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Case advice

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Since I have upgraded my graphics card to an HD 6950 and my power supply to a Corsair 850W my computer has become a lot louder, even when idle! My case is an Antec Three Hundred which has an extractor fan on the top, at the rear, space for one on the side which I have put foam over (to let air get out but prevent dust coming in) and 2 open spaces for fans on the front which have a sort of metal mesh over them i assume to catch dust.


My first question is is this case not very good at reducing noise? Perhaps because it has so many open spaces for fans? Could another case significantly decrease the noise?

My second question is is this case particularly good or bad at keeping your system cool? None of my components are overheating at the moment, but if they are in the future could I just buy another fan to attach in one of the front or side slots to reduce this?

I know very little about cases so wanted to know, thanks for any help. Here are my specs:

Antec Three Hundred
Corsair 850W
Radeon HD 6950
Intel Q9400
4GB DDR2
Asus P5Q-Pro

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Power supply Expert

I don't imagine the PSU giving out much noise since the fan only comes on when it's needed. The added noise could be more from the 6950 which will run hotter thus causing the fan to spin faster and making more noise. It's actually a paradox when I think about how to decrease noise since adding foam into a case to contain the sound will make it trap the hot air inside since there are less holes for the hot air to escape. Can you tell if the noise is coming more from the GPU or the CPU?

As long as your case has the screw holes to add fans then you can add them whenever you like.

I think some of the noise must be from the PSU as the computer is still loud when the GPU fan is at 20%, and I know it isn't the CPU creating noise as the noise only increased once PSU and GPU were upgraded.
Aren't more expensive cases completely sealed up except for fans at the back, meaning they are quieter and are is filtered out this way?
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Power supply Expert

I'm not sure which expensive cases you are referring to because the ones I've seen have features such as bigger case fans, full metal body, increased size, some modularity, and such but no noise reduction. If the noise bothers you that much then you can start by buying quieter case fans.

The 300 shouldn't give you cooling problems unless there is alot of obstruction inside the case. I think the GPU and PSU are just naturally loud since each is a powerful component.
Power supply Master
Graphics card Authority

You can always add as many fans as you can fit and have them adjusted to run slower, that will help keep noise down, and I like replacing mesh panels with acrylic sheets,
Moto

that side fan cut out has a fan in it i take it ? is it set to suck air out from the case so that it would draw air out from your graphics card area
my old game case recently got all its 12cm fans swapped out for some Gelid wing 12's for better air flow and lower noise
Power supply Master
Graphics card Authority

tassietim said:
that side fan cut out has a fan in it i take it ? is it set to suck air out from the case so that it would draw air out from your graphics card area
my old game case recently got all its 12cm fans swapped out for some Gelid wing 12's for better air flow and lower noise


Side fans are usually set to blow air onto the gfx cards, not remove air,
the rule of thumb is front/side/bottom intake, rear and top exhaust, but I always suggest experimentation to garner the best results for your particular situation
*Edit, +1 love for the Gelids man, mine are still silent a year in
Moto
Power supply Expert

your right .. ( Moto's always right ) lol .... I was just thinking sometimes it best to start from scratch rather than spend a fractional amount modding an existing case . I wouldnt want the op to put themselves in financial distress un-necessarily ....
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