Fan confusion. Antec 1200 case

[RS1]

Hi all, 

 

My rig has been making quite a racket for some time and I am looking to upgrade the fans in my Antec 1200 case.  There are several fans in my case:

 

3x120mm intake fans in the front.  The bottom two have hard drives behind them.  The third has a small SSD behind it which doesn’t really block the fan as it is so small (unlike multiple hard drives behind the two fans below)

2x120mm exhaust fans in the rear

1x200mm exhaust fan at the top

2xNF-P12 intake/exhaust fans on the heatsink

 

So 8 fans in total. 

 

I presume that I don’t need to replace the Noctua NF-P12 fans?  These are supposedly good and quiet.  The others are quite loud though.

 

What would you suggest?  

 

I don’t have a firm understanding of static vs. air flow.  If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that rear fans and top fan should “push" air out while the front 3 fans should “pull” air in.  Does Airflow at the rear and top and static in the front seem sensible?  

Is the air flow fan at the top necessary?  I’ve heard that Airflow fans are quite noisy.  I am keen to get my PC to be as quiet as possible.

 

Any thoughts would be very appreciated

 

 

RS 

[WoodenMarker]

It would help to list your specs and mention which components are too loud. 

The front is a pretty open mesh. More airflow oriented fans all-around would be better. 

Static pressure-oriented fans tend to be louder than airflow-oriented ones. 

[RS1]

Thanks for the response WoodenMarker

 

I think it is my fan setup itself that is too loud.  The rear fans (came with the case) are terrible. The top fan is quite loud too.  I have yet to do a detailed analysis of which fans are too loud (I presume the Noctua's are okay as they are highly rated).

 

All that said - I'm thinking of replacing all of the fans except the Noctua's.  I'm just a little overwhelmed by all of the fan options.  

 

What would be a good setup in this case in respect to Static/Air-Flow and Front/Rear/Top fans?  

Are the Corsair SP and AF series sufficient?

 

Cheers

[WoodenMarker]

Thanks for the response WoodenMarker

I think it is my fan setup itself that is too loud.  The rear fans (came with the case) are terrible. The top fan is quite loud too.  I have yet to do a detailed analysis of which fans are too loud (I presume the Noctua's are okay as they are highly rated).

All that said - I'm thinking of replacing all of the fans except the Noctua's.  I'm just a little overwhelmed by all of the fan options.  

What would be a good setup in this case in respect to Static/Air-Flow and Front/Rear/Top fans?  

Are the Corsair SP and AF series sufficient?

Cheers

Trying stopping or removing fans/components to figure out which are too loud. 

You need to quote a post or tag a member or else they won't get a notification you replied to them.

[RS1]

Trying stopping or removing fans/components to figure out which are too loud. 

You need to quote a post or tag a member or else they won't get a notification you replied to them.

 

Re. which fans are loud - as mentioned my rear fans and top fan are loud.  I would like to replace them.  My note about a detailed analysis was merely finnicky.  To be clear, I'd like to replace all three

 

Re. quote/tag - will do.  Thanks for the tip

[tomas710]

 

Basically, good SP fans on the front, rear and top doesn't matter much. I don't like corsair fans personally, i would rather go with something like Phantaks MP which are more versatile and quiet

[RS1]

Basically, good SP fans on the front, rear and top doesn't matter much. I don't like corsair fans personally, i would rather go with something like Phantaks MP which are more versatile and quiet

 

Thanks for the advice!  I'll look into Phantaks MP.  

[WoodenMarker]

Re. which fans are loud - as mentioned my rear fans and top fan are loud.  I would like to replace them.  My note about a detailed analysis was merely finnicky.  To be clear, I'd like to replace all three

Re. quote/tag - will do.  Thanks for the tip

If budget isn't an issue, removing the top fan and replacing the rear 2 fans with NF-F12A's would be optimal.

Replacing the front fans with the same would also be a good idea if you want less noise.

[RS1]

If budget isn't an issue, removing the top fan and replacing the rear 2 fans with NF-F12A's would be optimal.

Replacing the front fans with the same would also be a good idea if you want less noise.

 

Thanks for this!  I've just been doing some research.  I presently have Antec tri-cool 120mm fans at the rear and the front.  They are known for being "ok" and not particularly silent (but not bad either).  I definitely want to replace the 2xrear and 3xfront with something else.

 

I would prefer to spend a little less than the Noctua's.  What would be your second or third best options for a quiet fan setup?  Do you think that the top fan does little in the way of cooling (hence suggestion to remove)?  

 

Thanks!  

[WoodenMarker]

Thanks for this!  I've just been doing some research.  I presently have Antec tri-cool 120mm fans at the rear and the front.  They are known for being "ok" and not particularly silent (but not bad either).  I definitely want to replace the 2xrear and 3xfront with something else.

I would prefer to spend a little less than he Noctua's.  What would be your second or third best options for a quiet fan setup?  Do you think that the top fan does little in the way of cooling (hence suggestion to remove)?  

Thanks!  

The top fan does help cooling quite a bit but there aren't any amazing 200mm fans yet. Noctua has one lined up for release which has been postponed since last year but until then, 200mm options are only good and not great. 

It would help to link where you're shopping and mention your budget.

[Matacks]

Ohh i had this case. Loved it. Its a beast. Its such a pain to clean the filters though. When my case got older a few of the fans started making scraping sounds..

Yes the 1200 is very loud with all the fans turned up. Its easy to hear from other rooms in the house.

The easiest thing to do is to turn the fans down. If you must replace the fans i just wouldnt think its not worth it to spend a lot. Maybe go for fans that can use the 1200s rheostats and switches.. because those are neat. I definitely wouldnt change the big fan though.

Goodluck with it.

[RS1]

Thank you for the responses guys.  I took a few days off from thinking about this - but now one of the rear fans is making a horrendous rattling sound - typical  

 

 

Ohh i had this case. Loved it. Its a beast. Its such a pain to clean the filters though. When my case got older a few of the fans started making scraping sounds..

Yes the 1200 is very loud with all the fans turned up. Its easy to hear from other rooms in the house.

The easiest thing to do is to turn the fans down. If you must replace the fans i just wouldnt think its not worth it to spend a lot. Maybe go for fans that can use the 1200s rheostats and switches.. because those are neat. I definitely wouldnt change the big fan though.

Goodluck with it.

 

After WoodenMarker's point on a replacement 200mm fan and doing a little research - I totally agree, I won't bother replacing it.  I think that it would be nice to use the 3 speed settings at the back of the case for the 2 rear fans though - but I'm not keen on buying another set of Antec tri-cool fans.  I wasn't that impressed with them to begin with.. are there other - good - quiet - fans which enable 3 speed settings that you may be aware of?

 

 

The top fan does help cooling quite a bit but there aren't any amazing 200mm fans yet. Noctua has one lined up for release which has been postponed since last year but until then, 200mm options are only good and not great. 

It would help to link where you're shopping and mention your budget.

 

 

Budget is tricky.  I'd be willing to spend cash if I felt like it was worth it, but I just don't want spend unnecessarily.  I'd say that I wouldn't really want to spend more than £50 to replace 2xrear and 3xfront.  The Noctua's you mentioned go for about £15 each here in the UK.  I may just buy a pair of these and see if that makes a difference to the overall noise profile.. getting something that would be just as good but for a little cheaper would be preferred (as always!)..   

 

I've seen the Corsair Series fans (AF and SP) and also the Arctic F12 fans (which are super cheap) - thoughts on these?

 

Thanks again.. 

[WoodenMarker]

Budget is tricky.  I'd be willing to spend cash if I felt like it was worth it, but I just don't want spend unnecessarily.  I'd say that I wouldn't really want to spend more than £50 to replace 2xrear and 3xfront.  The Noctua's you mentioned go for about £15 each here in the UK.  I may just buy a pair of these and see if that makes a difference to the overall noise profile.. getting something that would be just as good but for a little cheaper would be preferred (as always!)..   

I've seen the Corsair Series fans (AF and SP) and also the Arctic F12 fans (which are super cheap) - thoughts on these?

Thanks again.. 

Corsair AF/SP QE's are good--more-so the AF's than the SP's. Arctic F12's are okay. 

PW2's are better than the Corsair's or Arctic's above: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/be-quiet-case-fan-bl046

NF-S12B's are better if you can spend a bit more: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-case-fan-nfs12bredux1200pwm