Build Advice Looking for suggestions on making this case as quiet as possible

[Franknj229]

Hi everyone,

This might be more of a cooling/fan issue, but depending on your thoughts, it's could be case specific.

I'm ready for my build (although I think I'm going to wait until the end of the month to see if anything goes on sale).

I'm looking at doing an i9-14900K and RTX-4080 Super build, mostly for future proofing. I'm likely not going to be pushing anything to the max, but I want to be able to if I want to. Let me know if there's anything more about the build you need to know, but this is more about the case and fans.

It seems like the case is the most subjective, "too many choices", part of the build, and no case is perfect. I THINK I've settled on the Lian Li Lancool 216, mostly because of the number of fans and the size options for the fans, along with good reviews on the noise level. Yes, I want as quiet as reasonably possible, understanding that there will be noise, but I REALLY don't want to worry about temps now or in the foreseeable future,

It comes with 1 x 140 mm and 2 x 160 mm fans, but has many configuration options:

1 x Rear 120mm Fan Bay
2 x Bottom 120mm Fan Bays
3 x Top 120mm Fan Bays
1 x Rear 140mm Fan Bay
2 x Front 140mm Fan Bays
2 x Bottom 140mm Fan Bays
3 x Front 120mm Fan Bays
3 x Top 140mm Fan Bays
2 x Front 160mm Fan Bays

Thoughts on quietest fans in these sizes? Best configuration? Any options to make this case quieter without sacrificing airflow? If anyone has this case, do you have any issues with rattling? (Last build, many many years ago, rattled if I closed the side panel. So I always had it slightly open.)

Thank you for any insight. Happy to supply more details of the build if needed. I just don't know what might be relevant to the fans/case question.

 

[Lutfij]

1| You could go with Noctua's fans

2| Larger diameter fans would mean you're pushing more air for the same rotation so 140mm would be something to look into

3| You could also go with custom watercooling, with thick radiators, internally or run an external radiator setup and have something like a MoRa setup.

You need to understand one more thing, noise/sound is as subjected as aesthetics. I know of some people who can hear the ticking of the motor in fans that were deemed quiet by others.

(Last build, many many years ago, rattled if I closed the side panel. So I always had it slightly open.)
That might be partly because the chassis got warped in transit.

I'm ready for my build (although I think I'm going to wait until the end of the month to see if anything goes on sale).
I personally think you're maybe overthinking it and should give what you get out of the box a try and see if you need to replace the fans for a quieter setup.

I'm looking at doing an i9-14900K and RTX-4080 Super build, mostly for future proofing.
Please list the specs to your proposed build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:

 

[dwd999]

I always install the maximum number of fans that I can since more fans means slower fan speeds and less noise.

 

[Zerk2012]

Hi everyone,

This might be more of a cooling/fan issue, but depending on your thoughts, it's could be case specific.

I'm ready for my build (although I think I'm going to wait until the end of the month to see if anything goes on sale).

I'm looking at doing an i9-14900K and RTX-4080 Super build, mostly for future proofing. I'm likely not going to be pushing anything to the max, but I want to be able to if I want to. Let me know if there's anything more about the build you need to know, but this is more about the case and fans.

It seems like the case is the most subjective, "too many choices", part of the build, and no case is perfect. I THINK I've settled on the Lian Li Lancool 216, mostly because of the number of fans and the size options for the fans, along with good reviews on the noise level. Yes, I want as quiet as reasonably possible, understanding that there will be noise, but I REALLY don't want to worry about temps now or in the foreseeable future,

It comes with 1 x 140 mm and 2 x 160 mm fans, but has many configuration options:

1 x Rear 120mm Fan Bay
2 x Bottom 120mm Fan Bays
3 x Top 120mm Fan Bays
1 x Rear 140mm Fan Bay
2 x Front 140mm Fan Bays
2 x Bottom 140mm Fan Bays
3 x Front 120mm Fan Bays
3 x Top 140mm Fan Bays
2 x Front 160mm Fan Bays

Thoughts on quietest fans in these sizes? Best configuration? Any options to make this case quieter without sacrificing airflow? If anyone has this case, do you have any issues with rattling? (Last build, many many years ago, rattled if I closed the side panel. So I always had it slightly open.)

Thank you for any insight. Happy to supply more details of the build if needed. I just don't know what might be relevant to the fans/case question.

I have that case!
First buy the front filter for it. Comes in white or black you might finder a better price
https://www.amazon.com/Lian-li-Lan216-2x-Lancool-Filter-Retail/dp/B0C4VSN3DX

Future proof is a myth no such thing.
You never said what the PC would be used for.
I use the stock fans only in that case and it's fine.

Edit your 360AIO trying to cool the CPU will be the loudest.

 

[Phaaze88]

Thoughts on quietest fans in these sizes?

The 'quietest' is what you can personally tolerate. Distance from PC also influences it.
For example: 3 people have their cases with only Lian Li Uni Fan SL 140s in them.
One has fan curves set to not go over 80%(cause any higher is too much for them) with the PC about 3ft away.
The second set theirs to max at 30% while the PC is like 1ft away.
The third is set to 70%, but sits 5ft away from their PC.

Best configuration?

Depends on finding a balance with the hardware, your personal fan curves, and the operating temperatures of the hardware inside the PC.
Requires some trial and error.
The general recommendation is a couple front fans, a rear fan, and 1 - maybe 2 fans, up top.

Any options to make this case quieter without sacrificing airflow?

Have the actual case in your room and set up first. See how comfortable you are with the default fans - after you've tuned the fan curves, of course. If you're not satisfied, add a couple more, but not a bunch at once. Re-adjust fan curves as needed, and test again.

I always install the maximum number of fans that I can since more fans means slower fan speeds and less noise.

That doesn't always equate to the lowest thermals, and dust just accumulates at a faster rate.

 

[punkncat]

One of the quietest full size cases I have experience with was the NZXT silent. It has a very 'business class' appeal to it while closed up, padded sides, room for LOADS of hardware. The front had a panel that swung open to expose the front fans and allow for great airflow. It was pretty niche and I am not sure too many people cared for it. TBH I have zero idea where you would find one now.

I agree with Noctua, and also as large as possible. In some cases, if you are willing to sacrifice some temperature for noise you can create custom fan curves to keep things quieter, at least up to near critical temperatures.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Looking for suggestions on making this case as quiet as possible...
This might be more of a cooling/fan issue

are you more concerned with the level of noise produced,
the level of cooling you can achieve,
or some factor of aesthetics like clear panels and/or LEDs, etc?

all of these factors impede on each other in some way or another and a more balanced outcome while still favoring one or the other will determine the best options for you in particular.

 

[bill001g]

Your biggest issue is no matter what case you run and how many or how few fans you run you can not really get rid of the main noise source and that is your video card.

If the application you run needs a lot of GPU power the fans are extremely loud. The only way you are going to even think to solve this is to use some kind of water cooled GPU so you do not have to use the fans that come on a air cooled video card

 

[Franknj229]

Thank you for all the replies. I see now why certain extra information is important. Here are some answers:

Please list the specs to your proposed build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:

See below. I'm not exactly married to any of the specific picks, outside of maybe the CPU and GPU. It just seemed like, based on reviews and (I'm pretty sure) compatibility, these seemed like good fits for the tier of computer I'm looking to build. However, this build as-is, is pushing $4000, which is a tad irresponsible of me (not sarcasm, literally just a tad. I'm not a rich man, but I won't go hungry building this. I'm open to less expensive alternatives, but if we're talking a couple hundred bucks, it's not worth downgrading anything.)

CPU: Intel - Core i9-14900K Raptor Lake 3.2GHz Twenty Four-Core LGA 1700
CPU cooler: Noctua - NH-D15S Chromax Black
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z790 AORUS Elite X WiFi 7 Intel LGA 1700 ATX
Ram: Corsair - Vengeance 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5-6000 PC5-48000 CL30 Dual Channel
SSD/HDD: Crucial - T705 2TB Micron 232L TLC NAND PCIe Gen 5 x4 NVMe M.2 Internal SSD
GPU: Gigabyte - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super Windforce V2 Triple Fan 16GB GDDR6X PCIe 4.0
PSU: Lian Li - Edge 850 Watt 80 Plus Platinum ATX Fully Modular
Chassis: Lian Li - Lancool 216 Tempered Glass ATX Mid-Tower
OS: Microsoft - Windows 11 Home 64-Bit FPP USB
Monitor: MSI - MPG 321URX 32" 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) 240Hz Gaming Monitor

I personally think you're maybe overthinking it and should give what you get out of the box a try and see if you need to replace the fans for a quieter setup.

You're probably right about me overthinking things! This case only comes with 3 fans though, so I feel like I would need to buy at least a couple more right away anyway. Figured I'd get the best/quietest right from the start. Looks like 160 is an odd size though, with limited options, so all 120s/140s is probably my best bet.

are you more concerned with the level of noise produced,
the level of cooling you can achieve,
or some factor of aesthetics like clear panels and/or LEDs, etc?

I do get impressed by other people's flashy rigs, but at this point, aesthetics mean almost nothing to me personally. Just more wires and settings I have to obsess over. As for noise vs cooling, I can't rank one over the other. It's contextual. Hopefully this helps: Probably 75% of the time will be spent doing "regular", non-taxing, computer stuff. (Internet, microsoft office, editing travel photos and drone footage. 25% will be gaming, and even that shouldn't be too intense at the moment (older Fallout, Elder Scrolls, etc...), but if something new comes along that I want to try, on high or max settings, I want to have that option.

So, when I'm gaming, cooling is top priority because the noise won't bother me, but the rest of the time, when heat shouldn't be a problem, I'd like as quiet as possible. (Probably everyone's wishlist...)

First buy the front filter for it.

Future proof is a myth no such thing.
You never said what the PC would be used for.
I use the stock fans only in that case and it's fine.

Thank you for the advice! I will definitely buy the filter!

I never liked the term "future proofing", but you know what I mean. A build that seems like overkill now, ends up looking quaint and outdated before you know it. I don't want to get "only" what I need at this moment and then regret not going bigger in 6 months or a year. Maybe "Future Hedging?"

Do you mean you literally only use the 3 fans this case comes with? Granted, I have no idea what you use your computer for, but is there any gaming involved?

If the application you run needs a lot of GPU power the fans are extremely loud. The only way you are going to even think to solve this is to use some kind of water cooled GPU so you do not have to use the fans that come on a air cooled video card

Hmm... Interesting.... I never really thought about the GPU fans being such a big source of noise. Well, crap...

My only other build was so long ago and video cards were NOTHING compared to what they are today.

I've never used water cooling, and the idea of it is a bit intimidating.

All that being said, the GPU fans might not be that big of a deal anyway. I can get past the noise while gaming, either with volume or noise-canceling. And when I'm just working, the GPU really shouldn't be, right?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Chassis: Lian Li - Lancool 216

when I'm gaming, cooling is top priority because the noise won't bother me, but the rest of the time, when heat shouldn't be a problem, I'd like as quiet as possible.

the included fans aren't bad at all, but don't offer very high airflow compared to higher end fans.
front 2x being 160mm i would expect more air to be moved.
and the fact that Lian Li doesn't provide their dB(noise) levels at 100% RPM with the product details insinuates them being louder than some may expect.

i would add a nicer 140mm bottom/floor intake or two,
a top/ceiling-rear 140mm exhaust,
and using their add-on PCIe fan bracket; another 120mm rear-mid exhaust.

but before replacing any of the included fans,
i'd get it all setup with some time tinkering with fan speed curve profiles and see how well it performs noise and heat wise.

for the add-ons and if you do decide to replace the included Lian Li fans;
be quiet! Silent Wings 4 Pro 140mm
or Noctua 140mm Redux NF-P14.