Would be grateful for advice on a Temjin TJ08-E quiet PC build, onboard graphics, i5 probably at 77W, 2 sticks of 8GB RAM:

1) The 18 cm 3-pin Air Penetrator fan is said to be too loud even with the installed 2-speed voltage switch. What are good options for quieting the fan in addition to the 2-speed switch?

2) There is an issue with the hard drive cage, as it is said to vibrate. What are good ways to correct this? Are there other damping measures that should be taken other chassis parts?

3) What quiet heatsinks are good choices? I have in mind a large heatsink like the Noctua DH-14, though that means 2.5" hard disk drives and SSDs because of the DH-14's size.

4) Regarding the hard disk drives, I am thinking along the lines of 2x SSDs and 2x 1TB WD 2.5" Scorpios damped by Sharkoon Vibe-Fixer Pro mounts. Or is the drive cage already quiet enough?

1) You can use a Zalman FanMate, control the fan speed via the motherboard, or you can use a 12-to-5 V resistor like this one:

http://quietpc.co.uk/resistors

Some SPCR users still think the fan is too loud when undervolted even more than the two-switch controller

2) The only effective method that I know is suspending the harddrive, which can be quite hard in the hard drive bay. But you could use a Sharkoon Vibe Fixer so that the harddrive would be installed in the 5,25" bay.

3) Are you going to overclock? If not, a Noctua DH-14 is way overkill. If you don't want to overclock then a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO + a good aftermarket fan will easily handle your CPU. And in this way, you do save some money.

4) 2,5" usually don't vibrate as much, so perhaps the hard drive bay won't be a problem. I don't know how the Sharkoon Vibe Fixer Pro works. Does it install in a 3,5" bay? If you need 2 TB, I'd recommend a very quiet WD Green 2 TB suspended with a Sharkoon Vibe Fixer (I have the non-Pro version and it works flawlessly). Many WD Greens have been reviewed by SPCR and they have always been very quiet (even quieter than many modern 2,5" hard drives).

And I would always suspend a hard drive, regardless of the characteristics of the case and the hard drive itself. But that's just my opinion.

As Kuzzia posted a Zalman Fanmate is a simple way, i have mine running at 600rpm, which is not silent but tolerable.

I dont use the main HDD cage so i cant help you much here, i only use the single slot bottom one and the 2.5 ssd type. Personally i havent had an issue with vibrating with my setup. But if you do, the i would probably consider Antec Solo II as a better option with its own suspension for hdd.

I would go Thermalright HR02 macho or Scythe Mugen 3, either imo are good performing, good included fan and not su expensive. I have HR02 so it should fit fine on yours.

The bottom can fit 1x 2.5 and the first cage (not the main one) can fit 1x 3.5 drive or you can fit 2x 2.5 drives with a bracket like SILVERSTONE SDP08 3.5 to 2 X 2.5-Inch Bay Converter. Personally i would also consider the Antec SOLO II, and just use WD Green Caviars, you can dampen 2 on the suspension system and still have a slot sideways for the ssd, you can now a days get 256/512 gb ssd that sould be a pretty decent setup, you still want 2x ssd, then go with the sylverstone converter and get a 5.25 converter to 3.5 to be able to mount the ssd on the one of the optical bays (you can do this with the TJ08-E also).

@ Kuzzia:

1) Agree, resistors are a simple and elegant solution, and I had thought of them in addition to the Fan Mate. Which of the resistors you recommend, RC56 or RC100, should I install to lower the Penetrator RPM to 500?

In my experience, dedicated resistors/rheostats are better than PWM.

2) Sharkoon vibe-fixer mounts should suffice.

3) I'm not overclocking. I disagree about overkill. I think large or even very large heatsinks with slowly rotating fans--basically semi-passive cooling--are a good way to keep PCs quiet.

4) Vibe-Fixer mounts are convertible (see http://www.sharkoon.com/?q=en/content/vibe-fixer-pro).

The 2.5" WD Scorpio Blue 500 GB I installed in one of my builds is quiet but not quiet enough: the Scorpio Blues need quiet mounts, in my opinion.


@ Abula

1) Kuzzia's resistor seems better than the Zalman Fan Mate (which I have used in other builds and like).

2) I agree that Solo II, despite well-known deficiencies, is a good choice, and I may use it in my next build.

3) HR-02 Macho with the TY-140 fan has the advantage over the Noctua in that the HR-02 allows more space for RAM sticks and larger hard disk drives. It has a height of 140mm so it should fit into the Temjin case without clearance problems. The fan is PWM, too, so I could control it over the mainboard.

I like Noctua heatsinks, though, and I bet the Noctua fan is more reliable than the TY-140.

4) I have used a 3.5 to 2 X 2.5-inch bay converter like the one you suggest, but probably not in this build. I'll be using both optical bays, one for an HDD power switch, the other for a Blu-Ray drive, so your suggestion, though a good one, isn't an option.

Thanks, Kuzzia and Abula.

I have a 3770k running at stock with a NH-D14 SE 2011 on it (2011 socket edition has both pwm fans, unlike the regular nh-d14) and it keeps my cpu at 38C while idle or non cpu intensive tasks running at probably 300 rpm (can't trust fan xpert cause the fans are connected via an y splitter to a single 4pin PWM header) and it keeps the cpu at about 57 during a prime95 burn easily without being audible in my room environment.

Thanks, Crash.

The temp you state (38°) is good for two fans running at 300 rpm! Another reason in favor of two fans in a push-pull configuration.

Some people find the Noctua PWM fans disappointing, but apparently you're satisfied.

I think the NH-D14 SE 2011 is a good choice for the Temjin depending on the mainboard it's used with.

Yes, but you should probably keep in mind that I have a full tower case with good airflow (Define XL) so the temps are bound to be lower than in a constricted case. But depending on the load the temps usually fluctuate between high 30s and low 40s during light usage at essentially the same low rpm. I can't say a lot about the noise though, because I'm completely new to building quiet and probably just building pcs in general, but currently the loudest components in my build are the graphics card when gaming or my netbook when placed running somewhere in the room . So I'm quite happy with my D14 in general.