Today we have a product from QuietPC on our test bench, they sell a multitude of computer hardware products aimed at reducing the noise of your PC. Their AcoustiCase is a promosing range of PC cases designed to kill noise and allow for silent computing.

The C6607 “B”(black) model is a solid midi tower case which features easy installation and anti-vibration materials.




Inside the massive box you’ll find the case itself and the Acoustic material (click for zoom)

The case is made mainly out of steel and quite heavy with its total weight close to 10kg. Before you can start putting your precious hardware inside you’ll need to install the Acoustic material, this process takes 20-30min and it adds to the total weight (~2kg). With the aid of the descriptive manual it’s really plug and play:



So let’s take a closer look at the AcoustiCase before we start padding the inside ->

(click for zoom)

The inside looks very similar to the Antec SLK3700

The inside is roomy and all areas are easily accessible, although the motherboard tray is not removable you'll have no problems fitting full size ATX boards in there.


Lining up the motherboard for installation is made very easy thanks to the small metal button in the middle ->


(click for zoom)

Zoomed in on the area next to the DDR slots ->



The floppy-drive bay is removable



As is the whole HDD-bay, all tool-less!



At the front of the case you’ll find connectors for USB, Sound and firewire, but instead of having to figure out every wire to make everything work we see finished plugs which make installation very easy!





Connecting the front firewire port to my ATI Radeon AIW was straightforward



The hard drive bay features anti-vibration rubbers and you need to use the provided screws to put everything in place:



CD/DVD drives only need screw at the left side, as they click into their place thanks to bent metal on the other side:



This case features a lock on the side panel and also a chassis intrusion detector, the motherboard I used, an Asus P4PE, is capable of reading the sensor.





The handle & lock on the outside of the right side panel


The right panel also features thumbscrews which remain in their place even when the panel is removed, quite nifty!



Silently air cooled? Find out how the AcoustiCase provides great airflow without noise ->

Cooling

This case features 2 pre-installed brackets for 120mm fans, one at the front and one in the back, very accessible and sure to provide tons of airflow even when the fans are running at their lowest setting


(click for zoom)



The fan brackets can also be replaced with sound dampening soft fan mounts:



They take away any noise generated from the fan’s vibration



I decided to install an Enermax 120mm at the front running at its lowest speed setting using the fan brackets:


matching colors?

On the outside the intake fan is hidden from view and by pressing your finger on the underside of the front panel the filter-area will come of and now you can see the fan:




This small removable part acts as a dust filter



And if you want to increase the efficiency of the filter you can add the provided “cushion” like padding which will reduce airflow quite a bit, but does help stop dust from entering your system:



This case will house a multimedia system which is currently housed inside an Aopen HQ45, modded with a 92mm blowhole in the side panel without dust filter it doesn’t take long for the inside to look like this ->



So after having the system up and running in the AcoustiCase for several weeks the inside was still clean, where did the dust go? ->




Very effective to say the least!

Now we take a few steps back and install all the Acoustic Material ->

We start of by changing the 4 feet of the case with new anti-vibration ones


(click for zoom)

Then it’s time to bring out the Acoustic material, one side is pretty thick and heavy and features a cover of very strong adhesive, while the other side is soft and helps stop noise from going outside the case.



So off we go ->





(click for zoom)

Next up is getting the Acoustic foam blocks in place:


(click for zoom)

With everything installed, it ends up looking like this


(click for zoom)

Time to start up the system and open our ears ->

(click for zoom)


Testing

Some details on the system used:

- P4 1.8@2.55Ghz (vcore: 1.6v)
- Asus P4PE
- Standard Intel cooler
- Maxtor DiamondMax 30GB
- Plextor 24x CDwriter
- AOpen 16x DVDrom

- Room temp: 24°C
- Running Folding@Home

Temperature tests

When this system was housed inside the Aopen HQ45 (1x92mm blowhole in side panel) these were the resulting temperatures:

Case temp: 44°C
CPU temp: 61°C

Now we transfer the whole system inside the AcoustiCase and add 1x 120mm fan in the front (Enermax @ low speed setting) with the default dust filter:

Case temp: 33°C
CPU temp: 54°C

That’s quite an impressive temperature reduction; the 120mm fan draws in cold air which really benefits the CPU cooling! Now let’s see the results if we add the extra dust filter:

Case temp: 35°C
CPU temp: 55°C

Not bad at all! Great temperature result, the inside of this case features great airflow.


Subjective noise observation

The default Intel cooler for the P4 1.8A is quite silent to begin with, so the main noise problem with this system was related to the HDD and the noisy DVD-rom drive. The HDD noise is strongly reduced, only when you sit right in front of the system you are able to hear it. But the real surprise for me was the amount of vibration noise this case took away from the DVD-rom drive, in the Aopen HQ45 the drive would cause a lot of noise to the point that you’d have to turn up the sound quite a bit to no longer hear it. In the AcoustiCase I had troubles hearing a DVD spin inside the drive, I was very impressed!

The AcoustiCase is a very complete product, the high build quality ensures for long usability and easy use when changing the hardware. The 2x 120mm fan brackets give the end-user the option to give this case excellent internal airflow while keeping noise down. Speaking of, the Acoustic Material takes a while to put in place and does add to the weight of an already heavy case, but luckily it removes vibration and high pitched noises quite effectively!

Priced at ~$200 it will cut a hole in your pocket if you want to build a budget system, but if you are looking for an effective upgrade to reduce noise without affecting your system temperatures, then the price is well justified. Although I would have liked to see 2x 120mm AcoustiFans being added by default.

To sum up the AcoustiCase 6607:

PRO
Great build quality
Effectively reduces noise
Easy installation and maintenance
Sleek looks (I have a weakness for anything black)


CON
Quite pricey
Not recommended to take on LANs due to its weight.
Won’t reduce noise much if you already have a silent system

I would like to thank Karen and Dave from QuietPC for setting us up with the review sample. Visit the QuietPC website for more products aimed at reducing your noisy PC!




Questions/Comments: forum thread