Cooling the Antec P180

[JollyTime]

For my new C2D (E6600) rig, I'm getting the Antec P180 case. I want it to be quiet, so there are lots of questions that have to be answered:

A) What case fan should i use? I'm planning on having 2 in front, 2 at the back (all 120 mm) set to low speed. The ones I have to choose from are:
-Nexus Real Silent Case Fan
-Papst 4412FGL
-AcoustiFan 120mm
-AcoustiFan DustPROOF 120mm
-mCubed X12 120mm
-Scythe S-FLEX 120mm 800 rpm version
-CoolerMaster UV Silent Fan 120x120x25 Blue

B)Fan control? Should I let the mobo regulate the fan speed or should I control it manually via a separate fan controller?

The question I have here is if the mobo will set the Voltage low enough when I use 4x 120 mm fans? I do NOT want all 4 fans blowing at 12v (cuz that noise will drive me insane).

My specs so far:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
CPU Cooler: Tunic Tower 120 (w. Papst fan)
Mobo: Asus P5W DH Deluxe
PSU: Seasonic S12 600W
HD: 2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
VGA: Asus GeForce 7900GTX 512MB, 650/1600MHz
VGA Cooler: Zalman VF900-Cu
DVD: NEC ND-3550
Case: Antec P180

 

[vhx]

a) Nexus IMO.

b) If you already are getting silent fans, you shouldn't need to adjust fan control manually unless they are variable w/ sensors.

Not on topic but be careful of the P180 for large video cards w/ external power connectors.
Read a review where a 7800GTX card reaches the hard drive bay to the right so it makes the top drive slot unusable. (Unless a 7900GTX is shorter)

 

[Ayah]

All Nexus volt modded to 7v.

 

[natethegreat]

I'm using the Coolermaster led fans in the rig thats in my sig. They are much better than the tri-cool fans that come with the case but I don't know how they compare to other quiet fans.

 

[RallyMaster]

Yate Loons or Scythe S-Flex 1200 RPM fans.

 

[Chopstick217]

Im using all nexus fans for my p180. You also might want to close off the top vent for better air ventilation (aluminum tape works).

 

[crownjules]

I use Scythe S-Flex 1200RPM fans x3 on my case and I barely notice a sound.

 

[JollyTime]

Thanks for the input. Seems like it's a toss-up between the Nexus and the Scythe 1200 rpm fan. Dunno which I'm gonna choose...but I think any of these two will serve me well.

Regarding the fan controller, I do like the idea of having all 4 fans at 7V for the most of the time, but I'm concerned about me forgetting to turn them up when gaming. Therefore I'm leaning towards using the mobo for regulating the fans, hopefully it will take them down to aprox 7V when not under heavy load.

 

[Ayah]

Originally posted by: JollyTime
Thanks for the input. Seems like it's a toss-up between the Nexus and the Scythe 1200 rpm fan. Dunno which I'm gonna choose...but I think any of these two will serve me well.

Regarding the fan controller, I do like the idea of having all 4 fans at 7V for the most of the time, but I'm concerned about me forgetting to turn them up when gaming. Therefore I'm leaning towards using the mobo for regulating the fans, hopefully it will take them down to aprox 7V when not under heavy load.

IMO, 7v does fine with phat tower passive coolers under 100% load. Assuming you're not running an 8xx series P-D that's overclocked and overvolted.

 

[Tullphan]

Regarding the cooling on the P180, I see alot of suggestions about covering the top vent. I'm not that familiar w/cooling cases, but how exactly would this help? What about covering the rear fan opening & using the top fan?
Also, on the pics of the 180, I see a fan on the bottom in front of the PSU & behind the HDD cage (?). Which way is the airflow going on it? Do I also notice a fan or a mount for a fan in the front center of the case?

 

[JBDan]

Of course sound/noise is relevant to the user. I use the P180. I also have over 20 120mm fans I have tried in it. Hands down the Nexus(Yate rebadge) are the quietest. At equivalent rpm's, I have yet to find a quieter fan. I have the Scythe you speak of, CM's UV, Yate, Antec, SilenX, Panaflo, TT, etc... The Yates and the CM UV ~1200rpm fans are the closest I have found @ full tilt or undervolted (7V or PWM).

I think Nexus 'cherry picks' their Yates, but who knows. I'm a 'silent' (not quiet) nut. I use Speedfan and control all 4 Nexus' with it. No knobs to turn, no forgetting to turn them up under heavy loads. I think a controller is fine, but I prefer the lazy way. I run the 4 Nexus' at ~750rpm (~ 6v). All 4 Nexus turning at full tilt (~1050rpm's) is NOT noisy by a long shot. You can hear the 'swoosh' of air turbulence clearly, but far from loud IMO. It's pricey to get 4 Nexus 120mm fans no doubt...but IMO it is worth it. I also bought the pricey silencing kit and softmounted all the fans.

Top vent is sealed. To give you an idea of my temps with a X2 3800+ @ 2.4 (XP120) / a oc'd 6800GT / 2 opt drives / & a raptor in the bottem (HD in bottem tray won't give you issues w/ a large gfx card as vhx stated & clears a path for the upper 120mm intake) I get 37C idle and 48C dual prime load. Ambient room temp is 24C. At 42C cpu temp Speedfan ramps up all Nexus' to ~1000rpm. Nice rig OP.

Edit: I do not like the way Asus' Q-fan works. I would go controller or Speedfan.

 

[Talcite]

First off, the tunic tower is not a good cooler for silent operation. Look into the scythe ninja or the thermalright U-120.

I'm using stock antec P180 fans set at low, and they're relatively silent. You should set up the system, then decide later if you need the fans. Cause I was considering the yate loons, but seeing as how quiet it is right now, I really don't need them.

 

[eastvillager]

Originally posted by: vhx
a) Nexus IMO.

b) If you already are getting silent fans, you shouldn't need to adjust fan control manually unless they are variable w/ sensors.

Not on topic but be careful of the P180 for large video cards w/ external power connectors.
Read a review where a 7800GTX card reaches the hard drive bay to the right so it makes the top drive slot unusable. (Unless a 7900GTX is shorter)

I've got two 7800GTX and 6 Raptors in my P180. All of the drive slots are usable.

As far as fans go, I'm using the three tri-cools that came with it and stuck another one up front. Using a scythe ninja on an fx-55, fanless. The rear fan and the top fan do a good job of pulling air right over the ninja.

 

[yosuke188]

I use 3 Nexus fans (front, rear, CPU) and 2 of the tri-cool fan that came with the case. The Nexus fans are all spinning around 1100, and it's barely audible. If you open up a window, you can't hear it. I notice my hard drive noise more now.

 

[Pens1566]

Originally posted by: eastvillager

Originally posted by: vhx
a) Nexus IMO.

b) If you already are getting silent fans, you shouldn't need to adjust fan control manually unless they are variable w/ sensors.

Not on topic but be careful of the P180 for large video cards w/ external power connectors.
Read a review where a 7800GTX card reaches the hard drive bay to the right so it makes the top drive slot unusable. (Unless a 7900GTX is shorter)

I've got two 7800GTX and 6 Raptors in my P180. All of the drive slots are usable.

As far as fans go, I'm using the three tri-cools that came with it and stuck another one up front. Using a scythe ninja on an fx-55, fanless. The rear fan and the top fan do a good job of pulling air right over the ninja.

Care to share how you accomplished that???

 

[icyxwindz]

i see alot of suggestion about closing the top vent. can anyone tell me why ? i thought having the top with the back as outtake would HELP ventilation. but i see people are closing the top for better ventilation.

 

[Vertigo0176]

I stuck with the stock fans in my P180, but added a Scythe 1600rpm model for the center section to cool the 1900XTX. If my memory serves me, you can mount 4? drives in the lower section plus a couple more in the upper section behind the middle fan intake. That may be how he got 6 raptors in there. Unless the 7900GTX is incredibly long and goes into the middle drive bay.

 

[Pens1566]

Originally posted by: Vertigo0176
I stuck with the stock fans in my P180, but added a Scythe 1600rpm model for the center section to cool the 1900XTX. If my memory serves me, you can mount 4? drives in the lower section plus a couple more in the upper section behind the middle fan intake. That may be how he got 6 raptors in there. Unless the 7900GTX is incredibly long and goes into the middle drive bay.

I know how many drives can fit in the upper and lower chambers, its just the 7800GTXs are extremely long, and even longer once the PCIe plug is added.

 

[JBDan]

My reasoning behind sealing the top vent was for noise. A 120mm fan up top even at low rpm's is clearly audible. I must rehash that I'm a silent nut so take what I call 'noise' with a grain of salt. I set up many configurations with it open....also with it open w/ a fan installed (intake and as an exhaust). I got cooler temps both ways. Coolest was with top as intake and rear as exhaust....but at the cost of noise. The cooler temps were ~2-4C. For me it wasn't worth the noise. So many possibilities with this case. It's a pain in the arse, but try them all and see what suits you and your setup.

 

[imported_aashburns]

My system config is pretty similar.
1. Closed off the vents around the power supply and near the video card
2. One PCI slot cover with vents near my X-Fi card near the bottom
3. The 120x38 fan up top, with 120x25 in the front and rear. All Antec Tricool.
4. Zalman 9500 AT for the E6600
5. VF900 for my 7900GT
All fans are on low.

I can barely hear my system at all...in fact my A/C is louder than my computer and its in the living room area of my apartment. Since its over 100F during the day, my room is about 78-85F. My CPU and system temps are at 40C right now at idle and my E6600 is overclocked to 3GHz. With load my CPU increases about 15C and my system about 2-4C.

I suggest reading the silentpcreview for the best information as they worked on the design of the P180B case with Antec.

 

[Tullphan]

I've got a LX6A19 case w/a 92mm intake on the right side, a 120mm intake on the front, a 92mm exhaust on the left & a 120mm exhaust in the rear as well as a 500W Fortron Blue Storm for a PSU. My cpu temps are 45c idle, and the motherboard temps are 35c idle. (Please see "My Rig" for system details to save on typing.)
My question is, could I expect a P180 to lower my system temps with its' design?

 

[inveterate]

I have a P180, it sux in terms of Air Flow in the Top chamber. You need some Powerful fans to move air in this case,

Problems are the Door in front of the top intake, THe filter behind that. Very restrictive in terms of air flow.

Doesn't matter what fans you get because it won't be all that quiet if you want the necessary airflow.

you can fix this by taking out the air filter and filing the door infront of the filter for more flow,

But, thats alot of work, and you'll have to clean more often. and in this Case ur gonna need to clean VERY often, because of the negative pressure. choice is urs.

Arctic fan 12s are great.

 

[inveterate]

Originally posted by: Tullphan
I've got a LX6A19 case w/a 92mm intake on the right side, a 120mm intake on the front, a 92mm exhaust on the left & a 120mm exhaust in the rear as well as a 500W Fortron Blue Storm for a PSU. My cpu temps are 45c idle, and the motherboard temps are 35c idle. (Please see "My Rig" for system details to save on typing.)
My question is, could I expect a P180 to lower my system temps with its' design?

my temps are 28 C idle 38 C load, ambient temp 70F w/e that is in C. My rear fan is on HIGH, top fan on med-low Bottom chamber fan on LOWW, front intake fan on HIGH

Are you using stock cooler? if u are just swap that and u'll be in buisness.

I personally use the TOWER 112 , no one's heard of it, but It beats the Scythe and the 9500, I've had Both and niether did as well.

The tower112 needs to be really TORqued down, so if ur mobo is cheapo quality, becareful.

 

[Tullphan]

Originally posted by: inveterate

my temps are 28 C idle 38 C load, ambient temp 70F w/e that is in C. My rear fan is on HIGH, top fan on med-low Bottom chamber fan on LOWW, front intake fan on HIGH

Are you using stock cooler? if u are just swap that and u'll be in buisness.

I personally use the TOWER 112 , no one's heard of it, but It beats the Scythe and the 9500, I've had Both and niether did as well.

The tower112 needs to be really TORqued down, so if ur mobo is cheapo quality, becareful.

I'm using an Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro w/AS5.
I tried a Thermaltake Venus but the temps were no better & it was disgustingly loud.
I'm pondering a new case but am torn between this, the Antec SLK3000-B & the Lian Li PC-60APlussII.
I'd like to get my temps down further plus the fact that I may be upgrading to an Intel setup (E6300 w/a video card to be determined later...probably an ATI X8xx series) & I want to keep that puppy cool as well. I'm sure the E6300 will run hotter than my A64 3200+.

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: Tullphan

Originally posted by: inveterate

my temps are 28 C idle 38 C load, ambient temp 70F w/e that is in C. My rear fan is on HIGH, top fan on med-low Bottom chamber fan on LOWW, front intake fan on HIGH

Are you using stock cooler? if u are just swap that and u'll be in buisness.

I personally use the TOWER 112 , no one's heard of it, but It beats the Scythe and the 9500, I've had Both and niether did as well.

The tower112 needs to be really TORqued down, so if ur mobo is cheapo quality, becareful.

I'm using an Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro w/AS5.
I tried a Thermaltake Venus but the temps were no better & it was disgustingly loud.
I'm pondering a new case but am torn between this, the Antec SLK3000-B & the Lian Li PC-60APlussII.
I'd like to get my temps down further plus the fact that I may be upgrading to an Intel setup (E6300 w/a video card to be determined later...probably an ATI X8xx series) & I want to keep that puppy cool as well. I'm sure the E6300 will run hotter than my A64 3200+.

Run hotter or give off more heat? If it's an old 130nm 3200 then it'll be a fairly even match. 89W TDP , even the 90nm ones are at 68W TDP and the 6300 is only 65W (note, the measurements are done differently, but it's not going to be a massive increase if any).