Quiet Options For Older PC

suntower

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I have a Sandybridge K2600 based system from 2011. It is in an Antec Sonata III mid-tower case. I am using the stock CPU fan, an OCZ 120GB SSD and 3 7200RPM hard drives.

The case has 1 120mm fan... one that pulls air out the back with a 3 piece switch. It has no way to be controlled by CPU.

The thing has always run warm... around 38-40C but I've had zero issues.

However, I just got another haswell PC and I realise how LOUD this thing is. It's truly like a jet engine by comparison.

Almost -all- the noise comes from those 1 fans... NOT from the CPU fan. I don't want to replace the cooler (unless I have to) since that isn't the noise.

SO: What are my options for making this quieter without spending a ton of time/money?

I'm thinking part of the noise is also that the box hasn't much 'padding'. Does the case really make that much of a difference? (I have an extra Antec 'padded' case I could swap out.)

Are the 'silent' 120mm fans really that much better? I mean do they provide the same CFM only notceably quieter?

I also have a larger 200mm fan I could install on the side... except that the Sonata case has no holes in the side. Is it possible to simply drill some ventilation holes and use this? Would this large fan be more effective than 1 the 120mm fan?

Sorry for rambling. Just looking for some general ideas on what would help the most.


TIA,

---JC
 
Solution
Do you have one loud 120mm fan, or are they all loud. Perhaps they are spinning faster than they need to. I have four different 120mm fans and all are extremely quiet. Arctic makes very quiet 120mm fans for relatively cheap. If money doesn't matter, Noctua are notoriously the quietest of all. You could also get a fan controller to vary the speed of each fan. Sometimes lowering the speed just a little will drop the noise much more that the decrease in air flow. I use 3 180mm fans for intake and 1 120mm for exhaust ( positive pressure - all Silverstone ) with 2 more 120mm on my CPU cooler ( Arctic and Thermalright ) and 2 more Arctic 92mm on my GPU. My Corsair AX750 PS has one 120mm fan, but only turns on when gaming, so I...

avjguy2362

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Do you have one loud 120mm fan, or are they all loud. Perhaps they are spinning faster than they need to. I have four different 120mm fans and all are extremely quiet. Arctic makes very quiet 120mm fans for relatively cheap. If money doesn't matter, Noctua are notoriously the quietest of all. You could also get a fan controller to vary the speed of each fan. Sometimes lowering the speed just a little will drop the noise much more that the decrease in air flow. I use 3 180mm fans for intake and 1 120mm for exhaust ( positive pressure - all Silverstone ) with 2 more 120mm on my CPU cooler ( Arctic and Thermalright ) and 2 more Arctic 92mm on my GPU. My Corsair AX750 PS has one 120mm fan, but only turns on when gaming, so I wouldn't hear it anyway! The whole thing is barely noticeable. Each fan spins between 700 and 1000 RPM. Large fans have a lower mellower sound and move a lot more air at the same RPM, so if you can cut a clean hole for your 200mm fan, I would definitely consider it! If you hold your hand firmly on the outside case panel, does it get quieter? If so, interior sound deadening padding may help, although that is where your 200mm would likely end up. Lots of options!
 
Solution

suntower

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WOW. I need to stop smoking so much crack... at least before posting here.

I apologise profusely for the bad original post. I have HEAVILY edited it. The box only has ONE rear 3 speed fan. The reason it's running so loud is because it's set to 'fast'. I can set to 'low' but I don't know how that will affect cooling. I guess I'll monitor for a day and see.

So... Can this 120mm fan be controlled by the BIOS or do I need to purchase one that does? (Sorry, I don't understand how the BIOS 'controls' the fan.) There is a pin header for another fan on the mobo, but I don't see how that would connect to this fan. Are there special fans that are 'controllable'?

Or is the 200mm side fan a better option (assuming I make ventilation holes?) It doesn't seem to be variable speed either.

I guess I need to understand how these fans get 'speed controlled'.

THANKS!

---JC






 
Whenever you connect a fan to a fan header on the motherboard, you can control the fan via BIOS. It's best to set the fan to run slow when the cpu is at low temps and set it a bit faster when the cpu temp starts to go up. It shouldn't affect temps that much, but the acoustics are much better.
 

avjguy2362

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Depending on your MB, I use Asus and I know Gigabyte has one too, but they have utilities to control the specific speed of each fan. Asus's Fan expert, lets me choose ( per fan header ) three temps and a specific speed for each plateau. At 29C/ 60% of max fan speed, at 38C/ 80%, etc. There are many free programs out there if your MB manufacturer doesn't have one!
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php
 

suntower

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Well, I simply turned the speed switch to 'slow' and overnight the CPU temp went up to 50c so that's not a permanent solution.

The standard fan doesn't have the right connector attach to the mobo. If I get an adapter to the 4pin fan header, will that do the trick? IOW: is it the same volts/amps coming from the mobo header or does one need a fan specifically designed to be attached to the mobo?

Thanks again!

---JC