How many case fans?

[Alto101]

I am looking for a quiet but yet cool system. I will be running an Intel E7200 overclocked (hopefully past 3 GHz).

I have heard that the case fans that come with the Antec P182 are not the quietest so I am looking to replace them.

If you could recommend replacement case fans and how many I would appreciate it. I have noticed that many models come in low, medium and high speeds so if you could be specific with your recommendations it would make it easier on me.

Thanks

 

[Tsuwamono]

The included fans have 3 settings, they are quiet at low settings but still pretty quiet at high. The Noctrua??? i think are really good. And you should be able to get it past 3ghz.. I'm running my E6600 at 3.5ghz w/ stock vcore

 

[Syzygies]

I'm up to eight Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F fans on one of my two P182 cases; the other isn't far behind. This counts a pair on my cpu cooler, and a pair added in behind a Scythe Kama Bay in three of the 5.25" bays. In other words, I paid for fans what I should have paid for the P182 (nearly $160) and I paid for the P182 what I should have paid for fans (the $60 newegg deal many of us jumped on).

The SFF21E is quieter, very highly rated at silentpcreview. I bought the argument elsewhere that one can step down the SFF21F, but one can't step up the SFF21E. There are Yate Loon fans to be had for less than $4 each that are well thought of; I don't have personal experience with them.

Try your case open & closed. I saw a 5 C core temp difference before fiddling, that's why I added a Scythe Kama Bay.

It's well understood that 120mm fans can be quieter thatn 80mm fans. Same with more fans in a bigger case, they can be used to make the case sound like a wind tunnel, or just to spread out the workload. I haven't quantified this, but it sure seems that one gets most of the overclocking potential with very little of the noise, turning down fans.

 

[Sheninat0r]

Originally posted by: Tsuwamono
The included fans have 3 settings, they are quiet at low settings but still pretty quiet at high. The Noctrua??? i think are really good. And you should be able to get it past 3ghz.. I'm running my E6600 at 3.5ghz w/ stock vcore

That depends... SPCR thinks Tri-Cools are too loud at any setting.

 

[zod96]

I have 2 scythe slfex 800 rpm fans in my p182 One one the cpu and one in the rear exhaust. I get about 32 idle and about 52 load. My video card is run passively here is my setup in my p182 http://img292.imageshack.us/my...?image=dscn1513xo8.jpg

 

[devilchrist]

I run 7 120mm fans in mine.

1 for lower chamber, 2 for radiator, 1 for vga card, 1 for NB, 2 for exhaust. att at 7-9v runs pretty quite

 

[imported_sandman]

I just set up a P-180B and i have the rear 120tr-cool being changed to the Scythe 1600rpm and the top 120mm tri-cool which I am going to block up i believe or i have made a duct to go over the fan and point it toward the frond for the case to intake air from around the optical drives. I have also moved the lower HD cage back 1/2 inch and installed a 1200 rpm Scythe fan in front of the cage after moving the metal bracket that was attached to the front of the case by the filter. I have attached filters to the lower optical drive covers which i have drilled a bunch of 3/16 holes in them and mounted a 80mm fan in the slot behind those slots instead of the Kama -Bay because I only have 2 slots open Zalman9500 for cpu cooler and i have a 1200 rpm fan in the middle bay and on the back of the middle hd cage and they are on low and it is almost quite from 3 feet away not much loader than a refrig running. On another forum they said I was a fanatic with all these fans but I like cool. Case temps 20.5 ambient 20.5 mobo 32c cpu 28c

 

[Kirby64]

I have 4 case fans. Two are the tri-cool on low setting, 2 are 5v'd yate-loons. Works well for me, you can't even tell my comp is on unless it's dead quiet.

A recommendation though: remove the tri-cool from the top fan. It's the closet to your ears, and even at low setting it's noticeable. I replaced it with a yate-loon. The other 2 tri-cools I left in place.