Case Fan Replacement

[Herc08]

So, I have been thinking of adding two front panel fans in my NZXT S340 case. The two stock ones (top and rear) I am fine with. I've been researching, and read that Noctua are probably the best fans to give the greatest performance with no noise. However, on my Gigabyte Z170 Gaming 3 motherboard I think that my SYS_FAN headers are not able to be controlled by the system. In other words, speed up when necessary, or slow down when necessary, like the CPU_FAN is. I'd read the manual five times, and cannot figure out. I've done some research, and just want to get the coolest system possible, with minimum noise.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[zarmaan]

Have you considered a fan controller?
It looks like 5.25" or 3.5" bay type controllers are not an option but still there are many controllers which can easily reside inside of a case(e.g. behind motherboard tray).

 

[bitwright]

If the sys_fan connectors are 4-pin instead of 3-pin then the fans can be system controlled (as long as they are also 4-pin).

If you want the quietest system though, it's not the best idea to go adding fans, as each fan you add will make things louder. If you are not happy with your system's cooling, consider moving the top fan to the front as an intake (I'm assuming it's an exhaust right now?) and adding only one extra fan. Or, buying 2 quieter 140mm fans for the front and disabling/removing the top fan. This will keep your system cool and provide positive pressure. I don't think you will need to fill all 4 fan mounts in this case to keep your system cool, especially if you are concerned about noise.

 

[Herc08]

If the sys_fan connectors are 4-pin instead of 3-pin then the fans can be system controlled (as long as they are also 4-pin).

If you want the quietest system though, it's not the best idea to go adding fans, as each fan you add will make things louder. If you are not happy with your system's cooling, consider moving the top fan to the front as an intake (I'm assuming it's an exhaust right now?) and adding only one extra fan. Or, buying 2 quieter 140mm fans for the front and disabling/removing the top fan. This will keep your system cool and provide positive pressure. I don't think you will need to fill all 4 fan mounts in this case to keep your system cool, especially if you are concerned about noise.

Now that seems like a great idea. The top fan is a 120mm, so I'm thinking maybe going with your second idea, and just getting two front in-take fans and disabling the top fan. That way, I can have 3 fans, two for front in-take, and one in the rear. However, if you seen the design, will it really help with positive pressure (I know that's what you are suppose to have)? The reason I ask this is because, there is an opening in the top of the case, and that's the only opening for the front as the front panel is completely solid. Don't know much about physics (or if I should) to know if air can travel down into a fan and take in it in.

When I was researching, all I kept seeing was "get a PWN fan and use CPU_OPT" and not to use the 3 other fan headers. But my SYS_FAN headers do have 4 pins, so I assume they will also be controlled correctly.

With that being said, what do you suggest? I know noctua is everyone's favorite, but I was looking at BeQuiet and Corsair and Cooler Master, and just want to look at my options. Not to mention that color scheme for noctua is a total no-no.

 

[Paul NZ]

I brought 2 Artic 4 pin fans last week from Ebay (an 80mm for the back and 120mm for the front).

And configured PWM in the BIOS. I cant hear anything.

I may get 2 more 120mm fans for the side, and either get a 4 pin PWM adapter or hub and connect one each to the chassis fan headers.

Since all the headers on the mobo are 4 pin (there's only 3, the CPU and the 2 chassis fans).

I did have an LED fan in the front but I removed it

No point having it there, you cant see it (There's no opening on the front of the case)

 

[Herc08]

I brought 2 Artic 4 pin fans last week fron Ebay (an 80mm for the back and 120mm for the front).

And configured PWM in the BIOS. I cant hear anything.

I may get 2 more 120mm fans for the side, and either get a 4 pin PWM adapter or hub and connect one each to the chassis fan headers.

Since all the headers on the mobo are 4 pin (there's only 3, the CPU and the 2 chassis fans).

I did have an LED fan in the front but I removed it

No point having it there, you cant see it (There's no opening on the front of the case)

Before I spend, I'll do some more research to see what will suit my needs. you are right, no point in having LED with no opening, but I do want to match my color scheme (bit of OCD). What kind of motherboard do you have, if you don't mind me asking? Haven't done much in the BIOS yet, but have been reading my manual trying to figure out what I can do

 

[Paul NZ]

I've got the H97M-E (ASUS).

And the Zalman T1 plus. An MATX case. Only got this case, because it's got good cable management.

It's only got 1 5.25 bay.

And a DVD in it. Altho I may remove this too. Haven't really used it for anything. If I want to install anything, I can either download it or copy it across the network here

And replace it with a 5.25 bay USB 2/3 card reader

 

[bitwright]

If the sys_fan connectors are 4-pin instead of 3-pin then the fans can be system controlled (as long as they are also 4-pin).

If you want the quietest system though, it's not the best idea to go adding fans, as each fan you add will make things louder. If you are not happy with your system's cooling, consider moving the top fan to the front as an intake (I'm assuming it's an exhaust right now?) and adding only one extra fan. Or, buying 2 quieter 140mm fans for the front and disabling/removing the top fan. This will keep your system cool and provide positive pressure. I don't think you will need to fill all 4 fan mounts in this case to keep your system cool, especially if you are concerned about noise.

Now that seems like a great idea. The top fan is a 120mm, so I'm thinking maybe going with your second idea, and just getting two front in-take fans and disabling the top fan. That way, I can have 3 fans, two for front in-take, and one in the rear. However, if you seen the design, will it really help with positive pressure (I know that's what you are suppose to have)? The reason I ask this is because, there is an opening in the top of the case, and that's the only opening for the front as the front panel is completely solid. Don't know much about physics (or if I should) to know if air can travel down into a fan and take in it in.

When I was researching, all I kept seeing was "get a PWN fan and use CPU_OPT" and not to use the 3 other fan headers. But my SYS_FAN headers do have 4 pins, so I assume they will also be controlled correctly.

With that being said, what do you suggest? I know noctua is everyone's favorite, but I was looking at BeQuiet and Corsair and Cooler Master, and just want to look at my options. Not to mention that color scheme for noctua is a total no-no.

If the sys_fan headers have 4 pins then they should be able to work with pwm fans. I've never really been big on case fan brands, so I can't really recommend one. When shopping for a case fans I usually compare how much air a fan pushes (CFM) to how much noise it makes (db) until I find something I like, then I take a look at the reviews to make sure I'm not buying a dud. All the brands you listed seem fine, and I know people swear by Noctua and BeQuiet, but I honestly never had a favorite brand for case fans.

 

[Herc08]

If the sys_fan headers have 4 pins then they should be able to work with pwm fans. I've never really been big on case fan brands, so I can't really recommend one. When shopping for a case fans I usually compare how much air a fan pushes (CFM) to how much noise it makes (db) until I find something I like, then I take a look at the reviews to make sure I'm not buying a dud. All the brands you listed seem fine, and I know people swear by Noctua and BeQuiet, but I honestly never had a favorite brand for case fans.

Yes, that makes sense. Which levels of dbA and CFM would you suggest for an nice air flow in a mid-tower ATX case? I've trying to find good numbers for the past 6 hours, but no luck. I'm on 24-hour duty, so I have all the time in the world. Since nothing will be going upward, I would imagine it would go horizontal through the case. But the CPU cooler would be in the way as well, now that I think about it. I read that Corsair's ML fans are nice and quiet, but overpriced. I read that many people say that they found fans that function the same, without the price. Yet, they don't list any data, which hurts. I really would not like to spend more than $20 on a fan. I know the cheaper ones are just regular fans and not so quiet. Also would like to light up my case since I had a window, and don't really want to use LED strips.

 

[Paul NZ]

I've]http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/182154259253?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT]I've got this[/url]

And this

The case can take 4 fans, but I've only installed the front and rear

The case is straight in front of me, I can't hear a thing. After I configured PWM in the BIOS for the fans

Both of them only cost $31 NZ inc postage after conversion

There's cheap LED fans on sites like Ebay but most of them are molex not 3-4 pin

If this case had a window, I would get this

I would say this is heaps better than LED fans

 

[Herc08]

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/182154259253?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

And this.

The case can take 4 fans, but I've only installed the front and rear

The case is straight in front of me, I can't hear a thing. After I configured PWM in the BIOS for the fans

Both of them only cost $31 NZ inc postage after conversion

There's cheap LED fans on sites like Ebay but most of them are molex not 3-4 pin

If this case had a window, I would get this

I would say this is heaps better than LED fans

Yikes, I had a lot of bad deals from eBay (no offense). I will try to find those brands from some online retailers if I can. Thanks though. Was trying to avoid LED strips because I wanted like a light on top of the case that pointed down. Maybe LED strips can do that , we will see.

 

[Paul NZ]

I usually buy off Ebay AU because some things like the fans I linked to are cheaper. Or dont even exist here for $31 for 2 fans.

I usually buy from shops, not individuals. And havent had any probs yet. Only 1 out of like 10 places I've purchased from I didnt get what I purchased. But I did get a refund

Got a TPM 2 module for this mobo last week. Just waiting for it to arrive this week from the UK.

NZ dont have this atm either.

Theyre actually faster than most of the places I've purchased from. Last parcel (those fans) only took 6 days to get to me (in NZ)

 

[Herc08]

I usually buy off Ebay AU because some things like the fans I linked to are cheaper. Or dont even exist here for $31 for 2 fans.

I usually buy from shops, not individuals. And havent had any probs yet. Only 1 out of like 10 places I've purchased from I didnt get what I purchased. But I did get a refund

Got a TPM 2 module for this mobo last week. Just waiting for it to arrive this week from the UK.

NZ dont have this atm either.

Theyre actually faster than most of the places I've purchased from. Last parcel only took 6 days to get to me (in NZ)

Well most new items on Amazon are on prime, and i spent close to $5,000, so it already paid for itself. But I am now just thinking about getting two notura fans for the front, because the window will not show what is in the front, and probably just get some strips and throw it on top, hopefully it is bright enough to illuminate the bottom. the light does not have to travel far because the bottom of the front part is raised to hide the PSU

This should be fun, more research. At least I won't have trouble falling asleep

 

[Paul NZ]

I was going to try Amazon but OMG.

After selecting whatever, then $ conversion, and postage to here , then something else, the price tripled

I could buy a car at that price

That was my first and last visit to Amazon lol. I'll stick With Ebay

At least with Ebay it just converts and thats it with or without postage.

 

[Herc08]

So after doing some research, I decided to get two NF-A14 fans, for front in take, and take out the top exhaust fan. Now it is really quiet. I will focus on the temp of the CPU. when I get my GTX 1060, I will also run test. Also for LED effects, picked up the Hue+ which is just awesome by the way. Makes cable management a pain, but I was able to hide most of it.

Maybe in the future I may put one of the fans on the top and see if that will get any better airflow, or just add one