm happy I went for it.

Another Fractal user here, went with windowed also.

Noticed lately that when playing Bf4 I'm starting to hear some noise, but that appears to be my GPU getting pretty loud.

Actually need to take a look this week at temps and fan profiles.

all in all pretty happy with the case

Trojan

I've ordered the EVGA 650 W G2 power supply - around €104 all in. More than I intended to spend, but it'll be a very good unit.

Haven't decided on the case yet, considering the following:

Fractal Design Define S £61.99 (approx €80)
Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 £68.30 (approx €89)
Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) £69.98 (approx €91)
Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) £77.99 (approx €101)
Nanoxia Deep Silence 2 £84.07 (approx €109)

I think the Nanoxia's are out - the DS2 is out of budget, and the DS3 has a poor review on Amazon.co.uk (and looks like their RMA is on sale as refurbished for ~€55 quid but if that particular unit is dodgy I'll steer clear).

The Fractal Designs are €80, €90 and €100. The R5 has really great reviews but I'm wondering if I can get away with the R4 or even the S. Any thoughts on that?

The top priority after my components actually fitting into the thing is noise reduction.

SterlingArcher

Haha Trojan you punk. I would've linked an awesome seasonic for that less than that price. Anyway done and done.

The r4 is still a good case. Nothing wrong with it at all.

Trojan

typo it was the GS, not the G2.

SterlingArcher wrote: »

Haha Trojan you punk. I would've linked an awesome seasonic for that less than that price. Anyway done and done.

That's pretty much what a friend of mine said to me - I challenged him to find an 80+ Bronze *quiet* 550-650W PSU for significantly cheaper. Link me the Seasonic, I'll check it out.

grindle

I love the look and size of the Define S but storage could be an issue as you'd be limited to 2x2.5" and 3x3.5". Depends on what it is you plan on recording, whether or not you'll be streaming samples and what the back-up situation will be.

Trojan

Looking more at the Define S. I have 2 x 2.25 and at least 3 x 3.5 laying around. I have a couple of external cases if I'm really stuck.

Edit: it's mostly audio, so not massive filesizes.

SterlingArcher

This is a 520w bronze seasonic . 80+ bronze. €62.82
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00390P1NO/?tag=amorezon09-21#

A 620w 80+ bronze. €78.28
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B003BIEOCI/?tag=amorezon09-21#

Not significant savings but with the 520w or 620 could still get the r5.

Or just get the EVGA one which is a good psu and r4 either way it's pretty solid.

Edit if you think you need the extra w here is another one good value /performance
650w 80+ silver €66.99 http://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B00K8HBOIW?psc=1#

Shiminay

I have a Deep Silence 1 and had 2 6950s in it. They were a fking curse for the noise. Replaced them with a 970 last year and now everything is whisper quiet. So I'd suggest that replacing your 6950 go on your considerations list if you're still hearing noises on your recordings.

Trojan

I haven't used amazon.de much before, looks like it would shave 2-5% on the price. Flip side is I'd need to buy a kettle lead, which almost wipes that out... and is hassle

Those are interesting PSUs, hadn't looked at them. The Seasonic you linked has a spectrum of mixed reviews about noise, many saying it's silent, some the opposite. I'm also biased against it because the unit doing its best to do a jet engine impression in my current machine is a Seasonic.

The FSB is on the TH Tier 4 list. Not sure how big a deal but I'm not keen on something associated with "Not exactly the most stable units ever created"

That all said, I think I was over-speccing and over-spending, so I downsized to a EVGA 550W GS. After reading a bunch of reviews to make sure it'll fit what I need I've also gone with the Fractal Design Define S.

Total cost comes to €187 delivered - that's a bit over my original €150 but happy to keep it under €200. Should keep me going for 2-3 years at least.

Trojan

Shiminay wrote: »

I have a Deep Silence 1 and had 2 6950s in it. They were a fking curse for the noise. Replaced them with a 970 last year and now everything is whisper quiet. So I'd suggest that replacing your 6950 go on your considerations list if you're still hearing noises on your recordings.

It doesn't seem too bad at all when not spun up, but I'll see what it's like with the new machine.

At the moment I can't record with mic set to more than 65% pick up, I need it closer to 90%. And that's a dynamic range mic with a lot of vibration dampening between them. If I used the condenser mic it would be even worse (but I'm selling that, if anyone wants a bargain AT2020 )

SterlingArcher

Trojan wrote: »

I haven't used amazon.de much before, looks like it would shave 2-5% on the price. Flip side is I'd need to buy a kettle lead, which almost wipes that out... and is hassle

Those are interesting PSUs, hadn't looked at them. The Seasonic you linked has a spectrum of mixed reviews about noise, many saying it's silent, some the opposite. I'm also biased against it because the unit doing its best to do a jet engine impression in my current machine is a Seasonic.

The FSB is on the TH Tier 4 list. Not sure how big a deal but I'm not keen on something associated with "Not exactly the most stable units ever created"

That all said, I think I was over-speccing and over-spending, so I downsized to a EVGA 550W GS. After reading a bunch of reviews to make sure it'll fit what I need I've also gone with the Fractal Design Define S.

Total cost comes to €187 delivered - that's a bit over my original €150 but happy to keep it under €200. Should keep me going for 2-3 years at least.

Ooosh. Dropped the ball. Didn't even check the tier list on that last one. Read a review on hardware secrets. Seemed good . But ya never can tell.

Prices of PSUs have upped across the board on all sites in the last month what ever thats about . sure if you are arsed post up your build in off topic see how you got on.