Corsair 500r or Fractal Design Define R4?

[StickyS]

Have pretty much decided on components in my build, ask if you want to more details. It has come down to deciding on the case. I like these two cases because they aren't gigantic nor are they tiny. They are in the middle. Which case should I buy? I am looking to eventually put two GTX 670's in my build in SLI, and I'm going to use a corsair H100i with two Noctua NF-F12's pulling in air from the top. I am also looking for the build to be as quiet as possible-I hate noise. Basically, I want the case that can handle heat and noise the best. Any other suggestions for the case $120 or less?

 

[MechSoup]

Mano, I really like the R4. Its my personal favorite.

The H100 fits in the R4, but it is tight. I would hope the Noctua's fit?
[video=youtube;cbXiMJh3ZZA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbXiMJh3ZZA[/video]

Also, you are going to want an additional 140mm fan in the front if you choose the R4.

 

[skaker]

Have pretty much decided on components in my build, ask if you want to more details. It has come down to deciding on the case. I like these two cases because they aren't gigantic nor are they tiny. They are in the middle. Which case should I buy? I am looking to eventually put two GTX 670's in my build in SLI, and I'm going to use a corsair H100i with two Noctua NF-F12's pulling in air from the top. I am also looking for the build to be as quiet as possible-I hate noise. Basically, I want the case that can handle heat and noise the best. Any other suggestions for the case $120 or less?

AIO water cooling is not really consistent with quiet. You can get similar, or better, performance from a high end air cooler at moderate to high over clocks (in terms of thermals and noise). The h100's only advantage is it is capable of dissipating more heat, potentially allowing higher overclocks. But, to realize that advantage requires 4 fans run at speeds that are not at all quiet, or 2 high performance fans that are outright loud.

No need to just believe me, there's plenty of articles showing the same (e.g. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/h100i-elc240-seidon-240m-lq320,3380.html)

 

[StickyS]

The Noctua's perform exactly if not better than the Noctuas that come with the NH-D14 for radiator purposes. They have a higher CFM and more directed airflow. They are just as quiet. That review that you pasted(linked) is with the STOCK fans on the H100i. Those fans and the NF-F12's are opposites. Also, its been proven that push/pull vs push or pull has little to no effect-when it does, it might be a 5C difference...The only reason why the H100i with the NF-F12's would be louder than the NH-D14 is the pump noise, and from what I've seen/heard, thats what Corsair improved on with the i version. I am definetly going to go with H100i+2NF-F12's, the problem is which case to choose for silence and airflow, with GPU's in SLI.

 

[skaker]

They perform better, but are louder. I have both, along with a slew of GTs, NBs, and APs, some used as case fans, others on various radiators, including a 1080 external set up and a 360 internal, bottom mounted rig, in addition to multiple heatsinks. But again, you don't have to believe me, others have made youtube videos comparing fans/set ups. Even if f12 and p12 had the same sound pressure on a heatsink, either fan on a radiator will make more noise. The radiator is denser and results in more turbulence, turbulence equals noise. This fact is why AIO water coolers tend to be louder than good air coolers. You can get around this in a couple of ways. Increase radiator size so you don't have to move as much air, or add more fans to the radiator so each can run slower. This is the advantage of a push/pull set up, you can run the fans slower and get similar results. There are lots of actual reviews that show a push pull h100, with the fans at 7-9v performing similarly to a push set up at 12v (with various fans).

The h100 is a nice set up, so hope you enjoy. If you'd really like to minimize sound, I'd recommend looking for a case where you can mount the radiator on the bottom, or less ideally in the bottom/front (i.e. a case with a removable drive cage). Putting it on top means the sound has a direct path to you. Making a rig quiet is all about slowing fans down, and managing sound paths.

GL with your build.