Recommendation for a quiet mITXor mATX case

Hello All,
I find my current build to be too noisy and i am looking to upgrade my case to something more quiet. I currently have a 8700 inside a node 202 with the AXP-100 cooler.

I am currently looking at the H200i and the define nano s. I couldn’t find any concrete review on the noise performance of both.

The define nano has noise dampening material, but is also almost 2 years old at this point. So i am not sure how fair again the H200i which is much more recent.

So for the questions:

1 - h200i vs nano s in term of noise level ?
2 - What are the current quiet case at the mITX or mATX form format ?
3 - i am thinking of also getting a radiator, would those make a significant difference in term of noise level ?

Thanks :slight_smile:

I’ve spent the last few decades trying to make my computers quieter so I’ll save you some time:

If you are a gamer that always wants/‘needs’ good GPUs and CPUs then you’re never going to have a quiet system. Too much heat that needs to be moved, and moving it makes noise.

Switching from big cases to small cases makes no difference. Sometimes it makes it worse. AIO coolers make more noise than good air coolers — like those from Noctua.

The only way to really quieten a system is to stop producing all that heat in the first place. Less heat > less heat that needs moving > less noise.

Unfortunately, less heat also means less power and that limits the sort of games you can play.

I built a completely silent system in a Streacom DB4. The CPU was a Ryzen 5 1600 and the GPU was a GTX 1050 Ti. Can it play games? Sure. Can it play a lot of games? You bet. Can it play the latest AAA title on a 4K display at 144Hz? Not a chance.

If you are willing to delay playing the “Top 10% most computationally expensive” games for several years then silence is possible. If you’re not, then my advice is to save your money and just put the computer into a different room/space where you can’t hear it.

Attempting to silence powerful gaming systems that sit in the same room as you do is an expensive and futile endeavour.

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I’ve set out to build a “silent” PC several times but I’ve always been lured back to the shiny, new, fast and hot approach

Case fans are not all the same. If Fan X can push the same amount of air at a lower RPM than Fan Y, chances are it will also produce less noise.

Look for data-driven comparisons of AIO’s and air coolers. The very best air coolers are priced much the same as the typical AIO. Check air cooler clearance in any prospective case purchase. It will be included in the data sheet for the case at the manufacturers site.

Almost all consumer-level AIO’s are much the same because almost all AIO’s on the market are rebranded Asutek products.

Heat needs a way out of a case. Lots of holes are better.

Guys, check the post age. OPs last seen may 26. He’s dead Jim.

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3 month necro, thread is locked.