Quiet case vs Airflow case for noise

[Tom_P]

Hi,

I've recently ordered a PC (gaming use) but due to supply issues (Ryzen 3300x processor) it's been in pre-production for a while, so I've inevitably been tweaking the spec and second-guessing my choices...

The bit I'm currently thinking about is, if I'm trying to reduce noise, am I better off going for a quiet case, but with the risk of the fans having to work harder because of the worse airflow; or going for a better airflow case, and then having less load on the fans to achieve adequate cooling so actually ending up quieter? I've put my build in below for info - currently with the Corsair 275q quiet case; the 275r airflow works out a bit cheaper as I won't need the extra case fans I've specced here.

Any advice or suggestions would be helpful!

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275Q QUIET CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X Quad Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.3GHz/18MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 18 working days
Promotional Item
Get Rainbow Six Siege: Gold Edition with select NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs!
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo

 

[AgentCooper]

Nursemorph gets in there first! I need to type faster...

 

[Tom_P]

Thanks both - as you've guessed, that's a bit beyond my price range unfortunately, already stretched the budget to get to the graphics card! It sounds like I should go with the better airflow and then tune the fans or possibly just get quieter fans later to get the best balance.

 

[Tom_P]

Hi Nursemorph, thanks I'd heard good thinks about the Focus G (I think it was the recommended case in the example builds) but was put off by the aesthetics - is it possible to turn off the lighting on the front fans? Because of where it's going I want to avoid something that looks like Blackpool Illuminations flashing away!

 

[AgentCooper]

Hi Nursemorph, thanks I'd heard good thinks about the Focus G (I think it was the recommended case in the example builds) but was put off by the aesthetics - is it possible to turn off the lighting on the front fans? Because of where it's going I want to avoid something that looks like Blackpool Illuminations flashing away!

You're the opposite to me, my last PC was uber quiet and discrete as I was room sharing when I bought it. I have my own study now and my desk looks like it's hosting a rave due to the amount of RGB in it.

The Fractal ones look quite classy as they're just white LEDs.