Verdict

If you’re planning on getting a new PC or upgrading your current one, how much thought have you given to the case? Most people don’t really care about the case as long as it is not too ugly, but there is another factor that’s worth considering – noise. You might be wondering how the choice of case can reduce noise and to be honest, in most instances there’s very little difference in acoustics.

However, the AcoustiCase is supplied with special noise dampening padding to reduce the amount of sound pollution in your home or office. Insulation of this type is nothing new as it has been available from companies such as Akasa for a good couple of years. But what makes the AcoustiCase special is that all the padding is pre-cut to fit the case. The downside is that you still have to fit it yourself.

The C6607 is the larger of two cases in the AcoustiCase range and offers plenty of space for expansion. It is somewhat similar to Chieftec’s tower cases in terms of general design, but there are several key differences. The external design is fairly plain and the C6607 is hardly stylish, but it is very functional.

One thing that could be improved on is the front reset button, as it’s tiny and really hard to press. Personally I would also prefer to have the USB 2.0, FireWire and audio ports moved to the top rather than at the bottom behind the flap where they now reside. The internal FireWire connector could also do with being changed to the Intel spec connector as the one supplied has to be connected to a standard six-pin FireWire port which is rarely fitted to motherboards.

Opening the case is easy and the two thumb screws around the back won’t get lost since they stay attached to the side panel. There are also two latches that lock the side panel in place and the top latch can be locked with a set of supplied keys. Internally the AcoustiCase is spacious and will take all but the largest of workstation motherboards.

Fitting drives is simple, with removable drive cages for the 3.5in drives while the 5.25in drives only need to be screwed in from one side. The hard drive cage features small rubber pads and a set of special screws to accommodate this. The rubber pads help to prevent vibration and noise to spread from the hard drives into the chassis.

In terms of cooling, a 120mm fan can be installed in both the front and the rear which is still a rare sight. A removable dust filter is also fitted at the front to reduce the amount of dust sucked through the case. All the necessary screws are supplied as well as a small booklet describing how to install all the components, which is something that would be nice to see with more cases.

As already mentioned, what makes this case special is the noise reduction padding. The padding comes with very basic installation instructions and this is a real shame as it’s a bit fiddly to fit all the different pieces into place. You can however, find more detailed online instructions here, that makes things far easier.

The padding is made out of special rubber foam that is meant to absorb noise, but not heat. This seems to work quite well in use as well, as I didn’t notice any increase in ambient or CPU temperature from my previous case.

Fitting all the padding is quite time consuming, so make sure you take the time and do it properly. I must say that I’m grateful that the foam was pre-cut or it would have taken me a lot longer to get it all in place. The two hardest bits to fit are the ones that go in the top and the bottom of the case. The reason for this is that the foam pads have to be tucked in under some protruding bits of metal.

The backing of the padding is coated in very sticky glue, which can make it awkward to fit. But as long as you only take a small piece of the protective film off at a time, it’s not too much of a chore. There are also special foam pads that fit into the empty drive cages, but these are a breeze to get in place. An extra air filter is also supplied to prevent noise from the front mounted fan intruding into your otherwise serene room.

As the C6607 is constructed from steel it’s not light in the first place, but the extra weight of the padding makes it very heavy indeed. After fitting all the PC bits it has gained even more weight, so you don’t really want to have to move it around too much.

So how does the AcoustiCase fair in use? Well, it’s certainly a lot quieter than my previous case, even though I used most of the same fans and a standard power supply. The padding seems quite effective in dampening the noise, but don’t expect to get a completely quiet PC with this solution. At least my wife stopped complaining about my PC being noisy, which to me is proof that the padding is doing its job.

As far as cost the AcoustiCase C6607 is not the cheapest steel case around as it will set you back £99.88 plus delivery from QuietPC. It is however a worthwhile investment in my opinion and as I am quite fond of tower cases anyhow this is the ideal chassis for my needs.

”’Verdict”’

The AcoustiCase C6607 is not the prettiest case around, but it offers a solid set of features, good expandability and the padding makes it a great solution for the noise conscious user. But if the padding was pre-fitted, this would be an almost perfect PC case.

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