antec cases are REALLY noisy.....

[dunce11r]

i just upgraded to a 1030 antec case from an enlight 7235 case (midtower).... i recently put panaflo L1s as the intake and exhaust (with the grills cut out so its just free air, no restrictions), and also on the SK6 (80mm all over) ... and that case was badass..... incredibly quiet, but i still heard the high pitch noises from the harddrives (i have 3 7200rpm-ers).

The thing was, the heat in the case rose considerably with the panaflos pushing so little.... the cpu went from 40 idle to 48C idle... but when i took the front bezel off the enlight case, i found that the reason for the high temps was because there wasnt enough air going into the case.......so i said what the hell, i should buy the antec case.... 4 panaflos will not only keep the inside cooler, but it'll keep the cpu cooler WHILE being as quiet as my enlight case......

WRONG..... i only have 2 of the 4 panaflo L1 case fans (80mm) running because i dont have enough tails to power the other 2... and man, this case is a LOT louder than the enlight... im really dissapointed. I think most of the noise due to the fact that the front bezel where the fans reside is more open than the enlight case, therefore allowing more sound to come out of the front of the case. with only 2 case fans operational, the temps have dropped back to 43C.... happy about the temps, but not about the sound.... sounds like my enlight setup BEFORE i added the panaflos in.......

i dont even think adding stuff like dynamat will help since most of the noise is coming out from the front. maybe i'll cut out the built in fan grills tomorrow in hopes for free up more air movement and less stress on the fans... thereby gettin rid of some noise......

 

[hmsrolst]

You might try lowering the voltage on your Panaflos and using all four, but I agree with your basic analysis. Even with very quiet 80mm fans, HSF's, HDD's and PSU's, I've found that the SX cases' open front trade off quiet for great air flow.
.

 

[RaptorNV]

I put my PC together last night, and sadly discovered the same noise problem - also a 1030, with only 2 80cm Panaflos running right now.

I plan to find a thin filter of some kind and put in in front of the case, to keep the damn dust out - I also hope that it will cut some of the noise from excaping through there.

Anyone running filters on these cases? If so, what type?

Thanks.

 

[Jeniva]

I have the 1040b case..I have all 4 of the 80mm's as exaust fans...and 3 120mm intakes on the door...for filtering, I bought some cheap "window air-conditioner replaceable filter" from the local Lowes Home improvement store. Its washable and does a pretty darn good job filtering dust out of the air going into my case, it does NOT restrict as much air-flow as I thought it would...though ANY filter is going to restrict air-flow to some degree....I dont notice a significant drop in noise levels from the fans.

 

[dunce11r]

just use the filters at home depot thats for your air vents in the house..... they fit perfectly after a minor trimming....


but adding a filter to your intake fan will actually make it louder, since there is a restriction and the fan will work harder to suck air......

 

[nnnyyy]

Actually, I noticed a reduction in noise when using a filter for the font intake fans.

 

[dolph]

you can easily make an extra molex connector power your extra fans, it's a simple strip & solder job. otherwise, you can buy adapters for a few bucks each. i have the 830 with 4 panaflos (2 in/2 out) and my load temp is about 42 (gs68 on an xp 1800). with a modified antec psu and a baraccuda, all i hear is air moving.

 

[smp]

You're forgetting the power supply factor... the PSU in your enlight was probably quieter than the antec. I don't understand how the same fans could be noisier in a different case. I just put a build together yesturday out of a SX635 and that PSU is LOUD. I have a 1030b myself and I don't find it that loud at all.

 

[FlowerMan]

This is funny Panaflo L1's in an Antec case are too loud? Not enough tails? Sh!t, just hook them all up to the same 4-pin molex connector and extend the wires if need be. Cut out the stock fan grills and drill some holes to grommet-mount those fans. www.7volts.com for more info

 

[dunce11r]

i transferred the PS from the enlight case.... and i swapped the PS fan for a panaflo as well.... so in theory, this new antec case that i just bought should be quieter... especially withonly 2 case fans working right now.....

i added a filter today, from home depot... its meant for the air vents in your house.... then i cut open the front grills, and added some carpet sound deadening stuff to the side door with the latch.... little improvement in the noise... but still louder than the enlight i had.

 

[Strych9]

<< You're forgetting the power supply factor... the PSU in your enlight was probably quieter than the antec >>

Newer Antec power supplies are fairly noisy. Change the fan in the ps and you'll notice a difference.

 

[Woody419]

Yes those open fronts are noisy, check out my solution here.

 

[dunce11r]

you blocked the whole front grill off.... that completely blocks off most of the cool air.......

i bought some berber (sp?) carpet padding stuff and lined it against the side panels.... only cost me $3 at home depot. looks like crap, but does the job well on teh sides..... i can put my ears close to teh sides and hear nothing... but again, almost all the sound is coming from the front of the damn case..... and the exhaust....

 

[ropo]

Oh man, I was just about to buy one of those cases because ppl on the boards often recomend them. The thing is, I have 2 noisy computers (one at work and one at home) and my primary objective with this new case is to build a really QUIET one.

Outline of new computer:

Antec / Chieftec housing
AMD 1800/1900/2000
Geforce 3/4
Mobo with IDE RAID, 2 Seagate Baracuda IV
Alpha PAL8045 + Papst 8412NGML or Thermaltake Volcano 7+
2 Papst or Panaflo case fans (one in front and one in back)

I really like the looks of the Antec case, but Im woried bout the noise. What if i blocked the front grill (like Woody did) and mounted a fan in the side panel instead? Some of the Chieftec housings even comes with a fan in the side panel.

Or maybe I should look for another case?

 

[dunce11r]

i kinda regret getting the case now... but it was just too damn cheap... 49 at newegg..... but its too noisy for my taste. I'm lookin into buying an lian li case right now... those should be quieter, and smaller case... this antec 1030 is damn tall... and not to mention that antec just came out with a new line that has the front side USB and firewire.... but i really want a lian li or the new coolermaster cases coming out...... but i just dont know about investing 150 for a new case..... i could just switch back to the old enlight and mod it to fit some 120mm fans, and perhaps a side fan as well... but the side fan might add more noise as well...

 

[AMD4ME2]

I have an antec sx830, I love the case and will never part with it but it does let alot of noise out.... I don't know what is making the most noise... I have no intake fans... just 2 standard antec exaust fans and the powersupply.... I think the main noise is the hard drive actually. it has a low whine to it... my heatsink fan is just a 4500rpm ystech 60mm, it does make some noise but not as loud by itself as what im hearing from the machine during operation.

 

[hmsrolst]

I have a Lian Li, and Antec SX600 and SX1000 cases. To my ear the noise from the Lian Li is much more bothersome--just posted how it sounds to me here:

Lian Li vs Antec

With a lot of work my Antec cases are actually very quiet, but certainly not silent. They have the big advantage that, because of their outstanding air flow, you can use 20 dbA fans at 7 volts, a quiet PSU and still have excellent cooling.

 

[Jhhnn]

You won't find a standard case that will maintain lower temps using the same fans, not anywhere. Open airways promote cooling and noise transfer, they're inseparable, near as I can tell.

Might try moving the fans to the rear, blowing out, and putting some kind of sound absorbing material on the wall behind the computer. This should actually improve airflow and temps, although that may not be readily apparent due to sensor location. You can also experiment with wiring the fans in series, 6v each, or one or both at 7v, etc.

What's the case internal temp? If you can bring that down to within a few degrees of ambient with a quieter fan setup, then any issues with the cpu temp have to do with the hsf rather than the case ventilation.....

 

[Woody419]

<< you blocked the whole front grill off.... that completely blocks off most of the cool air....... >>


It certainly looks that way doesn't it, but there is still room for the filter material and air, I wouldn't have done it if there wasn't. The bottom fan gets great airflow from the intake under the grill, the hdd fan may get slightly less air but how many cases have two front fans and two rear fans? I have four fans and the ps fan so I think I get pretty good circulation. The proof is the case temp and quietness. My case temps are in the low 30's C. and the computer is real quiet, no more hdd whine.