I currently have a NZXT Phantom original, have had this case for about 2 years now.
but it annoys me as something is making a very annoying buzzing noise. The noise goes away when I tap the case on either the front or top.. (if it doesn't work hit it right?) It has been doing this since I can remember and is really getting on my nerves.
So I like quiet and even though my case right now is very silent when I'm not gaming and have all my fans turned down.
So I was wondering if it would be worth it to invest in the Design Define R4 as it's supposedly a "Silent" case.
I would helpe making the system a little bit quieter, but it's always best to figure out precisely what is the source of the noise first before going anywhere. If it's a low frequency buzz/hum then I'd guess that it's harddrive vibrations that resonates with the case. Some vibration dampening of the harddrive(s) or mass dampening on the part of the case that resonates might be enough, if that one noise is the only really problematic one.
<p>Yea I've been trying to find its source for a looong time.. I thought it were my HDDs to but every time I try to get rid of a certain vibrating element an other one starts. Also what could I do to prevent the hard drive from vibrating? Its a WD black 1TB one.</p>
If it's only one hard drive it shouldn't make too much noise. If your case supports it, you can look around for rubber mounts. Screws with rubber grommets, rubber mounting rails, or a complete after market solution.
You do have a good case, and define R4 is extremely good for silence operation. But you will have a bit more heat due to less fans/vents and stuff.
I currently own a fractal Midi R2 and love it, but that is just preference.
With a single drive I'm sure you can have success with some DIY suspension setup. Google "hard drive suspension" for lots of examples. The basic straightforward way is to use some elastic cord and use that to have the drive suspended in a 5.25" bay.
One drive dampening product that works well is Nexus DoubleTwin, which is a relatively simple 5,25" mount for one or two harddrives.
A more ideal setup would be to have an SSD as the system drive and some low noise storage drive for files. Modern 5400/5900 RPM drives not only vibrates less but also don't have as much of the high pitched motor whine as 7200 RPM drives do. The latter being much more difficult to dampen than vibrations.
Nothing else than harddrives should be the source of vibrations in a system. Any fan that vibrates much would be a candidate for replacement as it is likely breaking down anyway.
Well I have a SSD for my system drive, also the HDD is on the phantom's original drive slides which has rubber screwy type things. So I really don't understand the sound at all but I'll try to find some solution for it.