Which fans?

[DCVL]

Bump: Adding a new question since I went with that corsair obsidian 550dcase mentioned below. It fits my needs perfectly and I was able to get it for $115 so not bad. Love the design too.

So now that I have the corsair obsidian 550D, it comes with the options of 120 mm or 140 mm fans in all the same spots. You can put 2 x 120 or 140 on the top and sides. A 120 or 140 on the bottom, and a 120 or 140 on the back for the main exhaust.

First question is...do you think it would make a huge difference in adding those fans vs keeping the panels on for noise reduction? And if adding the fans is a must for cooling move down to the next paragraph.

I'm pretty sure going with a 140 mm fan would greatly reduce noise while keeping up the air flow. My question is...which 140 mm fans should I get for the sides. I've already got 2 noctura ultra silent that I'd use on the top/bottom because they aren't sleeve bearings. I'm looking for a cheap, yet quiet solution for the sides.






So I've decided I don't actually need a performance upgrade based on input and my own thoughts. However, I want to sound proof (as much as possible) My Antec 900 mid tower case that sits on the floor under my desk.

The obvious noise makers are the fans. I already plan on lining the entire interior of the case with foam and my floor is carpet so that helps.

THE QUESTION: My case came with the following

1 x 120mm TriCool rear fan with 3-speed switch control
2 x 120mm TriCool blue LED front fans with 3-speed switch control to cool HDDs

200mm Fans
1 x 200mm top fan

Would upgrading these stock fans to something better be worth it for increased air flow and reduced noise? If so, what 120 mm & 200 mm fan would you recommend? I don't necessarily care about looks since it will be under a desk, out of the way. I'm all about optimization, aesthetics don't matter. And also, these fans in my case currently have a 3 position switch to control speed on each individual fan that can be adjusted. If I were to change to fans that didn't have something like that, would a fan controller be recommended? I'd prefer them to adjust automatically if possible so I'm also wondering if a software based fan controller would be best.

And currently my cooler master 212 seems to block me from putting on a side fan. Are there any fans out there that could fit? I've heard of people cutting off the top copper parts of their cooler master, but I'm worried that will effect it's cooling ability.

 

[Dangman]

Why not just buy a new case?

EDIT: I should elaborate: Why not get a new case that's designed to be quiet from the get-go? There are very quiet cases available around the $110 to $130 price point.

 

[DCVL]

Why not just buy a new case?

EDIT: I should elaborate: Why not get a new case that's designed to be quiet from the get-go? There are very quiet cases available around the $110 to $130 price point.

I bought this case mainly for the air flow and cooling capacity, plus I got a pretty good deal on it. I'd like to make the case work if at all possible, but for good cable management it seems I'm going to have to cut a hole or 2 in the side.

I'd like to make my antec 900 work if at all possible.

 

[Dangman]

Hopefully you got that case for like $50 or less considering its non-existent cable management and rather limited feature set. Though, if you're planning on adding foam to the system and getting significantly quieter fans, you're more or less negating the sole pro/advantage/good thing of the Antec 900: its cooling.

So what foam are you buying? Where exactly are you placing said foam?

Also, if the case is sinking into the carpet, that's not a good thing at all considering that can block the airflow of the PSU and the possibility of ESD build-up. So is that case interacting with your carpet in any way?

But if you really want to upgrade the fans, then this fan will be your best bet for the right mix of low noise and cooling at the lowest price possible:
$17 - Scythe Gentle Typhoon D1225C12B4AP-14 120mm Case Fan

SilentPCReview has had great things to say about the Scythe Gentle Typhoon:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1342-page9.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1266-page7.html

And for price comparison, here are the two cheapest yet significantly quieter cases out there IMO:
$97 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$110 - Antec P280 ATX Case

Do the price, time, and effort comparison. See if modding the Antec 900 still wins out.

 

[DCVL]

Hopefully you got that case for like $50 or less considering its non-existent cable management and rather limited feature set. Though, if you're planning on adding foam to the system and getting significantly quieter fans, you're more or less negating the sole pro/advantage/good thing of the Antec 900: its cooling.

So what foam are you buying? Where exactly are you placing said foam?

Also, if the case is sinking into the carpet, that's not a good thing at all considering that can block the airflow of the PSU and the possibility of ESD build-up. So is that case interacting with your carpet in any way?

But if you really want to upgrade the fans, then this fan will be your best bet for the right mix of low noise and cooling at the lowest price possible:
$17 - Scythe Gentle Typhoon D1225C12B4AP-14 120mm Case Fan

SilentPCReview has had great things to say about the Scythe Gentle Typhoon:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1342-page9.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1266-page7.html

And for price comparison, here are the two cheapest yet significantly quieter cases out there IMO:
$97 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$110 - Antec P280 ATX Case

Do the price, time, and effort comparison. See if modding the Antec 900 still wins out.

I did get it for about $60.

It's the 4 mm thick foam, can't remember the company name. Basically all along the interior on any case and some housing surfaces so long as they don't block any air flow.

The case is elevated on 4 blocks off the ground to promote the air flow from underneath and keep it from ESD.

I will definitely do the cost comparison and see which is the better $. Thanks for the input though, I need a good starting point when it comes to cooling.

However....should modding the antec 900 case be too costly vs buying another case, what cases would you recommend for cooling/cable management? I don't necessarily care how it looks. One person has recommended the Cooler Master HAF 942. I really don't ever want to have to swap out a case again so I could afford to pay a little extra to keep a case so long as the mounts remain compatible for the tech that's out there. I wouldn't imagine this case being outdated for quite a while. I'd like to pay as little as possible though so there may be something out there better than this case.

 

[Dangman]

I did get it for about $60.

Before 2010? If not, still not that good of a choice as the Coolermaster HAF 912 was around $60 around that time.

It's the 4 mm thick foam, can't remember the company name. Basically all along the interior on any case and some housing surfaces so long as they don't block any air flow.

The biggest outlet for noises are the fan grills or any other openings where air can flow through. So in other words, if you're not covering the airflow of the case in any way, you're still won't be able to dampen the major sources/outlets of the system's noise. So dampening everything else won't help much. Again, hence why I said you were negating the Antec 900's sole pro/advantage/good thing if you were going to be actually serious about making the Antec 900 quieter.

The case is elevated on 4 blocks off the ground to promote the air flow from underneath and keep it from ESD.

Ahh good.

However....should modding the antec 900 case be too costly vs buying another case, what cases would you recommend for cooling/cable management? I don't necessarily care how it looks. One person has recommended the Cooler Master HAF 942. I really don't ever want to have to swap out a case again so I could afford to pay a little extra to keep a case so long as the mounts remain compatible for the tech that's out there. I wouldn't imagine this case being outdated for quite a while. I'd like to pay as little as possible though so there may be something out there better than this case.

Well if low noise is still an additional key factor, in addition to the other cases I mentioned, I recommend these other quiet cases:
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-W ATX case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B-USB3.0 ATX Case

All of the quiet cases I've recommended in this thread have relatively decent cooling for being very quiet cases. Obviously, cases optimized for cooling above all else will beat out most of those cases. Well except for the FT02: It can actually provide just as good cooling as cooling optimized cases while having the ability to be very quiet. With that said, it does cost a bit more than cooling optimized cases.

 

[DCVL]

Before 2010? If not, still not that good of a choice as the Coolermaster HAF 912 was around $60 around that time.

The biggest outlet for noises are the fan grills or any other openings where air can flow through. So in other words, if you're not covering the airflow of the case in any way, you're still won't be able to dampen the major sources/outlets of the system's noise. So dampening everything else won't help much. Again, hence why I said you were negating the Antec 900's sole pro/advantage/good thing if you were going to be actually serious about making the Antec 900 quieter.


Ahh good.


Well if low noise is still an additional key factor, in addition to the other cases I mentioned, I recommend these other quiet cases:
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-W ATX case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B-USB3.0 ATX Case

All of the quiet cases I've recommended in this thread have relatively decent cooling for being very quiet cases. Obviously, cases optimized for cooling above all else will beat out most of those cases. Well except for the FT02: It can actually provide just as good cooling as cooling optimized cases while having the ability to be very quiet. With that said, it does cost a bit more than cooling optimized cases.

Would you change the fans out on that corsair obsidian if it were up to you? Or do you think the stock fans are good enough

 

[DCVL]

bump: Need some input on some good 140 mm fans and a fan controller recommendations! I've decided on how I'm going to run my new rig. Fan controller to shut off the side and top fans in the obsidian 550d case when I want to go silent, and then I can pop the covers off and turn them on when I game. I just know nothing of good fans/controllers.

 

[Dangman]

Would you change the fans out on that corsair obsidian if it were up to you? Or do you think the stock fans are good enough

First and foremost, I should point out that, at stock, the fan setup in the 550D isn't all that good compared to other cases out there. So before you replace the fans themselves, I highly recommend repositioning them first for optimal cooling. So with the three fans, I'd have one rear exhaust fan, one top exhaust fan, and one side intake fan. That should improve cooling capability of the 550D.

Second, the stock fans seems to be ok. They're not as quiet as other 120mm fans but they're better than a lot of other 120mm fans out there. So if you do stick with the 550D, play with

bump: Need some input on some good 140 mm fans and a fan controller recommendations! I've decided on how I'm going to run my new rig. Fan controller to shut off the side and top fans in the obsidian 550d case when I want to go silent, and then I can pop the covers off and turn them on when I game. I just know nothing of good fans/controllers.

Not sure on fan controllers myself but for 140mm fans, I highly recommend reading this review:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1346-page1.html

 

[DCVL]

Thanks for the info. I found some really nice noctura 140mm fans that even mount to a 120 mm spot. If they fit, do you think removing all 120 mm and replacing with 140 mm all over that case would be better than using 120 mm in the 120 slots?

 

[Dangman]

Thanks for the info. I found some really nice noctura 140mm fans that even mount to a 120 mm spot. If they fit, do you think removing all 120 mm and replacing with 140 mm all over that case would be better than using 120 mm in the 120 slots?

No as not all Noctua 140mm fans are good. Not to mention that unless the 120mm fan spots on the case itself also supports 140mm, then the Noctuas will be using a 120mm to 140mm adapter. Which means that it may increase the amount of space used and therefore obstruct something.

 

[DCVL]

No as not all Noctua 140mm fans are good. Not to mention that unless the 120mm fan spots on the case itself also supports 140mm, then the Noctuas will be using a 120mm to 140mm adapter. Which means that it may increase the amount of space used and therefore obstruct something.

It's the other way around with this fan. The 140mm fan mounts line up with the 120mm holes. You need a 140 mm bracket to mount the fan to the 140 mm holes. Ass backwards I know, but assuming the 140 mm fan itself fits where the previous 120 mm fans were, would you recommend upgrading them? Keep in mind my goal is optimal air flow with the minimal amount of noise.

 

[Dangman]

What fan are you looking at?

In any case, in general 140mm fans should be quieter then their 120mm counterparts while moving more air. That Or the 140mm sound the same as the 120mm but provides more air. However this isn't always true as some 140mm fans at their lowest speeds can be louder than 120mm ganas at their highest speed.