Best Silent PC Case

Fractal Design Define S

The so called “Extreme” system builders are known for chopping away a few parts of their cases in order to be able to fit more stuff inside their case. Usually they get rid of entire drive cages and seal off the external drive bays to make more mounting space and have a cleaner look. Taking a step further, Fractal Design went and removed those parts from their Define S case design entirely. However, the solid shell that the company has managed to build their reputation among some of these same enthusiasts.

Fractal Design is not charging their customers to modify the existing case, but has instead reduced the cost of bays and cages from the new model’s price.

Let’s have a closer look at the outside of the Fractal Design Define S PC case before we jump into the interior of the case.

The Define S features a solid face panel which has replaced Fractal Design’s similar-looking classic noise-dampened door. Just above that, there are two USB 3.0 ports along with reset button, power button, headphone jack and microphone jack. Behind these ports are removable outer covers which allows for full access to the internal top panel.

Since the Fractal Design Define S is mainly designed for internal liquid cooling, so Fractal Design didn’t feel the need to add portholes for the liquid coolers on the back of the Fractal Design Define S PC case. This is not something to be considered as a weakness of the PC case, some consumers may prefer to see eight expansion slots instead of seven which are provided.

There are dust filters at all intake positions including the optional bottom fan mount position. The front has a magnetic dust filter while the bottom one is a slide-in dust filter.

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Fractal Design is known for using their cloth-faced asphalt damping sheets, as well as their durable and solid steel sheet work. With so many vents on the left side window, Fractal Design Define S PC case only has the right panel with enough space for proper application of those sheets. It is the most practical location for focusing the efforts for noise reduction. This will help in reducing the noise.

The front panel of the Fractal Design Define S PC case supports a 360mm radiator or triple 120mm radiators, in addition to wider 140mm units (280mm x 140mm).

The Fractal Design Define S PC case’s back of the motherboard tray shows why the length of the motherboard is restricted to standard ATX motherboard. There’s three 3.5” drive trays which fill the forward edge as well, there’s two more 2.5” trays that are located directly behind the board. Fractal Design Define S PC case’s larger 3.5” trays are dual-drilled for smaller units, just in case you want to use five 2.5” drives.

As there’s no front drive cage in the Fractal Design Define S PC case, this leaves a lot of room to screw holes and slots for different liquid cooling devices.

Be Quiet! Silent Base 800

The power supply manufacturing brand Be Quiet! probably knows a thing or two about airflow and noise dampening, so they went on and built a case. The Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 provides the consumers with the expected combination of the standard ATX dimensions, fan covers, drive doors and foam inserts.

There are optional orange and silver trim colors available for the case. However, the Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 PC case comes in black base color only.

The Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 PC case has a brushed finish on the plastic doors which resembles anodized aluminum under certain lighting conditions. The Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 PC case’s remaining parts finish and their fit suggests that this PC case targets the enthusiast market’s middle.

The Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 PC case’s front I/O ports are line along the right edge, near the front of the PC case’s plastic top panel. The enthusiasts can let the cables drop from the right side of the Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 PC case easily, without blocking the doors. The front I/O of the Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 PC case has two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports along with a microphone jack and headphone jack. The power button and the HDD activity LED complete the front I/O.

Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 PC case has a removable door which covers three 5.25” drive bays, while the top (fourth) bay cover hides the connectors for the front panel. The removable door has removable hinges that allow the door to hang from the right or to be re-installed. There’s a foam panel inside the door which potentially protects the users from the noise that the optical drives make.

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The access panel with the removable fan filter and the foam which helps in dampening the noise has two 140mm intake fans behind it. There is another filter that slides in from the rear and covers the power supply inlet and a fan mount on the bottom.

The Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 PC case’s rear has three ingress/egress holes for external liquid coolers or cables along with a 120mm cooling fan and seven expansion slots. The fans that are mounted on the rear of the PC case, outside the steel chassis, are hidden due to the extended top and bottom panels.

The Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 PC case’s panels slide off and reveal the ATX-sized interior having seven 3.5” bays which are split across two removable drive cages. There are rubber slide rails which help in dampening the noise coming from the hard drives.

The Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 PC case has an identical plastic outer cover on both sides that also hides a 120mm fan mount and a thin, cloth-faced foam that helps in noise dampening. There’s an extra thick boxed edge that keeps the panel flat while you install the panel or remove the panel.

The Be Quiet! Silent Base 800 PC case has enough space for a front panel radiator if you remove the drive cage. The case also includes enough rubber drive rails in order to fill all seven of the bays.

NZXT S340 Elite

The NZXT S340 Elite PC case is based on their low-cost NZXT S340 PC case. The NZXT S340 Elite adds just one glass side panel along with a few more upgrades which managed to push the price into the middle market. The upgrades are an extra pair of USB ports at the front panel, a HDMI port on the front panel and a magnetic headphone holder.

The front I/O is located at the front edge of the top panel. The added USB ports are only USB 2.0 ports. NZXT S340 Elite PC case has a HDMI port on the front which is connected to a pass through cable. Those users who don’t want the extra connectors will have to run the device cable around the back of the case.

The NZXT S340 Elite PC case’s rear side features a 120mm exhaust fan which can be upsized and seven expansion slots. There’s a removable bracket for the power supply to allow the power supply to simply slide into the back of the case in order to avoid any interference with the power supply shroud.

There’s a power supply dust filter beneath the power supply bracket that is big enough to provide good airflow. The slot brackets above it are secured with both screws and a slot access hole cover. The slot holders are designed to reduce manufacturing cost and require the a little wiggling to let the expansion cards into position before they can be inserted into the expansion slot.

The front panel can be pulled off to reveal a front dust filter which covers one side of the lower hard drive cage as well as fan mounts. It is attached using magnets at the top and hooks into a recess at the bottom of its opening.

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The NZXT S340 Elite PC case comes with two 120mm fans, they have three-pin motherboard connectors, that are factory-connected to a legacy ATA power adapter. Those who want their motherboard to control the fan speed of these fans should disconnect the adapter.

The NZXT S340 Elite PC case might be able to fool you with the empty space inside the case that you could fit an EATX motherboard by removing the screwed-on cable shroud and you would probably be correct in that assessment. The NZXT S340 Elite PC case has 10.6” space between the cable shroud and I/O shield, allowing oversized-ATX motherboards which have been mislabeled as EATX to fit.

Corsair Carbide Series 100R

The Corsair Carbide Series 100R Silent PC case is an entry-level PC case.  This PC case is good looking and is feature rich as well. The Corsair Carbide Series 100R Silent PC case is a dark design chassis, has decent space, tool free and offers nice airflow with the help of a small fan controller.

Corsair’s Carbide series of PC cases focuses on the mainstream market and is entry-level PC cases. Usually, a cheaper product would be have less features, a worse style and functionality, but the Carbide series by Corsair is doing really well as the PC cases have some great features and looks good as well. The Corsair Carbide Series 100R Silent PC case has a good design and some decent features too.

The Corsair Carbide Series 100R Silent PC case has an appealing elegant look, being one of the Corsair’s lowest-cost cases the Corsair Carbide Series 100R Silent avoids the look of many low-cost PC cases.

It has builder-friendly, innovative features such as front panel USB 3.0 ports, built-in SSD mounts, tool free drive mounts and intelligent cable routing which makes Corsair PC cases popular. The case also supports the high-end GPUs and the long GPUs.

The Corsair Carbide Series 100R Silent PC case has a solid top and non-window side panel which helps in reducing noise.

It's design is kept quite simple with no screaming logos and no bright lights. The case’s dark black color is also easy on the eyes. The case is made of steel structure with molded ABS plastic accent pieces.

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The Corsair Carbide Series 100R Silent PC case’s panel can be removed by removing the thumbscrews. The PC case has meshes for better airflow on the front edge.

This case has no mesh on the top to help in sound isolation. This case is designed to ensure that your graphics card stays cool as it draws airflow directly to the graphics card.

On the front of the case we have the HDD activity LED, power switch, two USB 3.0 ports, a microphone jack and a headphone jack.

There is sound damping cloth on the Corsair Carbide Series 100R Silent PC case’s side panels.

The Corsair Carbide Series 100R Silent PC case provides a decent amount of space for a mid-tower case. The only thing that the case is lacking would be the rubberized grommet holes, more specifically the black rubber inlays to hide the cabling, but overall you can make the inside of the case tidy and clean, especially if you use some dark wiring.

Fractal Design Define R6

Known for their feature rich, high-quality, yet easy on the budget PC cases, Fractal Design’s Define R6 also have these qualities.

This case comes in gunmetal grey, black, blackout and white.

The top of the Fractal Design Define R6 PC case is covered almost entirely with what Fractal Design calls its ModuVent sound damping vent cover. There’s a plastic mesh filter just under the ModuVent, we have a plastic mesh fan filter and below that are mounting locations for two 140mm fans or three 120mm fans. You can remove the cover separately from the fan filter in order to allow air to flow into or out of the case when AIO coolers or fans are installed. The Fractal Design Define R6 PC case’s front edge of the top panel has two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, a microphone jack, a headphone jack, HDD activity LED, reset button and a power button.

The front of the Fractal Design Define R6 PC case is designed to provide a brushed aluminum look, but the front is a large plastic door with a thin aluminum insert and reversible swing which is lined with a thick layer of sound damping material. You will find a large removable plastic mesh filter that covers mounting positions for two 140mm fans or three 120mm fans and a single 5.25” drive bay opening.

The rear side of the Fractal Design Define R6 PC case has the standard motherboard I/O area, seven expansion slots, opening for a power supply at the bottom, and an exhaust fan mounting position which supports both 140mm fan and 120mm fan. The mounting location for the exhaust fan has slotted screw holes that let you adjust the position of the fan. There’s a 20.5” plastic mesh filter on the bottom of the chess which can be removed from the front, it covers two mounting positions for 140mm fans or 120mm fans as well as the opening for the power supply.

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Fractal Design Define R6 PC case has a dual layout design that, when configured in the so called standard layout, can accommodate up to six 3.5” hard drives and two 2.5” drives simultaneously. Whereas, the so called open layout allows you to remove the hard drive mounting positions in the main compartment in order to have clear air flow path and enough room to put in larger GPUs and water cooling hardware.

Nanoxia Deep Silence 3

The front of the Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 PC case is not very different from the Deep Silence 2, however the Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 is much shorter and there’s a few differences inside the case. You get a choice of black or graphite colored front, but otherwise the Deep Silence 3 comes in black.

The front panel of the Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 PC case’s front panel is divided into two parts, while the top portion is an actual door. The door swings open to the right and is lined with sound-dampening material. The front is actually plastic made to look like brushed aluminum. The whole interior of the case is painted black in order to match the Deep Silence 2’s exterior.

Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 both sides are made of thick metal sheets. The case has more than enough air vents for different fan positions inside the case.

Just behind the cover you will find three 5.25 external drive bays and two fan controllers for up to six 3-pin cooling units. There are two pre-installed intake fans that takes up the bottom half of the case and are protected by a dust filter.

On the rear side of the Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 PC case, the power supply bay at the bottom comes with two sets of screw holes, which allows you to mount the power supply with its fan either facing up or facing down. There is a lined thin layer of foam here, which acts as an anti-vibration measure.  There are seven expansion slots just above it and each of the expansion slots are protected with a separate cover. There are also two openings for water cooling tubes next to it. At the very top, there’s a single 140mm exhaust fan that pushes the air out and two more water cooling holes.

The Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 PC case has a single USB 2.0 port, two USB 3.0 ports, power button, a microphone jack and a headphone jack. You will also find two large air vents at the rear side of the top of the case and you can mount a 240mm or 280mm radiator there or two 120mm fans or two 140mm fans. The vents come initially come with a cover to help reduce the sound.

Simply remove the thumbscrews to remove each panel and reveal the interior of the Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 PC case. The side panels are also lined with sound dampening material.

The HDD cages in the Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 PC case are not just one single big cage, instead they have been replace by three separate ones. The Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 PC case allows you to easily install five 2.5”/3.5” drives inside the case.

The vents in the top of the case are both covered by plastic covers which are also lined with thick sound dampening material. It makes sure that there are no openings at the sides, top, or the front from where the user can hear the system’s components.

Fractal Design Define Nano S

The Fractal Design Define Nano S has more of a cleaner look and has a bit of a water cooling oriented design. Fractal Design Define Nano S PC case is for those who want to build a mini-ITX system without sacrificing any of the silence or performance that they get with larger builds.

The Fractal Design Define Nano S tries to balance size with silence, the case seems to be putting more of an emphasis on silence. It is not the smallest mini-ITX case in the market, but it does make up for its larger size with the set of features it offers along with a well thought out build area. The sound dampening has also been improved with the added dampening on top and front panels.

The front I/O is located at the front side of the top panel. These include two USB 3.0 ports, a microphone jack, a headphone jack, power button and a reset button.

Fractal Design Define Nano S PC case’s top comes covered with a removable panel by default which has Fractal’s ModuVent sound dampening technology. If removed, the Fractal Design Define Nano S PC case will support the installation of either a 240mm or a 120mm radiator for water cooling or up to two 120mm fans. The holes for mounting them are positioned quite far to the side and should provide enough motherboard clearance for large radiators.

The rear side of the Fractal Design Define Nano S PC case also has a vibration dampening, foam cutout for power supply as well as an oversized mount for a 120mm cooling fan or an optional 120mm radiator. The Fractal Design Define Nano S does not have ports for external liquid cooling options.

There’s a dust filter at the boom of the Fractal Design Define Nano S which pulls out of the front of the case. You will have to remove the front panel of the case to access the filter at the front panel.

The Fractal Design Define Nano S PC case’s interior has enough space for most mini-ITX builds and includes an extensive amount of water cooling support. There are predrilled holes towards the front of the case for mounting reservoirs.

There is a mounting bracket at the bottom of the case which supports many of the DDC or D5 pump variants. If there is no standalone pump installed, then the pump bracket can be used to mount a 3.5” hard drive instead.

There is Fractal Design’s asphalt sound dampening sheets on most of the internal panels including the top, front and right panels. The Fractal Design Define Nano S also has quite some space for cable management which is quite good.

Cooler Master Silencio 352

The Cooler Master Silencio 352 Silent has noise cancelling and the front panel of the case has a very elegant matte look.

Silencio line up of corsairs can be clearly seen here, this case may not be for the very high-end gaming sector of the market, but it doesn’t mean that you cannot get a powerful rig in this case. There is a full-length door on the front and the lines are simple and clean with un-windowed side panels.

Both of the side panels have slight bulge, it may add to rigidity or perhaps it provides a little more room for cable management on the right side of the case.

The top of the Cooler Master Silencio 352 Silent is a smooth removable plastic cover overlaying a filtered mesh grill that is fitted for a 120mm fan. It is help in its place via magnets. The cover can be removed easily which will provide improved cooling.

Cooler Master Silencio 352 Silent PC case’s front I/O is located at right edge of the front panel on the front and is stacked vertically. It features a single USB 2.0 port, two USB 3.0 ports, a microphone jack, a headphone jack, an SD card reader, a reset button and a power button.

There are horizontal slits at the lateral edges of the front that run down, allowing air to enter the case.

We can open up the full-length plastic case door that is hinged on the left side and it cannot be swapped around. We will be able to access the single 5.25” bay and a single 3.5” bay by opening this door.

The metal mesh is revealed once we remove the brick weave plastic panel of the front intake. There is sound dampening material on the inside of the front door. The side panels of the Cooler Master Silencio 352 Silent are also coated in sound dampening material.

The Cooler Master Silencio 352 Silent supports only Micro-ATX and mini-ITX, but it has plenty of room still. There is a large aperture that runs literally the full length of the base of the case, it starts just next to the power supply and goes to the front of the case. It should be enough to make bringing cables through a breeze.

There is a single Cooler Master XtraFlo 120mm fan at the front with enough space for another fan if you want, but keep in mind that there is no 140mm option here. To make sure that the 3.5” drive rack does not obscure airflow, the 3.5” drive rack is mounted slightly inboard of the fan area.

The power supply is mounted on 4 rubber topped dimples to get a clean supply of air through the meshed and filtered cut out at the bottom.