[SOLVED] Which Case Fans for my be quiet! Pure base 500 ?

[Fox2k]

Hey there everyone,

So I recently built my first rig by myself and these are the specs of it:


Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-Core (3.6GHz-4.4GHz) 36MB AM4 (includes stock Wraith Prism stock CPU cooler)

GPU: MSI GeForce® RTX 2070 SUPER GAMING X TRIO 8G

PSU: BitFenix Whisper M 550W 80+ Gold

RAM: G.Skill Kit 16GB (2 X 8GB) DDR4 3600MHz Ripjaws V Red CL19

SSD: Western Digital Black SN750 NVMe 500GB SSD M.2 PCI Express 3.0

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200rpm 256MB SATA III

Case: be quiet! Pure Base 500 (with tinted side window)


Now the case comes with 2 be quiet! Pure Wings 2 case fans. Currently they are configured in the following way: 1 x attached to extract at the rear and one in the front for intake (mounted in the middle, as it arrived from the delivery)

Here are the questions and things that I am not sure about:

1.) I have heard that this case as got poor airflow due to the design of the front. Is this true?

2.) To improve airflow I wanted to move the pure wings 2 from the front to the top and change it to exhaust fan. Instead I would like to buy 2 new intake case fans. They should be quiet and have decent airflow and pressure.

3.) What CFM and air pressure values are ideal? I mean the higher the better but the louder the fan gets. So how much CFM and air pressure should fans have at minimum? I guess case design also plays a factor here.

4.) I was leaning more towards more intake than exhaust CFM and pressure. Is this good for this case?

5.) I've heard that the difference between the different fans should not be too high. While the CFM difference could be around 40 CFM (depending which intake fans I'd pick), the air pressure is a big difference 0.7 mmH20 for the pure wings compared to other fans that I was looking at of 1,2. Is that difference still ok?

6.) Which case fans would you recommend for this case? I would like to keep the two pure wings 2 fans and have them working as exhaust fans (one on top and one at the rear), with 2 x 140mm fans in the front as intake fans.

Candidates that I considered so far were mainly:

6.1) be quiet! Silent Wings 3
6.2) Noctua NF-P14S Redux PWM 1500rpm 140mm

What has me concerned about the Noctua fans are two things: noise (which is a lot higher than the current pure wings) and the grey colour (which is something I could live with if need be). The silent wings 3 are much more expensive and have lower stats (CFM and air pressure). So two of them would create more pressure than the two pure wings but would have a lower CFM. this would cause negative pressure correct?

7.) I am planning to upgrade my CPU cooler someday in the future to either a be quiet Dark Rock Pro 4 or just the Dark Rock. But I will post about that in a separate thread. My question is: Does the direction and speed of the CPU cooler fan affect the CFM and air pressure in the case? I would believe that it does. If that is the case, the current stock cooler would work against trying to get better airflow right?

8.) What about 3 GPU fans? since they are pulling air from the bottom of the case they shouldnt effect the airflow too much especially if there is an exhaust fan at the top right?

9.) Do all Y splitters work with all fans irrespective of brand? (bearing in mind 3 or 4 pin fans ofc) Because I only have 2 SYS fan headers on the motherboard but 4 fans ergo I'd need two Y Splitters as well. Any recommendations in that regard?


My apologies for the super long post but I would like to buy the right stuff from the get go for the fans. At least to improve the Airflow etc in the case to cool the components. I do beliebe the choice of case was not the best but at the time of buying I was not as well informed as I am now in terms of how important the case selection is for such high performance parts.

I'd appreciate any feedback that you might have and sorry for the wall of text!

 

[Phaaze88]

1)Yes. That goes for the vast majority of silent and solid, or near solid, front panel chassis. The user willingly sacrifices cooling efficiency for lower noise operation and some extra flair.

2)Ok. The harder the obstacles, the more useful high static pressure fans will be.

3)I don't think it's that simple - at least, I don't know how to answer this one without going in circles. You want high static pressure to deal with the front panel while still keeping it quiet, but they're only going to be so strong at lower rpms.
At that point, you might as well do what the Tom's Hardware reviewer did for the PB 500 and install a liquid cooler depending on which part is running the hottest.

4)You would have to do both front and top intake with just the single rear exhaust.
Positive pressure setups are difficult to do in these kinds of chassis. Some models also have the odd behavior of front fans recirculating hot air back into the chassis.
Negative pressure would likely work better here, especially for the gpu.

5)If they're both have a CFM of 40, the fan with a 1.2mm-H2O rating would be better - still too weak for dealing with that solid front panel though.
In the review I linked to earlier, the 2nd part of the test was done with an H100X AIO mounted in the front, and those fans have a SP of 2.08mm-H2O, but too loud for your tastes, I'd imagine.
If neither cpu nor gpu is actually overheating, then roll with what you've got. Compare your temps against the max: 95C for the 3700X, and 83C for the gpu.

6)The Noctua Redux are better overall.
The Silent Wings 3 have 2 versions: the normal, and a HS(high speed) variant. The Noctua Redux outclass the normal Silent Wings, are slightly weaker than the SW 3 HS, but are quieter than the HS.

7)I think this one goes over my head, sorry.

8)They don't pull air from the bottom. That's been restricted by the psu shroud, psu, and it's cables. The gpu gets the brunt of it's air from the rear PCIE slots.
Yet another feature that sacrifices some cooling efficiency for looks.

9)Yes.
I'm not familiar with be quiet's packaging, but I know Noctua includes a splitter with their fans, except for the Chromax and IPPC models.
https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?d=fan+splitter+4+pin

 

[Fox2k]

Thanks Phaaze88 for your detailed response.

Liquid cooling is out of the question, as I have already hit my budget as it is (excluding a monitor that I bought as well). So here is a summary if I understood what you said correctly:
(points are based off of my original post / your reply)

3.) Sorry the link didn't work for me that you had mentioned about the tom's hardware review of the case.

4.) "You would have to do both front and top intake with just the single rear exhaust."

Is that in regards to getting a postive airflow setup with that case? How did you get to that setup? Furthermore, I'd like to use the lid where only one top exhause is visible (not the full mesh top. not only for noise reasons but also for dust reasons. Sure the mesh helps but in the long run would work worse than the solid top cover no?


"Positive pressure setups are difficult to do in these kinds of chassis. Some models also have the odd behavior of front fans recirculating hot air back into the chassis."

Is it confirmed to be the case with this case (pardon the pun)?

5.) Well I wouldn't say that they are overheating per se (during gaming sessions like Rocket League, CoD MW Warzone or Scrap Mechanic), CPU max temp is around 78-80 degrees celsius and the GPU around 60-65 degrees celsius. I just would like to have the best environment airflow in the case as possible whilste still being quiet. This of course is mainly due to the stock cooler. It works fine and has some nice RGB (which I wasn't a fan of before I got it myself. Now I think it looks quite good!). But I am definetly thinking of getting a be quiet Dark Rock 4 or Dark Rock Pro 4. Perhaps even the Dark Rock Slim. Or do you have another quiet yet good cooling CPU cooler that you know of?

6.) Ok so here are a couple of contenders that I've picked out and would like to hear your opinion on (some you have already answered so I tried to leave them out)

Noctua

The price difference between these two is one Euro. But you said that they do come with a Y splitter with the fan correct?

NF-P14s redux-1500 PWM
NF-P14s redux-1200 PWM

If I were to install 2 of the 1200 PWM as intake fans, would those be enough in terms of CFM and air pressure (at the front panel)?

What do you think of the ARCTIC F14 Silent Ultra Quiet ?

9.) (see part of nr. 6.))

Thanks again for your time and expertise in this regard.

 

[Phaaze88]

Is that in regards to getting a positive airflow setup with that case? How did you get to that setup?

Yes. Assuming the same fans throughout the chassis, if there are 2x 140s in front as intake, and one in the rear as exhaust, it would most likely be negative pressure.
-All the rear fan has to deal with is the grille, easy-peasy.
-The front fans have to deal with a solid panel as opposed to a mesh or open one, and the air has to turn one it enters from the sides, causing it to lose more pressure.
-The small inlets are filtered, and although minor, it does add some resistance.
-There's also the alternative of just reducing the rear fan's speed to where the front fans can bring in more air than it can expel, but then temperatures suffer even more because air isn't moving in and out of the chassis fast enough. It's why you're wanting to add fans in the first place.
So front and top intake should surpass the amount of air being expelled from the rear should you want to do a positive pressure setup. That's the reason for a removable filter in the top panel; for top intake, if you wanted to do it.

Furthermore, I'd like to use the lid where only one top exhause is visible (not the full mesh top. not only for noise reasons but also for dust reasons. Sure the mesh helps but in the long run would work worse than the solid top cover no?

That removable mesh filter has specific uses:
-in a front to back fan setup only, and no fans in the top. The filter will catch dust that would otherwise fall down into the chassis.
-top intake. It goes without saying that users would want their intakes filtered. A filtered exhaust serves to actually TRAP dust inside the chassis.

"Positive pressure setups are difficult to do in these kinds of chassis. Some models also have the odd behavior of front fans recirculating hot air back into the chassis."

Is it confirmed to be the case with this case (pardon the pun)?

Fortunately, no. Here's the review link that works: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/be-quiet-pure-base-500

5.A)Those temps are fine!
-B)Be quiet, Noctua, and Thermalright are the best when it comes to finding a balance between silence and cooling, so I don't have any complaints with your current cooler choices.

6.A)Yes, Redux packing includes a Y-splitter.
-B)The 1200s are just a tad slow, so no.
-C)No. Arctic's P12 and P14 on the other hand, yes.
Be quiet's Silent Wings 3 HS is an option if just to stick to be quiet fans only.

 

[Fox2k]

Thanks for your message, my apologies for not getting back to you sooner.

So would you rather recommend to get 2 noctua fans and put them in the top of the case instead of at the front? How would it then work in terms of splitters and to which of the sys fans to connect it to?

I really would rather like to use the solid top cover (for aesthetics and noise purposes). Assuming I were to that, fitting the two noctua fans to the front as intake fans of the case and the 2 pure wings that came with the case as exhausts for the top and back, that wouldn't make much of a difference in case temps correct?

Sorry for always getting back to that but there are 3 reasons for wanting to do it that way:

1.) aesthetics: the grey fans in a all black case on top would be way more noticable than if they were only in the front

2.) Noise: when using the mesh top cover it would lead to more noise being heard from the case right? however it gets better ventilation so yeah it has a pro and cons to it

3.) budget: I already spent a lot on the pc and since I'm already wanting to add a new CPU fan (any recommendations there or is that not an area that you are too familiar with?), I was hoping I could get away with "only" buying two case fans instead of 3 (nevermind the headaches that 3 would bring in terms of splitters etc.


In addition, regarding the fans:

Why would you rather chose the P14 over the P12 fans?

The problem with the Silent Wings 3 HS is the price point. They aren't better in terms of performance but a lot more expensive. The only good thing is that they are black in terms of the colour scheme.

Since you said that the temps that I posted are absolutely fine, would you even bother with more fans?

Lastly, I noticed on the mesh on the top (which I had installed to test it for a while now already) that there is dust accumulation on the top of it (meaning that there is some intake in it. However, there is no fan mounted on the top. only on the back (set to exhaust) and the cpu cooler fan. Could it be that they are the cause for pulling in air and thus the dust accumulating on the outside of the top cover? Does this mean that there is not sufficient airflow from the front that the air is rather pulled from the top instead? (ie what are the implications of this in your opinion?)

I hope I answered your post as best as possible and explained myself clearly as well.

 

[Phaaze88]

1)Lets go with that then. I don't see too much of a problem keeping the top cover. One advantage of keeping it is that it would also keep out dust when you're not using it, but ehh, that's just me though.
2)No? I think it would actually reduce noise slightly - just slightly, because it's still 'open'.
3)Good budget fans are Arctic's P14 and P12 PWM. They are black, so no issues with color scheme.

"Why would you rather chose the P14 over the P12 fans?"
140mm fans typically move more air and have higher static pressure than their 120mm counterparts, which means they would perform better than the latter at lower rpm - USUALLY.
Unfortunately, since most manufacturers don't post the actual fan curves for their products, we are left 2nd guessing on a fan's performance below 100% operation, which is NOT linear, by the way.

"The problem with the Silent Wings 3 HS is the price point. They aren't better in terms of performance but a lot more expensive. The only good thing is that they are black in terms of the colour scheme."
Agreed. I have no counter-argument for that one.

"Since you said that the temps that I posted are absolutely fine, would you even bother with more fans?"
If it were me, I would. I would spend the time and money to find out the fan setup that makes use of as many of the fan slots provided - but I'm dumb like that. When I get curious about something, it's hard to stop myself.
You don't have to do that.

"Lastly, I noticed on the mesh on the top (which I had installed to test it for a while now already) that there is dust accumulation on the top of it (meaning that there is some intake in it. However, there is no fan mounted on the top. only on the back (set to exhaust) and the cpu cooler fan. Could it be that they are the cause for pulling in air and thus the dust accumulating on the outside of the top cover? Does this mean that there is not sufficient airflow from the front that the air is rather pulled from the top instead? (ie what are the implications of this in your opinion?)"
Unless you have a vacuum-sealed room, dust is always present.
It'll fall down and collect onto your PC when you're not using it, and even when you are, since you don't have a dedicated exhaust.

 

[Fox2k]

Thanks for your detailed response. So you mentioned a dedicated exhaust. are those the cases where there is a seperate exhaust on the side. do you mean those? Because if not I do have one fan at the rear of the case that is set to exhaust.

My apologies for the stupid p12 p14 question in hindsight I should've checked, as I am aware of the pros and cons of 120mm vs 140mm fans (in terms of noise, rpms etc).

So if you had to chose between the noctua 1500rpm fans and the p14 the noctuas win hands down right? not only money for value wise, but also that they come with splitters etc.

Those splitters would not slow the max rpms of the case fans though right?

one thing I didnt quite understand was your answer to 1.) - are you saying that you wouldnt put them on top but rather in the front of the case?

"Since you said that the temps that I posted are absolutely fine, would you even bother with more fans?"
If it were me, I would. I would spend the time and money to find out the fan setup that makes use of as many of the fan slots provided - but I'm dumb like that. When I get curious about something, it's hard to stop myself.
You don't have to do that.

Oh don't worry, I've spent the past 2 weeks going back and forth between the different fans and informing myself which led me to asking here as I wasn't sure and needed some help in that regard.

So what would your ideal setup be and with which fans (bearing in mind sticking to case fans not AIO's due to money constraints. Although I am thinking of getting the Deep Rock 4 instead of the Deep Rock Pro 4 because it obstructs some of the RAM slots which I may want to use in the future. So that seems counterintuitive no? Plus I doubt for the money of the Deep Rock 4 CPU Cooler that you can get a decent AIO that performs the same way or better right?)?

... find out the fan setup that makes use of as many of the fan slots provided ...

That brings me to the type of top cover to use. With the solid cover then I could only use one of the top slots for case fans, as otherwise one would be blocked by the solid cover and it wouldn't do it's job. Thus it wouldn't make sense to have that second fan there if I would use that cover no?

Sorry for asking questions back and forth

 

[Phaaze88]

So if you had to chose between the noctua 1500rpm fans and the p14 the noctuas win hands down right? not only money for value wise, but also that they come with splitters etc.

Those splitters would not slow the max rpms of the case fans though right?

1)Yeah.
2)No, but there is an LNA(Low Noise Adapter) cable included, if I recall correctly. It just forces the fan to run slower.

So what would your ideal setup be and with which fans (bearing in mind sticking to case fans not AIO's due to money constraints. Although I am thinking of getting the Deep Rock 4 instead of the Deep Rock Pro 4 because it obstructs some of the RAM slots which I may want to use in the future. So that seems counterintuitive no? Plus I doubt for the money of the Deep Rock 4 CPU Cooler that you can get a decent AIO that performs the same way or better right?)?

1)2 or 3 front intake, 1 rear and 1 top exhaust.
2)The front fan can be 'slid' upwards to sit over the ram. It does add to the cooler's total height though. I just recently learned that while the fan is designed to sit over the ram, you don't actually want it touching it, because of the fan vibrations to the cpu socket.
The Pure Base 500 has a cpu cooler clearance of 190mm, so you've got PLENTY of room to work with; some of the tallest air coolers just touch 170mm.

That brings me to the type of top cover to use. With the solid cover then I could only use one of the top slots for case fans, as otherwise one would be blocked by the solid cover and it wouldn't do it's job. Thus it wouldn't make sense to have that second fan there if I would use that cover no?

Sorry for asking questions back and forth

1)True. That doesn't make much sense.
2)I don't mind at all. The majority of your questions have been within my capability to answer.

 

[Fox2k]

Ok cool.

So in summary:

1.) I will be getting at least 2 Noctua fans for the front of the case. The other pure wings 2 (which came with the case)m I will take to the top and set it to exhaust (as the other pure wings 2 which I also have as exhaust).

Question: Would this setup be better than buying 3 noctua fans and putting them into the case (2 on top for intake, 1 in front for intake with pure wings 2 in the front as well)?

2.) I will have to check about the Deep Rock Pro 4. My Ripjaws V have a height of 42mm. But I read somewhere that the max clearance of that Cooler is 40mm but I could also be remembering it wrong.

So in the end I will be able to use 4 RAM Sticks (in the long term future not anytime soon) for example for 32 GB. (Ofc who knows by then it might be cheaper to get 2x16GB sticks and all this debate is for nothing.) Because I don't want to spend all that money on that cooler only to having to buy low profile RAM (or is it the same price as "normal" RAM like the Ripjaws V?)

 

[Phaaze88]

1)I'm not sure. You'd have to experiment with that.
The general belief would be that the 1st setup would be better than the 2nd, but then again, that's not true for a chassis like NZXT's H500.

2)Careful there. Ryzen 3000 has a difficult time running very high memory frequencies in 4 stick setups. Best to consult the Memory QVL for kits that have been tested with 4 dimms already.
Dark Rock Pro 4: 162.8mm
Pure Base 500: 190mm
Naked memory stick: 31mm

Spoiler

The front fan will need to be 'raised' by the difference between a naked stick and the one with a heatspreader - in this case, G. Skill's Ripjaws V, which is 42mm.
[G. Skill conveniently lists the height for all their ram in their FAQ.]
So the front fan will need to be raised by 11mm, to a total of 173.8mm. Still plenty of room.

 

[Fox2k]

OK. Since I am using two sticks at the moment it will most likely be more feasable for me to upgrade to 2x16GB sticks (we are talking in a few years time not anytime soon) instead of getting 4 sticks right?

What's your take on the anti vibration pads for the noctua fans? are they worth it?

 

[Phaaze88]

1)Yes.
2)Wow... 7USD for a pack of 16. Just enough for 2 fans(all sides), or 4 fans(contact side only). Total ripoff - that should've been included with everything else anyway.

 

[Fox2k]

Ok thanks.

So would you recommend getting those pads as well eventhough they are so pricey? And you are sure that the fans come with splitters in the box? I'm just asking as it is not listed on the website I would like to order from...

 

[Phaaze88]

So would you recommend getting those pads as well eventhough they are so pricey? And you are sure that the fans come with splitters in the box? I'm just asking as it is not listed on the website I would like to order from...

Scratch that - Amazon and Newegg say yes, Noctua says no: https://noctua.at/en/nf-p14s-redux-1500-pwm/specification
Scope of delivery

• Fan
• 4 Fan Screws

Go with Arctic's P14/12 instead and get a couple of splitters:
2-fan: https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16812162026
3-fan: https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16812162059

 

[Fox2k]

Hmm ok. The problem is though, that the fans are not 4 pin fans no? I mean when would you say that it would be worth it to get 4 pin / PWM fans and when not?

 

[Phaaze88]

No? They sell both PWM and non-PWM fans: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/case-fan/#m=77&p=1&s=120,140&sort=price&page=1 (all 4pin PWM models)

 

[Phaaze88]

PWM is worth it for most people. For someone running a server, fan control isn't really necessary, so 3pin fans for them.

 

[Fox2k]

Ok thanks for that. I mean the fan has 4 pin connectors so it would be great if it could regulate the speed of the case fans as well. Just after I sent my previous message I realized my mistake that they don't have PWM options.

What is difference between ARCTIC P14 PWM PST CO and ARCTIC P14 PWM PST ?

Furthermore, where I live they have this offer of splitters (pack of 3) from Noctua.

https://www.globaldata.pt/cabo-splitter-em-y-para-2-x-ventoinhas-na-syc1-chromaxblack-na-syc1black


What do you think of those? They should fit the Arctic fans though correct?

 

[Phaaze88]

You linked the same fan twice, but I can go back to the partpicker list and see what you meant...

The color, that's the only difference: translucent black and opaque black.

Those splitters will work as well. They're not brand exclusive or anything.

 

[Fox2k]

Sorry about the linking I just wanted to copy + paste the name not the included link.

Thanks for explaining though! Yeah the Arctics seem to be too good to be true no? I mean the static pressure and good airflow at that price and with same/ similar noise levels as the Noctua ones ... or am I missing something here?

 

[Phaaze88]

It does appear that way, but this company has made a good name for themselves, unlike certain others...
Cooling is the field it's renowned for, but so is Noctua. Noctua is charging a premium for the name, as well as offering some of the most powerful air coolers you can get your hands on.
They held that crown for awhile too, with their NH-D14 and D15 coolers, but lost it to coolers like Deepcool's Assassin 3 and Thermalright's Le Grand Macho RT.

 

[FoxVoxDK]

They are very quiet though and with NA-SAV2 for mounting in the case, they are practically unnoticeable up to around 70% speed. AND they come in 5-packs!

Also, no need to buy the NA-SAV2, there are some who makes a few knock-offs but I can't speak to their efficiency.

Sorry for butting in @Phaaze88! I'm leaving now! Runs away

 

[Fox2k]

Yes that is true. Searching for CPU air coolers and you can't miss a post without the NH-D15 or 14 being mentioned.

I have been researching now the Arctic P14's and there is the PWM model that has a splitter included (see link below)

https://www.globaldata.pt/ventoinha-arctic-cooling-p14-pwm-pst-preto-acfan00125a

That means I could save the money for the splitters and connect the two front fans to each other no?

Regarding CPU air coolers I have made a separate thread and would appreciate your input there, if you don't mind. You have added now further names to the list of potential candidates for my CPU air cooler but I also have others that I would like to hear your opinion on too.

 

[Phaaze88]

They are very quiet though and with NA-SAV2 for mounting in the case, they are practically unnoticeable up to around 70% speed. AND they come in 5-packs!

Also, no need to buy the NA-SAV2, there are some who makes a few knock-offs but I can't speak to their efficiency.

Sorry for butting in @Phaaze88! I'm leaving now! Runs away

I don't mind at all. It's a community forum, this thread doesn't have my name on it.

See, this is why I don't really care for the 'special badge' below my avatar and username.
This thing really does drive some people away or keep them from posting; people who may have more knowledge and insight on a subject than I do.
I mostly dabble in hardware - I hate dealing with software related subjects. They are a real headache to me. I try where I can though.

 

[Fox2k]

They are very quiet though and with NA-SAV2 for mounting in the case, they are practically unnoticeable up to around 70% speed. AND they come in 5-packs!

Also, no need to buy the NA-SAV2, there are some who makes a few knock-offs but I can't speak to their efficiency.

Sorry for butting in @Phaaze88! I'm leaving now! Runs away

No don't leave, please stay! I appreciate any and all input!

Unfortunately from the site that I would like to order they only sell them individually. Or does newegg also accept paypal? I never ordered from newegg and I am a bit hesitant to try new stuff ^^