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Thread: M-ATX Case Advice

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    M-ATX Case Advice

    I'm currently using an ACE Ecco 250 as my main computer case but I'm not happy with it in terms of noise and hard drive mounting.

    I should have bought the Fractal Define Mini instead of the 250 but the Mini was twice the cost

    Recently I was looking at the Coolermaster Silcencio 352 but space for only two hard drives and CPU cooler height restrictions have made me rethink.


    Any alternatives to the Define mini?


    What I like about the mini is the hard drive mounting at 90 degrees plus you can install three drives in the bottom cage and remove the top one. I'm also for some reason thinking Fractal will release a new version soon..

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    Re: M-ATX Case Advice

    What's the exact issues?

    If you're up for a spot of modding The you could try mounting the hard drives (how many? size?) on the floor of the case.
    Basically drill 4 holes per drive and screw them in from underneath using the screw hoes on the bottom of the drives, you could also use grommeted screws to reduce vibration.

    Is there much room behind the bezel? you could put a sheet of noise insulation foam on the inside to help reduce noise from the front fans.
    p.s. what fans are you using?

    Unfortunately the next step up in matx cases from the eco 250 is something like the fractal define mini and yes the cost is double or more

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    Re: M-ATX Case Advice

    Quote Originally Posted by Pob255 View Post
    What's the exact issues?

    If you're up for a spot of modding The you could try mounting the hard drives (how many? size?) on the floor of the case.
    Basically drill 4 holes per drive and screw them in from underneath using the screw hoes on the bottom of the drives, you could also use grommeted screws to reduce vibration.

    Is there much room behind the bezel? you could put a sheet of noise insulation foam on the inside to help reduce noise from the front fans.
    p.s. what fans are you using?

    Unfortunately the next step up in matx cases from the eco 250 is something like the fractal define mini and yes the cost is double or more
    Well the HD mounting for a start plus the noise, I was expecting quieter... plus issue with the cooler height if you have the hard drive mounting in place...

    I've mounted the HD in a hard drive cage and put that in the case on a towel.

    Fans are Globalwin 120mm which I've had for years - using a controller to keep the speed down.

    I gave up and went for a Define Mini

    Thank you for the advice.

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    Re: M-ATX Case Advice

    Fractal design case is pretty excellently made but if you've got an SFF in mind think again. Its width is comparable to a mid size tower, depth and height saves less than 10 cm.

    On plus side; definitely quiet and plenty of room for your cooler.

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    Re: M-ATX Case Advice

    Fractal design will bring you a very high quality build, but just make sure you have the space for it if you are trying to put it in a smaller area.

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