Noctua Fans

Marky · 9 Feb 2016 at 10:59

Hey all,

I'm about ready to hit the buy button for my build. Just not sure which fans I should use. Here is my build as it stands:

CPU: Intel 6600K OEM
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151
Memory: Kingston FURY 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB SSD
Graphics Card: Asus GTX 970 Strix
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W

I'm looking to build a powerful, yet silent PC. I will be overclocking the CPU and GPU as much as I can with air cooling.

I understand the case comes with two fans included, however I am looking at replacing them with Noctua fans to further silence the PC. However, there are so many different Noctua fans to choose from, I don't know which I need. I've seen that OcUK does a 3 fan bundle here, would this be what I need?

My plan is to put two 140mm fans in the front intake and then one 140mm fan in the exhaust at the rear.

I am a total newb when it comes to airflow, so if you feel there is a better method please let me know! Ultimately, I want it to be as quiet as possible. It would be great if I could have the fans spin up during load, but slow down when idle or low use - I'm not sure how this would work, but I've read briefly about "Fan Curves"? Educate me please

Furthermore, the GPU fan doesn't move when idle, and I think the PSU fan doesn't move when not too stressed... We shall see...

Any advice would be great

Marky

Bantu · 9 Feb 2016 at 15:06

Good choices throughout.

This will depend on the surrounding noise, but my experience has been excellent with the fans provided with the R5 case. I have 1 intake and 1 exhaust fan at the moment, both linked to the built in "fan controller" (more like a 3 way switch, low,medium,high) that is in the case. When they are on high if i strain to hear them, i can, but it is not anywhere near noticeable.

I would suggest you hold off on buying extra case fans and see how you go..

danoliver1 · 9 Feb 2016 at 15:43

I have kept my r5 fans and added another 140mm in the front using the built in fan controller on low and medium they are silent becoming slightly audable when in high mode. The noctua fans on my d15 are very similar becoming audable over 1000rpm. I use low mode when surfing and switch to high mode when gaming at which point the gpu fans and cpu fans all ramp up so i can hear them but not to the point of being too loud.

danoliver1 · 9 Feb 2016 at 15:46

Your spec looks good but i would swap the d14 for the newer d15 (you get two fans with it) maybe put one of those fans in the front.

Marky · 9 Feb 2016 at 15:51

Bantu said:
Good choices throughout.

This will depend on the surrounding noise, but my experience has been excellent with the fans provided with the R5 case. I have 1 intake and 1 exhaust fan at the moment, both linked to the built in "fan controller" (more like a 3 way switch, low,medium,high) that is in the case. When they are on high if i strain to hear them, i can, but it is not anywhere near noticeable.

I would suggest you hold off on buying extra case fans and see how you go..

Thanks!

It's good to hear from someone who has the R5 - I'm happy to hear about the fans being quiet, and I think you're right, I'll wait until I've built it before I make my decision on the Noctua fans (Especially considering their price...).

Do you just connect all case fans to the fan controller, and then the controller to the motherboard fan connection?

danoliver1 said:
I have kept my r5 fans and added another 140mm in the front using the built in fan controller on low and medium they are silent becoming slightly audable when in high mode. The noctua fans on my d15 are very similar becoming audable over 1000rpm. I use low mode when surfing and switch to high mode when gaming at which point the gpu fans and cpu fans all ramp up so i can hear them but not to the point of being too loud.

How do you alter the fan speeds on the CPU Fan? Do you have to use the BIOS or is there a program for that?

danoliver1 said:
Your spec looks good but i would swap the d14 for the newer d15 (you get two fans with it) maybe put one of those fans in the front.

The D14 - As far as I know - Also comes with two fans. I was planning on using both on the CPU as well as I will be overclocking the CPU.

danoliver1 · 9 Feb 2016 at 15:57

Marky said:
Thanks! It's good to hear from someone who has the R5 - I'm happy to hear about the fans being quiet, and I think you're right, I'll wait until I've built it before I make my decision on the Noctua fans (Especially considering their price...).

Do you just connect all case fans to the fan controller, and then the controller to the motherboard fan connection?

How do you alter the fan speeds on the CPU Fan? Do you have to use the BIOS or is there a program for that?

The D14 - As far as I know - Also comes with two fans. I was planning on using both on the CPU as well as I will be overclocking the CPU.

You can control the cpu fan in either the bios or using a program you get with your motherboard.
The case fans all go into the fan controller no need to attatch to the motherboard then fan controller needs power via sata cable.

Disco_P · 9 Feb 2016 at 17:03

I no longer highly rate Noctua fans. You are paying for the brand and the beige brown colours. Other fan companies have caught up hugely with more basic fans that are just as good performance to noise.

I replaced my assorted Noctuas that I collected over the years and bought 8 FQ121WC fans. At the same RPM they were just as quiet and temps actually dropped. Plus I made some money.

killianzz · 9 Feb 2016 at 19:57

I can't help you hugely but I can say that your psu is an excellent choice. I used one recently in a tiny mitx powerhouse build and it is silent (even though I am using it as an exhaust in a hot case). I am also pulling a lot more power through it (i7 6700k and gtx 980ti overclocked).

Marky · 10 Feb 2016 at 11:23

danoliver1 said:
You can control the cpu fan in either the bios or using a program you get with your motherboard.
The case fans all go into the fan controller no need to attatch to the motherboard then fan controller needs power via sata cable.

Perfect! Thanks

Disco_P said:
I no longer highly rate Noctua fans. You are paying ... for the beige brown colours.

I promise you... I am not paying for the horrible beige brown colours

killianzz said:
I can't help you hugely but I can say that your psu is an excellent choice. I used one recently in a tiny mitx powerhouse build and it is silent (even though I am using it as an exhaust in a hot case). I am also pulling a lot more power through it (i7 6700k and gtx 980ti overclocked).

Thanks

That's good to hear!

Marky · 12 Feb 2016 at 23:37

Bantu said:
Good choices throughout.

This will depend on the surrounding noise, but my experience has been excellent with the fans provided with the R5 case. I have 1 intake and 1 exhaust fan at the moment, both linked to the built in "fan controller" (more like a 3 way switch, low,medium,high) that is in the case. When they are on high if i strain to hear them, i can, but it is not anywhere near noticeable.

I would suggest you hold off on buying extra case fans and see how you go..

Just a quick update... I completed my build this evening - So glad you steered me away from buying the fans straight away. Really impressed with the Fractal Design fans that come with the case! I currently have them set to "Low" and the PC is literally inaudible, and it's only about a metre away from me

Haven't stress tested it yet, but at the moment, I don't plan on even buying a second fan for the intake like I originally thought I would! Very cool