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Corsair 350D - Quietness and Cleanliness

vano411
By vano411
in Cooling
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So here's what I have at the moment:

- Corsair 350D

- Core i7-5820K (with Corsair H110)

- eVGA X99 Micro

- eVGA GTX 1080 SC

 

Right now I've got two 140mm Corsair AF140 intake fans up front, two 140mm AIO exhaust fans up top and a 120mm exhaust fan in the rear. It's a nice setup - it keeps the system cool and allows me to maintain a solid 4.4GHz overclock at 1.19v. Here's my issue though - it's loud as fuck and gets dirty as shit! The PC is in my bedroom, I use open-back headphones while I game and the monitor speakers when I surf or watch videos. After 2.5 years, I've decided that it really needs to shut the hell up.

 

I want to replace the AIO with an air cooler. I want something that looks nice though to match the black theme. I'm aware that Noctua is the king of cool and quiet but their products look like diarrhea. I've got my eye on the Be Quiet! Dark Rock 3 (non-PRO) but I'm a bit worried about how it'll handle that behemoth of a CPU which I don't mind downclocking. Any suggestions?

 

Second point is replacing the fans. These are old and get louder the older they get. One of them sounds like it already popped a bearing. I'd like to replace them with black fans that are as quiet as can be but still perform admirably. Since I'm on the Be Quiet! bus, how are their fans? I'm looking at the SilentWings and ShadowWings.

 

Last bit is orientation. I want this thing to stay clean for as long as possible. What do you guys suggest for orientation? I was thinking two 140mm intakes up front, one 120mm intake in the rear and two 120mm exhausts up top. Would that work?

 

Thanks in advance!

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I'd just fill the fan spaces up and get be quiet stuff because they are quiet 

Im mostly on discord now and you can find me on my profile

 

My Build: Xeon 2630L V, RX 560 2gb, 8gb ddr4 1866, EVGA 450BV 

My Laptop #1: i3-5020U, 8gb of DDR3, Intel HD 5500

 

 

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22 minutes ago, Billy_Mays said:

I'd just fill the fan spaces up and get be quiet stuff because they are quiet 

What do you mean by fill them up?

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What you have in mind works. Top fans shouldn't be necessary. 2 140mm's for front intake and a rear 120mm exhaust should allow any extra air to leak out the holes at the top.

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/
Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

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19 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

What you have in mind works. Top fans shouldn't be necessary. 2 140mm's for front intake and a rear 120mm exhaust should allow any extra air to leak out the holes at the top.

Thanks! That's a lot simpler (and cheaper) frankly. What do you think of my choice of fans? Are the SilentWings fans worth their price or do you have any other recommendation?

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Just now, vano411 said:

Thanks! That's a lot simpler (and cheaper) frankly. What do you think of my choice of fans? Are the SilentWings fans worth their price or do you have any other recommendation?

SW3's are excellent but whether they're worth the price is up to you. Where are you shopping/located?

What components are you finding too loud in your system? How quiet do you need it to be?

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/
Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

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Just now, WoodenMarker said:

SW3's are excellent but whether they're worth the price is up to you. Where are you shopping/located?

What components are you finding too loud in your system? How quiet do you need it to be?

I'm shopping online on Amazon. I'm in Burbank, CA so there is a Fry's Electronics a few miles down the road. I could make a trip there if it's worthwhile.

 

The loudest by far are the two 140mm AIO fans positioned on top. I knew getting into it that AIO coolers will be quite a bit louder but after enduring them for few years (and learning that they're not much better than HSF's), I'm kind of over it.

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Just now, vano411 said:

I'm shopping online on Amazon. I'm in Burbank, CA so there is a Fry's Electronics a few miles down the road. I could make a trip there if it's worthwhile.

The loudest by far are the two 140mm AIO fans positioned on top. I knew getting into it that AIO coolers will be quite a bit louder but after enduring them for few years (and learning that they're not much better than HSF's), I'm kind of over it.

Have you tried lowering fan speeds? Does stopping the fans with your hands make the system quiet enough or is there something else that's also too noisy?

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/
Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

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Just now, WoodenMarker said:

Have you tried lowering fan speeds? Does stopping the fans with your hands make the system quiet enough or is there something else that's also too noisy?

Yes. Dropping the fan speed lowers the noise significantly. But when I fire up a game or open a window (So Cal summer) it ramps up.

 

I'm pretty sure one of the radiator fans is dying out as well. Haven't checked which one. At around 50% it rattles like nobody's business but stops when it's below or above that margin.

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Just now, vano411 said:

Yes. Dropping the fan speed lowers the noise significantly. But when I fire up a game or open a window (So Cal summer) it ramps up.

I'm pretty sure one of the radiator fans is dying out as well. Haven't checked which one. At around 50% it rattles like nobody's business but stops when it's below or above that margin.

I think you missed the later questions. 

Is there something else besides the rad fans that are also too noisy?

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/
Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

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3 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

I think you missed the later questions. 

Is there something else besides the rad fans that are also too noisy?

Sorry. No. The rad fans are the noisiest by far.

 

The two 140mms in the front have a very dull hum that's not bothersome. The 120mm rear exhaust fan is dead silent. Those three are non-PWM though. I'd like to replace them with something I can control.

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Just now, vano411 said:

Sorry. No. The rad fans are the noisiest by far.

The two 140mms in the front have a very dull hum that's not bothersome. The 120mm rear exhaust fan is dead silent. Those three are non-PWM though. I'd like to replace them with something I can control.

You can use DC control for your 3pin fans from your motherboard.

Are you using the stock case fans?

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/
Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

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1 minute ago, WoodenMarker said:

You can use DC control for your 3pin fans from your motherboard.

Are you using the stock case fans?

No they're not stock. It was a little while ago but IIRC, the two front fans are AF140's and the rear fan is an AF120.

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Just now, vano411 said:

No they're not stock. It was a little while ago but IIRC, the two front fans are AF140's and the rear fan is an AF120.

Which variant of the AF120/140 are you referring to? There are several. 

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/
Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

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Just now, WoodenMarker said:

Which variant of the AF120/140 are you referring to? There are several. 

I dug up my old shopping list. Front fans are SP140 LED fans. Rear fan is the AF120 Quiet Edition.

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Just now, vano411 said:

I dug up my old shopping list. Front fans are SP140 LED fans. Rear fan is the AF120 Quiet Edition.

If those are quiet enough, there are plenty of fans that would work just fine. 

Hyperborea's would be a good replacement for your rad fans: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/gD9KHx/rosewill-case-fan-rocf11003

If you want to replace the front SP140 LED's with something quieter as well, PW2's are great: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4GsKHx/be-quiet-case-fan-bl047

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/
Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

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5 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

If those are quiet enough, there are plenty of fans that would work just fine. 

Hyperborea's would be a good replacement for your rad fans: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/gD9KHx/rosewill-case-fan-rocf11003

If you want to replace the front SP140 LED's with something quieter as well, PW2's are great: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4GsKHx/be-quiet-case-fan-bl047

I will look into those. Thanks for the advice!

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10 hours ago, vano411 said:

What do you mean by fill them up?

put fans in them

Im mostly on discord now and you can find me on my profile

 

My Build: Xeon 2630L V, RX 560 2gb, 8gb ddr4 1866, EVGA 450BV 

My Laptop #1: i3-5020U, 8gb of DDR3, Intel HD 5500

 

 

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A little update on my results to hopefully help some people out.

 

- I removed the AIO and replaced it with the Be Quiet! Dark Rock 3

- I got five additional Be Quiet! Pure Wings 2 PWM fans - three 120mm and two 140mm

- I put the 140mm fans up front taking air in

- I put two 120mm fans on top, exhausting air out

- I put one 120mm fan in the rear taking air in.

 

The case has a dust filter up front but I put another filter on the rear intake.

 

Results:

- Positive pressure. I made sure that all the little vents and holes are blowing air out, not in. The only air coming in is being filtered. Should dramatically reduce dust build-up.

- DEAD SILENCE! I cannot believe how quiet this thing is. I used SpeedFan to set all six fans to 100% and still couldn't hear a damn thing, even from inches away. It's astonishing.

- Temperatures went up slightly. 1 or 2 degrees hotter at idle and 5-6 degrees hotter at full load. My PC and I can live with that.

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