Coolermaster Elite 335 Case

stormbreaker · 6 Sep 2010 at 21:39

Last year I bought a pre-built system from Overclockers and it's still a brilliant system.

However more recently I have been noticing that it seems to gather dust and muck really easily and the fans make a heck of a lot of noise, especially when gaming. The case is a Coolermaster 335.

Is there a way to keep it dust free and make it silent. The fans in the system currently are the CPU AMD stock cooler, graphics card cooler which I can't seem to adjust the speed of, and the fan at the back of the case which comes with the case.

Also I would like a Window for my PC. Is there a side panel for this case that has a window?

Thanks

Podmonkey · 6 Sep 2010 at 22:24

The graphics card fan can be adjusted with software (I use msi afterburner - there is an ati specific variant but i cant remember the name).

New filters (i.e. http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-043-AK&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=795 ) will help reduce the dust inside the case.

The fans themselves you will need new ones if you wish to reduce the noise (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-003-GD&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=4 would be an example). Other than that you may wish to try sound dampening materials on the inner walls.

The side panel, all I can suggest is to make one yourself to be honest. Its not that hard but will kill off most of the sound dampening from the previous advice.

After all this faffing about and cost, you may aswell buy a newer quieter case anyway and try and sell your current one to recoup some of the money. a Fractal or corsair case would be an example. But all of the other things Ive suggested will go some way to helping you.

stormbreaker · 6 Sep 2010 at 22:40

Thanks.

I'm not sure about taking stuff out of the case and moving it. I think when the time comes to need a new build, I think I will start from scratch and have a go at self build.

You've given the fans as an example, what would be your preference for a fan?

Unfortunately DIY was never a strength of mine but I may have found "somebody" to do this for me.

To get of existing dust shall I buy some compressed air?

Thanks again.

Podmonkey · 6 Sep 2010 at 22:51

If it was silence I was thinking of when buying the fans then most likely the sharkoons - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-006-SH&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=4 although I have a fan controller on the front so it makes it easier to turn them down when not needed reducing the noise even more.

Anything with a 3 pin would be preferable as it means you can use software/controller to alter the speed of the fan to the sound/cooling sweet spot for you, whereas if youve just got it plugged in with a molex then its going to run full all the time.

A can of compressed air is the unsung hero in computing. Essential for maintenance to clean out the case and a quick clear of any filters. Its a must have.

stormbreaker · 6 Sep 2010 at 22:54

The case also has two extra fan slots on the side of the case. Would you know what size these are? Could I buy dust filters here as I think this is a major opening for dust to get in?

Thanks again.

Podmonkey · 6 Sep 2010 at 23:11

Unfortunatly I dont know the size of the side fans - no review/seller/spec list seems to mention them as being fan spaces, just air vents. Maybe try and measure them for width and height and see which specific size fan they correlate too.

Yes its possible to get filters to cover them, the filter I linked is a screw on one but if you are having trouble finding/working out one that fits then magnetic ones are available too. As an opening on its own then it wont be bringing dust in as much as if there was a fan there as its just an open gap and not a constant sucking.

stormbreaker · 6 Sep 2010 at 23:29

OK. Thank you. I have decided to leave the window idea for the time being.

Here's the list I have compiled:

Akasa AK-274CB-4BLS 120mm Blue LED Fan- x2- 1 front and 1 rear.
Dust Off Gaming Gear Compressed Air - 300ml-x1
Akasa Fan Filter - 120mm-x1 as the front has a dust filter.

What do you think?

Should I look at new CPU and graphics card coolers?

Thanks again.

Tealc · 6 Sep 2010 at 23:42

The rear fan will be extractig air from the case and won't need filtering. Those side holes are the highest source of dust ingress.

Those akasa blue fans will probably be quite noisy. Hope you can plug them into your motherboard and retard the speed a bit.

Podmonkey · 6 Sep 2010 at 23:43

The amd stock cooler isnt as bad as intels from what is seen and read but an aftermarket cooler will be quieter and more efficient. If you dont overclock then it will be even quieter as it wont have to work as much. Zalman also offer a fan controller than you connect then cpu cooler too and then into the mobo to alter its speed - turn it down and its as quiet as it can be.

The akasa fan is quite good and has 3 pin so you should be able to turn it down if needed. It isnt built for silence though so you will need to turn it down to get some quetness from it.

GPU coolers are a lot more hassle and should be the last thing you look at changing, especially as you cant swap it over when you get another card like you can with most cpu coolers. They are designed for certain cards - well the good ones are anyway.

The can of air is a great purchase. Aswell as making it cleaner and neater inside, it also frees up the hardware somewhat - freer moving fans and not covering the chips themselves in dust, keeping them cooler which means they dont need to work as hard and get as hot which means they will in general be quieter - depending on just how disty they get (make sure to blow right through the gpu as dust likes to settle right inside it causing havoc).

Edit: Would agree with tealc on the side fans, just get a couple of the magnetic filters, will keep air flowing but will keep the dust out.

stormbreaker · 6 Sep 2010 at 23:58

Tealc said:
The rear fan will be extractig air from the case and won't need filtering. Those side holes are the highest source of dust ingress.

Those akasa blue fans will probably be quite noisy. Hope you can plug them into your motherboard and retard the speed a bit.

Thanks.

Good point. How do I know if my motherboard can handle more fans? What fans do you recommend? What shall I do about the side holes?

stormbreaker · 7 Sep 2010 at 00:05

Podmonkey said:
The amd stock cooler isnt as bad as intels from what is seen and read but an aftermarket cooler will be quieter and more efficient. If you dont overclock then it will be even quieter as it wont have to work as much. Zalman also offer a fan controller than you connect then cpu cooler too and then into the mobo to alter its speed - turn it down and its as quiet as it can be.

Which CPU cooler do you recommend? How do I remove the old thermal paste? Is there a CPU cooler with pre-applied thermal paste as I'm not quite sure about applying it myself? I don't plan to overclock as I am too nervous. I can't find the Zalman fan controller. Where in the motherboard do I plug the fan controller?

Podmonkey said:
The akasa fan is quite good and has 3 pin so you should be able to turn it down if needed. It isnt built for silence though so you will need to turn it down to get some quetness from it.

Your recommendation?

Podmonkey said:
GPU coolers are a lot more hassle and should be the last thing you look at changing, especially as you cant swap it over when you get another card like you can with most cpu coolers. They are designed for certain cards - well the good ones are anyway.

If I were to get rid of my 4870 (oem) how much is it worth? What's the next best step up?

Podmonkey said:
The can of air is a great purchase. Aswell as making it cleaner and neater inside, it also frees up the hardware somewhat - freer moving fans and not covering the chips themselves in dust, keeping them cooler which means they dont need to work as hard and get as hot which means they will in general be quieter - depending on just how disty they get (make sure to blow right through the gpu as dust likes to settle right inside it causing havoc).

Podmonkey said:
Edit: Would agree with tealc on the side fans, just get a couple of the magnetic filters, will keep air flowing but will keep the dust out.

OK.

Thanks again.

Tealc · 7 Sep 2010 at 08:38

stormbreaker said:
Thanks.

Good point. How do I know if my motherboard can handle more fans? What fans do you recommend? What shall I do about the side holes?

Most motherboard can power several fans, however it may not be able to adjust the speed of more than 1. You can buy all sorts of adapters and splitters to power more, or to use the controlled one for multiple fans.

I'd recommend decent fans such as Akasa Apache's, Sharkoon fans, Gelid fans or even Xilence fans as they are reasonably quiet. Anything over 1200rpm needs to be slowed down at idle really.

I'd block the holes up, or at least filter them to prevent unrestricted dust ingress. Mounting a fan and filter could be a solution. I seem to recall that one of the holes has a duct factory fitted, I'm not quite sure what possible benefit that could bring you.

stormbreaker · 7 Sep 2010 at 08:45

OK. Thanks. However thinking about this spending on fans and dust filters, I'm thinking of getting a new case and taking the risk of switching all the equipment over into a new case. I have started another thread about the Coolermaster 430. What do you think to this case?

oLysmoLy · 7 Sep 2010 at 14:53

stormbreaker said:
Last year I bought a pre-built system from Overclockers and it's still a brilliant system.

However more recently I have been noticing that it seems to gather dust and muck really easily and the fans make a heck of a lot of noise, especially when gaming. The case is a Coolermaster 335.

Is there a way to keep it dust free and make it silent. The fans in the system currently are the CPU AMD stock cooler, graphics card cooler which I can't seem to adjust the speed of, and the fan at the back of the case which comes with the case.

Also I would like a Window for my PC. Is there a side panel for this case that has a window?

always make sure your tower has the anit dust layer...its like a plate with holes all over

Thanks

oLysmoLy · 7 Sep 2010 at 15:10

stormbreaker said:
Last year I bought a pre-built system from Overclockers and it's still a brilliant system.

However more recently I have been noticing that it seems to gather dust and muck really easily and the fans make a heck of a lot of noise, especially when gaming. The case is a Coolermaster 335.

Is there a way to keep it dust free and make it silent. The fans in the system currently are the CPU AMD stock cooler, graphics card cooler which I can't seem to adjust the speed of, and the fan at the back of the case which comes with the case.

Also I would like a Window for my PC. Is there a side panel for this case that has a window?

Thanks

simple advise never get prebiuld towers mate