looking for a recommendation (good air flow, low noise)

[Niku-Sama]

I need to change my computer set up, i'm going to convert a closet that had a bunch of crap in it to a computer cubby

Problem is my current case is too big so i am looking for recommendations because i cant find what i am looking for.

i'm looking at full size atx motherboard case no need for rgb or glass panels but i wouldnt avoid it if it fits the bill
my needs are as follows:
Good Airflow
Quiet (adding sound dampening mats later is ok, dont know what brands to use)
fits a 360mm Rad
no longer than 24 inches from front to back

i had considered swapping everything to a matx board but in the long run that will be more expensive than just getting a case
this will be long term temporary as i'll want to go back to the case i have currently after i, or we (depending on future outcomes) move into a new place.

this is closest to what i have that i can find online, mines a 6 and not a 5 but its only a little taller the rest of the dimensions are the same
https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Sens...d=1609967525&sprefix=nanoxia+d,aps,233&sr=8-1

 

[tRidiot]

How about the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh?

 

[Blaylock]

Do you need to keep the 5.25" bays? If not the be quiet! SIlent Base 802 is an outstanding case. If you need to keep the front bays (or at least one of them) then I would suggest the Antec P101 Silent.

The problem with mesh cases is they are optimized for airflow and not silence. Generally, that is a good thing but if Niku is considering adding sound mats, then silence is likely the driving factor.

 

[Niku-Sama]

How about the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh?

i hadnt heard of this one before but it sounds like its going to be pretty noisy from the reviews

Do you need to keep the 5.25" bays? If not the be quiet! SIlent Base 802 is an outstanding case. If you need to keep the front bays (or at least one of them) then I would suggest the Antec P101 Silent.

The problem with mesh cases is they are optimized for airflow and not silence. Generally, that is a good thing but if Niku is considering adding sound mats, then silence is likely the driving factor.

eh i could go either way on it, i only use a 5 inch drive from time to time for emulation reasons so i could stick it in an external enclosure for now
i'll check out both though

i did some more digging at work and came across a few, i was having a hard time finding smaller cases with sound mitigation already in them but these looked to have some
any thoughts on be quiet BG036, Fractal Design Define C or Fractal Design Define 7 Compact?

 

[Blaylock]

The be quiet! BG036 is based on the same chassis as the 500DX that I reviewed. I would guess the thermals/airflow would be similar but slightly less as it had a solid front panel. That's not always the case though.

I don't have any personal experience with fractal (I'll need to change that) but many members here endorse them so I would trust that.

 

[Niku-Sama]

oh actually i see that i grabbed the wrong number off that newegg product page.
It is a 500 sans DX and so solid front.

do you think the solid front is going to have a large impact on thermals?
the sides of it look like they are vented pretty well and the airflow design looks pretty good with the fans below the front metal that the front panel attaches to
do you think theres any place to add more acoustic mat in it that would make it any quieter? with out covering vents of course

 

[Blaylock]

Having the solid front will certainly impact it, how much is really a guessing game until you can compare them side by side. My guess is as long as you're not putting a massive heater CPU/GPU combo you would be fine.

You would be putting the 360 up front for intake and keep the rear for exhaust. If temps were higher than you like you would need to sacrifice a little more silence for airflow and add top fans in exhaust. Just make sure the fans on your rad have good static pressure (H2O/MM) with low db. I want to say the Noctua industrials are about the best compromise but there are several others in the same range.

The 500 is already insulated at the front top (removable) and sides. The bottom and rear are generally not facing you so no need to have insulation. If you need more sound deadening I would look at their silent base line instead of the pure base. The silent base cases are a step up in performance.

 

[Niku-Sama]

whats going in it would be as follows
3600X @4.2
360 MM NZXT rad with a partial push pull
RTX 2070 with 3 noctuas strapped to it since the stock fan died
16 gigs o ram @ 3600
2 m.2 nvme drives (500/1000 gig)
and a psu i cant remember but it might be getting time to change it to something modular and more recent (oldest part of the system)

i'll ditch the optical to use it externally and the 3.5 inch drive is a green drive and has been dormant for a year so it'll get ditched too

its set up as 2 120mm's on the bottom 1 on the back and 3 on the front all blowing in, the 3 (or maybe 5 i cant remember) on the rad on the top blowing out.
since the rad is on top and the fans on it are the exhaust i'm not sure if it would be any different than if it were in front with a solid front panel. sure it'll be getting less air but it would be cooler (in theory) than the more warmer air its currently getting

but at the same time with the current case theres so much air coming into the case it doesn't have much time to warm up before its being drug out the top.
as far as real world temps go i honstly cant remember, once i swapped the fans on the 2070 the heat situation improved dramatically and since then i havent been paying attention

i'm still on the fence between be quiet and fractal. i'm leaning twards be quiet with out a glass side because i think that would be quieter and seems to cost less, not that the prices of these are an issue, just an added bonus (less sound, less money?)

 

[Blaylock]

Yeah that seems completely doable.

 

[Niku-Sama]

alright i am going to order the be quiet case on friday and i'll pay for real shipping so i dont have to deal with that smart post junk. and that way it wont get here when i am not home either

i already ordered 4 of these to take up the rest of the 140mm slots it'll have. i have an idea on still using my 360 rad with them in the front, they'll just be mounted independently of one another. it probably wont help cooling but it'll be quieter i think

 

[Niku-Sama]

Alright i ordered the case a little while ago and payed for real shipping so none of that "smart post" nonsense it should be here on friday.
I ordered the be quiet case in gunmetal, i got those 4 fans in already, thanks for the help. i'll post pics after i get every thing swapped over.

Thanks for the input guys

 

[habbajabba]

That's a sharp looking case. Any thoughts on giving the closet actual airflow itself? Otherwise all the eqpt's hot air will simply be recirculated making it very inefficient to simply blow fans into an enclosed space. The good thing is that with zero airflow I'd imagine you could keep the actual dust way down even though all the heat stays there.

 

[Niku-Sama]

theres no doors on the closet, its not a walk in either.
just a regular closet that uses those annoying folding doors only i burnt those about a decade ago and then filled the closet up with boxed complete game consoles and collectibles...

part of this is to give me motivation to do something with the donkey kong cocktail machine thats in there too as well as free up some space