Computer Cases

oniian

I have given up on the Once, Twice, Defunct Computer Thread and opted for the masses seeing as (like I said defunct) there are more questions than answers these days.

So can anyone recommend a good computer case, one that is good at noise reduction, that fits the price range of $40 to $100 (or a little higher)?

Lucky Cynic

My Antec Sonata II is actually very good. No sharp edges, looks good, comes with a good power supply and seems fairly quite. I would just make sure you put your PC in a cabinet or something where the sound that is produced is well out of your way and general seating area.

oniian

I was kinda looking at this one here but I am not quite sure about it.

Lucky Cynic

They do sell like these foam pads you can adhere to the case lining. Some increase temperatures a bit but for the most part the little holes in the spongy material help absorb sound.

ElectricTurtle

Wow, that case looks like a cheap rip hybrid of a Coolermaster stacker and and Antec Nine Hundred. I can almost feel the flimsiness from here. I would suggest you pick up a real Antec Nine Hundred from here (cheapest). I just bought this case myself, and it's a marvel of design. And since you care about noise, look at the video review in the first link, all the case fans have three manually-selectable speed settings. Low is really quiet.

oniian

Hmmm... looks good but that shipping is outrageous. And checking newegg, the same case is $13 bucks more with free shipping.

Clipse

I'm going to toss in a recommendation for the Antec P180 (or P182). It's very quiet; unlike a lot of cases where "quiet" is a code word for "slow fans" (or, slightly less irritatingly, "variable speed fans"), the P180 takes a bit of a more proactive approach. Hard drive, fan, and power supply noise are all considerably damped through usage of rubber grommets. Moreover, most of the case's construction is some sort of sound-deadening steel (I believe, though I obviously haven't dissected a side panel to verify, that it's just two layers of steel filled with one of those sound absorbing foams). The rubber grommets are used in the Sonata 2 to some extent, but I don't think it uses the sound deadening steel. I've only actually seen a Sonata 1 in person, however, so you can take that with a grain of salt. I think the P180 is a bit higher than your price range, but it is worth the money in my opinion.

Glaeal

I'm a big fan of NZXT cases. They're rather new on the market, but they've had top reviews and I love mine.

This is in your range. If you can go up to 200, this is mine. I love it.

gneGne

Lian-Li 7B Plus II ftw

Janson

I have this Antec case. It sounds like the P180 described above. It's solid as a rock, has two layers of steel on one side, the harddrives and optical drives are mounted in trays with rubber gromits that makes them exceptionally easy to install/remove, and overall it's very quiet and I'm very pleased with it.

I think the actual thing looks a little nicer.

Deusfaux

Antec SOLO, P150, Sonata III, P182

tsmvengy

I would go for the P150 or Solo (same case, only difference is that they are different colors and the P150 comes with a power supply.) Steel cases will be quieter than aluminum (less vibration) but heavier. The P150/Solo have a rubber band-like suspension system for hard drives, which reduces noise a lot