VD4000BWS KANDALF LCS

[Brutalos]

Greetings to all hardware enthusiasts.

I am in the process of buying this case (VD4000BWS KANDALF LCS), but since i am very sensitive regarding the noise level that emits from a tower i am not sure if this is the one for me. One of the main reasons that i upgrade is this. My current setup includes a Xaser III V2000A tower, which along with its 7 fans is quite noisy... and honestly i need to get rid of it!

Is anyone an owner of the Kandalf LCS, and can share with me his experience of using this tower? Not only regarding the noise level (which i consider the most important issue for upgrading), but in terms of ease of use, and upgrade ability.

Thank you in advance!

 

[RallyMaster]

Uh...you could just replace the fans that come with the case if you find them annoying. I've replaced every single fan inside my computer with low noise ones.

 

[Brutalos]

I did that, by buying 7 new fans with adjustable speeds. I have set them to the lowest possible, and still it is noisy. And really i am not in the mud for replacing them again. A new tower is the solution, and i would prefer something like the Kandalf LCS with its watercooling. The only draw back is its 6 fans which i believe should generate enough noise... anyone?!

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Why not just use a few fans in the key areas? Air is like a fluid, If you even move one place you affect the air currents in the entire case.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: Brutalos
Greetings to all hardware enthusiasts.

I am in the process of buying this case (VD4000BWS KANDALF LCS), but since i am very sensitive regarding the noise level that emits from a tower i am not sure if this is the one for me. One of the main reasons that i upgrade is this. My current setup includes a Xaser III V2000A tower, which along with its 7 fans is quite noisy... and honestly i need to get rid of it!

Is anyone an owner of the Kandalf LCS, and can share with me his experience of using this tower? Not only regarding the noise level (which i consider the most important issue for upgrading), but in terms of ease of use, and upgrade ability.

Thank you in advance!

1. If your buying that case because your want watercooling, and you think its quiet, ur in for a big suprise.

Because the Fans are mounted directly in front and all you have is a mesh filter to cover sound, 3 fans, even quiet ones will still vibrate and cause some noise. If you decide to drop in lower RPM quieter fans, the stock radiator of the Kandolf isnt ment ultra quiet low rpm fans, so your cooling is going to take a dive.

The watercooling on it, is i would say, at best, OK. Its not great, and its not crap like all the other TT kits. If this is your first build in watercooling cases, koolance's are quieter, and the new 1kw editions will outperform this TT's.


So your stuck in that choice, at best you could get away with 3 yates, but even yates outside a case make some noise, and having 3 vibrate like that, your going to get noise. Anything lower in RPM then that, and your performance will take a hit.

I wanted to acuire one to replace its internal watercooling parts with aftermarket versions. If you were to install a low CMF 3x120mm radiator, you could silence it quite a bit,

TT's radiator is piped and not thin piped, so low cmf fans wont work very well on it. In fact, its one of the nono's to avoid in searching for a heat exchanger.

 

[Brutalos]

Originally posted by: aigomorla

1. If your buying that case because your want watercooling, and you think its quiet, ur in for a big suprise.

Because the Fans are mounted directly in front and all you have is a mesh filter to cover sound, 3 fans, even quiet ones will still vibrate and cause some noise. If you decide to drop in lower RPM quieter fans, the stock radiator of the Kandolf isnt ment ultra quiet low rpm fans, so your cooling is going to take a dive.

The watercooling on it, is i would say, at best, OK. Its not great, and its not crap like all the other TT kits. If this is your first build in watercooling cases, koolance's are quieter, and the new 1kw editions will outperform this TT's.


So your stuck in that choice, at best you could get away with 3 yates, but even yates outside a case make some noise, and having 3 vibrate like that, your going to get noise. Anything lower in RPM then that, and your performance will take a hit.

I wanted to acuire one to replace its internal watercooling parts with aftermarket versions. If you were to install a low CMF 3x120mm radiator, you could silence it quite a bit,

TT's radiator is piped and not thin piped, so low cmf fans wont work very well on it. In fact, its one of the nono's to avoid in searching for a heat exchanger.

Yes in fact i believed that watercooling cases should be much quieter than conventional cooling ones...

I am sure that three fans in front, and three in the tower couldn't be quiet, period. But i was hoping these new designs would have done something to eliminate it (the noise problem). I don't know about you, you may think i am psycho or something, by asking from a system-case like this to be quiet...

Well after some rough thought, i came by to this: if i removed some of the inner fans, and position this new side-panel from TT, with the 25cm fan integrated, wouldn't that give me the chance to get rid at least two of the inner fans? This would save me a lot of noise... and i guess it could work out after all.

Actually the best opinion and help to this matter, could be positioned by an actual owner of that case, or someone that has worked with it :-|.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: Brutalos

Originally posted by: aigomorla
.

Yes in fact i believed that watercooling cases should be much quieter than conventional cooling ones...

I am sure that three fans in front, and three in the tower couldn't be quiet, period. But i was hoping these new designs would have done something to eliminate it (the noise problem). I don't know about you, you may think i am psycho or something, by asking from a system-case like this to be quiet...

Well after some rough thought, i came by to this: if i removed some of the inner fans, and position this new side-panel from TT, with the 25cm fan integrated, wouldn't that give me the chance to get rid at least two of the inner fans? This would save me a lot of noise... and i guess it could work out after all.

Actually the best opinion and help to this matter, could be positioned by an actual owner of that case, or someone that has worked with it :-|.

Lemme get this right, you want to change the side pannel to the 25cm one, and remove a fan from the front radiator? I have the a TT Armor, so my layout is identical to yours. You just have a front rad mount door, which my armor doesnt have.

I told you, its highly not recomended to remove a fan from your front radiator. The stock TT fans, expecially that STUPID LED BLUE one is rediculously loud. Its to be honest, CRAP. You can get away with 3 yates, but your radiator design isnt intended for ultra low CMF fans. Thats why you have a bottle neck.

The front of the Kandolf LCS, is a radmount, then the real front of the case starts. This is all mesh, you can remove the FAN that comes with the HD cage. The air from the radiator will slip though the mesh front and cool your HD's. This however still brings the problem of you needing 3 fans on the front radiator.

Ahhhhh basically, if you get the kandolf, and you dont know the machanics of h2o cooling, dont mod the system. You'll regret it, if you get the system and your unhappy with sound, your going to need to GUT the entire watercooling system, because each TT part isnt compatible with aftermarket parts. The pump wont work well with any of DD's Swiftech, or Dtek's stuff. The tube layout is too small for low CMF large radiators, and so on.

If you really want to know how loud its going to be, put 3 yates stacked on top of each other and turn them on. The system will sound a tad bit louder then that because of your PSU + rear exhaust fan.

 

[Brutalos]

Originally posted by: aigomorla

Originally posted by: Brutalos

Originally posted by: aigomorla
.

Yes in fact i believed that watercooling cases should be much quieter than conventional cooling ones...

I am sure that three fans in front, and three in the tower couldn't be quiet, period. But i was hoping these new designs would have done something to eliminate it (the noise problem). I don't know about you, you may think i am psycho or something, by asking from a system-case like this to be quiet...

Well after some rough thought, i came by to this: if i removed some of the inner fans, and position this new side-panel from TT, with the 25cm fan integrated, wouldn't that give me the chance to get rid at least two of the inner fans? This would save me a lot of noise... and i guess it could work out after all.

Actually the best opinion and help to this matter, could be positioned by an actual owner of that case, or someone that has worked with it :-|.

Lemme get this right, you want to change the side pannel to the 25cm one, and remove a fan from the front radiator? I have the a TT Armor, so my layout is identical to yours. You just have a front rad mount door, which my armor doesnt have.

I told you, its highly not recomended to remove a fan from your front radiator. The stock TT fans, expecially that STUPID LED BLUE one is rediculously loud. Its to be honest, CRAP. You can get away with 3 yates, but your radiator design isnt intended for ultra low CMF fans. Thats why you have a bottle neck.

The front of the Kandolf LCS, is a radmount, then the real front of the case starts. This is all mesh, you can remove the FAN that comes with the HD cage. The air from the radiator will slip though the mesh front and cool your HD's. This however still brings the problem of you needing 3 fans on the front radiator.

Ahhhhh basically, if you get the kandolf, and you dont know the machanics of h2o cooling, dont mod the system. You'll regret it, if you get the system and your unhappy with sound, your going to need to GUT the entire watercooling system, because each TT part isnt compatible with aftermarket parts. The pump wont work well with any of DD's Swiftech, or Dtek's stuff. The tube layout is too small for low CMF large radiators, and so on.

If you really want to know how loud its going to be, put 3 yates stacked on top of each other and turn them on. The system will sound a tad bit louder then that because of your PSU + rear exhaust fan.

Thanks for the heads up. I was intending to remove some of the hdd fans, but either way i came to the conclusion that this tower wont pass the noise test for sure... I might go for something smaller then. Maybe an armor case..

 

[aigomorla]

if you need help in planning in an armor, feel free to ask. I can give you my build style so you can drop in a internal custom watercooling kit, and have it be virtually silent.

If i turn down all my fans on med/min, my system is hardly noticible. The armor with a custom would be a much better investment then a kandolf with stock LCS system. The only reason i want a kandolf LCS is because they look uber sexy.

Proof everything can fit inside an armor with room to spare!

i have 2 radiators, you obviously wont need two unless u want to tweek your loop to its fullest. But all that fits nicely in the system, with 3 hard drives in the rear cage, 2 opticals, 1 floppy bay, and fan controler.

 

[Brutalos]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
if you need help in planning in an armor, feel free to ask. I can give you my build style so you can drop in a internal custom watercooling kit, and have it be virtually silent.

If i turn down all my fans on med/min, my system is hardly noticible. The armor with a custom would be a much better investment then a kandolf with stock LCS system. The only reason i want a kandolf LCS is because they look uber sexy.

Proof everything can fit inside an armor with room to spare!

i have 2 radiators, you obviously wont need two unless u want to tweek your loop to its fullest. But all that fits nicely in the system, with 3 hard drives in the rear cage, 2 opticals, 1 floppy bay, and fan controler.

Thank you for the help. I also like the design of Kandalf LCS, and only that. Armor seems a bit too simple, and regular Kandalf chasis seems too sparse.. Now what i was thinking to do was, buy the LCS Kandalf, and make my own custom setup of liquid cooling system.

I would gladly accept suggestions for good water cooling solutions, but not too expensive, since i would have already give too much for the tower. Can i get away with only ripping of its build in Water cooling and setup some fans instead?

Any suggestions, ideas, solutions are acceptable! Have in mind that the max amount of cash i could give, would be another $100-120 for Water Cooling.

Thanks!

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: Brutalos

Originally posted by: aigomorla
if you need help in planning in an armor, feel free to ask. I can give you my build style so you can drop in a internal custom watercooling kit, and have it be virtually silent.

If i turn down all my fans on med/min, my system is hardly noticible. The armor with a custom would be a much better investment then a kandolf with stock LCS system. The only reason i want a kandolf LCS is because they look uber sexy.

Proof everything can fit inside an armor with room to spare!

i have 2 radiators, you obviously wont need two unless u want to tweek your loop to its fullest. But all that fits nicely in the system, with 3 hard drives in the rear cage, 2 opticals, 1 floppy bay, and fan controler.

Thank you for the help. I also like the design of Kandalf LCS, and only that. Armor seems a bit too simple, and regular Kandalf chasis seems too sparse.. Now what i was thinking to do was, buy the LCS Kandalf, and make my own custom setup of liquid cooling system.

I would gladly accept suggestions for good water cooling solutions, but not too expensive, since i would have already give too much for the tower. Can i get away with only ripping of its build in Water cooling and setup some fans instead?

Any suggestions, ideas, solutions are acceptable! Have in mind that the max amount of cash i could give, would be another $100-120 for Water Cooling.

Thanks!

hey brut, its me again,

Ummm 100-120 watercooling system is not recomended. The cheapest i recomend, is 149.99 with specials at time being 129.99 The corsiar Nautilius 500.

However, dont swap out that system. I said to be honest TT's Kandolf system was OK. OK means it would put its value on or near ASTEK quality. The stock lcs system will probably do a good job = to a 200-220 dollar watercooling system.

The armor, kandolf, kandolf lcs, armor lcs .... there all identical chasis. The only variation is the front door each has. Look at dimensions and layout, there all identical.

Only exceptions is the EXTREME series, which i believe is a bit more longer from front to back.

To be plane and simple, If you get the kandolf, enjoy it. It looks like a wonderful case. Learn the system in which it cools, and save up. When you have ~250-300 for a more extreme cooling, then invest it then.

Basically dont drive a porshe if youve been driving a civic all the time. Thats the analogy im trying to give. Because watercooling, like a porshe requires maintence, and understanding when something goes wrong. Without good manuals, and intensive research, jumping to water can be a nightmare.

 

[Brutalos]

Thank you for the help and replies, i took everything you said into consideration ;-).