Hey again guys, I know im probably a right pain with all my questions but if there are people who will know what I want it will be you guys. Right, I've got my PC going now, all is well but I feel the temps could be a bit lower, I'm using the rig in my sig (@4.3GHz) and two standard fractal fans. I think It could be quieter, Ideally I want two intake fans at the bottom from by the drives. and possibly two exhast fans 1 @ the top and 1@ at the back. So here are my questions. What fans are the best/quietest fans out there as this is on almost 24/7 in my room. What is the best arrangement of fans to keep noise down, temps low? Thanks guys Matt
Basically, Akasa Apache's are the quietest fans I've ever used, but they don't shift huge amounts of air until you get to their upper RPM limit (1450) - at this point they aren't loud, but you can hear them.
I direct you to here; http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/120mmfans Look for the best compromise of CfM and Noise that you can find, within your budget.
As for configuration on the R3, I've found that having a 140mm top exhaust fan makes a big difference in temperature. I'm using antec tri-cools on low at the moment until I can be bothered to splash out extra for potentially quiet fans but they're still not loud (not recommending the tri-cools btw). Temps are approximately 10 degrees lower with the top exhaust, the only trade off is that the top blanking plate keeps more of the gfx card noise out. I'd go for quiet fans, 1x 120mm and 1x 140mm. Something like the apache for the 120mm. Not sure what is recommended for 140mm fans positioned horizontally, other than Noctua's but they're too damn expensive, quiet yes but not all that much airflow.
So would you think maybe 120mm Akasa Apache Ultra Silent for the intakes (possibly 2 in the front or 1 in front 1 on the floor) and then a 140mm in the roof?
My Fractal R3 is based around positive pressure inside the case and it works a treat. I have two 120mm Akasa Apache fans up front (although you will probably need a fan header extension depending on your motherboard layout!) and a single 120mm Be Quiet! SilentWings in the bottom. Then just a Scythe GT rated at 1850RPM as a rear exhaust with all the Fractal R3 Modu-Vents intact!
Yea, though are you looking to get rid of the fractal fans? Personally I find them pretty quiet and use both of them as front intakes. I'd stick a 140mm in the roof, but you may as well put a quiet fan in the rear exhaust and keep your CPU cooler drawing air over your ram and out the rear. Seeing as you can't blank off the rear exhaust anyway it shouldn't make any difference in the noise levels. I haven't tested a floor intake fan yet, has anyone found it to make a noticeable difference to any temps?
So I'm now thinking... 2 x 120mm Akasa Apache upfront. 1 x 140mm Sharkoon Silent Eagle in the top. Possibly leaving my current fractal in the bottom?
TBH, you might want to test Blogins' method first and try a single exhaust. Nehalem gives off a ton of heat compared to SB so you might not encounter the same problems as me with temps.
Keeps my GTX 460 SLI cooler under load. Just make sure the case is off carpet and on a hard surface so it can actually draw in cool air. It's ideally placed really as the lower you intake air the cooler it will be and my Fractal R3 is directly in the draft zone on a plank of wood!
