Are my fans too loud, and if so, how can I improve things?

[trooglevroom]

First off, I apologise for starting a thread that's so generic. My hope is that someone can clarify whether my system is "normal" in terms of loudness.

I have had a Phanteks Enthoo Evolv since it became available in the UK, it was preordered - so it's been a few months. It comes with two of Phanteks' fans - a 140mm PH-F140SP in the back as an exhaust, and a 200mm PH-F200SP in the front. These are the only fans in my case that make any noise at all - if I unplug them the rig is well below ambient levels of noise.

 

The 140mm at the rear makes a constant, loud "white noise"-like sound - probably just air movement, but it's rather loud. The 200mm makes a whirring noise, apparently due to it being completely out of balance (the blades on one side are about 1-2mm in front of the blades on another side, so it wobbles a lot when in motion). Both are clearly audible even if I put my headphones on (with no audio playing), which does tend to make quieter games a lot less immersive. I can't hear it clearly over music but it's still there.


My question is: is this level of noise reasonable? Are the noises normal? I've never seen another person's rig IRL so I can't really judge it myself.
If it isn't normal, how can I fix it - which fans would be good to replace my stock ones?

 

 

In case it helps, the available fan mounts in the case are as follows:
1x200mm(installed) / 2x140mm / 2x120mm front, behind dust filter and close-fitting panel with side vents

2x140mm / 3x120mm top, under a cover with a dust filter but with good space between the fans and the cover
1x140mm(installed) / 1x120mm rear, open - no dust filter, just a hexagonal metal mesh.

The case is about 30cm from me, on my desk. Putting it on the floor isn't an option I'd like to consider as, while it would be further away, my room has a fairly dusty carpet, which isn't ideal for computers.

Thanks for reading this far! I'm a noob when it comes to fans so any help would be appreciated.

[VincentiusIV]

Well, you are the one hearing it. If you don't find the loudness reasonable, do something about it.

[kpreg]

First off, I apologise for starting a thread that's so generic. My hope is that someone can clarify whether my system is "normal" in terms of loudness.

I have had a Phanteks Enthoo Evolv since it became available in the UK, it was preordered - so it's been a few months. It comes with two of Phanteks' fans - a 140mm PH-F140SP in the back as an exhaust, and a 200mm PH-F200SP in the front. These are the only fans in my case that make any noise at all - if I unplug them the rig is well below ambient levels of noise.

 

The 140mm at the rear makes a constant, loud "white noise"-like sound - probably just air movement, but it's rather loud. The 200mm makes a whirring noise, apparently due to it being completely out of balance (the blades on one side are about 1-2mm in front of the blades on another side, so it wobbles a lot when in motion). Both are clearly audible even if I put my headphones on (with no audio playing), which does tend to make quieter games a lot less immersive. I can't hear it clearly over music but it's still there.

My question is: is this level of noise reasonable? Are the noises normal? I've never seen another person's rig IRL so I can't really judge it myself.

If it isn't normal, how can I fix it - which fans would be good to replace my stock ones?

 

 

In case it helps, the available fan mounts in the case are as follows:

1x200mm(installed) / 2x140mm / 2x120mm front, behind dust filter and close-fitting panel with side vents

2x140mm / 3x120mm top, under a cover with a dust filter but with good space between the fans and the cover

1x140mm(installed) / 1x120mm rear, open - no dust filter, just a hexagonal metal mesh.

The case is about 30cm from me, on my desk. Putting it on the floor isn't an option I'd like to consider as, while it would be further away, my room has a fairly dusty carpet, which isn't ideal for computers.

Thanks for reading this far! I'm a noob when it comes to fans so any help would be appreciated.

That's normal fan noise. However, the front fan sounds a bit screwed up. If you want to get a new one, the Bitfenix Spectre Pro is great:

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008UZ4NDC/?tag=pcpapi-20

 

Anyways to control the fans you should plug them into the chassis fan headers on your motherboard, and you can control them in the bios.

 

Good luck!

[trooglevroom]

Well, you are the one hearing it. If you don't find the loudness reasonable, do something about it.

 

How much of an improvement would a set of aftermarket fans be? Say Corsairs or Noctuas? I see a "dBA" value thrown around but would they make it near-silent?

 

That's normal fan noise. However, the front fan sounds a bit screwed up. If you want to get a new one, the Bitfenix Spectre Pro is great:

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008UZ4NDC/?tag=pcpapi-20

 

Anyways to control the fans you should plug them into the chassis fan headers on your motherboard, and you can control them in the bios.

 

Good luck!

I'll try slowing them down through the bios, and I might give that fan a try. Thanks!

 

[spwath]

That's normal fan noise. However, the front fan sounds a bit screwed up. If you want to get a new one, the Bitfenix Spectre Pro is great:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008UZ4NDC/?tag=pcpapi-20

Anyways to control the fans you should plug them into the chassis fan headers on your motherboard, and you can control them in the bios.

Good luck!

Don't do this, spectre pro are much worse than included fans

[kpreg]

Don't do this, spectre pro are much worse than included fans

I have had some great experiences with them. Why do you say they are terrible?

 

EDIT: I agree completely. I dug it out of my old hardware drawer and remembered why I removed it from mine: the freaking annoying clicking sounds. 

[trooglevroom]

Well, I discovered why the fans were so loud. I checked the BIOS, intending to slow them down, and discovered I was running them in PWM mode - they're DC fans, so they were running at maximum throttle all the time. Turning them down has certainly made the exhaust fan quieter, but the front fan clicks at low speeds and maintains its irritating wobbly sound.

 

I have had some great experiences with them. Why do you say they are terrible?

 

EDIT: I agree completely. I dug it out of my old hardware drawer and remembered why I removed it from mine: the freaking annoying clicking sounds. 

Don't do this, spectre pro are much worse than included fans

Do you have any recommendations for good 200mm fans, or would I be better off picking up two 140mm fans? I can't find much on Amazon other than Bitfenix ones.

Thank you for all your help so far!

[ManWithBeard1990]

Well, I discovered why the fans were so loud. I checked the BIOS, intending to slow them down, and discovered I was running them in PWM mode - they're DC fans, so they were running at maximum throttle all the time. Turning them down has certainly made the exhaust fan quieter, but the front fan clicks at low speeds and maintains its irritating wobbly sound.

 

Do you have any recommendations for good 200mm fans, or would I be better off picking up two 140mm fans? I can't find much on Amazon other than Bitfenix ones.

Thank you for all your help so far!

Pretty sure Cooler Master makes a 200mm one. I believe it's called the MegaFlow.

[McMurderMonkey]

Try to isolate where the noise is coming from: unplug each fan at a time, and see if the noise dissappears. Once you find out which fan is causing the problem, then replace it with something quieter. I'm sure you'll be able to find some good reccommendations in this forum.

[trooglevroom]

Pretty sure Cooler Master makes a 200mm one. I believe it's called the MegaFlow.

I've seen bad things said about that one.

 

 

Try to isolate where the noise is coming from: unplug each fan at a time, and see if the noise dissappears. Once you find out which fan is causing the problem, then replace it with something quieter. I'm sure you'll be able to find some good reccommendations in this forum.

I know where the noise is coming from, or rather which noise is coming from where. I posted here because I didn't know if it was a "problem" or just normality, and I'm hesitant to buy more fans when one of the ones that's "too noisy" has a fairly low "dBA" value, whatever that is - I know what decibels are but I don't believe any fan could run at 20 dB, it would be almost literally inaudible even up close.

However, I'm probably going to pick up a replacement for my 200mm fan as I'm fairly sure it's not meant to spin the way it does. I guess I'll have some fans to compare my other fans to then.

[McMurderMonkey]

I've seen bad things said about that one.

 

 

I know where the noise is coming from. I don't know how to fix it.

Oh, excuse me for my ignorance.

The situation with the 200mm in the front sounds pretty bad - as if the fan itself is defective. As for the rear 140, I cannot comment, as it maybe due to high RPM, or a variety of other reasons. Including the fan being just plain loud.

I would reccommend replacing the 200mm in the front with two 140s, and replace the 140 in the back with something else. I can heavily reccommend be quiet! Silent Wings 2s as being pretty much the quietest thing out there. The Pure Wings 2s are good for the price, and Noiseblocker Black Silent Pros are excellent if you are looking for more static pressure.

I would also reccommend using these downvolted to a more comfortable RPM, or just using PWM fans only with your motherboard.

[trooglevroom]

Oh, excuse me for my ignorance.

The situation with the 200mm in the front sounds pretty bad - as if the fan itself is defective. As for the rear 140, I cannot comment, as it maybe due to high RPM, or a variety of other reasons. Including the fan being just plain loud.

I would reccommend replacing the 200mm in the front with two 140s, and replace the 140 in the back with something else. I can heavily reccommend be quiet! Silent Wings 2s as being pretty much the quietest thing out there. The Pure Wings 2s are good for the price, and Noiseblocker Black Silent Pros are excellent if you are looking for more static pressure.

I would also reccommend using these downvolted to a more comfortable RPM, or just using PWM fans only with your motherboard.

I reduced the speed of the 140mm exhaust - my motherboard won't let me take it below 60% of the usual 12V but that produces volumes well within acceptable limits. It was only airflow noise all along; the fan itself is inaudible.

Thanks for your help (and everyone else's, for that matter). My plan is to pick up some replacement 140s for the 200mm fan that's broken, not sure which type but I'll definitely have a look at the suggested be quiet! fans.