Page 100 - PCWorld (September 2019)

HERE’S HOW BUY THE PERFECT PC CASE
High-end cases (like this Phanteks Enthoo Elite) offer much more
advanced front-panel connectivity.
motherboard’s rear I/O shield.
Fans and airflow: The more fans you
have in your PC, the better your airflow is
likely to be. At the very least, you want two
fans for optimal airflow—an intake in the front
and an outward-blowing fan in the rear.
Some budget PC cases include only a single
fan, and your PC’s temperatures and
performance will suffer for it. Even if they
aren’t populated, many cases include
additional fan mounts that allow you to
upgrade your cooling later. As mentioned
before, some cases are ditching 5.25-inch
drive bays to remove airflow obstructions for
the front fans, though you obviously
wouldn’t want a case like that if you needed
one of those bays.
Also pay attention to what’s in front of
those fans. Tempered glass and stoic metal
front panels are all the rage these days, but
98 PCWorld SEPTEMBER 2019
those pretty designs can
hinder airflow if they’re
not designed properly.
The Silverstone RL06 ($85
on Newegg [go.pcworld.
com/rl06]) skips those
obstructions, placing
protective mesh in front of
not one but three 120mm
intake fans for superb
airflow and thus, lower
system temperatures than
its rivals.
Dust filters: Keeping
your PC clean is important. A computer
clogged with dust and pet hair and tobacco
gunk is a computer that runs hot and
throttles more often. Dust filters keep most of
that debris from ever reaching your fans,
much less your precious internal hardware.
But be sure to configure your fans for
positive air pressure (go.pcworld.com/pair)
to keep dust from being sucked in through
the unoccupied vents in your chassis.
Sound-dampening: Soundproof cases
keep your rig running quietly, often by using
sound-dampening materials inside the
panels of your PC. Those materials keep
noise in but also tend to impede airflow, so
soundproof cases often hit somewhat higher
temperatures than standard cases. Some
nicer soundproof cases manage to stay silent
while also optimizing for airflow by including
large 140mm fans spinning at low (and