Replacing cpu cooler (and case fans)

[McDoudles]

Hello,

 

this is my first time posting anything on these forums, I hope I'm asking my questions in the right place.^^

 

Recently my pc has been pretty loud. The noise is coming mainly from the cpu fan and even though I cleaned my entire pc, it stays pretty noisy. Now my questions are:

1) Can I just replace the 120mm fan with any other fan, for example a silent wing 3? The mounting of the fan looks like this:

 

2) What fan would be best? A static pressure fan or just an airflow one?

3) How good is the noise level of AiO coolers compared to air cooling? Is there any reason to switch to a cheaper AiO for me, even though air cooling was capable of keeping temperatures low?

 

I'm also planning to replace my 5 year old case. I will probably pick up the fractal define c tg or the nxzt s340 elite.

4) Which case would be better? Again mostly about the noise level, but also about cable management? I heard that the define c is supposed to be better in both, but I like the looks of the s340 elite more ;-/

5) I still have three pure wings 2 120mm left, which are pretty new (6months). Are 140mm ones better (quieter) for the front intake?

 

My specs are:

i5 4670k (OC) -> will upgrade the cpu to the end of the year

ASROCK z87 pro4

8gb ram

Sapphire 580 RX 8gb nitro+

HDD, SSD etc.

 

Thanks for helping me.

 

 

 

[Tiwaz]

3 minutes ago, McDoudles said:

 

nice profile pic

[Guest]

It looks like you could change the fan easily. Just put a bequiet fan in there and you are good to go. Maybe even lock the fan to 1000rpm.

[onlybuilt4cubanxlinx]

You can't go wrong with a NF-P12 from Noctua. Best of both worlds with performance and low noise. Also my air cooler is MUCH quieter than my AIO. 

[LogicalDrm]

You just swap fan. Personally I wouldn't go for AIO if noise is primary thing. Most of air coolers will beat AIOs in noise levels, more so when talking about cheap AIOs. Cheap rarely is good. In anything.

 

As for case. I have had one from both manufacturers, though not those exact models. Personally I would go with FD.

[WoodenMarker]

What cooler are you using? If the fan on your current cooler is a standard 120mm fan, you should be able to replace it with a similar 120mm fan.

All fans have some degree of static pressure and airflow and what's labelled as airflow or static pressure is fairly arbitrary. The ideal fan has as much airflow as possible and enough static pressure to overcome obstructions around it.

Air coolers are generally quieter since they lack a pump and the fans included with AIO's tend to be cheaply made to lower total cost and high rpm for performance.

The Define C TG has a better fit and finish to it but you might as well go for the aesthetic you prefer if that's the main reason for swapping cases. Both are a breeze to build in but the Define C is just that much easier. 

At the same rpm, 140mm PW2's provide a bit more airflow but aren't quieter than 120mm PW2's. They're still good and will make a bigger difference in the S340 Elite since the GP-12 X2's included with the Define C TG are notably better than the FN V2's included with the S340. 

[McDoudles]

Thanks for helping everyone. I did choose the Define C TG. The replacement for the cpu fan fit (pure wings 2). Anyway I ran into an issue with fan controlling after finishing the build: