Hi all,

I have an antec SLK3700 and 2 x Papst 4412FGML (67.7cfm, 32dB) running at 7volts (supposedly 39cfm, 20dB) But it still seems too loud for my taste

What shoud be my next plan of action
I would rather not cut the fan grills as I haven't got the tools
Will getting rid of the fan holders and directly screwing the fans to the case help? Or Do I have to bit the bullet and cut off the fan grills. Or is it back to the shop for lower speed papst fans?

kogi

Ensure that it is really those two fans and not your PSU, HSF, HDD or any other thing bothering you before you spend money on fans.

Grills really do increase noise and cutting them out will help.

What's better is buying fan isolatiors so that the fan is not in any way connected to the case via a solid connector.

Hello Kogi:

Those stock grills are quite contrictive and yes they will cause all sorts of extra noise and the amount of air that actually moves is greatly reduced. I believe Radio Shack (if you are in the US) sells metal nippers for maybe $10 and if you want a better edge, a Dremel is in the $40 range. Or, you can get the rubber edging instead of using the Dremel -- and add wire grills and you'll be a lot quieter!

I've already replaced everything else so it is the fans making all the noise. I've also had no luck finding fan isolators in Australia so i'll just be using a couple of rubber grommets.

1)Ditch those silly plastic holders and mount the fan(s) directly to the case with grommets. You'll have to drill mounting holes though, the holes that are already there aren't in the correct place. So if you don't have a drill you can stop right here.

2)I'd really suggest biting the bullet and cutting away the grill(s). One of those $8USD nibblers will work fine and shouldn't break your wallet.

3)I'm not personally familiar with those Papst fans. I know that the L1A Panaflo at 5V is very quiet. If you can find them down there at the bottom of the world.

4)Are you sure you need both case fans? This case has such great airflow that I am able to get great cooling with just the back fan. Try turning off the front fan and watch your temps. You can reduce the noise a lot this way because the front fan is right out in front (duh!) and it's noise escapes through the front bezel. Without it things will be quieter.

Big thanks for all the replies

OK, Going to do the whole lot.

1) What size drill bit for normal fan mounting holes?

3) I already have a rheobus so I'll stick with what I have even if doesn't go down to 5v.
Panaflo FBL12G12L1A 120X38 1700 rpm 35.0 db 53.0 cfm
Papst 4412FGML 119X25 1950 rpm 32.0 db 67.1 cfm
The specs on the papst looked a bit better but I haven't compared real world. We can't get the L1a but can FBA12G12L
1700 RPM 68.9 CFM 30 dBA noise

4) I have 4 x 7200 drives and am going to add one more, I feel safer know there is a fan blowing over them. The noise is not really noticeable, but I sleep about a metre away from the computer would like to get it totally silent when I'm sleeping.

kogi

Just out of curiosity, what those 4 HDs are? Barracudas? And how did you make them quiet? I have 3 Barracudas and I am constantly fiddling with them trying to make them even quieter. One drive does not make much noise but 4

They are barracuda IV's and 1 WD 400BB and 1 old quantum fireball Plus LM. There is a slight hum on the fireball but it spins down when not in use.
When the fireball spins down I don't hear a thing. It may be the rubber mounting on the SLK3700.

I also don't do RAID, so any unused drives spin down after 15 minutes.

Are your barracuda III's ? They seem impossible to quieten down.

kogi

3/16" or bigger will be fine for regular screws. If you're going to mount them with grommets you need to know what size the minor O.D. of the grommet is and get that size drill.

I have a barracuda IV and a V. They do not whine but they vibrate a lot. Unfortunately, the case does not allow for suspending them - very crowded.They seem ok by themselves but put together in the case they create a low tone hum...