Case fans for P-183 DAW build - which Noctua?

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

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outbackyak
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Case fans for P-183 DAW build - which Noctua?

Post by outbackyak » Fri Jan 08, 2010 12:50 pm

I'm planning a new DAW - i7 860 with a Prolimatech Megahelems CPU cooler in an Antec P-183 case with a passively-cooled GT9800 video card.

I'm planning on using the Noctua NF-P12 for the CPU fan, but I'm confused as to which of the Noctua NF-S12 fans to use for the case fans. My intention is to mount the two fans front and rear of the case, and remove the standard Antec fan from the top of the case (and block off the mounting hole).

There are two Noctua NF-S12 model case fans that might fit the bill:

1. the NF-S12B FLX: 1200/900/600 RPM http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=prod ... g=en&set=1

2. the NF-S12B ULN: 700/500 RPM (Which is the ultra-low noise version of the NF-S12B) http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=prod ... g=en&set=1

I like the idea of using the NF-S12B ULN if it will be just that little bit quieter than the FLX, but I'm concerned as to whether it will push enough air to keep things cool at such a low speed, especially since the GT9800 will be pumping out a fair bit of heat.

So - which fan? Can I safely run the two NF-S12B ULN's at 500 RPM? Or is the FLX the better option? Would I even notice the difference?

Cheers!

outbackyak
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 4:00 am
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Post by outbackyak » Sat Jan 09, 2010 5:12 pm

Umm - am I doing something wrong here? 78 views of this question and no replies yet :? .

I'm a complete noob - is this just a really silly question? I'm hoping for some help.

Cheers!

AudioEditor
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Post by AudioEditor » Sun Jan 10, 2010 4:10 pm

O.K., I'm probably the least qualified to answer.

Why not try the ULN and see how it works.

I thought I had ordered ULN but ended up with FLX. I can't tell how silent they are at this point because I screwed up and got the wrong fan for CPU cooling so I decided to run the stock Intel heatsink and fan to post and install.

I'll let you know how they are doing once I get my Megahalems installed a little later this week, if that helps.

I seriously doubt I'll return them to get ULN. They seem pretty quiet to me. I'm used to a Dell.

bonestonne
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Post by bonestonne » Sun Jan 10, 2010 5:04 pm

Buy PWM Scythe Slipstreams for the PWM headers you'll be using.

For any standard 12v fans that will run on either normal 3 pin headers or PSU molex connectors, i would suggest 800RPM slipstreams, you could go as low as 500.

For the P183, I would suggest a Scythe 800RPM slipstream for the exhaust, 500RPM for the top vent, and the PWM slipstream for the CPU.

You shouldn't need any more fans than that.

I don't see the point in buying $20 fans, when you can buy $10 fans that are just as quiet, and possibly better (but with mass production, better is a matter of opinion).

still, $20 fans is insane.

ronrem
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Post by ronrem » Tue Apr 20, 2010 1:27 am

perhaps my first question...is why even have a heat making Vid card in a DAW? A DAW ought to focus on getting a silent background to deal with the details of the music. Too many folks think a DAW has to use a high power,high heat CPU. This is not so. You can do a lot with a midrange dual core....and keep it quiet and COOL ENOUGH. You do not need it running at 28C.

The BIG 250 mm fans at 400-500 rpm door mounted can move air at low noise. Ideally,you have a passive heatsink on a good silent mobo that allows eSATA. You'll be able to box a 1 TB HDD up to 6 ft away as your storage.

Get a SSD,about 64 GB for the OS and apps and don't put non essentials on it,or,even better, dual boot with your DAW partition a strip down XP ,no internet,no Anti virus,no bloat. Have a second partition as the OS that can connect to the rest of the world. A DAW does not want other "processes" getting in the way.

ronrem
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Post by ronrem » Tue Apr 20, 2010 1:36 am

I just saw your Puter details in the sig...and it seems you already did the SSD and TB storage. If those RPMs are working..great.

Generally...however....I'd rather keep fans as far from my ear as I can. See what the temps are with no front fan,or both as rear exhaust.

outbackyak
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Post by outbackyak » Tue Apr 20, 2010 11:24 pm

Hi ronrem. Although the primary function of this computer is a DAW it's also my general use/business computer. I live in a tiny flat and there is simply no room for two computers, so this one has to be a "do it all" unit although it's definitely biased towards its DAW functions.

I do a little moderate gaming so that's why I've got the 9800GT, but it's the passively cooled version so it's completely silent. Runs a little warm at 46-48C idle/DAW use, and up to around 65C gaming, but that's fine (I turn both the case fans back up to full speed for gaming), and the CPU idles/DAW at around 34-36C hitting around 50C gaming, which is entirely acceptable to me.

There's no way I was going for a passive CPU heatsink; what you win in no CPU fan noise is more than lost in the extra noise from having to run the case fans at higher RPM. In DAW use the CPU fan runs at around 550RPM and is essentially inaudible, as are the case fans.

Since the front fan is essentially inaudible at the speed I run it I haven't bothered doing temperature tests with it turned fully off. I doubt it's having much effect on CPU or GPU temperature at that speed, but I figure it's keeping cool air moving past the HD, which must be a good thing.

On principle I turn it off when I'm recording audio, but I don't think it makes a difference, especially as I live on quite a busy street: the only time I can get a quiet time for recording acoustic guitar is after midnight. Even then I've quite often had takes ruined when a big truck goes past. Still, this is a hobby, not work so it's not the end of the world. Short of winning Lotto and building myself a real soundproofed studio I'll just have to put up with it.

Getting the SSD was the single best move I made in this whole build - totally silent and amazingly fast; I can't believe how quickly Windows loads, and apps open almost instantly. For those who haven't experienced computing with an SSD: buy one - you won't be disappointed.

You are right, I should probably have done a dual boot system - too late now, I got the OEM version and it's only good for a single install. I'm actually really liking Windows 7 64 bit - I've had no real problems from moving to it from XP and while I'm sure that XP is a little bit less resource intensive this computer is so fast that I don't think I'd really notice the difference. Music projects that wouldn't run at all on my ancient Pentium 4 2.8GHz computer now barely register on the CPU meter; I think it's going to be a long time before I find out what the limits of this computer are :D .

Cheers!

Shai-tan
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Post by Shai-tan » Thu Apr 22, 2010 4:17 pm

Yeah the Noctua NF-P12 is a lot better of CPU cooling because of the static pressure. The static pressure of the NF-P12 @ 900 rpm is 1.21 mmH2O as apposed to the NF-S12B which is 0.76.

Use the NF-S12B only as case fans if there is unrestricted airflow (i.e open spaces or direct/unrestricted venting to the outside)

I would recommend NF-P12 for front intake and NF-S12B for the rear exhaust, only if your going to cut out the restrictive vent at the back, otherwise Id stick to NF-P12's running at 900rpm all-round

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