joey_turbo

iTrader: (26)

My case does my head in, althought I think it might be the PSU that was described as "silent".
Both are only crappy maplins specials, so I've never spent more thatn 20 quid on case.

I'm after one thats quiet and cool. Been reading up, and apparently airflow in the case contributes to noise, so I'd want one thats good.

Tower preferably, as I like 2 optical drives, and space for 2 to 3 HDD's.My mobo is a mini ATX, so if there is something smaller that all this can go into, I'd be after that.

I've got an AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4800+ with 2gb of RAM. Don't do gaming, just surf and download.

definatley don't want to spend more than 100 quid.

any recommendations?

spectrum48k

Antec cases are great
Enclosures

You'll need a quiet PSU and quiet cooling fans on the motherboard and elsewhere.

You might to choose a graphics card that doesn't have a noisy cooling fan too. Some you can replace with a heatsink instead.

All can be bought here
Computer Hardware - All - Scan.co.uk

ian.b

antec 900 bud lots of fans bit noisy but vey good for getting rid of heat :-)

staffs Mike

Antec P180 mini if you board is micro ATX (or mATX/uATX)

I've just done a build with one and it's perfect for all of that. Stick the fans on low there is still tonnes of airflow and it doesn't make a peep honestly.. it's scary lol

£60 from ebuyer.

Antec Mini P180 Black MATX Case - No PSU - Ebuyer

Leaves £40 if you want a new PSU then
385W Enermax PRO82+ EPR385AWT - Single PCI-E Rail, ATX12v 2.3 , 88% Eff, AirGuard, SafeGuard - Scan.co.uk

380w Seasonic S12II-380 PSU, 12Cm fan, active PFC RoHS +80% - Scan.co.uk

CMPSU-400CXUK - 400W Corsair Power Series PSU, ATX, PS/2, UK Version 3 year warranty - Scan.co.uk

all great PSU's, all actually silent

If you want a very cheap solution then get an Antec NSK3480 from ebuyer. It coems with a silent 380W PSU which is very good and is £53 all in

ChefDude

i just built with an antec p182 super - loads of space and tidy.

get quiet fans though, like noctura.

HankScorpio

I've bought a lot of stuff from Qiuet PC, they tend to only carry the good stuff so you know it'll do the job but they've only got one tower under a hundred.

Quiet PC UK - Quiet PC cases from Zalman, Quiet PC and Xilence

But you will get quiet accessories too, all makes a difference.

ScoTTyB

Antec Sonata 3 fits your requirements perfectly.

I've had the Sonata 2 (I think 2, maybe 1) for a number of years now and it's still very quiet and a great case. I've had to replace the power supply recently but I'd recommend this case to anyone, well worth the money.

joey_turbo

iTrader: (26)

Cheers guys. I'm reviewing all your suggestions. I need to confirm I have a micro ATX, as i can't find the packaging, or remember what board it is. I know it misses off the last 3 PCI slots that would be there on my full size tower. If thats an indication of its size.

I have onboard graphics at the moment, and am not planning to change that.

Looks like it will definately have to be an Antec by the sounds of it. Just looking into those.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Antec, coolermaster (which is what i use, very quiet case with fans pre fitted ) zalman (to name a few) but on the intel website there is a nice part where you want to look at, where cases are tested for airflow, dont know when they updated it last though.

Tony

ChrisB

I've got an Antec NSK 4480 and I've built my Dad a PC with a NSK 6580. The 6580 is larger but not silly big. Both are very quiet and good to work with.

staffs Mike

Yeah you have micro ATX by the sounds of it. Should be 9.6" x 9.6" and square.. obviously.

I'd take the NSK3480 if you want to save money although 3 hard drives will be a push. Or the P180 mini which is essentially a P182 shrunk to fit the micro ATX board but with better airflow and quieter.

chrisowe

I have an Antec Sonata 1 case and its well built but not very quiet to be honest. I guess its all relative though.

messiah

Recently bought one of these cases also - can't recommend it enough, quiet and build quality is excellent - it'll rush you £90 though.

phoenixgold

iTrader: (2)

Antec cases are great. Used quite a few of them. Can't say the same about their PSU's though, as most of the ones I have seen have gone within a couple of years.

joey_turbo

iTrader: (26)

Thanks for the replies guys, although I'm still a bit undecided between two.

Its definately going to be an Antec.

The NSK 4480, because its cheaper, and with a PSU.

Antec NSK 4480 Silver/Black Mini-Tower ATX Case - With 380W EarthWatts PSU - Ebuyer

Or the P180 mini. I know if I got this without a PSU, I'd probably put my crappy one in it. But its got good reviews.

Actually make that 3 cases. The NSK3480, as I could do without my 3rd HDD. I only really need 2. But its not 53 quid anymore. dabs.com - Antec NSK 4480 mini ATX 380w black (NSK 4480B-UK)

I'd like to keep it quite low into my £100 max budget. As I've only ever spent 20 quid on a case before But it shows.