New Case.

[Tsuwamono]

I'm looking for a new case to quiet my setup so i can actually sleep at night while downloading... uhhh.... movies? lol

I have been looking around but have found nothing that would actually make my system less noisey.

I currently have

Thermaltake Armor Jr. w/ clear side(one rear exhaust fan one front intake fan)
OCZ GameXstream 600 watts
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 3.0ghz
2GB Dual Channel Crucial Ballistix PC 6400 ram.
Asus P5N-T deluxe
Seagate 160 GB Sata2 (boot drive)
Western Digital 80GB SATA 2 (games)
Seagate Barracuda 320GB SATA 2(movies/music)
Leadtek 8800 GTS 320mb(G80)

Now i hear i whining noise when i turn my Zalman 9500 down to min. but i know its not the zalman, i just hear it better when that leaf blower is turned down lol.

I think its the Power supply but so far im pretty happy with this power supply.

My two options are

1. Replacing all the fans in the case plus adding a new one on the top of the case where the IO ports are(i don't use them anymore so might aswell throw em out). and replace the powersupply since ill have yet another hole in my case for sound to escape from.

2. New Case to keep it all cool and quiet but it has to have a clear window if possible and i don't want some god awful case with tons of stuff going on and i dislike doors too. What can i say... I'm picky.

The reason for number one is, i find the temps in my case alittle high for my liking. But then I'm used to running AMD CPUs that rarely go over 28C core temp. I'm also going to be replacing my GPU with two 8800 GTS 512mb(G92) in the near future so I'm going to need extra cooling anyway.

Just going back and forth between the two ideas so i figured some input from others may be useful.

 

[MarcVenice]

First thing that comes to mind is a antec 900. Your zalman should be pretty quiet though, you've got speedstep and stuff running right, and your zalman should be whisperquiet when your system is only downloading 'movies'. You could also replace the fan in the zalman, or buy a Corsair 620hx, which is a really quiet PSU as well, and should handle 2 8800gts's just fine.

 

[Tsuwamono]

with my Zalman came this neat little switch that i mounted on the back of my case it has a little dial that allows me to turn it up. When i go to bed ofcourse i turn it back down to min. which is quiet yes but then i hear this whine which i believe is my PSU. I'm going to look into the PSU. I thought about the antec 900 my friend got one. But when i went over to his house to see it i could hear it down the hall lol. But then again he maxes out ALL the fans. If i bought the Antec 900 and replaced the fans do you think it would hold the sound in enough? I dont NEED a clear side but i would prefer one.

Thanks for the help by the way

 

[MarcVenice]

Well, it you want PURE quietness, you buy a p182, a corsair 450/550vx or corsair 520/620hx, and replace the antec tricools * if they don't cool sufficiently on low * with yate loons or nexus or s-flex fans, and be done with it. My PSU also made a lot of noise, so I replaced the fan with one of the antec tricools that came with my p182. Right now I have no trouble with it running when I go to sleep. Heck when a girl stayed over she asked why my PC lights were still on, and I said because it's still on perhaps? She said right, and we went to sleep. And, my bed is only 2-3 meters away.

One thing though, with the p182 you might have to remove the middle hard drive bay for 2 8800gts's to fit, but erm, those are dual slot coolers right? Not 100% sure if 2 of those fit in a p182 or even a antec 900. The 900 can be really quiet btw, but like you said, it depends on how high you turn up the fans. All fans make noise, one less then the other, but the more air they move, the more of a wooshing sound you'll hear. Oh, and a quiet HD can help too, like my samsung t166 500gb spinpoint, one of the quietest and coolest running HD's you can get. If you want significantly quieter, you won't find many if any at all, or you pay double the price.

 

[Tsuwamono]

cool man thanks for the info. I think ill go by Microbytes here in montreal and check them both out

 

[Tullphan]

What types of fans are you using...stock? Try different fans like the Yates-Loon & some of the Coolermaster models. They're fairly inexpensive. If you have to, get a rheostat to control the fans.
I noticed on the pics of the Jr., that there's a vent hole on the side panel & the front's got alot of mesh in it. If you're not using that vent hole, you may wish to cover it (tastefully, since it's plexiglass) somehow...same w/the mesh covers.
I don't have any knowledge of the OCZ PSU. I know that my Corsair 520HX is VERY quiet.
If you don't HAVE to have a side panel & you want a quiet PC, then I agree w/MarcVenice about the P182. I just bought a P180B from Fry's.com for $69.99AR. I opened the box yesterday to check it out because i've heard about some of the 180B's not having the cable-management features. I was happy to discover that my case is basically a P182B...all the features of the P182 but black instead of gunmetal.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

You hear a high pitched wine? Chipset fan. open your case up and listen for where the noise is coming from, if you can't place it, use your finger to temporarily stop fans one at a time till you find it. The armor jr isn't an ideal case for silence because the front pannel is so open but, with the right fans and heatsinks you can make just about any system quiet. Not silent, but quiet.

 

[Tsuwamono]

its not the chipset, i did exactly what you suggested Derwen a couple weeks ago and stopped all the fans except my powersupply and the whine was always there. i think ill just pick up a new PSU and keep this case until i build a new rig.

So looks like the idea is keep case, buy 3 new fans(front, back and top), make a new hole in the top for a fan. Change out my PSU and hope for the best lol.

Any comments?

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Have you tried to just dust out the PSU really well. With 120mm fans mounted blowing up dust has a tendency to get down into the motors and cause a screeching. I would try pulling the PSU out, dusting it really really well with dry compressed air and oiling the fan before just buying a whole new one.

 

[Tsuwamono]

This is a bit of a problem.

notice the crossbar doesnt allow me to take the psu out without removing the heatsink. and since it took me 20 minutes and 4 hands to get it in there... i think i might just cut that bar out lol. Any objections?

http://img219.imageshack.us/my...?image=hpim0493ws7.jpg

 

[DerwenArtos12]

You can't bring all your cables out the motherboard side above teh crossbar, unscrew the PSU, slide it forward then turn it out the side above the crossbar? And I only object to cutting out the cross bar if you want your case to remain square. If you don't mind it being helix shaped and the side panels not fitting then go for it, lol.

 

[Tsuwamono]

lol ok so i wont cut it... i dont understand exactly how you mean to get the psu out

Edit. i get what your saying an no.. when i build pcs i generally put the psu in last since i have monstrously large hands so when i built this one i went to put my psu in last and i played around with ways to get it in for 40 minutes before i gave up and took of the hs and put the psu in then replaced the hs again

edit 2: i just opened my case and peaked around and realised i can take out my drive bay covers and pull it out through the front.. which means it should make any installation of another psu got alot smoother too.. w00t.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: Tsuwamono
lol ok so i wont cut it... i dont understand exactly how you mean to get the psu out

Edit. i get what your saying an no.. when i build pcs i generally put the psu in last since i have monstrously large hands so when i built this one i went to put my psu in last and i played around with ways to get it in for 40 minutes before i gave up and took of the hs and put the psu in then replaced the hs again

edit 2: i just opened my case and peaked around and realised i can take out my drive bay covers and pull it out through the front.. which means it should make any installation of another psu got alot smoother too.. w00t.

That was actually to be my next idea, had to do that on an Armor Jr I think it was.

EDIT: I'm an ass, thats the case you're using. I need to learn to read....

 

[Tsuwamono]

lol its ok man. ya looks like thats what im going to do. I may also have to measure a bit before i order my fans.. i dont think i can fit a 120 properly on the top without overlapping the PSU a bit which means it wont fit.

Edit: good news i just "measured" ie used a CD which is slightly more then 120 mm to line it up and i should be able to just barely clear the PSU. w00t. ordering my fans tonight probably

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: Tsuwamono
lol its ok man. ya looks like thats what im going to do. I may also have to measure a bit before i order my fans.. i dont think i can fit a 120 properly on the top without overlapping the PSU a bit which means it wont fit.

Quite frankly I haven't put a blowhole on the top of a case since They started leaving enough room to put a 120mm on the rear. They really tend to direct airflow too much upwards instead of towards the back and across your CPU.

 

[Tsuwamono]

What do you think about an intake near the bottom just where the graphics card intake is? that should allow my graphics card to run alittle cooler especially since ill be running SLI soon

 

[BassBomb]

Get some Yate Loons

I have a similar internal case as yours, and I got YL's and it quieted down nicely. CPU is the loudest thing I've got.

For PSU, its kinda hard to get the psu out with the motherboard in, but removing the IO panels makes it easy

I just jimmy my PSU under the top IO to get it out, sometimes requires a little more force that I'd like.

 

[Tsuwamono]

Found these which seem to be alot better then other fans out there for the price so ill probably replace all my fans with this(foregoing the idea of cutting in the top of my case in favour of cutting in the side by my GPUs) which should quiet the case down considerably.

 

[BassBomb]

I recommend these, much cheaper, pretty quiet and throw a good amount of air (more air + quieter than TT fans)

http://www.directcanada.com/pr...anufacture=Yate%20Loon

 

[Tsuwamono]

good suggestion but same CFM(actually yours are slightly lower) but a full 10 db louder

 

[BassBomb]

Most companies inflate their spec's, Yate Loon's specs aren't

I'd check reviews for the fan you linked, I doubt its worth the 4x pricetag

 

[WoodButcher]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
Most companies inflate their spec's, Yate Loon's specs aren't

I'd check reviews for the fan you linked, I doubt its worth the 4x pricetag

+1

Also, cutting the side for a fan will add noise, if you can, go through the bottom. Go to the local hardware and get taller feet to allow more airflow 3/4 -1" clearance under the case is more than enough.

 

[Tsuwamono]

i already have 1 inch clearence. thanks for the heads up on the noise wood butcher and bassbomb i already did check. they are pretty damn close.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Yeah, ideally through the bottom will keep noise to a minimum, through the side there is nothing to dither the sound coming off the fan, on the bottom it has to bounce off whatever the case is sitting on and hopefully that absorbs some of the noise. Just don't put your case on carpet with a fan on the bottom. And if you have cats, make sure to put a good grill on it or they'll go after the fan.

Yate loons are decent fans, especially for the price but, in the grand scale of things, you get what you pay for. Im not sure who all ships to Canukistan but, I love Scythe Slipstream fans, I generally use the 1900 or 1600 rpm variants on a fan controller at 7-9volts unless doing some serious overclocking.

 

[Tsuwamono]

I measured on the bottom and if i ever put in a second GPU because of the design of my other board i wont have room between the fan and the second GPU. so i think what ill do is put the fan on the side but ill install a fan controller too. I'm also still eyeing the Antec 900 but for now ill just mod this case since i have some other things to pay for before i drop a 140$ on a new case for my pc. Btw lol @ "Canukistan"