If you choose your internal components carefully, the case won't be a factor when it comes to noise from your DAW.  Go for a quiet PSU like a Seasonic (mine has a fan that spins up only when needed), a quiet CPU cooler (e.g. Noctua), quiet case fans (Noctua again), and SSDs or laptop drives in noise-reducing adapters (e.g., NoVibes).  This stuff is essentially silent, so even with the case open you barely hear anything.  Then you're free to choose whatever case meets your space requirements and aesthetic sensibilities without worrying about insulation and noise leakage.  Hope this helps!
 
Cheers,
Eddie 

Will SSD's work in any case or does it have to have a special bay.
I've seen some case's that say they have SSD support in front and rear.

I hope it doesn't matter but if it does I need to cancel my order for THIS.

Mike 

SSDs will fit into just about any drive bay -- generally they're 2.5" format so you'll need an adapter for a 3.5" bay.  Adapters are cheap. 
 
That's a nice case!  I remember looking at that one when I was building my DAW.  I wanted to put mine in a rack so I went with a Zalman HTPC case. 
 
Cheers,
Eddie
 

Just wanted to point out a couple of things:
A quiet DAW is the sum of all parts.  IOW, Installing noisy parts into a rack-mount case lined with thin foam is still going to be noisy.
Use quiet components... and you'll have a quiet DAW.

If you plan to build a socket 2011 (SandyBridge-E) machine in a rack-mount case, heat is most definitely a concern.
It's a delicate balance to achieve 4.5GHz performance while keeping the heat (noise) in check.
Also, make sure you have free ventilation around the case... and don't put it next to hot power-amps/etc.

Thanks Jim. 
You're a stand up guy offering advice while having your plate full and nothing to gain from this.
Yeah, I'm being sure to pick all fans, cooling and power supply on the quiet side. Also my OS/program drive will be SSD.
Right now I'm somewhat torn.
I was thinking of going AMD to keep cost down http://www.microcenter.com/product/401795/FX_8350_4GHz_AM3_Black_Edition_Boxed_Processor 
But while shopping around I figured that since I don't have to come up with the money all at once
I may be able to afford a 'lower end' Intel i7  http://ark.intel.com/products/65523.


Or would it be worth spending the extra $ for http://ark.intel.com/products/63698  

My main issue is the price of a 2011 mobo. 

Mike

chefmike8888


Thanks Jim. 
You're a stand up guy offering advice while having your plate full and nothing to gain from this.
Yeah, I'm being sure to pick all fans, cooling and power supply on the quiet side. Also my OS/program drive will be SSD.
Right now I'm somewhat torn.
I was thinking of going AMD to keep cost down http://www.microcenter.com/product/401795/FX_8350_4GHz_AM3_Black_Edition_Boxed_Processor 
But while shopping around I figured that since I don't have to come up with the money all at once
I may be able to afford a 'lower end' Intel i7  http://ark.intel.com/products/65523.


Or would it be worth spending the extra $ for http://ark.intel.com/products/63698  

My main issue is the price of a 2011 mobo. 

Mike

not as much about keeping costs down vs. ive had great luck with AMD and sonar as a unit.
this might not be true for other software set ups where one might be doing a specific task
but as far as cost/problems/speed  <-- in that order   :)
ive had great luck with AMD powering sonar.
 
to be fair, there are quite a few intel processors that I haven't tested.
and bench mark tests don't lie, intel is superior.
id be foolish to say anything else.  
 

I've used Nexus "real silent" fans to tame the noisy stock fans that come with the Corsair H80 liquid cooler (the noisy fans are a common complaint).  That was the "noise" maker in my desktop build.  The other stock fans in a Corsair 500R case were acceptable, running on low speed, as I can record an acoustic guitar with an SM57 about 3 ft from the PC Tower, and pointed at the tower, and there is no "noise" from the PC.
 
http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/pwm_120mm.html

I'm getting ready to replace the Corsair 500r case with a Coolermaster HAF XM case (its due to arrive UPS tomorrow).  If there are any noisy case fans in the Coolermaster, I have a couple extra Nexus fans that I can install.

You can find "short depth" rack mount server cases (chassis) that aren't heavy. Newegg offer them for cheap.

With a 4U size case, you'll very likely be limited to one or a pair of 80mm rear fans (which have to run faster and thus are louder) instead of 120mm (which can move more air when spinning at a lower speed and thus can be quieter), although some cases also mount a 120mm fan (or 2) in front for pulling air in.  

Ideally, you'd want larger and/or faster fans at the rear pulling air out of the case, and in a rack you might get away with a pair of 80mm rear fans without noticing any noise from the front.  OTOH, a 5U case will cost more but will typically mount a 120mm fan (or even 2) in back.

Swapping in quieter fans isn't usually very difficult or very expensive. Mounting the fans using rubber isolators, using rubber grommets on hard drive screws and even a rubber gasket on the power supply mounting surface can help reduce vibration. Lining the case (or at least the lid) with sound deadening foam mat can cost a bit but can be worth it. Plenty of DIY case quieting info available on sites like silentpcreview and htpc sites if you search for it.

Hi Mike,

If you're trying to keep an eye on the budget, I'd opt for a socket 1155 based machine.
The 3770k will easily (quietly) run at 4.5GHz... and that'll yield plenty of DSP resources for all but the most extensive of dense mixes.

If you go socket 2011, you've absolutely got to use a top-notch CPU cooler (to keep temps and noise in check).

Lining the case (or at least the lid) with sound deadening foam mat can cost a bit but can be worth it. Plenty of DIY case quieting info available on sites like silentpcreview and htpc sites if you search for it.

Lining the case with foam can help vibration related noise, but it won't make loud components quiet (as I'm sure you already know).
No different than putting that 1/4" foam on your studio walls... and expecting it to sound-proof the room.   


Socket 2011 is great... but keeping it cool/quiet in small form-factor scenarios is more complicated than a socket 1155 build.