Hello everyone. I've been piecing together a gaming computer over the past 3 months and just purchased the Antec p183 case to house all of my components. Be forewarned that most of this stuff is above my head and this will be the first computer that was not store bought (someone with experience will be helping me put it together).

My question to you is what type of cooling should I be looking to install? I am looking for something that is fairly quiet but reasonably priced.

Are the base fans quiet/cool enough? I've read in the reviews that they aren't very quiet so that made me think I should switch them out. I was looking at the CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ if I decided to OC the CPU but got to thinking maybe that wasn't enough? I am not opposed to a water cooling unit but would prefer to stick to fans if possible.

Just in case it helps, this is my build:

Case: Antec P183
MB: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO
CPU: i7-2600k
GPU: EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 570
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 1600
HD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB HD
SSD: Crucial M4 128GB SSD
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer Series 750W
OS: Windows 7 Pro 64-bit

I have the case, RAM, HD, PSU, and OS but am still shipping the MB, CPU, GPU, and SSD.

Any advice you can give would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

I agree that you're going to want to swap out the stock case fans. I like Scythe Slipstream PWMs, but there are many fans to choose from that will be quieter than the Tricools.

I've got a CM Hyper 212+ on a modestly-overclocked i7-2600 (4.2 GHz), and it's not quiet. I'm looking at a Noctua D-14 as a possible replacement. I'm folding, though, so the CPU is running at 100% load most of the time. If you have a more typical use pattern, the Hyper 212 might be OK.

I was folding but quit due to the condition of my current rig. It is 7+ years old and needs every single bit of power it has just to run. Chances are I will continue folding once I have a new rig.

I have thought about OC'ing my CPU but decided to go stock at first just to see how well it is performing. While I have heard the UEFI BIOS is very easy to work with, this is all over my head so better error on the side of caution. If I feel like I could use the extra power, I will tinker around to find a safe level.

As far as the fans, I will take a look at the brands/models you suggested and read some reviews. I have always purchased computers from stores (the last two from Dell) and never changed a thing. Definitely want to do my due diligence with this build.

Do you have much experience with water cooling units? Do you still need fans if you go with a water cooling unit?

Thanks for the reply!

Are you based in the UK?`Because quietpc.com sells Nexus 120 mm fans for affordable prices (the reference fans here at SPCR for testing CPU heatsinks). They need voltage control, though.
If you're on the cheap, then you could buy a CM 212+ and put on another quiet fan. The heatsink itself is only about 3-5 degrees celsius behind the best heatsinks according to SPCR's own review. And with the modest price of the 212+, there's easily money enough for another fan. I would recommend a PWM for the CPU though, since ASUS (via FanXpert in AI Suite) usually control these fan types better than regular 3-pin fans.

Have you already bought the PSU and the harddisk? They seem to be the noisiest parts

None. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm still in the camp that tries to keep liquids and computers separate.

No I am not in the UK area. I am living in WV, USA and quite a ways from any electronics store other than the likes of Best Buy, Wal-Mart, etc.

I have bought the HD and PSU. I spent a good deal of time researching all of the parts listed there and was quite happy with the vast majority of the reviews I read for all. For the money, those parts seemed like the best bang for your buck. I know my new build wont be as quiet as it probably could be but I want to do what I can given the parts I decided to buy.

I don't want to look like rude, but none of the parts you have already bought is quiet, and there's nothing or very little you can do about quieting them (just swap the case fans): so which advice are you looking for, or why are you looking for any advice here (if you trust other reviewers)?

At anyway, have a good luck.

From newegg, you can buy the well-known Scythe Slipstream 120 mm (500 rpm) for 10 USD. The good thing is that they don't need any undervolting.

This review by SPCR may be helpful to determine how much (or how little) airflow is needed to cool somewhat similar components.

No that is okay.

The computer's performance is far more important to me than whether it is quiet. IAll of the parts I outlined have great reviews, good performance specs, and are reasonably priced. I have bought my case, RAM, HD, PSU, and OS for about $350.

Again, I am far more concerned with performance, then budget, then noise level. As I said in my posts above, I am looking to for a reasonably priced way to cool my computer w/o adding much more noise. That could be a water cooling unit? That could be replacing the stock fans with quieter ones? That could be alterations to the case (I've read some people shaved some of the metal down, others have replaced the screws with rubber screws, etc.)?

I think I was pretty clear with what I was looking for.

I will check it out. Thanks!

So the Antec p183 can support 4 120m fans correct? Newegg says there are two but I thought I read elsewhere there were two more optional fans. I will have to read up more on that.

Sort of surprised nobody has suggested a water cooling unit yet but I definitely understand where cmh is coming from.

I guess I'm unclear as to whether you're willing to swap parts or not. Sounds like you might be open to some substitutions. Either way, there are some things you can do to help your new PC cool itself better. First and foremost, you want to set up good airflow. If you go with an aftermarket CPU heatsink, I'd orient it to blow toward the back of the case. Also have a case fan blowing out of the back, basically exhausting the heated air from the CPU. If you use an intake fan, put it in the front bottom. Route all your cables so that they're tidy and out of the way. The more you can bundle them, hide them, and generally keep them out of the main compartment, the better. You might need to get longer cables or cable extenders for some of them. Zip ties and cable clamps can be helpful. You can see lots of examples in the Gallery section of this forum. I'd cut out any case grills that obstruct fans. In my P183 build, I cut both the front and rear grills, and lined them with rubber c-strip molding. Makes the cut edges safer, and dampens vibration from the fans a bit, too. I don't use the fan/fan hole on the top of the P183. I haven't tested it, but I like my airflow to be simple and directional: IN the bottom front, OUT the top back.

All of that is just to try to get the most airflow from the fewest/slowest fans. Then you want to look at the components that are going to contribute the most noise to your setup. In your case, that's going to be the stock CPU cooler, the GPU, and the case fans. Lots of ideas for those in the Recommended lists on this site. You can do those upgrades piecemeal, so try the stock components and see if they're acceptable. Maybe the TriCools on low will be quiet enough for you. If so, great, if not, upgrade them. Same deal with the CPU cooler and GPU. If you get serious about noise, you're going to want to be able to control all your fan speeds. Lots of articles and posts about that here, too. Good luck.

I like the parts I have picked out so I am not really willing to swap them. I am more looking to do what I can to keep noise down, not necessarily looking for the most quiet machine I can possible build. Hopefully that makes sense, I thought I was clear but evidently not...that or my request isn't quite what the community typically gets.


Lot of good info, will take a while to digest.

Have you found it difficult to do modifications to the case? I have someone that will help me but not entirely clear on how much of that stuff he gets into. Most of the machines he builds are used for businesses, doesn't get into gaming machines much.

Thanks again!

Three builds in, I haven't had any trouble. Knock wood. Good set of tin snips and you're good to go. All the usual wisdom applies, of course. (eye protection, "measure twice, cut once," etc.)

A quiet part isn't necessarily a slower or a more expensive one.

You bought a Z68 while you don't need caching (it won't be effective) nor the IGP. So you paid more for nothing more than a proven P67.
You picked a P183, a very good case (I owned a P182) but at the same time it's not the best case for gaming, cooling-wise, while it's too big and costly for just one CPU and one GPU: just for example a Mini P180 more probably that not might have served you enough well for less space and money.
A Radeon 6950 isn't too much slow than a GTX 570, indeed in several games it may run faster, but while there are some 6950 really quiet, there is no really quiet 570 at stock, particularly at load (to be fair, someone says the Gainward Phantom 2 it is, but I have some doubt).
A Caviar Black is simply unsuitable for a quiet system, but an Hitachi 7K1000.D is faster and quieter (not to mention no gamer with the brain switched on would actually need a Caviar Black having already a 128GB SSD on top).
You picked a 750W Antec Gamer series but you won't ever need 750W, and with about 100 USD there's plenty of good PSU which should be quieter than that Antec, the cheapest being the Seasonic M12-II Bronze (at least 10 bucks less than your HCG): not to mention that, if you will to over provision, any P183 DO NEED an Antec CP-850 (which is still one of the best performing PSU all over the world, and one of the quietest at any power level). As a matter of fact, first of all you should estimate the power consumption and then pick the quietest PSU at that power level (which you can afford).
And so on.

So, coming here after collecting a long list of wrong parts, asking about water cooling (have you any idea about how much a real quiet water cooling system may cost? Those closed-loop critties are inefficient whistle'n'bells for those who ignore the argument, or for very cramped spaces), or looking for some hypothetical and/or uneffective tweakings is just meaningless. IMHO, of course.

Again, please don't take offense: it's just to clearly express my very personal standpoint.

Well... i have Galaxy GTX580 that comes with Artic Cooling Accelero Xtreme, by factory comes with the fans at 30%, while its not dead silent, i cant hear it over ambient noise / Frontal TJ08E fan, even at 30% speed it idles at 30C with ambient of 22C, there is room to lower the rpm even more, I seen some that have flashed the bios to use 20% speed and still have idles below 40C, personally i didn't bother as for me its fine as it is, even gaming it stays at 30% fan speed, i read somewhere that it ramps up the fans around 73C, personally i haven't reach there, but i don't play super demanding games. Now there is no Galaxy GTX570, but there is a sparkle, i believe it comes with stock 40% as the lowest fan speed, but you might be able to flash the bios to 20%, im not totally sure as i dont own a sparkle.

Personally i think the CP 850 is the best PSU for the P183 taking in account value, performance and noise, not many 850W PSU that cost $115 can do what the CP 850 can deliver. Seasonic X 760 sells above $200, Corsair AX850 goes above $180. Now going into lower watts, Seasonic X 660 sells sometimes around $136 (i bought mine at there, but now its $160), and Corsair AX750 is going for $157 on amazon, Seasonic X 560 is selling for $125, either of this 3 would be my choice, if antec CP850 is out of the picture (as this would be my choice on a P183).

A build that i really liked that might be useful for the OP is the Boring but silent, i would probably swap the normal HR02 for the cheaper Macho version, and if you want could go with shaman for the gpu, TY140 are really nice fans.

I don't take offense but I don't think you are correct either. Sure it may not be more expensive or provide poorer performance but my reading indicates it usually is one or the other.

I agree the case isn't the best from a cooling standpoint (possibly not even from a quiet standpoint) but I got it 33% off ($100) and you can ALWAYS improve sound dampening and cooling so it is a good start. I could have went with a smaller case but more space typically means more airflow which is good for cooling.

The Z68 boards are a step up in technology and you never know what will happen down the road. You are talking a difference of ~$20, why even bring this up?

I definitely disagree with the idea that I will never use a 750w PSU. I could double my RAM down the road, I could add a second GPU, I could OC my CPU...then you have to factor in for efficiency. You are much safer to go high on the PSU than risk not having enough and your system not perform as well as it should. To top it off, I got that PSU almost 50% off ($65) so one heck of a deal in my book for a good PSU that will provide enough power if I decide to upgrade later. Besides, then you go on to suggest a 850w PSU in the following post? Talk about hypocritical.

On the HD, maybe it is an unacceptable for a system built to be quiet but that isn't what I'm doing. It is a very good, stable HD with more than enough space for all of my programs/files (whatever my main game is at the time and OS will be on the SSD)...and it doesn't hurt that I got it 40% off ($80) either.

On the GPU, I've seen some benchmarks that say the Radeon's are close, others that say they aren't. Either way, the 570 comes ahead so is a BETTER card.

Lastly, for the 398952903985092830989 time, being quiet is NOT my main focus. Having a powerful system at a reasonable price with the ability to upgrade down the road if I choose is my main focus. Now that I have picked out very good parts across the board and have begun purchasing them at very reasonable prices, I am looking for ways to improve the cooling and the noise levels. If you don't want to help with that, don't bother replying because I am not going to change out new parts (potentially sacrificing performance) when a computer's noise level doesn't affect its performance in any way. I am looking for ways to improve cooling and noise levels given the parts I have picked like I said in my earlier posts.

So, again, no I don't take offense to your posts because (1) I don't think anyone should build a computer with the main focus it being as quiet as possible when it doesn't affect performance and (2) I disagree with nearly everything you have said about the build I have begun putting together.

Edit: Added prices for reference.

Haha Good advice there.

I'll probably look up some videos and do some tinkering once we get it back and it is complete.

I'm still reading up on all of the case fans you suggested. Thanks for your advice.

Please read twice: the starting condition was "If you will over provision". Talk about hyposighted .


It usually does mean more money, to have any effective results. Are you willing to invest some more money? I didn't think you are willing to.
Cutting grills or something similar won't ever lower sound level enough to be worthwhile, IMO/IME (but looking for some VGA BIOS modding to lower stock fan speeds may worth more, instead).


Of course you disagree, as it's your "little child": but some things I said, agreable or not, they are just true.

I'm just going to ignore you at this point. You aren't trying to help, you completely missed what I'm trying to do, and basically are just trolling at this point.

As far as the topic of the thread, I've read up on some of the fans suggested and think I'm going to go with Scythe Slipstream PWMs and just stick with the CM 212+ for now. Down the road, if I may try a water cooling unit. I did have a question though. When it says fans speeds can be automatically controlled with a PMW enabled MB, is there a thread/article on this website (or another website) where I can see a list of MBs that have this feature?

Thanks cmh and kuzzia. I'll look around the net on tutorials for modifying the case as you suggested. I appreciate the advice.

Not all mobos can control PWM and even then not all have the same settings.... for example, I'm building a server (unfortunately still having issues with stability) with an Asus P8B WS, the PWM chassis fans cant go below 60% speed (on the bios), i think you can with AI Suite (not interested on doing with software), so i tried a intel DQ67SWB3 that i had for future build, and this one much better with the case fans, allows 30% for case fans and 20% for the CPU. One thing that i did like about the P8B WS (when i was able to enter to WHSv1) is that fans did ramp up upon stressing the cpu (Prime95) both cpu n case fans, not sure if all were based based on the CPU temps or Chipset (really haven't had a stable system to test more).

On another build (mini mi, see sig), the Intel DH61DLB3 also allow the Scythe Kama Flex 120mm PWM to go down to 300rpm, but on prime95 it stays the same, not sure if its cause the CPU never goes over 40c, but its not like the asus on having a dynamic fan ramp up. Take my comments with a grain of salt as i said haven't been able to toy much with the server, and now im building around Supermicro mobo cause im fed up with all the instabilities issues, i was trying to go the cheaper route with none server class hardware since i didnt need it... but ending up much more expensive and frustrated build.

On paper and by experiences most say Asus has good PWM fan control, and i do believe they do, but not fully on bios in my experience, or at least they have those 60% limitation on case fans (CPU i believe you can go down to 20% not 100% sure though). I just wished they would allow lower than 60% on bios, its grey out in both mobos i tested. But i seen other users go lower with AI Suite, i just not a big fan of it. Another mobo that people say has good PWM are MSI, but i havent personally tested any, and their lower end mobos only come with 1 pwm 4pin fan connector the rest are 3pins, so im not sure.

One thing I forgot to mention, and am too lazy to track down myself: make sure your mobo has enough 4-pin PWM headers for the number of PWM fans you want to use. If it doesn't, but has at least one, I *think* you can use a PWM splitter, but I've never done that, so I can't vouch for its effectiveness.

EDIT: Abula beat me to it. Also, to answer your question: I never found a comprehensive list of PWM-capable mobos. I basically generated my own list with the other features I wanted, and then read through their manuals online to see if they could control the fans I wanted to use. FWIW, I ended up with an Intel board that is both very efficient in terms of power consumption and does a great job running the PWM fans at low speeds.

Awesome. Thanks guys. I have to run to class, then the office for a while, but I'll try to do some looking around this evening on MBs.

cmh, what MB are you referring too?

I can vouch for Akasa Flexa FP5 PWM 5-Way Splitter - Smart Fan Cable (AK-CBFA03-45), i have two running, one for the 4x frontal Scythe Kama Flex 120mm PWM and another to run 2 back (same fans), it gets power from 4pim molex just uses the spliter to get pwm signal and one fan only reports rpms to the mobo. Ill get some pictures up once i get the server running.

I agree with cmh on the intel mobos, they are very efficient, my mini build idles around 14W, and in both mobos i tested, they allow very low rpms on chasis fans, but im not sure they are dynamic, but sure its quiet going to 300rpm.

DH67CLB3. Doesn't overclock, like the Z68 board in your first post.

Well I planned to OC but decided to see how things work without at first. I probably should still get a MB that will support OC though just in case I decide to do it down the road.

I'll do some more reading this week, see what I can find out. What exactly am I looking for? Will it just say PMW enabled? Are there varying levels (i.e. will it tell me at what level it will allow the fans to run)?

I'll keep that splitter in mind as well if I find a board I like but it doesn't have enough hookups.

Thanks guys.

Troll will be your momma, dude... oops: now you may be right.

[Mod comment: I think you are fine offering advice, but keep it civil.]

Just an example:


So what is this telling me exactly?

The p183 comes with 2 120mm fans but can house 4 120mm fans correct? I bought the CM 212+ (120mm) and bought 3 of the fans we were discussing earlier. The CM is 4-pin and the fans are 3-pin I believe.

Thanks.

Well if you are asking about the Mobo fan connectors, its just that, you have some 3pins (standard fans) and some 4pins (usually are PWM fans), some mobos can control fans via pwm (bios/software) others can control 3pin fans via voltage (also bios/software), to what i have tested, on my two asus mobos, the 4pin connectors cant control 3pin fans... i think you bought sliptreams 500??, this should be quiet as they come so you can plug them to the mobo directly or to a 4pin molex (i used to prefer this so the mobo has less things drawing power, but today i connect all pwm fans). Personally i would have gone Scythe SLIPSTREAM PWM (200 - 1300rpm) and control them via bios, but if you already bought them should be fine also, just you are stuck with 500rpm, in case you OC in the future be careful and monitor temps more.

Hrmm...without checking my receipt, I think I bought:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835103065

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835185144 (x3)

Thats the same as i posted above, so you should be good, its a nice pwm fan, you just need 4pin fan connectors for them.

Not sure if you are going to use all 3xSlipstreams and the coolermaster fan, but if you use 3, the mobo has 3x 4pin pwm fan connectors (according to your quote), in my case i have 4 but ended using only 2 for pwm fans, and both im using are CPU connectors, both are always at the same speed, but they do ramp or lower rpm depending on the conditions. I guess you could do the same for CPU n Back Case fan, and the frontal fan you could use the Chassis Fan connector (the 4pin), here is were you might or not like it, in my case, on the chasis fan connector was only able to lower to 60% via bios, so on the slipstreams would be between 700-800rpm, if this is the case (as with my Asus mobos) and you want lower rpm than that on idle, check Asus AI Suite / fan expert, you should be able to even create your own curves into how you want the fans to behave depending on the conditions of the pc.

If you like how the fans work (performance/noise) but in time you want to add more fans, consider Y pwm splitters, like Akasa PWM Splitter Cable, personally i would perfer something that doesnt load much the mobo like Akasa Flexa FP5 PWM 5-Way Splitter, but this way you have a lot of cables to hide =). Either way, first use what you bought and see from there how are your temps/noise, play with the setup tweak it to your liking and then decide if you need/want more fans.