Two 92mm case fans vs. four 80mm case fans?

[MichaelD]

Bruce Lee vs. Coke? No, this is a real question.

My main rig is noisy. I have four 80mm ball bearing Antec fans, which do a great job but the damn thing sound like a hovercraft. I'm thinking of modding the case to accept a single 92mm QUIET fan in the front and one in the rear.

Would the two 92mm fans move as much air as four 80mm? I'm thinking not (I suck at math) but I wonder if it would be sufficient?

 

[gdawson6]

That would be sufficent airflow, maybe not as much but defninitely enough.

 

[FlowerMan]

Assuming you have an Antec SX8X0 or 10X0, I would want to keep the 80mm that cools the hard drives. Modding for 92mm fans would not be worth your while, and I'm not sure if you can fit a 92mm fan where the 80's in the rear are. A 120mm in the front would be best while either keeping the dual 80's in the rear or modding them to 92mm's. An intake on the left case door would be great along with an exhaust on the roof.

The first thing I would do before attempting any of this would be to run all your 80mm case fans at 7 volts instead of 12V. This should significantly reduce noise.

 

[MichaelD]

<< Assuming you have an Antec SX8X0 or 10X0, I would want to keep the 80mm that cools the hard drives. Modding for 92mm fans would not be worth your while, and I'm not sure if you can fit a 92mm fan where the 80's in the rear are. A 120mm in the front would be best while either keeping the dual 80's in the rear or modding them to 92mm's. An intake on the left case door would be great along with an exhaust on the roof.

The first thing I would do before attempting any of this would be to run all your 80mm case fans at 7 volts instead of 12V. This should significantly reduce noise. >>



Hmm, never thought of that. But at 7 volts, don't they spin slower? How do I run them at 7 volts, anyway? Thanks.

 

[FlowerMan]

www.7volts.com

Just connect positive to yellow(12V+) and negative to red(5V+).

 

[KouklatheCat]

Try Panaflo A12H fans with the 7/12 volt mod or a rheostat.

 

[cmyk]

Its not pretty but I was able to fit two 92mm fans in the back of my antec case

 

[MichaelD]

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately, it's a fine line you have to walk b/t "cool case" and "quiet case." I have some serious airflow thru my case right now. It also sounds like a vacuum cleaner. I may try a semi-scientific test; I may disconnect one each, front fan/rear fan.

I'd like to disconnect both front fans, but I have three HDs (raid0 array/backup drive) and I'd be worried about heat. They would prolly be OK w/no front fans, but I don't want to risk it.

My case temps are actually very good. Under full-load (gaming) I may get 1-2C over ambient, which is pretty darn good, considering my house is always b/t 75-78F. Cool component are LONG LIvED components; in particular, my GF3. That badboy better last a good long time. ($$)

Later, guys.

 

[FlowerMan]

I would suggest you cut all 4 of your case fans to 7V and leave them all there. Don't remove any. IMO, 2 7V fans is better than one 12V or one 7V.

Suggestions for cooling your GF3 properly (all aircooled):

GF3 Mod Pic 1

GF3 Mod Pic 2

 

[MichaelD]

Thanks much, FlowerMan. Appreciate the linkies. How to I run my fans at 7V? I'm really curious. With one of those Fanbus thingees?

 

[cavemanmoron]

get out the dremel tool put in a 120 mm fan run it at 7 volt
if no room get a larger case!!

 

[MichaelD]

<< get out the dremel tool put in a 120 mm fan run it at 7 volt
if no room get a larger case!! >>



Great idea. But HOW do I run a fan at 7-volts? I don't wanna mod my PS at all. 400W PS's ain't cheap.

 

[KouklatheCat]

I think you can either put a resistor (im not sure what kind) to decrease the voltage. put the fan on a rheostat (kinda like a dimmer switch) or on a baybus. If it were me I would go for the baybus first and the rheostat second. The baybus you can switch between 7 and 12 volts. Use 7v for when you want quiet and 12v when youre bustin caps playin RTCW.

 

[JoeBob]

You change a fan to 7V using a 4 pin connector. Here is a link with good instructions.

[*]http://subzeropc.com/article/fantail.htm

 

[benjamit]

are the -12 and -5 black lines really negative or are they just ground?

would switching the black wires around damage drives?