A question about fans :)

Control: management of fans, temp/rpm monitoring via soft/hardware

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

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rclayton17
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A question about fans :)

Post by rclayton17 » Sat May 21, 2005 10:04 am

Well i'm putting together a silent/quiet PC.

I received my Antec SLK3000B today, but it was damaged so I'm sending it back for a full refund.

Since we don't really want to wait 3-5 more days until we get a case we will probably just go to Fry's or something.

Since not all computer cases come with fans, we would probably get some Nexus fans or something.

BUT, is it just best to get a 120mm fan rather than a few small ones? I tried reading that sticky post about this, but all of that talk just hurt my head. And I wasn't sure of the answer. Sorry if i have offended anyone for posting this.

Well i guess i'd have to get a 120mm fan anyway because most of the good quiet cases have 120mm fan openings. Am i right? Also, I'm trying to save money.

Ralf Hutter
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Post by Ralf Hutter » Sat May 21, 2005 10:44 am

I'd wait till you can get a replacement SLK3000B and use quiet 120mm fans in it.

Fry's selection of "quiet" cases really sucks (best they have is the Sonata) so you'll be stuck with a sub-par case right from the get-go. Not a good way to start if you're looking to built a decently quiet system.

Just my 2¢, YMMV! :)

rclayton17
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Post by rclayton17 » Sat May 21, 2005 11:28 am

Thanks for the reply.

Well, if i were to use the slk3000b, i would just use the fan that comes with it. That quiet enough?

Does the Sonata really stink that bad?

sundevil_1997
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Post by sundevil_1997 » Sat May 21, 2005 11:48 am

rclayton17 wrote:Thanks for the reply.

Well, if i were to use the slk3000b, i would just use the fan that comes with it. That quiet enough?

Does the Sonata really stink that bad?
It's all very very very very very RELATIVE here.

It seems the longer one visits this site and reads the forums, you go through a progression of just what "quiet enough" means:

1) I just want the painful sound to stop.
2) I know if I just quiet that ONE MORE THING, it'll be REALLY quiet.
3) Shhh, honey...did you hear that?
4) God, that street outside sure is loud. I wonder if we put in speed bumps.....

Or something along those lines. What I'm trying to say is...I'm still a newbie at this, but if you take ANY case and apply the lessons learned in these forums, you'll make a huge difference in what you're used to. No one buys a fast computer...they buy a computer faster than what they have. Same with quieting stuff. If you manage to make it quieter than it currently is, then you'll be reaping a reward.

My personal opinion is: If this is your first attempt at making a "quieter" computer, then either use an old case (your existing one), or buy as cheap a case as you like, and one you're not afraid to cut to pieces. I've been around for a few months, and I'm still trying and experimenting with stuff, mainly with a dremel tool, a nibbler, and foam board. In the somewhat near future, my PC's are going to be slated for an upgrade, and then, armed with the knowledge I've gained from my experimenting, I'll be able to better evaluate what's offered out there.


OR.....you could just do what Ralf suggest and get the case that seems most loved and recommended by SPCR posters. :lol: I think in either case (haha!) as long as you read and learn and try stuff from here, it really won't matter what you get.

rclayton17
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Post by rclayton17 » Sat May 21, 2005 12:09 pm

Thanks for the post.

I guess you're right, any ol' case will do. Well the fact is I need to buy a new one anyway, and I probably won't do any modding this time, so I'm just looking for a good case for a reasonable price.

In the future, I would like to start modding.

By the way, do the rubber grommets (for harddrive) on the Antec cases make much of a difference? And how much do they cost anyway if i need to buy some for a case that doesn't come with any?

I read that the evercase 4252 is ready for some serious grommets, but do you have to do any cutting first? Thanks so much for your help.

sundevil_1997
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Post by sundevil_1997 » Sat May 21, 2005 12:27 pm

rclayton17 wrote:Thanks for the post.

I guess you're right, any ol' case will do. Well the fact is I need to buy a new one anyway, and I probably won't do any modding this time, so I'm just looking for a good case for a reasonable price.

In the future, I would like to start modding.
The future is now!!! 8)

I had never cut a case in my life until I started reading here. I think if you're planning on getting serious at all about quieting, you won't be able to hold the knife back for long.

However, if indeed you are buying a case anyways, and you DO want to make a good attempt at quiet, and you don't want to take the hacksaw to it from the very beginning, then I'd really suggest buying the case Ralf suggested. It's very popular in these forums, so when you post asking for help and info, it will be very familiar to those advising. Just a suggestion.

And might I say how terribly envious I am that you have a Fry's to go to. :? Nearest one to me is 140 miles. Grrrrrr....

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Post by Green Shoes » Sat May 21, 2005 1:52 pm

rclayton17 wrote:Thanks for the post.

I guess you're right, any ol' case will do. Well the fact is I need to buy a new one anyway, and I probably won't do any modding this time, so I'm just looking for a good case for a reasonable price.

In the future, I would like to start modding.

By the way, do the rubber grommets (for harddrive) on the Antec cases make much of a difference? And how much do they cost anyway if i need to buy some for a case that doesn't come with any?

I read that the evercase 4252 is ready for some serious grommets, but do you have to do any cutting first? Thanks so much for your help.
The grommets aren't terrible, but they definitely aren't the best thing around (they still transmit some vibration to the rest of the case). I just built a system in a 3000B earlier this week and just used some Stretch Magic ($3 at Michael's or any local craft store) to suspend them. I don't have pics up yet, but search the forum and you should be able to find something similar. Also check out this thread that MikeC started.

rclayton17
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Post by rclayton17 » Sat May 21, 2005 10:45 pm

Ok i dont know if i should have put this in a different forum, but I have decided that i will just reorder the case.

I have found 2 places with free shipping and no tax.

RadixGear ($49.60) and Amazon.com ($46.20)

Which would you get it from? The RadixGear office is in Florida but I don't know what state it will ship from. I don't know where it will come from either for amazon.com. I figure that the farther it has to travel, the higher the chance that it will be damaged but who knows. I just don't want another damaged case.

I live in southern california by the way.

Green Shoes
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Post by Green Shoes » Sun May 22, 2005 6:45 am

I ordered mine from NewEgg. It would be more expensive, since you're in CA they'll charge you tax, but it's a bit more peace of mind on what condition the case will arrive in.

rclayton17
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Post by rclayton17 » Sun May 22, 2005 8:43 am

Did it ship in the original Antec box? Mine did, and maybe the 2 styrofoam sides just aren't thick enough to make it super sturdy within the box.

I ordered the rest of my stuff with newegg and everything got here quickly and safely, but i figure the case ships in the original antec box, so i wouldn't think that it's any safer. Or am i totally wrong? Newegg rocks though. It's gonna be like $75.00 at newegg though.

Green Shoes
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Post by Green Shoes » Sun May 22, 2005 1:11 pm

Mine came in the original Antec box, but it shipped all the way from CA and was perfectly fine when it got here, no damage at all. Fedex just treats packages much better than those *other* carriers.

rclayton17
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Post by rclayton17 » Sun May 22, 2005 10:28 pm

Ralf Hutter wrote:I'd wait till you can get a replacement SLK3000B and use quiet 120mm fans in it.
You said fans not fan. Sorry I don't mean to be annoying, but i know i have asked this question here before somewhere, but I'm just trying to get as many opinions as i can.

Ok so i ordered the slk3000 again, and I'm gonna leave the fan that comes with it in there.

I plan to set the fan at the lowest setting, and also the zalman 7000 alcu to the lowest setting (unless i HAVE to increase the speed). So as for now i will only have one case fan.

Will that be cool enough? some have said that it will be fine, but i'm not sure. And the fan will just be pulling air out, instead of blowing over stuff so it kinda scares me.

Specs:
athlon 64 3200+ venice
2gb corsair value select ram
seasonic super silencer 350w psu
asus a8v deluxe
passive vga card
2 seagate barracuda

Thanks so much for your help.

Green Shoes
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Post by Green Shoes » Mon May 23, 2005 5:51 am

As long as you get a good application of Artic Silver I think you should be fine. The Antec Tri-Cool, while not as quiet as a Nexus, isn't terrible by any means. I used mine on my XP-120 b/c I have a 27% overclock (from 2.2 to 2.8 GHz) and I wanted the extra CFM, but undervolted to 5V it's not loud at all. It's got a pitched noise in it that changes with the fan speed....I can't really notice it at 5V with the sides of the case on, though. (At least, not over my stupid VGA card's fan. V700 is on the way!)

You might, however, need another fan to blow over your passive VGA card...it really depends on what you want to do with it. Any gaming, or just normal web surf stuff?

rclayton17
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Post by rclayton17 » Mon May 23, 2005 8:33 am

It won't be used for gaming. It will be running ProTools (professional sound editing software). It probably won't even be used for web browsing or anything, heh. Just ProTools and maybe Adobe Premiere or somethin like that.

Do you think that I should buy artic silver because I was just planning on using the thermal grease that comes with the zalman, and I even have a retail box for the athlon 64, so that should have thermal grease too shouldn't it?

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Post by Green Shoes » Mon May 23, 2005 8:52 am

I've never used the Zalman stuff, so I couldn't really say. I know I saw a 2-3C drop when I went from the Thermalright paste included with my XP-120 to Silver 5...but I don't know if that was attributed to the paste itself or to user error :oops: . There's probably someone around here who's done more testing with it than I.

rclayton17
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Post by rclayton17 » Mon May 23, 2005 11:24 am

Well I probably just use what i have.

Now the question is, which is better out of the paste that comes with the zalman, and the paste that comes with the athlon 64. So many questions... :)

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