Are There Small Matx Cases with Good Noise/Air Quality?

Bored in lockdown looking at new pretty cases. I have a simple system with std CPU fan, rtx3060, no water or other fancy stuff. My space can take a case that's about 22cm wide, up to 46cm deep. My current is 47 deep, and it gives just enough space for the cables to bend around the back before it hits the wall. So less deep case would be a plus.

Looking around mainly on Amazon cuz I have lots of GC from recent returns, seems most of this sized case has middling reviews for Noise/Air flow. I don't really know how important it is, the reviews seem to be for hardcore gamers which I am not. I do a little gaming. I'd like a quieter case, my current one I can hear the fan crank up when doing some photo editing.

I can't go deeper, and it seems taller cases don't help much. I narrowed down to this mainly based on size rather than anything else:
* https://www.amazon.com.au/DeepCool-MACUBE110-BK-Mid-Tower-Su…
* https://www.amazon.com.au/Corsair-Airflow-Tempered-Glass-Mid…
* https://www.amazon.com.au/Thermaltake-Tempered-Mid-Tower-Cha…
* https://www.amazon.com.au/Thermaltake-Tempered-Glass-Micro-C…

Any of these OK, anything else I should look at? Not too fussed about rgb or fancy stuff, I want more simple plain stuff.

Another question, is there anything you can place on the wall where the rear fan blows, or on the sides/top of the back of the case like an overhang, that would dampen the noise to any degree? I guess with it under the desk, the point is just to make the sound go down rather than up?

Comments

  • Meshify 2 C for airflow, or Define Mini C for noise dampening. The 3060 isn't a hot card but a custom fan curve will also help (maybe try that first).

    • I do have a fan curve. It literally screams for the 2min exporting in LR then goes quiet. I have not reference so not sure if it's loud or quiet.

  • Lancool 215. I bought one from a guy on Gumtree who was downsizing for $95. The airflow is amazing and it should suit your needs.

  • I've got the NR400 and it's decent. $69 on amazon.

    https://www.amazon.com.au/Cooler-Master-MasterBox-MiniTower-…

    Sama im01 is an option but will have to import and it is pricey.

  • My space can take a case that's about 22cm wide, up to 46cm deep.

    I am guessing you are fitting your computer somewhere in middle of your office desk? If that's the case, airflow means very little to you as you have basically blocked most side of it except front.

    seems most of this sized case has middling reviews for Noise/Air flow

    You can't noise damping a ventilated case, you can't ventilate a noise damper. So all those who 'assume' they able to get both feature might leave neutral reviews.

    IMO the proper way to have a low Noise/Air Flow case, is to have the most ventilated case possible, and have a lot of middle/high end fans (like arctic, or noctua, or certain models of deepcool/coolermaster), and set them all to ~900rpm… This way you get decent airflow and fans won't make audible noise.

    Some would argue those ventilated case don't resist dust, which I agree, but you can never have both airflow and dust free—— unless you have your case hooked up to an air purifier.

    I suggest Corsair 220t if you like how it looks, it's a small full ATX case means 3 more PCIe spacing down the bottom which provide better GPU breathing room.

    • It's under my desk to the side. So the back is against a wall. The left is against the leg. The other sides aren't blocked. If it gets too wide I kick it.

      What makes a good fan? I have in my current case a few Noctua B9 redux 92 mm at the front and and a 120 at the back. I guess a case that allows bigger fans will be quieter.

      • larger blade generally make deeper noise so harder for human to notice. 120mm or 140mm fans are the common sizes for now.

        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/652458

        deals of arctic fans popping up every now and then just keep an eye on it. But if your case come with fans just use them, tune the fan speed to the highest that doesn't bother you and set it as static(do this for case fan only, don't do this to CPU fans unless you have done stress test validation)

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