Hi, all:
First of all, I have to say thanks for a great site. So much quality information. I will be building a new quiet PC soon -- I can see hanging around here is going to get expensive!
Anyway, before I embark on that adventure, I need to address my current PC, a P4 Northwood 3.06 HT. It sits on my desk and it is giving me headaches. The Thermaltake CPU cooler is so loud that I can easily hear it 2+ rooms away when the house is quiet (no exaggeration). It appears to be responsible for the largest percentage of the noise, followed by the front and rear 80mm case fans. I am under no delusions that I can turn this beast into a quiet PC by SPCR standards, but from what I have read here, I think there is room for substantial improvement.
I currently control the CPU and chipset fan through SpeedFan. Here are the temps:
CPU: 45-48 C at idle; up to low 60's under full load
Mobo: 35-40 C
HDDs: 26-35 C
Ambient/Room: 23-26 C (A/C always on)
I could keep the CPU a little cooler, but that would mean lowering the temp threshold and running the TT fan on 80-100% almost all the time. I just can't take it anymore. The system is very stable at the above temps. Lowering or turning off the chipset fan (which makes no noise that I can hear) has no effect on the board temp. So I don't know if they are unrelated, or if the fan doesn't really do anything worthwhile. I let it run all the time as needed. Maybe this will have to be changed if the new CPU cooler needs more room.
I would like to keep my case if possible, because although it is a bit goofy/blingy and far from ideal for a quiet PC, it is made well and very easy to get around in, with a removable mobo tray and drive cages, side panels come off easily, no sharp edges, etc. When I bought it in '03, custom gaming PCs were the best fit for my work in graphic/web design (hence the gamer's case). Honestly, I never thought this PC would perform as well as it does 5 years later. I run Photoshop and several other programs concurrently all day, every day. I do not overclock or do any gaming (no time).
** See next post for link to specs and photos **
After reading a lot of info on this site, it looks like I have a few choices for a Socket 478 heatsink but I am not sure which one to pick. As far as the 80mm fans go, it looks like the Nexus Real Silent is the only choice. So:
1. Which heatsink would be best for my case/CPU? I know a Northwood runs hotter than the new Core 2 Duos, but also tolerates higher temps well.
2. With a new heatsink, will I still need to have a heatsink fan? If so, which one will fit with the fan facing the correct direction? Also, I would like to be able to control the fan through SpeedFan, like I do now.
3. Will replacing the 4 80mm case fans (2 front, 2 back) help greatly with the noise, or is the problem also stemming from the filter and grills? I realize that a single 120mm fan is better than 2 80mm fans, but that isn't an option with this case. I turned off and blocked the holes on the top case fan because it didn't seem to be doing anything temp wise and was letting noise escape.
4. Since my mobo tray slides out, can I install the new heatsink without removing the board and components entirely? I have read some installation horror stories on NewEgg and would like to have all 10 fingers and no broken hardware when this is over.
5. Should I invest in some Arctic Silver and remove the thermal paste that comes with the heatsink? Any hints for doing this correctly?
6. Is there better filter material than what I have? The holes are so big that it lets too much dust in. We have two large, long haired dogs, so I keep the tower on my desk, not on the floor, but it still sucks in a lot of dirt.
7. After looking at my case's interior, is there anything else you recommend that would help the noise and is reasonably priced? I know everyone will say to replace the power supply, but right now, it is not an issue, although it will probably become one once I fix these other things. : )
Sorry for all the questions. I have worked on PCs for a long time but never realized how important cooling and noise reduction are in the grand scheme of things. And now that I know, there's no turning back. LOL
All feedback appreciated. Thanks!
Advice needed on new P4 Northwood cooler and case fans
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bonestonne
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well, the system actually isn't that bad. its got some pretty good specs to it for what it is. i'd probably hold onto that rather than getting something new so soon.
as a different cooler, if you can find yourself a Scythe Ninja Rev A, then you'll be set, the Rev A is based on socket 478 mounting, so you wont need to change anything to mount it.
if you cant find that, then another option is a Thermalright HR-01 with the socket 478 adapter. either one will do well, tower style heatsinks with heatpipes work wonders on PCs (i managed to get myself a Ninja Rev A, and wouldn't trade it for a Rev B ever).
searching solely for 478 compatible heatsinks limits you, because there are many new coolers that are compatible. you just need to poke around in places.
as a side suggestion, running all those fans at 7v would also make it heaps quieter. i'd also swap out that PSU for one that has either a 120mm fan, or a single 80mm fan, would make it quieter. 80mm fans aren't exactly quiet, but lowering the voltage helps.
as a different cooler, if you can find yourself a Scythe Ninja Rev A, then you'll be set, the Rev A is based on socket 478 mounting, so you wont need to change anything to mount it.
if you cant find that, then another option is a Thermalright HR-01 with the socket 478 adapter. either one will do well, tower style heatsinks with heatpipes work wonders on PCs (i managed to get myself a Ninja Rev A, and wouldn't trade it for a Rev B ever).
searching solely for 478 compatible heatsinks limits you, because there are many new coolers that are compatible. you just need to poke around in places.
as a side suggestion, running all those fans at 7v would also make it heaps quieter. i'd also swap out that PSU for one that has either a 120mm fan, or a single 80mm fan, would make it quieter. 80mm fans aren't exactly quiet, but lowering the voltage helps.
I apologize if I was unclear. The new PC would be in addition to this one, not in place of it. So I do want to get this thing running quieter because it still has a lot of life in it.
I looked around on the net and the Rev A looks like a very difficult thing to find. What about the Ninja Mini? I see it comes with a 478 bracket. Is that hugely difficult to install?
Will I still need a fan attached to the heatsink with either a Scythe or a Thermalright?
Are you saying not to replace the case fans, just to reduce the voltage of the existing ones?
Thanks!
I looked around on the net and the Rev A looks like a very difficult thing to find. What about the Ninja Mini? I see it comes with a 478 bracket. Is that hugely difficult to install?
Will I still need a fan attached to the heatsink with either a Scythe or a Thermalright?
Are you saying not to replace the case fans, just to reduce the voltage of the existing ones?
Thanks!
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bonestonne
- Posts: 1839
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well, looking on intel's processor finder, your P4 Northwood should have a TDP of ~82W (81.8W). my CPU (Pentium D 940) has a TDP that's way higher, so i don't trust it with anything but a full sized ninja, but I suppose that you could use a Mini Ninja for this, but it would most certainly need a fan, leaving that without a fan would need a lot more airflow than what's there to keep it cool. and you'd be able to install the Mini Ninja with minimal trouble (just be careful with the mounting clips).
yes, don't replace the case fans unless you have to, just lower their voltage. you can hard wire it, there are many diagrams for this (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article6-page1.html) where you can do it yourself. other ways are through other products, like the Zalman Fan Mate. either way works, and it will make a difference.
even with the thermalright, i'd put a fan on it, but i'm not sure if you'd be able to use the duct that comes with the HR-01.
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and about the top fan, if you've ever tried to mod that case further, i'd say remove the grill in the plexiglas, and put a wire grill over the hole. it would take some work, but i'm sure the case can be fixed up. i have an Apevia X-Dreamer, but i ended up covering up the hole in the plexiglas, but i'm not sure the top fan would be removed without a problem (heat rises, top fans tend to blow that hot air out). and keeping grills in mind, it wouldn't hurt to mod the other grills. while not incredibly resistant, they're pretty large, and the resistance is a large contributor to noise.
yes, don't replace the case fans unless you have to, just lower their voltage. you can hard wire it, there are many diagrams for this (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article6-page1.html) where you can do it yourself. other ways are through other products, like the Zalman Fan Mate. either way works, and it will make a difference.
even with the thermalright, i'd put a fan on it, but i'm not sure if you'd be able to use the duct that comes with the HR-01.
---
and about the top fan, if you've ever tried to mod that case further, i'd say remove the grill in the plexiglas, and put a wire grill over the hole. it would take some work, but i'm sure the case can be fixed up. i have an Apevia X-Dreamer, but i ended up covering up the hole in the plexiglas, but i'm not sure the top fan would be removed without a problem (heat rises, top fans tend to blow that hot air out). and keeping grills in mind, it wouldn't hurt to mod the other grills. while not incredibly resistant, they're pretty large, and the resistance is a large contributor to noise.
An update .... while researching the fan resistor you suggested, I found out that I could safely pull the power on the case fans while the PC was on. So I did, and discovered that the makeup of the non-CPU-cooler noise was not quite what I originally thought. The front fans aren't terrible, but definitely audible. The rear fans sound similar but also make a mild chirping noise. The power supply is contributing much more of a constant background hum than I realized.
So I started looking at power supplies. The Corsair VX450 is highly recommended by SPCR and is on sale for $59.99 AR with free shipping at Buy.com. Seems like a reasonable price for that level of quality and silence. And although I said I wanted to keep my case, I also saw the Sonata III with an Earthwatts 500W PSU included for $79.99 AR shipped. That is just insanely cheap (an Antec case and the PSU for $80!), but it seems like some SPCR people don't think the Earthwatts 500W is very good. So I don't know. Saving money is useless if it doesn't give me the desired outcome.
BTW, my two pairs of case fans each have red and black wires which feed into a molex connector (see pic). I tried to find a cable or adapter that would do the voltage reduction you suggested for me, but they all seem to have 3-pin connectors, including the Fan Mate. I know nothing about power and would much rather spend a few dollars than fry my PSU or worse. Does such an adapter exist?
Reducing the fan speed is safe with a hotter CPU like mine? Do you think the Ninja Mini + fan will make up for the reduced air flow? I also tried to find info on compatibility of the Minja with my mobo but I couldn't. Those capacitors are so close on the one side, and that stupid blinking chipset fan is pretty close as well. Have you heard of the Minja successfully being installed on my board? What about the fan?
Thanks for your help.
So I started looking at power supplies. The Corsair VX450 is highly recommended by SPCR and is on sale for $59.99 AR with free shipping at Buy.com. Seems like a reasonable price for that level of quality and silence. And although I said I wanted to keep my case, I also saw the Sonata III with an Earthwatts 500W PSU included for $79.99 AR shipped. That is just insanely cheap (an Antec case and the PSU for $80!), but it seems like some SPCR people don't think the Earthwatts 500W is very good. So I don't know. Saving money is useless if it doesn't give me the desired outcome.
BTW, my two pairs of case fans each have red and black wires which feed into a molex connector (see pic). I tried to find a cable or adapter that would do the voltage reduction you suggested for me, but they all seem to have 3-pin connectors, including the Fan Mate. I know nothing about power and would much rather spend a few dollars than fry my PSU or worse. Does such an adapter exist?
Reducing the fan speed is safe with a hotter CPU like mine? Do you think the Ninja Mini + fan will make up for the reduced air flow? I also tried to find info on compatibility of the Minja with my mobo but I couldn't. Those capacitors are so close on the one side, and that stupid blinking chipset fan is pretty close as well. Have you heard of the Minja successfully being installed on my board? What about the fan?
Thanks for your help.
The cooler issue is crazy to me. Here we are discussing this humongous beast of a cooler, the likes of which I never knew existed until recently. A couple of weeks ago I had my parents' HTPC case open. It runs an Athlon 64 3200+. The CPU cooler was the typical box style with fan (like my current Thermaltake) but it barely made any noise -- even with the case open on my desk and me standing right above it. Why don't they make a quiet box style cooler like that for a socket 478?
A64 has way lower TDP then most s478 CPUs. Thats why they can get away with less cooling.Blondie wrote:The cooler issue is crazy to me. Here we are discussing this humongous beast of a cooler, the likes of which I never knew existed until recently. A couple of weeks ago I had my parents' HTPC case open. It runs an Athlon 64 3200+. The CPU cooler was the typical box style with fan (like my current Thermaltake) but it barely made any noise -- even with the case open on my desk and me standing right above it. Why don't they make a quiet box style cooler like that for a socket 478?
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bonestonne
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Well, given that you're unhappy with the present cooling, what you could also do is change the way the case airflow moves.
the first and most important rule about this is:
just because a fan can go there doesn't mean it should go there.
there are plenty of situations where you'll see fans suspended closer to components for better cooling, even if there's a place to mount the fan maybe just inches away. every inch counts because the cooling ability of the air blown by a fan decreases with distance. in my case, for example, i have a 92mm fan suspended in the lower drive cage of my Cooler Master Elite 330. its just easier to cool the graphics card that way, but if i get a new card (i'm hoping within the next two weeks or so) that fan can be taken out entirely.
also, the rear grill of my case, which is actually pretty restrictive, has been cut out...it took me about 5 minutes yesterday night sitting under my desk with wire cutters (the case is made of a very soft steel).
with your case, you could easily just take out the front fans, and put in two Nexus 80mm fans in the rear. i'd suggest cutting the grills, and then filling the edges (makes it less sharp) and then putting an 80mm wire fan guard over it to prevent hands or paws from getting in there. the top, you could then leave blocked off (on one of my cases, there's just a piece of plastic packaging that's been cut that i put underneath the fan grill, and its just as effective). but there's no room in that case for even a fan unplugged to fit, so its just held in place with 4 screws and nuts. you could do the same if you wanted, its a lot easier than it seems.
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so to really wrap up the questions you have:
1) Scythe Ninja Mini or Thermalright HR-01 with 478 mounting bracket, Scythe Andy Samurai is also a candidate.
2) yes, you should probably use a fan on the CPU cooler, even with a new one. running such a hot CPU without a fan can decrease the life of the hardware simply because of the heat.
3) after what you've said, yes, replacing the fans would help, but maybe leaving out the front two fans would work just as well, resulting in a pressurized case, where air can enter the case through other vents, just just the front. in some situations with graphics cards and vents next to the PCI slots, this can be very beneficial to cooling.
4) as long as you don't need to change the 478 heatsink bracket, you're fine, the removable motherboard tray (such a great invention) will make the job simple.
5) yes. Arctic Silver 5 is a good investment instead of company provided thermal paste. i've never seen a situation where a computer hasn't benefit from having new/fresh paste applied, although results may not show fully or accurately until the paste has cured completely.
6) fan filters can be argued. if you want to keep same method of it being removable, maybe looking for other types of open cell foam will help. past that, if you wanted you could try to look for filters that get screwed in with the fan. they'd be a pain to clean, but may filter somewhat better? i have the same problem with my Cooler Master Elite 330. the front is mesh with removable filters, but the filters aren't very efficient (however they do help) but you can still see a fine layer of dust form even after just a day or two after cleaning the whole PC.
7) working on the fine arts of cablegami would do a world of good. its a little difficult having a three windowed case, but with some a mess going across the general path of airflow, if you worked out new ways for the cables to be run, it would be easier to keep the computer cooler and quieter. also, by condensing the cable you don't use, you can tuck it away and it will be out of the way. i tend to prefer only having the cables i need to have hanging around, all the others tucked away. its a benefit for many modular power supplies, however it is in my opinion that a modular power supply is not entirely necessary for 90% of users, but its always nice to have.
also since socket 468 was phased out, AMD has had much cooler lines of processors and now with their Phenom to come out soon, we'll see if its messing them up or not with coolers. also, like Intel has its line of Mobile CPUs, AMD has its BE line, of 45W CPUs, which are quite cool. with the recent release of Intels 45nm CPUs, cooling will take a dramatic turn, but hopefully coolers wont get smaller and smaller to the point where we're back to those hopeless Cooler Master Rifle fans, which were a lost cause at any voltage.
having built tons of computers for myself, siblings, or family friends, still having all 10 of my fingers is a plus, so i think it will be easy to pull off.
hope that helps by condensing everything into one place so far.
the first and most important rule about this is:
just because a fan can go there doesn't mean it should go there.
there are plenty of situations where you'll see fans suspended closer to components for better cooling, even if there's a place to mount the fan maybe just inches away. every inch counts because the cooling ability of the air blown by a fan decreases with distance. in my case, for example, i have a 92mm fan suspended in the lower drive cage of my Cooler Master Elite 330. its just easier to cool the graphics card that way, but if i get a new card (i'm hoping within the next two weeks or so) that fan can be taken out entirely.
also, the rear grill of my case, which is actually pretty restrictive, has been cut out...it took me about 5 minutes yesterday night sitting under my desk with wire cutters (the case is made of a very soft steel).
with your case, you could easily just take out the front fans, and put in two Nexus 80mm fans in the rear. i'd suggest cutting the grills, and then filling the edges (makes it less sharp) and then putting an 80mm wire fan guard over it to prevent hands or paws from getting in there. the top, you could then leave blocked off (on one of my cases, there's just a piece of plastic packaging that's been cut that i put underneath the fan grill, and its just as effective). but there's no room in that case for even a fan unplugged to fit, so its just held in place with 4 screws and nuts. you could do the same if you wanted, its a lot easier than it seems.
----------
so to really wrap up the questions you have:
1) Scythe Ninja Mini or Thermalright HR-01 with 478 mounting bracket, Scythe Andy Samurai is also a candidate.
2) yes, you should probably use a fan on the CPU cooler, even with a new one. running such a hot CPU without a fan can decrease the life of the hardware simply because of the heat.
3) after what you've said, yes, replacing the fans would help, but maybe leaving out the front two fans would work just as well, resulting in a pressurized case, where air can enter the case through other vents, just just the front. in some situations with graphics cards and vents next to the PCI slots, this can be very beneficial to cooling.
4) as long as you don't need to change the 478 heatsink bracket, you're fine, the removable motherboard tray (such a great invention) will make the job simple.
5) yes. Arctic Silver 5 is a good investment instead of company provided thermal paste. i've never seen a situation where a computer hasn't benefit from having new/fresh paste applied, although results may not show fully or accurately until the paste has cured completely.
6) fan filters can be argued. if you want to keep same method of it being removable, maybe looking for other types of open cell foam will help. past that, if you wanted you could try to look for filters that get screwed in with the fan. they'd be a pain to clean, but may filter somewhat better? i have the same problem with my Cooler Master Elite 330. the front is mesh with removable filters, but the filters aren't very efficient (however they do help) but you can still see a fine layer of dust form even after just a day or two after cleaning the whole PC.
7) working on the fine arts of cablegami would do a world of good. its a little difficult having a three windowed case, but with some a mess going across the general path of airflow, if you worked out new ways for the cables to be run, it would be easier to keep the computer cooler and quieter. also, by condensing the cable you don't use, you can tuck it away and it will be out of the way. i tend to prefer only having the cables i need to have hanging around, all the others tucked away. its a benefit for many modular power supplies, however it is in my opinion that a modular power supply is not entirely necessary for 90% of users, but its always nice to have.
also since socket 468 was phased out, AMD has had much cooler lines of processors and now with their Phenom to come out soon, we'll see if its messing them up or not with coolers. also, like Intel has its line of Mobile CPUs, AMD has its BE line, of 45W CPUs, which are quite cool. with the recent release of Intels 45nm CPUs, cooling will take a dramatic turn, but hopefully coolers wont get smaller and smaller to the point where we're back to those hopeless Cooler Master Rifle fans, which were a lost cause at any voltage.
having built tons of computers for myself, siblings, or family friends, still having all 10 of my fingers is a plus, so i think it will be easy to pull off.
hope that helps by condensing everything into one place so far.
Hi:
OK, I ordered a Corsair VX450 power supply, a Scythe Ninja Mini and a tube of Arctic Silver 5. Thank you for your help with this.
Before buying new fans, I would like to try your suggestion of disabling/blocking the front case fans and using the existing rear case fans. Top fan is disabled/blocked as well. I have a few questions, though.
1. As I mentioned in a previous post, my two rear case fans' wires are combined together and only have two wires which run into a Molex connector (pic: http://www.innervault.com/PC/images/fans_molexwires.jpg). There is no yellow wire, and it is combined with the four other wires in the Molex, which looks different than the photos I've seen. Which product do I need to run this into my available 3-pin SFAN1 mobo connector so I would be able to control the rear case fans via SpeedFan?
Various cables here: http://www.coolerguys.com/adwandfa.html
2. If I block the top and front case fans, then the only way air would come into the case would be through the vent next to the PCI slots. Is that correct?
3. How do I remove the top fan (or any case fan)? I don't see any screws, just those smooth pushpins. How do I get those out? I have a friend who makes Lucite products, so I'll get a square piece from him and attach that from underneath once the fan is removed.
4. The Minja comes with an 80mm fan. Which side of the heatsink do I attach it to? Blowing into the fins or out?
I was waiting for you to say something about the cables. I know they're a bit messy. I undid some of the ties when I did the big cleaning. I'll put everything back once this upgrade process is finished.
I think I will try this first without modding the rear grills. As oh-so-seductive as that $50 Deluxe Dremel Kit I saw at Costco is, I could skip that part and be perfectly happy. LOL
Thank you!
OK, I ordered a Corsair VX450 power supply, a Scythe Ninja Mini and a tube of Arctic Silver 5. Thank you for your help with this.
Before buying new fans, I would like to try your suggestion of disabling/blocking the front case fans and using the existing rear case fans. Top fan is disabled/blocked as well. I have a few questions, though.
1. As I mentioned in a previous post, my two rear case fans' wires are combined together and only have two wires which run into a Molex connector (pic: http://www.innervault.com/PC/images/fans_molexwires.jpg). There is no yellow wire, and it is combined with the four other wires in the Molex, which looks different than the photos I've seen. Which product do I need to run this into my available 3-pin SFAN1 mobo connector so I would be able to control the rear case fans via SpeedFan?
Various cables here: http://www.coolerguys.com/adwandfa.html
2. If I block the top and front case fans, then the only way air would come into the case would be through the vent next to the PCI slots. Is that correct?
3. How do I remove the top fan (or any case fan)? I don't see any screws, just those smooth pushpins. How do I get those out? I have a friend who makes Lucite products, so I'll get a square piece from him and attach that from underneath once the fan is removed.
4. The Minja comes with an 80mm fan. Which side of the heatsink do I attach it to? Blowing into the fins or out?
I was waiting for you to say something about the cables. I know they're a bit messy. I undid some of the ties when I did the big cleaning. I'll put everything back once this upgrade process is finished.
I think I will try this first without modding the rear grills. As oh-so-seductive as that $50 Deluxe Dremel Kit I saw at Costco is, I could skip that part and be perfectly happy. LOL
Thank you!
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bonestonne
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the pushpins for the fans should be two pieces. a clear, white or other color piece in the middle, which you should be able to push out from the inside, and then you should be able to just pull the clips out.
you should attack the fan to the Minja so that it is blowing through the fins towards the back of the case, but be careful, the fins can be sharp, and cut you easily.
i don't think that any company makes the type of adapter you'd need to run those rear fans off the 3 pin fan header. it would have to be a male molex adapter to a 3 pin female adapter, but even with that, without the yellow wire, you wont be able to control it.
your best bet would be to go for new fans altogether, it would fix the problem, and i'd still suggest the nexus ones, or if you can find slightly lower RPM ones of a company like Scythe USA (say, 800-1200 RPM max)
i didn't mean blocking the front fans entirely, but maybe taking them out may help, by causing air pressure to cool the drives, not two fans.
for what it is, its pretty good. my CPU has a TDP of 130W, and it stays a tame 34C until i put it under load. for your CPU at 82W, with such a small cooler, yeah, i'd say that the temps are definitely good, but the noise is enough to drive anyone crazy.
you should attack the fan to the Minja so that it is blowing through the fins towards the back of the case, but be careful, the fins can be sharp, and cut you easily.
i don't think that any company makes the type of adapter you'd need to run those rear fans off the 3 pin fan header. it would have to be a male molex adapter to a 3 pin female adapter, but even with that, without the yellow wire, you wont be able to control it.
your best bet would be to go for new fans altogether, it would fix the problem, and i'd still suggest the nexus ones, or if you can find slightly lower RPM ones of a company like Scythe USA (say, 800-1200 RPM max)
i didn't mean blocking the front fans entirely, but maybe taking them out may help, by causing air pressure to cool the drives, not two fans.
for what it is, its pretty good. my CPU has a TDP of 130W, and it stays a tame 34C until i put it under load. for your CPU at 82W, with such a small cooler, yeah, i'd say that the temps are definitely good, but the noise is enough to drive anyone crazy.
I had that case but it was all silver. I tried replacing all the fans with 5v modded medium speed Yate-Loons. but with 4 of them plus the PSU and vid card and CPU fans, there's just no way to make it quiet.
First tip would be to remove the intake fans and cut out the stamped grills, if possible.
Next, I'd use the Ninja Mini and duct it to the upper exhaust fan. Remove the upper fan and if you don't feel any air coming out, block it off somehow.
I gave up on mine and gave it to my brother. He's happy with it, but he's half deaf from the sound system in his car and cutting tiles all day.
First tip would be to remove the intake fans and cut out the stamped grills, if possible.
Next, I'd use the Ninja Mini and duct it to the upper exhaust fan. Remove the upper fan and if you don't feel any air coming out, block it off somehow.
I gave up on mine and gave it to my brother. He's happy with it, but he's half deaf from the sound system in his car and cutting tiles all day.
Bonestonne: Sorry, I misunderstood about the front fans. Turn them off, but don't block them. If I cut out the front grills, though, that will let even more dirt into the case. My case is on top of my desk (dogs) and always in A/C (no open windows) but it still gets dirty inside fairly quickly. So the yellow wire is the sensor wire ... good to know.
jhhoffma: It is disappointing to hear about my case still being too loud after new 5V YL fans. Did you have a very quiet PSU and CPU cooler in it? I had to laugh about the tile cutting deafness -- I know that roar quite well. Never stay in your house while having large amounts of floor tile installed!
I am starting to think I may have to get a new case after all. A Solo, most likely. That will solve these problems once and for all and it looks like it will be pretty straightforward for my first build. The near-constant deals make the Solo inexpensive as well, especially for what you are getting. If I do that, should I wait to install the Minja? Is it a PITA to move it from one case to another? Would I leave it attached to the CPU or remove it and put it back?
Thanks!
jhhoffma: It is disappointing to hear about my case still being too loud after new 5V YL fans. Did you have a very quiet PSU and CPU cooler in it? I had to laugh about the tile cutting deafness -- I know that roar quite well. Never stay in your house while having large amounts of floor tile installed!
I am starting to think I may have to get a new case after all. A Solo, most likely. That will solve these problems once and for all and it looks like it will be pretty straightforward for my first build. The near-constant deals make the Solo inexpensive as well, especially for what you are getting. If I do that, should I wait to install the Minja? Is it a PITA to move it from one case to another? Would I leave it attached to the CPU or remove it and put it back?
Thanks!
A quick update ... the Corsair VX450 is installed and as quiet as can be. Really nice -- the cables are all neatly wrapped and I had no problems at all. And although I guess it doesn't really matter in the end, the packaging is superb.
The Minja is also installed with the included Scythe fan and AS5; running at 100% (I can't hear it over the stupid case fans) my temps dropped several degrees. Hopefully, I'll get a few more after the break-in period.
I took out the top case fan (thanks, bonestonne). The remaining four case fans are loud. I think it may be time for a Solo with a Slipstream 120mm in the back. Spending $50 on new Nexus case fans and still having a noisy case seems stupid.
The Minja is also installed with the included Scythe fan and AS5; running at 100% (I can't hear it over the stupid case fans) my temps dropped several degrees. Hopefully, I'll get a few more after the break-in period.
I took out the top case fan (thanks, bonestonne). The remaining four case fans are loud. I think it may be time for a Solo with a Slipstream 120mm in the back. Spending $50 on new Nexus case fans and still having a noisy case seems stupid.