HAF X Remod

[Nihil688]

Hello, so I've had my Haf X for a year and a half now and I was proud to say when I first bought it, you'd put your head inside the case and you would barely hear the breeze.

Along with it I got a V8 coolermaster, an Asus GTX570 ( the one with the two fans ), an antec 850W psu and left the rest of the fans intact.

Unfortunately recently I noticed that my dear pc makes a lot more noise which makes it annoying. Everything runs at about 700rpm and I have lowered everything I could to the lowest rpm but still there's a lot of noise. Everything's temperature is below 30 apart from the gpu which is 38 so I don't mind lowering the speeds, even though I don't think it's the speeds any more rather it's the time that has gotten to the rotors.

Now I think the psu's fan is the one doing most the noise but I can't really open the psu so if there are any alternatives please share.
Also I'm looking to change the default fans of the Haf X case and even though I've found a few online I thought I'd come here first and get a second opinion.

For those who are not familiar with Haf X here are it's sizings:

Front: 230*30 mm red LED
Top: 200*30 mm fan *2
Side: 200*30 mm fan
Rear: 140*25 mm fan

[dma0991]

If you're talking about CM stock fans, there is a possibility that the bearings have worn out and causing some noise. 120mm/140mm fans are quite common but if you're looking for 200mm/230mm fans, good ones are hard to come by. List out the fans you've found so far.

[Nihil688]

I was aware of the large ones not being good enough so I was considering small ones as replacements, although more small fans will be louder than one big, no? I am willing to change to whatever will make my pc silent again.

Here's a small list ( no surprises, I think they are quite common )

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/200mm...n-with-red-led
sceptical about this one: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/230mm...s-(fdb)-900rpm
this for the cpu although Im not sure the cpu's one does any noise but I checked it anyway http://www.scan.co.uk/products/120mm...pm-cooling-fan
also a big list here but didn't know what to choose as no big ones: http://quietpc.co.uk/casefans

[dma0991]

Based on the rating, the smaller 120mm ones will be louder as they would have to spin a lot faster to push more air. But that is at its maximum speed. Most of the 120mm fans that I have are controlled manually at 50% and they're pretty silent to my ears. The Scythe GTs are well made. I'll probably favor with the Scythe GTs but if you'd like to have the same fan size replaced, I'll go with the BitFenix.

You will have to rely on your own ears and judgement when it comes to fans of that size(200mm/230mm) as reviews are scarce unlike 120mm fan reviews.

[Nihil688]

I can find all kinds of Betfenix here, http://www.overclockers.co.uk/mfrList.php?mfrid=556
I knew there are good but I hear they are not the quietest ones, also overclockers are always overpriced but they are their major retailer...

I prefer less noise over performance as I said my pc is always under 30 degrees

[dma0991]

I'm not recommending the 120mm fan because of its performance. I'm recommending it because it is better built, lasts longer and probably more silent. If you feel that 120mm fans might be too loud, set it up with a fan controller. That way, you can set it to be as fast or as quiet as you like it to be. Alternatively, there are lower speed versions of the Scythe GT if the 1850rpm version is noisy.

[Nihil688]

how many do you think I should take to replace the 200mm and 230mm ones?

[dma0991]

Probably 3-4 max, 3 for the top and 1 for the back. I don't think there are 120mm fan mounting options for the side(200mm) and front(230mm).

[Nihil688]

I'm very confused as to what to get, the sound I get is cumulative and if I get a lot small fans I think it'll be worse.

Those are kinda winning me over:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/120mm...pm-cooling-fan
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BitFenix-230...3592682&sr=8-1
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/200mm...n-with-red-led
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=2331&subcat=4

[dma0991]

Originally Posted by Nihil688

I'm very confused as to what to get, the sound I get is cumulative and if I get a lot small fans I think it'll be worse.

It isn't necessary to actually occupy every fan slot that the case offers if you're aiming for silence. You could do with 1 at the side, 1 at the front and 1 at the back. The top is left bare, probably the air pressure in the case will make the hot air flow its natural path, upwards. Just replace the fans that makes the most noise.

[Nihil688]

I think I'll need to redo my checks, I am still not 100% sure what's causing most of the problem, I think the gpu fans do some noise too...

[Nihil688]

In the end, the psu's fan is at fault and the second loudest is the gpu... Any ideas?

[dma0991]

Its inevitable that you will have some noise regardless of how hard you try to make it silent. You could make the reduce the noise from the GPU by going watercooling but its an expensive and time consuming solution.

The only other solution is to get a case where it is more optimized for silence. The HAF X has perforations all around it and it lets air in and out which in turn lets noise out as well. There are a few cases from Fractal Design and Corsair 550D which comes with foam on the panels to dampen noise and panels to cover unused fan slots.

[Nihil688]

Dude you've been crazy helpful! Thanks a bunch!

I will consider maybe changing the box even though I really like my HAF X