Panaflo: how much quieter?

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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Vegita
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Panaflo: how much quieter?

Post by Vegita » Wed Dec 24, 2003 10:41 am

I've just got my quiet PC and I love it... but like many of you on here, I'd like to make it quieter if I can.

My case came with a single "generic" case fan. I was thinking of replacing it with a panaflo, but I'm wondering how much quieter it will be. Can anyone tell the difference between a panaflo and a generic case fan from a distance of a few feet?

Is it ok to stick my finger in to stop the fan to hear the difference and noise it produces?

lenny
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Re: Panaflo: how much quieter?

Post by lenny » Wed Dec 24, 2003 11:10 am

Vegita wrote:My case came with a single "generic" case fan. I was thinking of replacing it with a panaflo, but I'm wondering how much quieter it will be. Can anyone tell the difference between a panaflo and a generic case fan from a distance of a few feet?
Without knowing the specs of your generic case fan, the answer is "probably". The 80mm L1A has lower airflow than most fans, and is quieter than most fans at the same airflow.

Does your case has restrictive grills? Getting rid of them would also result in much improvement. The typical stamped grills not only reduce airflow, they also create turbulence.
Vegita wrote:Is it ok to stick my finger in to stop the fan to hear the difference and noise it produces?
Might be safer to use something soft like a piece of packing foam (so as not to damage fan blade or finger). Or you can press on the hub.

Sam Williams
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Post by Sam Williams » Wed Dec 24, 2003 3:19 pm

I once put a finger between the blades of a spinning fan, and three of the blades sheared straight off at high speed. The finger was fine, but it's definitely not to be recommended!

Zyzzyx
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Post by Zyzzyx » Wed Dec 24, 2003 3:23 pm

I've also managed to slice my fingertip a couple times (yeah, I learn slow) on a Panaflow at 12v. Them suckers have some sharp edged blades compared to most generic fans.

engseng
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Post by engseng » Thu Dec 25, 2003 10:24 pm

Are you people actually crazy enough to put your finger between the blades??!

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Post by SometimesWarrior » Thu Dec 25, 2003 10:55 pm

engseng wrote:Are you people actually crazy enough to put your finger between the blades??!
I did it once with a Thermaltake Dragon Orb. It's called eXtreme Silencing, and it's awesome.

@Vegita: before you go out and buy a new fan, first try cutting out the restrictive grills like lenny suggested, then try under-volting the fan you already have. You should only spend money on something as a last resort. ;)

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Post by Zyzzyx » Fri Dec 26, 2003 12:17 am

engseng wrote:Are you people actually crazy enough to put your finger between the blades??!
Actually, if you approach the blades very slowly, buzz them a bit, and then stop them, its about the least jarring method I've found of stopping fans. The couple times I managed to nick my finger I was working in the computer while it was on, and my fingers 'found' the spinning fan blades.

Haven't learned too much, I'll still poke around sometimes while the computer is on.

Vegita
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Post by Vegita » Fri Dec 26, 2003 2:02 am

SometimesWarrior wrote:
engseng wrote:Are you people actually crazy enough to put your finger between the blades??!
I did it once with a Thermaltake Dragon Orb. It's called eXtreme Silencing, and it's awesome.

@Vegita: before you go out and buy a new fan, first try cutting out the restrictive grills like lenny suggested, then try under-volting the fan you already have. You should only spend money on something as a last resort. ;)
I'm not sure how good of a job I'd do at this, and how ugly the case would be afterwards... so I'm not sure. I think the fan isn't too expensive anyways.

And on a good note, I enabled the acoustic management on my Maxtor, and the loud ripping-velcro seek noise has no resided into a soft a... can't find an adjective, but it's much, much, much softer. :lol:

SometimesWarrior
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Post by SometimesWarrior » Fri Dec 26, 2003 7:50 am

Vegita wrote:I'm not sure how good of a job I'd do at this, and how ugly the case would be afterwards... so I'm not sure. I think the fan isn't too expensive anyways.
True, it does take a bit of work to make a clean cut. You have to pull all the electronics out of the case, cut carefully, file, and vacuum thoroughly, which can take hours. The result is nice, though: take a look at Katana's Mean Machine. Removing the fan grills will improve both the noise and the airflow, no matter what fan you're using, so it can be a worthwhile project.

I have to be honest; I removed my fan grills by yanking on them with needlenose pliers, since I'm way too impatient to do a good job. The snarled remains of the fan grill protrude like gruesomely misaligned teeth. My case is ugly and dangerous. It bites anyone that tries to pick it up. Except me, of course: it loves me.
And on a good note, I enabled the acoustic management on my Maxtor, and the loud ripping-velcro seek noise has no resided into a soft a... can't find an adjective, but it's much, much, much softer. :lol:
LOL!

Vegita
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Post by Vegita » Fri Dec 26, 2003 1:54 pm

OMG. After some careful testing (with my finger), the case fan was not found to be the loudest remaining source of noise. IT'S THE RADEON 9800 PRO!!!

I stopped the fan for a couple of seconds, and it is indeed, by a huge factor, the largest source of noise.

I might need to look into purchasing the Zalman heatpipe and fan for it...

al bundy
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Post by al bundy » Sat Dec 27, 2003 4:06 am

Vegita wrote:OMG. After some careful testing (with my finger), the case fan was not found to be the loudest remaining source of noise. IT'S THE RADEON 9800 PRO!!!

I stopped the fan for a couple of seconds, and it is indeed, by a huge factor, the largest source of noise.

I might need to look into purchasing the Zalman heatpipe and fan for it...
And the cycle continues.

8)

AzN jonzOrz
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Post by AzN jonzOrz » Sat Dec 27, 2003 10:51 am

SometimesWarrior wrote:
Vegita wrote:I'm not sure how good of a job I'd do at this, and how ugly the case would be afterwards... so I'm not sure. I think the fan isn't too expensive anyways.
True, it does take a bit of work to make a clean cut. You have to pull all the electronics out of the case, cut carefully, file, and vacuum thoroughly, which can take hours. The result is nice, though: take a look at Katana's Mean Machine. Removing the fan grills will improve both the noise and the airflow, no matter what fan you're using, so it can be a worthwhile project.

I have to be honest; I removed my fan grills by yanking on them with needlenose pliers, since I'm way too impatient to do a good job. The snarled remains of the fan grill protrude like gruesomely misaligned teeth. My case is ugly and dangerous. It bites anyone that tries to pick it up. Except me, of course: it loves me.
And on a good note, I enabled the acoustic management on my Maxtor, and the loud ripping-velcro seek noise has no resided into a soft a... can't find an adjective, but it's much, much, much softer. :lol:
LOL!
Ha ha i did the same thing with the pliers and stuff...i didn't take out any of my components and just twisted those grills on my case and psu until they fell off. Don't know if it produced any shavings but my comp still works!!! :D

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Post by Gooserider » Sat Dec 27, 2003 8:50 pm

If you have existing fan grills, it is possible to remove them without dis-assembling the case if you can just use a pair of diagonal cutters, or a tin snip to cut the bits of metal around the outer edge. However, as noted it does leave ugliness.

A tinsnip carefully used probably wouldn't be to bad though, and it certainly saves work.

It is of course best to remove grilles before doing the rest of the build so that you can use a file or emery to clean up the cuts without endangering the electronics.

Gooserider

lenny
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Post by lenny » Sat Dec 27, 2003 10:50 pm

Vegita wrote:OMG. After some careful testing (with my finger), the case fan was not found to be the loudest remaining source of noise. IT'S THE RADEON 9800 PRO!!!
Sounds (pun unintended) like a job for the Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer... it may not be silent, but it's quiet and should cool better than the heatpipe.

Vegita
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Post by Vegita » Sat Dec 27, 2003 11:03 pm

I came to the same conclusion and ordered it.

Any guidelines for me, this being the first heatsink to be installed myself.

Check this thread:
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=9123

Thanks.

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