Running with the side panel off?

[Kizzume]

I wasn't sure whether this post should be in "Cases and power supplies" or here in "Air Cooling".  Moderators, please move the post if I have it in the wrong place.

 

I'm admitting to ignorance that I probably shouldn't, but for many years I've ran my computer with the side panel off, particularly after I had several case fans burn out after being replaced (yeah, I shouldn't have went with the cheapest fans).  It's substantially quieter without those fans.  Granted, since 2013, my computer has been an i5-2310, not exactly a huge heat generator.  I know it gets dusty much more quickly with the side panel off, but I've never had heat issues--though, again, I haven't had the fastest of processors and I never overclock.  I also hadn't done any sort of thorough tests.

 

I'm going to be getting a Ryzen 9 3900X, an NH-D15S cooler, THIS power supply, THIS case, and I ordered THESE two fans to replace the ones in that case (since they're supposed to be so much quieter), and I'll be continuing to use my GTX 1060 6gb video card.  But after looking around, I'm wondering whether it's feasible for me to just have the side panel off and not have the two front case fans at all.  I've seen footage of open-air cases (I guess they're "wet benches" or "open benches") that seem to do well, but they're designed around that.

 

As long as I'm ok with cleaning out the computer more often, when it comes to a Ryzen 9 with an NH-D15S, would it be advisable to run with the side panel off and no case fans, or would I get better temperature control with case fans and the side on?  Or, would it be even better to have the front case fans (or just one of them) AND the side panel off?

 

My big concern is noise.  I do voice overs and want the quietest experience possible.  I understand that with the side off, the fans that are there will be heard more--I suppose there's a balance to the whole thing.

 

Opinions?

[191x7]

It's always better to have the case closed and decent airflow.

[Aescii]

Considering you are using an air cooler, it would be beneficial to leave the side panel on with the front case fans. Those Noctuas I've heard are very quiet, so sound isn't so much an issue. With those fans mounted as intake, you'll get more airflow for the cooler which will likely run cooler than if you just opened the side panel.

 

Also, in my opinion, I think spending 250 on a PSU that is fanless is a bit much. At least with Seasonic, even their mid range (between $90 and $150) PSUs with fans are very quiet, even when at load. Personally, I could use that extra 100 for a less expensive power supply on other components you might want in the future.

[Bobotie1]

12 minutes ago, Kizzume said:

I wasn't sure whether this post should be in "Cases and power supplies" or here in "Air Cooling".  Moderators, please move the post if I have it in the wrong place.

 

I'm admitting to ignorance that I probably shouldn't, but for many years I've ran my computer with the side panel off, particularly after I had several case fans burn out after being replaced (yeah, I shouldn't have went with the cheapest fans).  It's substantially quieter without those fans.  Granted, since 2013, my computer has been an i5-2310, not exactly a huge heat generator.  I know it gets dusty much more quickly with the side panel off, but I've never had heat issues--though, again, I haven't had the fastest of processors and I never overclock.  I also hadn't done any sort of thorough tests.

 

I'm going to be getting a Ryzen 9 3900X, an NH-D15S cooler, THIS power supply, THIS case, and I ordered THESE two fans to replace the ones in that case (since they're supposed to be so much quieter), and I'll be continuing to use my GTX 1060 6gb video card.  But after looking around, I'm wondering whether it's feasible for me to just have the side panel off and not have the two front case fans at all.  I've seen footage of open-air cases (I guess they're "wet benches") that seem to do well, but they're designed around that.

 

As long as I'm ok with cleaning out the computer more often, when it comes to a Ryzen 9 with an NH-D15S, would it be advisable to run with the side panel off and no case fans, or would I get better temperature control with case fans and the side on?  Or, would it be even better to have the front case fans (or just one of them) AND the side panel off?

 

My big concern is noise.  I do voice overs and want the quietest experience possible.  I understand that with the side off, the fans that are there will be heard more--I suppose there's a balance to the whole thing.

 

Opinions?

An open case will always generate noise, and thus the reason I’d recommend closing it. Having the case fans is a better idea, since the extra temperature control will allow you to keep it cooler when needed, or, to have them very slow when not needed. This is however my opinion tho.

[Spotty]

I would go with the case panel on with the front fans. Case panel can help minimise a lot of other noise from the system such as the low hum of HDDs spinning.

After that the best thing to do would be to keep the mic further away from the PC.

 

Is the system doing anything intensive while you're recording the voice overs? If the system is largely sitting idle while you record you could configure a fan profile so that at lower temperatures when the system is idle the fans spin at a low RPM and then when you're doing something more intensive like rendering the video and the system starts to warm up and need the cooling it can increase the fan speed to match?

[Kizzume]

2 minutes ago, Aescii said:

Considering you are using an air cooler, it would be beneficial to leave the side panel on with the front case fans. Those Noctuas I've heard are very quiet, so sound isn't so much an issue. With those fans mounted as intake, you'll get more airflow for the cooler which will likely run cooler than if you just opened the side panel.

 

Also, in my opinion, I think spending 250 on a PSU that is fanless is a bit much. At least with Seasonic, even their PSUs with fans are very quiet, even when at load. Personally, I could use that extra 100 for a less expensive power supply on other components you might want in the future.

Yeah, it's an expensive PSU for sure, but I already have it ordered.

 

So far, it's been unanimous, side on with fans.  I really appreciate the input.

[Kizzume]

1 minute ago, Spotty said:

I would go with the case panel on with the front fans. Case panel can help minimise a lot of other noise from the system such as the low hum of HDDs spinning.

After that the best thing to do would be to keep the mic further away from the PC.

 

Is the system doing anything intensive while you're recording the voice overs? If the system is largely sitting idle while you record you could configure a fan profile so that at lower temperatures when the system is idle the fans spin at a low RPM and then when you're doing something more intensive like rendering the video and the system starts to warm up and need the cooling it can increase the fan speed to match?

I usually use Audacity to record audio, and I don't have anything else running when I do.  It's largely sitting idle when I record.  Good idea about the fan profile.  On older hardware, I've had bad luck with 3rd party fan software, but maybe with the board I'm getting, there'll be some options in the bios.

 

Thanks very much for your input on this.

[Spotty]

11 minutes ago, Kizzume said:

On older hardware, I've had bad luck with 3rd party fan software, but maybe with the board I'm getting, there'll be some options in the bios.

I'm not too familiar with MSI's BIOS these days, but most modern boards will let you at least set the fans to a custom curve.

There's some images of MSI's BIOS including fan settings here, not the exact same model ass what you have but it should be more or less the same. Looks fairly straight forward and you're able to set custom fan curves based on hardware temperatures. https://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/msi_mpg_x570_gaming_edge_wifi/4.htm

[Kizzume]

4 minutes ago, Spotty said:

I'm not too familiar with MSI's BIOS these days, but most modern boards will let you at least set the fans to a custom curve.

There's some images of MSI's BIOS including fan settings here, not the exact same model ass what you have but it should be more or less the same. Looks fairly straight forward and you're able to set custom fan curves based on hardware temperatures. https://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/msi_mpg_x570_gaming_edge_wifi/4.htm

Thanks.