Quieting down my new case..

[MrGuvernment]

So what i like to think was a good deal (mainly to me for the microATX server board with 2 NICS)

Specs:

• SuperMicro X8SIL-F - Super Micro Computer, Inc. - Products | Motherboards | Xeon Boards | X8SIL-F
• Intel X3440 Quad Core
• 16G DDR UDIMM (system only see's 8G - talking to vendor as it was UDIMM and M/B has 4 slots so want RDIMM to max out at 32G)
• CHENBRO RM21508B BLACK ATX/CEB/EXTENDED ATX RACKMOUNT 2U CHASSIS - Chenbro RM21508B Black ATX/CEB/Extended ATX Rackmount 2U Chassis
• Redundant PSU's 600W

For $115 CAD.

So of course the fans in the case are loud, to drive air over the harddrives (rack case....)53Db

YEN SUN TECHNOLOGY CORP.

FD128032HB-P

4 of these to cool the hard drives, now as it stands right now i have no drives yet for this system as i was debating on if i keep this case of do a tower. This will be an ESXi host but mainly for testing.

But now seeing as i have an 8 drive case why not use it, so i may eventually use the 8 bays..

So with that of course i need cooling, but the Jet Engine fans included are too load as this sits in my Den / office

I wanted to ask what my options may be for decent CFM fans, but something quiet enough to not really hear but still push some air?

 

[Findecanor]

1. The standard answer I have seen lots of times is first to make sure that the fans are connected to headers on the motherboard and to use Speedfan or other software to control the fan speed. The fan connectors should be four-pin (PWM-controlled), not all motherboards can control the speed of non-PWM fans (three pin connectors).
2. Change the fans' fasteners to rubber pins, or add rubber O-rings if rubber pins are not possible.
3. New fans. There are lots of reviews out there and new fans become available all the time. Reviews for smaller fans are not as common as for larger fans. Get PWM fans with four-pin connectors.
4. Build a silencing box around the server. The exhaust at the back should have an indirect route out, with silencing foam and funnelling walls that help dampen the sound.
(I had a link to a forum post with pictures but that forum required login, sorry... That was my reason for replying in the first place)

But, as I see that your motherboard is a regular mATX one, I think that the most efficient (but costly) solution would probably be to get a fairly regular PC case that can host larger fans (120mm or 140mm) that can move more air at lower speeds. You would then most likely also need to replace the CPU cooler as well as it is no longer cooled by the server's case fans.

 

[MrGuvernment]

I had thought about a new case, but then i lose the 8 bay hot swap drives, which i guess are not crucial as i can just get the adapter for the raid card to go right to SATA. Ideally i wanted to spend as little as possible on making the case quiet. here in Canada any decent case is $50+ that i have seen, as well i then need to buy a new PSU as well, since the case has redundant PSU.

The fans are just loud in DB so rubber o-rings likely wont help too much, but I did see as you noted these are 4 pin, but the fans connect into the controller board the drives connect into.

 

[Bromeister]

Provided they are 4 pin go with the Noctua Nf-R8 REDUX 1800 PWM. I have no personal experience with these fans but noctua has a good history with noise to airflow ratio. That said rackmount servers arent designed with silence in mind.

 

[skeeder]

Sure you can drop $100 in fans. But I think if you got this for 115CAD, you'd be better off doing a volt mod on the fan plugs (make them run at 7v instead of the full 12). Most fans that are worth their salt will run quiet once told to calm down (I have 3x Yate Loons under control at about 7v, they are quiet and move about as much as a $20 noctua fan. ($4 each)

Also, look at rubber mounting, some noise damping material at lowes or a hardware store up there. Make sure the air filters are clean.