Need some thoughts - Case and Cooling

[Ebby]

I'm getting ready to build a new AMD 64 PC and I'm looking for the perfect case and the best way to keep it quiet and cool. I've built systems in the past using Enermax cases ( I may mod one of these ) and Enlight cases. My tower fits into a cabinet that is part of my desk which has one vent. I'm thinking about moding the desk slightly to bring down temps. I usually leave the door open when I'm using the PC to get some air flow in there.

Goals for this PC-
#1 - Quiet - this is most important - tired of the volcano 7 and feeling like i'm on the wing of a 747
2 - Cool - I haven't overclocked and probably won't unless I need to squeeze a few more months of life out of the PC.
3 - Dust filters - Helps with the noise and seems to make sense but do they hurt cooling performance?
4 - I'll probably add a multifunction drive plate for usb, sound, ect.
5 - Side panels and neons aren't important but functionality is.


Ok, throw out your suggestions and experience. I'm trying to come up with the best solution. Thanks

Ebby

[Darthtanion]

Since good looks aren't important to you, just get a normal case and go from there. It'll be sitting in a cabinet from what you say, so this won't hurt anything. From there, I'd go with a water cooling solution. This will keep noise levels to a minimum but still allow you to keep your system nice and cool. This will be very helpful since airflow looks to be a major concern where you currently keep the enclosure stored. You'll still want to use fans for cooling the hard drives and video board, but case fans tend to be quieter than the monsters we place on our heatsinks so you'll notice an immediate drop in volume.

Other than that, the multi-function panels you're talking about generally mount in an empty 5.25" optical drive bay so they'll be accessible as long as you can get to the front of the box.

[Ebby]

Thanks Darth, I see you used the Swiftech kit. Looks like you picked up a seperate waterblock too. If you were building a PC today would you get that same kit or would you peice it together?

If I go the water cooling route wouldn't it be best to get a block for the Video board also.

[Darthtanion]

The water block is the one that came with the kit. You can add in a VGA block if you are going to be running a hot board, but I do recommend the dual radiator setup. As to what I would run, there are just so many choices that it really comes down to what you want to do with the system. The Swiftech kit works well but that is because it is made up of quality individual components that are already proven to work well. You can also pick up a kit from Danger Den that is made up of similarly proven components. As long as you stay away from the all-in-one box type water coolers, you should do fine.