Corsair Air 540 vs Fractal Define R5

Tommo791

New member
So,
I am looking at buying a new case in the near future, but I am still undecided between the Air 540 and the R5. Before the release of the R5 I was pretty much blown away with the options for cooling, aesthetics and all around features of the Air 540. After the release of the R5 I watched a few reviews and was really impressed with the features of the case, and how they have improved it since the R4. Now, in a case I look for great cooling, but also noise.
I know that fractal are great at handling noise, but the Air 540 is fantastic for cooling and I don't know which one to choose. I was wondering, if with a fan controller and 5 or 6 fans if the R5 could maintain silence but also a good level of cooling for a potential SLI 970 configuration. Would it remain cool enough for SLI?
Thanks,
Tommo791
 
if i was in the market for a new case (i have a NZXT Switch 810) I would got for the Fractal Define R5 if i was watercooling and air cooling i would go for the Corsair air 540.

but if it was silence i was after R5 all the way
 
you can fit a 360 rad in the top and 240 rad in the front of the Air 540 with plenty of room for the motherboard and gpu's and it looks sweet.
 
Thanks for replying guys. I actually don't plan to use any radiators, and the noise from the 540 would definitely bug me, which is why I'm leaning towards the R5. I also think that I will build my Pc initially with one gtx 970, and 2 140mm front intakes, plus a 140mm bottom intake and an exhaust from the rear would be adequate cooling. Also all these fans apart from the exhaust have high quality fan filters, and they would be quiet inside the noise dampened case. And if in the future I wish to go SLI, I can simply add another few fans as the R5 can house up to 9. Another thing I should note is that i would get a windowed version, so I will be able to show off the parts, it would just be restricted to a smaller window.
Once again I appreciate your opinions and thanks for the help :)
 
The R5 won't entirely eliminate the noise. You have to get quiet parts to maximize the potential of silence. If you have loud fans it'll only help so much. Don't expect it to be silent out of the box no matter what.
 
Depending on what fans you're looking at, you're gonna want to get some voltage reducers for them so that the fans are silent. As NBD said, if your fans are loud then you can't really expect the case to silence them.

Both are great cases and if you really want the silence then go for the R5, it looks incredible and is simplistic in design. They are 2 completely different cases which have very little in common when it comes down to it.

I'm personally for the R5 because I love the design and the silence is something that I want but the 540 is also a great case which has really good airflow which will be good for temps and to a lesser degree, the longevity of your components.
 
Sorry, I forgot to mention that I would install two more corsair af140s with a fan controller. And I'm pretty sure that the MSI gtx 970 is quiet. I also own a CPU cooler that is very quiet
 
personal I wouldn't go for the look. the amount of air pushed through the case is more important and the parts you put in should last longer its up to you in the end which case you want I like both cases but choose one that can keep your parts cool that's the main thing your choice
 
personal I wouldn't go for the look. the amount of air pushed through the case is more important and the parts you put in should last longer its up to you in the end which case you want I like both cases but choose one that can keep your parts cool that's the main thing your choice


Ignore him and go for the looks.... making it cool will make it noisey.

Orca is a beast and quieter than most rigs because I built it that way.

My CPU still hits 70+ on water when rendering and its never let me down....
 
I would go for all looks as you will look at it every day that you use it. Build it the best you can and for looks - you wont be disapointed.
 
540 is definately the better looking case out of the 2 IMO. It also allows for some more cooling options in the future if you ever decide to custom loop it. Also case noise is dependant on the fans you use.
 
Ignore him and go for the looks.... making it cool will make it noisey.

Orca is a beast and quieter than most rigs because I built it that way.

My CPU still hits 70+ on water when rendering and its never let me down....

him as a name mate and to top it I have a an opinion like every body else so mr logan like I said my self and like other people on here as a (opinion) this is whats its about. not every body might not except your opinion either but doesn't put ignore him you can have the look but the looks doent keep ya temps down .does it
 
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