Antec P280 - Top of case vibrating?

matt.xx

matt.xx

matt.xx

Associate
Joined
14 Dec 2012
Posts
11
Hi All,

I've been lurking here for a while, but this will be my first post!

I'm after a little advice really as I'm experiencing a rather annoying issue with my Antec P280 case.

I'm using the stock fans through the built in fan controller which is set to low and the top of the case is vibrating which is making a really irritating humming sound which can be heard on the other side of the room. I'm afraid it's one of those things where once you know it's there, it drives you mad. Perhaps it wouldn't bother most people, but I'm quite particular about it! The only things that seem to stop this from happening are pressing down on the top of the case or stopping all three fans from spinning.

I've made a quick recording on my phone by holding next to the top grill area (you may have to turn your speakers up): Listen to it on SoundCloud.

Is anyone else experiencing this with their P280?

I was thinking about possibly upgrading the fans, but I'm not sure whether that would actually resolve the problem.

Cheers,

Matt
 
Not really. I can make my right side panel vibrate in a particular position. You sure it's not your side panel? I've had that with pretty much every case I've owned. Some needed to be 'dampened', usually blue tack, or jiggled around a bit.

It's inevitable really, it's just a consequence of their natural resonance. This gets fixed with some form of damping (i.e. hard drives). Maybe try different fan speeds?
 
Thanks for your reply.

No, it's most definitely the top of the case.

I've ordered some Noctua NF-F12 PWM fans and I'll connect them to the MB instead of the Antec fan controller. At least that way I'll have fans which are of a better quality and I'll be able to adjust the speed, should I need to, in order to reduce the vibration. I guess I can try using the Antec fans as front intakes, if that area of the case is more sturdy.

This is my first build with half decent components, so it's all new to me at this stage!

Have you found a CPU cooler that works / fits particularly well with this case?
 
Last edited:
matt.xx said:
Thanks for your reply.

No, it's most definitely the top of the case.

I've ordered some Noctua NF-F12 PWM fans and I'll connect them to the MB instead of the Antec fan controller. At least that way I'll have fans which are of a better quality and I'll be able to adjust the speed, should I need to, in order to reduce the vibration. I guess I can try using the Antec fans as front intakes, if that area of the case is more sturdy.

This is my first build with half decent components, so it's all new to me at this stage!

Have you found a CPU cooler that works / fits particularly well with this case?
Click to expand...

I have a True Spirit 140. Great performance, lousy fan clips. Any Cooler should do really, the TS-140 is over 165 mm, which is taller than most (even the Phantek). I think it's compatible wiht a H100, best double check (even though it's not my thing).

I would have gone with the Phantek PH-TC12DX if it was available at the time. It's actually a small cooler (156 mm), or the Dark Rock Pro 2 (big dual tower cooler).

EDIT : hmm now the TC12DX went up £5. Then a Matterhorn Pure, or one of the big dual towers.
 
I don't have any vibration from my case at all, not like the Bitfenix Ghost I built for my so at the same time, that thing drives me mad.

I use a Bitenix Recon fan controller to control the 3 original fans plus 2 I added to the front and its very very quiet running the fans at about 600rpm.

As for the CPU cooler, Ive got a Phanteks in mine, fits fine and with my case fans does a good job of keeping my 3570K cool at 4.5ghz.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, guys! I'll have a look into the cooler soon. Trying to keep an eye on funds at the moment, seeing as I've spent a small fortune on the three fans.

For those who may be interested to know the result of installing new fans, this seems to have done the trick - No more vibrations. I Installed the top fans with screws as I was getting frustrated with not being able to pull all of the silicone pins through when the fans were right next to each other. I never thought they would be so frustrating!
 
Last edited:
Cool. For coolers, you should really have a wide range of choices, the case doesn't restrict you to anything.

Again, Dark Rock Pro 2, Dark Rock Advanced, ShadowRock Pro are all considered super-quiet. However, apart from the DRP2 that has good raw performance, the quietness is traded off with a weaker performance than other fans.

NH-D14, SilverArrow, Phantek(s), K2 Mount Doom would have similar sort of noise footprint. Basically, whichever is cheapest.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom