Windows 7 - Do I need case fans? Opinions on this system?

tex50 · 12-02-2011

Building this system this weekend. Not much gaming, have gpu fan, cpu fan. Do I really need case fans? Case doesn't come with fans. I am old and hate excess noise!

Thermaltake V2 ATX Mid Tower Case
Corsair 500wt system builder psu
GIGABYTE M68MT nForce 630a Socket AM3 Motherboard
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.80GHz Six Core Processor
Patriot 4GB DDR3-1333MHz G2 Desktop Memory Module x 2
Seagate 1tb 7200 drive
Lite-On Internal 24X DVD Writer
Windows 7 ultimate

Honest opinions appreciated.

smarteyeball · 12-02-2011

At the very least, a rear exhaust.

There are plenty of quiet fans available. Some even include resistors so they run @ 5v or 7V to lower the RPM and are virtually inaudible.

pparks1 · 12-02-2011

I always have at least 1 exhaust fan mounted in the top or the upper back of the case.

Are you dead set on this case? I'd recommend spending $59 on the Antec 300 with Free Shipping from NewEgg;
Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

It has 2 exhaust case fans and dust filters in the front. They are built very well.

tex50 · 12-02-2011

Quote: Originally Posted by pparks1

I always have at least 1 exhaust fan mounted in the top or the upper back of the case.

Are you dead set on this case? I'd recommend spending $59 on the Antec 300 with Free Shipping from NewEgg;
Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

It has 2 exhaust case fans and dust filters in the front. They are built very well.

Part of a barebones package deal.. Limited funds for this. Have better power supply (almost new) from my old system. Also have fans from old system but don't want to use them if not needed.

badger906 · 12-02-2011

Get fans with built in speed controller like antec 3 speed fans, or noctua fans which have a voltage resistance able which lowers fan speed and obviously fan noise

smarteyeball · 12-02-2011

Quote: Originally Posted by badger906

Get fans with built in speed controller like antec 3 speed fans, or noctua fans

Quote: Originally Posted by tex50

Limited funds for this.

Rules out noctuas

badger906 · 12-02-2011

They're only like £15 in the UK so I bet they will be even cheaper in $ as the exchange rate plus import tax never goes our way

Biker · 12-02-2011

from what I see you could mount two 80mm to the rear panel, add one each to both fans a 1 watt adjustable power resistor connected to the 12v or 7v source and adj speed of fan for proper noise level, better then no fan at all. you could just use also one adj power resistor but the watt's handling needs to be higher or it will get warmer running both fans at slower speeds. 80mm do have high noise levels.
Or add a 120mm to the side panel; even if its for 80mm, then add a adj power resistor to control speed

Golden · 12-02-2011

Hi,

I agree - you should at least have one exhaust fan, ideally mounted at the back of the case. It serves to draw cooler air into the case as well as expelling the warm air generated by the GPU and CPU fans, out of the case.

A simple trick to quieting the fan is to reverse the 5v and 12v lines using a molex to half the RPM of the fan. The larger the fan, the more volume of air it will move at lower RPM's, compared to a smaller fan.

Regards,
Golden

tex50 · 12-02-2011

Thanks to all. Appreciate your input. Going to mount the fans and monitor the temps. If I need them they are there. If I don't I'll just disconnect.