Wait for the P150 then. It might be more expensive, but it does include the excellent NeoHE 430 PSU. Take note of Asus MB issues though.

P180 would be a good choice. Hard to handle though since it can be a potentially complicated setup.

If you're looking for sound dampening, you'd ideally want something that's heavy and thick. Akasa Paxmate is actually a little too thin and light for the job.

Aluminium cases are bound to hum/whine/rattle somewhat, yes, even the expensive Lian Lis will. My PC-60 did until I installed some dampening material. So a steel case is a better choice. Since P180 is too expensive, one of those HEC steel Compucases with 120mm fans might be good.

No, get a HEC, but you definitely have to swap the fans. I recently got a HEC 6A19 for my gf which I modded into a MooPC

The stock Globe 120mm fans that came with the case were ludicrously loud. Serious vacumn cleaner stuff there, I ended up setting them both permanently at 5V before I gave it to her.

I remember clearly as it was not too long ago. Too loud to be considered for even a quiet system, and I was testing them in free air, so there was no turbulence noise from grills or anything. Perhaps yours came with different spec fans. I can't recall the model number except I remember they were rated for about 80CFM. I think S12025M or something like that.

From my own experience, a great choice for a 120mm case fan is the CM UV/LED Silent series. I've had a couple and they were all great. Almost totally noiseless from half a foot away and decent 40CFM airflow. MacDaNife tells me his alu version is far better, but mine wasn't so good with a distinct motor whine at all speeds. However, the 80mm alu I have is fantastic.

I seem to have veered this off-topic from cases to fans, so back to topic... If HEC's plastic bezel doesn't suit your taste, you could always wait for one of the newer Lian Li's wide side intake holes ala P180/P150, but IMO they look quite weird. You could go for the Sonata II, but it's abit more cramped and IMO the P150 is much better.

Lian Li has a bunch of "silent" cases with sound dampening, but they're not great since intake is severely hindered. The new 767 looks like it could be a quiet case with some DIY work though.

Guide to silencing your rig:

1. Go to SPCR.
2. Read as much as you can there, they have tons of great articles.
3. Move to the forum and read the user articles/reviews/guides there.
4. Do it to your own rig.
5. Ask for comments/feedback on the forum and revise.
6. Repeat as necassary.



This post has been edited by evilnickwong: Feb 22 2006, 11:57 PM

I have a PC60 Plus, and while it's quiet now, it did take abit of effort to get it here.

Just to run through, most of it had to start with quiet components and coolers/fans. Afterwhich, some touch up with sound dampening, HDD suspension and removing as much airflow impedence as possible.

As it is, the only things I hear are my PSU fan and my HDD. But be warned, without sound dampening, the side panels tend to rattle whenever your HDD/DVD drives spin up.

But honestly, for a silent case, the P180 is only RM100 more than the PC60-Plus and would be the better choice.

This post has been edited by evilnickwong: Feb 24 2006, 12:22 AM

Perhaps cause aluminium cases take more work to get quiet. Even my PC-61P with sound dampening material still vibrates now and then when I'm spinning something in the DVD drive.

Maybe it seems quiet, but if aircon fans are anything to go by, they'll definitely be very audible indeed in a quiet case.