I'm speccing a case for an i7 or Ryzen 3900X-based system that'll possibly be OC'ed to run between 4.5 and 5Ghz so good cooling is a must, but it also needs to be quiet enough that the hum of fans isn't very noticeable (yeah, very subjective, I know). I've considered whether to go AIO water cooled or air cooled and think I've decided on the latter (unless mid-range AIO is quieter than the quietest air cooler), but choosing a case has me stumped. Budget is around £120 mark, but would go a bit higher if needed. The build will be primarily used for photo and video editing/conversion. The Phanteks P600S looked like it'd do the job but I have a 3.5" sized card reader in my current ageing self-build that I'd like to use in the new build, so a case with at least one 5.25" bay would be needed. Looked at Fractal R7 but it's huge and I'm unsure how well it'd cool a hot CPU given the restricted airflow. The Enthoo Pro M looks like it'd do the job but it doesn't have the front panel USB-C and I'm not sure how quiet it'd be. So I'm looking to you folks for advice
Fractal Design Define R5, R6, R7 etc... Have two systems in R5s with air cooling in the same room and they're super quiet (i have to really concentrate to hear them over background noise); even fully loaded; and never had any issue with overheating.
Well I was going to suggest the P600S although the card reader is the sticking point. Just wondering if P600S and USB based card reader would work? Otherwise the Define Rx suggestion is a good one.
I've since read another post in these forums that made a good argument for just using an external card reader (I already have a USB3 one for my laptop) plugged in as needed. I like the Define Rx cases but they're about the same size as my Antec P193 which I've always felt was too big. The P600S is as tall as the P193 but is a lot shorter so that's appealing and works if I decide to not bother re-using my built-in card reader. If I did go for the P600S I could remove the front panel when the CPU and GPU are getting too warm (there'd be no benefit removing the top panel if the CPU is air-cooled would there?) What about the Define Compact range? I know they're missing a few features from the Define Rx cases but can those missing features be added on? And is their cooling performance similar to their bigger brethen? Just seen that the Define R7 compact doesn't have any 5.25in bays
Removing the top panel on the P600S can allow for exhaust, either passive or via fan thus is an option (plus only takes seconds like the front panel). On the card reader front I can't imagine a external USB3 model (assuming decent) would be any slower than a build in one. Actually I imagine it would be faster overall as the internal one is most likely USB2.0.
What cooler are you using? As thats more of a concern. And if you swap the fans for Notcua's or Noise Blockers, any case is quiet really...
The internal card reader is an Akasa USB3 one, though it's designed to fit in a 3.5" floppy drive bay so if I re-use it I'll need a 5.25" adapter plate such as https://www.amazon.co.uk/Akasa-2-5-3-5-5-25-Inch-Mounting/dp/B005ZWGEU8
Ah didn't even known they did internal USB3 ones. Maybe give it a go with the external one you have and see if it is workable. That way it opens up your case choices.
The lead on the external card reader is very short and I've found that using a longer lead doesn't work, so that'd mean I'd have an external card reader hanging off the top of the case by the lead if I went for the P600S. the card reader is all plastic and as light as a feather so not really an issue, it'd just look... erm... awkward I guess. As for the R7, I've looked at a few reviews and comparing the bit-tech and hexus reviews, the latter review shows CPU temperatures much lower than the bit-tech review, but I'm guessing that's 'cos the bit-tech reviews deliberate constrain the CPU cooler and case fans for the purpose of testing? The P600S is a thing of beauty (relatively) with great cooling whereas the R7 is more practical but just that bit bigger.
TBH at that stage, assuming your GPU is also quiet, you can probaby go for any case and it not be much of a concern. You'll probably want to swap out whatever fans it comes with too.
Another case recommendation is for the Be-quiet Dark base pro 900. Using one for the rig in my signature with a corsair h150i, with it all set to quiet mode and no overclock it's almost silent, only noise I notice is the PSU and obviously I could change that out if it was an issue. A bit over budget I know but if you don't need the size of the 900 the 600 case provides the same performance (I believe, no personal experience here ) and is on budget.
After considering all the feedback in this thread and some research, I reckon the R7 makes more sense for me. If I need more airflow I can just open the door as needed. There's not much difference in size between the P600 and R7, the latter is a little longer but isn't as tall as the P600 but being able to reuse my USB3 card reader in the R7's 5.25" bay is a significant bonus, plus it provides an extra USB3 port. Thanks all for your help and feedback.
