Ditch my Thermaltake Monster for...

Beeralbion · 29 Jun 2006 at 12:28

Hello,

I've had my Thermaltake Xaser III for a few years now. I used to love the look of it when I first bought it but now it's just an eyesore in my room!

It does have a ton of space inside which I really like but it also has 7x80mm case fans which makes the whole thing just roar.

Im looking for a new case to replace this old beast. Ideally I would like 120mm fans front and back and possibly another fan somewhere near the graphics card as my 6800GT gets a lil hot sometimes when OCed (unless this causes too much noise?)

In a nutshell I would like super quiet, super cooling and super looks. Easy right...?

Any guidance greatly appreciated!

Beeralbion · 29 Jun 2006 at 13:12

Budget wise im prepared to go up to £100. To be honest I'm after something quality that will last several upgrades so i'd rather spend more and get something that is good as opposed to buying cheap and cheerful regularly!

Beeralbion · 29 Jun 2006 at 13:18

I've had a look at the Lian-Li PC7+ and it has the 2X120mm fans I would like (spec says 1x120 + 1x80mm - but other topics mention it ships with 2x120mm?)

Would this provide enough airflow past my HDDs and on to the VGA card?

I have 3 HDDs which have a tendancy to block everything especially if the case is not particularly roomy. Is there a case which perhaps has 2x120mm in the front? Although I assume this would just amp up the noise again...

I need a happy medium!

Beeralbion · 29 Jun 2006 at 13:27

Aha! superb! that is exactly what I have. 2x Raptors in Raid and a big fat drive to store junk!

I guess I have a winner then. Thanks for the input peeps!

Beeralbion · 29 Jun 2006 at 13:44

Now i'm torn between the aluminium and the black finish! Altho with my beige DVD-RW I guess it would suit the aluminium slightly better than black!

Beeralbion · 29 Jun 2006 at 15:28

To those of you who already have the Lian-Li PC7+

I've spoken OCUK and they cannot guarantee that if I bought the case from them that it would have 2x120mm fans.

Now the question is: Does the case allow for 2x120mm but not supply 2x?

I already have 1x120mm fan which could replace the 80mm but it would need the correct fittings to support it I guess?

Essentially if i bought the version with 1x120mm + 1x80mm could I replace the 80mm without too much fuss?

Beeralbion · 29 Jun 2006 at 15:41

Maybe after the last 9 months they have thought that it's time to shift the old stock... that would be just my luck! Hence why I was wondering if my current 120mm would be able to replace the 80mm.

If they had 100% stock of Rev.2 then they would advertise as such. So there is always a chance

doh

Beeralbion · 29 Jun 2006 at 21:39

Yewen,

On a side note, what is the pretty blue lcd screen thingy that you have in the V1000+?? I need whatever it is!!!

Beeralbion · 4 Jul 2006 at 10:31

The Lian-Li PC7 arrived yesterday from OcUK and it had the 2x120mm fan bays that I hoped for! yay!

Looks really nice and everything fits in just perfect. The whole machine sounds even louder than before though!!!!! aaaaarrrghhhh!!!

I can't seem to pick out exactly where the noise is coming from when I poke my head into the case.

Components that may be noisy:

- 2x120mm Fans (I have exchanged one of the statdard fans for an Akasa amber already)
- PSU - Tagan 480-U22
- CPU - Zalman CNPS9500-LED Aero Flower (set to slowest speed)
- GPU - Zalman VF700-CU
- 2x WD 75Gb Raptors

Apart from those items I cannot think what else might be causing noise. My first instinct is to blame the Raptors but i'm no expert!

Anyone have the same problem?? any ideas how to easily quiet things down?

Thanks for all your help chaps! much appreciated!

Beeralbion · 5 Jul 2006 at 09:56

Yewen said:
Ok, simple one to start list to start with.

1) Is it fan noise or does it go away when you press the side panels in?

2) Unplug the power for your raptors and boot up, is it now better? (plug back in after)

3) Unplug the Ambers and see if that stops the noise?

Three things I would start with, all are VERY easy to sort out.

Ok I unplugged everything and one by one put them all back on.

It appears that there is a low vibration noise eminating from the two Raptors. This is then accompanied by a higher pitch noise from both the 120mm fans (although it is more air-rush through the vents I think)

So im guessing i need to get something to reduce the HDD vibration and maybe get the fans to run at a lower RPM?

Beeralbion · 5 Jul 2006 at 11:52

Whilst browsing the OcUK site I found the OcUK Silentmaxx Aluminium Hard Drive Enclosure . Has anyone used one of these? Are they actually any good? They mention they reduce hard drive noise by over 95% but does that include vibration noise?

The volt modding is interesting for the fans but none of them have the Molex connectors. They both have 3-pin power.

I have the Lian-Li case fan temp/rpm controller installed but I don't think you can specify what RPM to run at? it just displayes the RPM?

Beeralbion · 5 Jul 2006 at 14:50

I think mine is more noticeable as its in my bedroom and I use it for movies etc, so everytime there is a quiet scene I suddenly become very aware of the pc noise!

Maybe i'm just too fussy?? I only ever get to compare it to my office pc which is a bog standard Dell which doesnt need any high-end components and cooling fans the size of dustbin lids!