Wrong fan-setup?! Annoying "clicking" sound on one of the fans?

[winterwonderland]

Well with the fan in / out issue settled once and for all, make sure that bottom fan is flipped. As was installed pushing air down, many fans will slide along the shaft and take off like a helicopter. They can only go a mm or 2 but as it rises and falls it can create a clicking sound. If used as in intake the 'equal and opposite' reaction will keep the fan in bottom position.

The tube thing works...as does a directional sound meter. But you can take out the GFX card and see if it stops or just stop w/ ya finger ... may need to push it to restart. Same thing with any fans on the CPU. For PSY, disconnect your 24 pin and EPX cables from MoBo as well as cable to GFX vards. Then to the paperclip thing on the 24 pin ...

https://www.wikihow.com/Check-a-Power-Supply

This will start the PSU and not the system

Thanks for the tips, J!

here is an overview of my pc and fan-setup:
1) top + rear fans:
https://ibb.co/gKM90L
2) top of the case:
https://ibb.co/b4XGfL
3) underside of the case:
https://ibb.co/fNLrEf
4) bottom + front fans:
https://ibb.co/mDdNLL

I will go ahead and update my specs with my current PSU as well (corsair vs550). I need a better one with more SATA-connections... any ideas or should i make a new thread about it? im also not sure if it's the regular vs550 or v2/v3 that i got: https://ibb.co/ihdmFV

The problem with the clicking sound is that it doesn't happen ALL the time... it can go HOURS before the clicking sound occurs. but now i have put the pc on top my desk, so i will try to use a tube to listen where it actually comes from...

 

[qubit]

I think there's a certain irony in seeing quality Noctua case fans, but only the cheap and nasty Intel cooler and fan on the CPU. Definitely worth investing in something better.

I've not read the whole thread, but if you've not found the source of the clicking sound, it could well be that Intel fan making the noise. Remember that many hard drives will also make an audible clicking noise from head seeks, but of course the sound will be irregular.

 

[Vayra86]

Thanks for the tips, J!

here is an overview of my pc and fan-setup:
1) top + rear fans:
https://ibb.co/gKM90L
2) top of the case:
https://ibb.co/b4XGfL
3) underside of the case:
https://ibb.co/fNLrEf
4) bottom + front fans:
https://ibb.co/mDdNLL

I will go ahead and update my specs with my current PSU as well (corsair vs550). I need a better one with more SATA-connections... any ideas or should i make a new thread about it? im also not sure if it's the regular vs550 or v2/v3 that i got: https://ibb.co/ihdmFV

The problem with the clicking sound is that it doesn't happen ALL the time... it can go HOURS before the clicking sound occurs. but now i have put the pc on top my desk, so i will try to use a tube to listen where it actually comes from...

That fan setup is horribly wrong. Pick one airflow direction and place in- and outtakes in that one direction. Not four at the same time... The bottom and top fans should just go, add them to the front if possible, or remove them altogether and keep as replacements when another breaks.

What you've got now is mostly turbulence inside and the guarantee that you are sucking in the maximum amount of dust because you don't have positive pressure in the case. And dust is going to increase temps more readily than bad airflow. Someone said 'flip the bottom fan' earlier, but honestly, its a pointless fan to begin with. Even when used as intake, it will disrupt the airflow from the front fans, and if the airflow direction is bottom > top, half your system won't benefit from it.

Here's some evidence that you can cool a high end rig with just a few fans (my rig)

3x120mm in at very low RPM, and 1x140 outtake at the back. Done. 2x120 is already sufficient for front. Due to the positive pressure in the case, it is also not susceptible to drawing in dust, not even through the opened backside. All the other ports have filters - another cheap fix for that mess of yours (you can buy filter material and cut to size for a few bucks)...

This rig's been spinning for almost a year now, still looks nearly pristine on the inside.

 

[winterwonderland]

That fan setup is horribly wrong. Pick one airflow direction and place in- and outtakes in that one direction. Not four at the same time... The bottom and top fans should just go, add them to the front if possible, or remove them altogether and keep as replacements when another breaks.

What you've got now is mostly turbulence inside and the guarantee that you are sucking in the maximum amount of dust because you don't have positive pressure in the case. And dust is going to increase temps more readily than bad airflow. Someone said 'flip the bottom fan' earlier, but honestly, its a pointless fan to begin with. Even when used as intake, it will disrupt the airflow from the front fans, and if the airflow direction is bottom > top, half your system won't benefit from it.

Here's some evidence that you can cool a high end rig with just a few fans (my rig)

3x120mm in at very low RPM, and 1x140 outtake at the back. Done. 2x120 is already sufficient for front. Due to the positive pressure in the case, it is also not susceptible to drawing in dust, not even through the opened backside. All the other ports have filters - another cheap fix for that mess of yours (you can buy filter material and cut to size for a few bucks)...

This rig's been spinning for almost a year now, still looks nearly pristine on the inside.

View attachment 110987

Wohaaa. that's an elaborate post. thanks for that. i've never understood the bottom fan either, tbh, seeing that would create an "X-flow" of air. i will remove the top and bottom one, place the 140mm on the back (which is currently on the top, i believe) and... which is better? 2x120 in the front and 1x140 in the back or opposite? 1 fan as a reserve sounds like a plan, indeed. the front and back fans, are they at least facing correct direction, or?

Im also planning to order a new cpu-fan. that way i can have the current stock cooler as backup. some suggested Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo... any good?

 

[Vayra86]

2x 120 front 1x 140 back is best, because you have an HDD cage in front which will partially block the bottom front fan's airflow.

The holes in your case will do the rest when it comes to letting the hot air out. The outtake fan is just there to 'direct' the airflow better, really.

Going off your pictures earlier yes, front and back fans are in the correct direction. The sticker with the fan's data and serial number on it, is always on the exhaust side.

CM Hyper 212 is good bang/buck. You can also have a look at Gelid and Scythe in the same price range; they'll probably be slightly better (more silent / better cooling at lower noise).

One of the most cost effective Gelid offerings:
https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/1211259/gelid-solutions-tranquillo-rev4-version-b.html

Scythe has just released an updated Katana
https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/1264887/scythe-katana-5.html

beQuiet puts emphasis on best in class fans
https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/422022/be-quiet!-pure-rock.html

Or pay 5-6 bucks more and get this, so you can re use it if you upgrade to a more hungry CPU.
https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/887315/gelid-solutions-phantom-black.html

Each one would be better than the 212 for its own reasons.

 

[Solid State Soul ( SSS )]

There will always be a "It never happened to me so it's not real" school of thought. Also the "cheap" adjective eliminates a lot of fans. The cheap ones don't have the extra control ICs that eliminate the PWM sound

PWM click and humming has been well known "feature" of PWM

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9340

https://www.ekwb.com/blog/what-is-pwm-and-how-does-it-work/



Newer designs, even MoBo utilities, incorporate ramp up and down times. For my build, I ramp the fans up rather quickly in response to rising temps but ramp it down over some 90 - 150 seconds to remove latent heat from coolant. Because of newer fan designs the problem has become less and less over the years. However now we can use PWM fan control PCBs to power less expensive 3 pin fans for less cost and eliminating any PWM noise issues.... the proverbial "best of both" worlds".

Anyone interested in the topic can use a search engine for plenty of descriptions, mitigation measures etc.

https://www.google.com/search?q=pwm+noise&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

https://www.instructables.com/topics/How-to-eliminate-PWM-noise-at-slow-speeds-when-usi/
http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9340

http://educypedia.karadimov.info/library/00771b.pdf



There's also a hum that is sometimes at low speeds caused with EMI related ...

https://forum.duet3d.com/topic/3590/pwm-fan-noise

I haven't experienced it personally in 10 - 12 years... but we stopped using PWM about 5 years ago. Before that, it was just a matter of either using the right fan or using ones with the "bump" in the cable which had the "thingy" (it's a technical term), that eliminates the noise. You'll see it dsicussed mosatkly on water cooling forums where folks are running a number of rads, oft in push / pull where the mind set is more fans running at lower rpm than less fans running at higher rpms. You are certainly not going to see it on a CLC with fans at extreme speeds. These days, you generally have to get down to 300 - 450 rpm.

As for fan orientation....

front = Intake
rear = exhaust
bottom = intake
top = it depends

If you have 1.3 (Im an anal about cleaning my fan filters kinda guy) to 1.5 (I'm kinda lax in cleaning filters) times as many intakes as exhaust, then top fans can be exhaust. If you ignore this....

a) You will have negative case pressure. and no, dust is not the big issue here.
b) with neg/pres, air has to get in somewhere ... most often that is thru vented slot covers and those large holes on your rear case grille.
c) You can easily test this w/ a $39 garage band fog machine from Amazon. When you do, exhausting the fog between the wall and your case rear, you case immediately fills up with smoke.
d) when you watch the smoke being sucked in, start thinking about where the air is coming from . It takes a few seconds but then comes the light bulb ... my 300 watt GFX card is exhausting right there .... my 750 watt PSU is exhausting right there. Intake air will follow the path of least resistance.... so it's going to go thru those big vents and holes at the rear a lot easier than it will pass thru your dust clogged air filters.

If you don't have that many intakes, then top fans should be intakes. If you have radiator, rad fans are always always, no exceptions intakes. This is the 2nd law of water cooling... 1st is never mix metals within the loop. Even tho CLC sellers violate the 1st rule, they don't violate the 2nd rule.

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Liquid-Cooling/Digital-Control-and-Monitoring-Liquid-Coolers/Hydro-Series™-H100i-PRO-RGB-Liquid-CPU-Cooler/p/CW-9060033-WW

Page 4, Panel 3...



I liked saying this better when I had Gentle Typhoons on top of the case, and when Id hear what we all learned in 8th grade earth scienc that hot air rises.... no not in a room with a ceiling fan and not in a case when the Typhoons are blowing the other way. If not convinced, spend the $39, grab the fog machine and blow the fog behind ya case ... then watch it fill up with fog. And no, the heat will not get trapped inside... with 2 fans on top, 2 in front blowing in, the elevated pressure inside the case will push out all the hot air inside the case thru the path of least resistance.... those rear grille and slotted covers, taking all the heat out at a rate of around 2 full case vlumes every second.

Think about it this way .... ever use a window fan to cool down a room... do you install both an intake and exhaust fan ? or just use 1 fan and open a window ? Will it be cooler if you use the fan as intake or exhaust ? Neither. Have an exhaust hood over your stove ? Does it have an intake fan ? Well if ya didnt suffocate from lack of oxygen, then an equal amount of air must be entering the kitchen. In any enclosed space, the intake will always equal the exhaust.

You seem to know a lot about fan setups. Say i have a mechify C with super positive air pressure setup 3 front intakes - 3 top intakes - and one exhaust on the rear. Do you think that is fine for positive air pressure and good temps ?

Any downsides about this ?

 

[winterwonderland]

2x 120 front 1x 140 back is best, because you have an HDD cage in front which will partially block the bottom front fan's airflow.

The holes in your case will do the rest when it comes to letting the hot air out. The outtake fan is just there to 'direct' the airflow better, really.

Going off your pictures earlier yes, front and back fans are in the correct direction. The sticker with the fan's data and serial number on it, is always on the exhaust side.

CM Hyper 212 is good bang/buck. You can also have a look at Gelid and Scythe in the same price range; they'll probably be slightly better (more silent / better cooling at lower noise).

One of the most cost effective Gelid offerings:
https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/1211259/gelid-solutions-tranquillo-rev4-version-b.html

Scythe has just released an updated Katana
https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/1264887/scythe-katana-5.html

beQuiet puts emphasis on best in class fans
https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/422022/be-quiet!-pure-rock.html

Or pay 5-6 bucks more and get this, so you can re use it if you upgrade to a more hungry CPU.
https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/887315/gelid-solutions-phantom-black.html

Each one would be better than the 212 for its own reasons.

Crud. There is no room for a 140mm in the back.... what then? :/ just leave the current 120mm in the back and put 2x120 in the front? What about the 140mm fan? Just leave it where it is (on the top) or remove it and save it until i get a new case? Also, if you look at the attached image, will a 120mm fan do any good there at all, or

Also, i like the idea of re-using a cpu cooler, cuz i might wanna upgrade my system later on. However, 1) Gelid Solutions arent available here in the north aka scandinavia. So i'd hve to order it from ebay or so. Same with Katana 5 (tho i did find Katana 4, but that is no good hmm?) Besides, dont those coolers have a 120mm fan? I cannot see such a big fan be able to fit with my current motherboard.. or will it? The beQuiet i did find tho... but that one will not do much good when i upgrade my cpu or? And yes, im very keen on finding a QUIET setup, for sure.

Also, regarding that case of yours.. it looks very spacious and not so cramped.. what sort of Fractal Design is it? And s it a "quiet" case?

Thanks again, and pardon for these zillion Q's of mine...

The front:

 

[Solid State Soul ( SSS )]

Crud. There is no room for a 140mm in the back.... what then? :/ just leave the current 120mm in the back and put 2x120 in the front? What about the 140mm fan? Just leave it where it is (on the top) or remove it and save it until i get a new case?

Also, i like the idea of re-using a cpu cooler, cuz i might wanna upgrade my system later on. However, 1) Gelid Solutions arent available here in the north aka scandinavia. So i'd hve to order it from ebay or so. Same with Katana 5. Besides, dont those coolers have like 120mm fan? I cannot see such a cooler be able to fit with my motherboard.. or will it? The beQuiet i did find tho... but that one will not do much good if i upgrade my cpu or?

Also, regarding that case of yours.. it looks very spacious and not so cramped.. what sort of Fractal Design is it? And s it a "quiet" case?

Thanks again, and pardon for these zillion Q's of mine...

It is the Define C, and yes it is a quiet case. The Mechify C is basically this case but with open design for airflow front and top

 

[Vayra86]

Crud. There is no room for a 140mm in the back.... what then? :/ just leave the current 120mm in the back and put 2x120 in the front? What about the 140mm fan? Just leave it where it is (on the top) or remove it and save it until i get a new case?

Also, i like the idea of re-using a cpu cooler, cuz i might wanna upgrade my system later on. However, 1) Gelid Solutions arent available here in the north aka scandinavia. So i'd hve to order it from ebay or so. Same with Katana 5 (tho i did find Katana 4, but that is no good hmm?) Besides, dont those coolers have a 120mm fan? I cannot see such a big fan be able to fit with my current motherboard.. or will it? The beQuiet i did find tho... but that one will not do much good if i upgrade my cpu or?

Also, regarding that case of yours.. it looks very spacious and not so cramped.. what sort of Fractal Design is it? And s it a "quiet" case?

Thanks again, and pardon for these zillion Q's of mine...

-Case is Fractal Design Define C (TG). Its just a Define R-case, but with the HDD tray area cut off the front. Its basically the most compact full ATX case you can get. I love it. Its not as well sound proofed as the regular Define is. I have an R4 as well and its noticeably more quiet. Blame the tempered glass... the insulation material is missing from that side so its kinda obvious But with the right components, even regular cases can be pretty quiet these days. The most noticeable noise is GPU at full speed, followed by mechanical HDD humming. For the latter the most important quality in a case is its weight and the thickness + rigidness (is that a word) of the materials. Noise from resonance is incredibly annoying.

-Katana 4 is just fine. The differences are not going to be noticeable versus a 5. If you want to spend a bit more, there is the Scythe Mugen as well, which is hands down the best midrange heatsink there is. Great balance for all but the heaviest mainstream CPUs.

-As for cooler height, you can find your case max cooler height in its specs and compare, or you can measure it yourself from the base of the CPU die to the side panel of your case. But most cases will easily fit 130mm height coolers, and many will do 140-150mm too.

-If 140 doesn't fit, use 120. Its a minimal difference. 140 is nice because it can move the same air at lower RPM (I'm a sucker for silence...)

-As for the capacity of coolers, if you want to use the same heatsink, look at dual stack heatsinks. There are many like the Phantom Black I linked, that one is just the cheapest around. Noctua of course has the good ol' NH-D15(s), and in the same range you also have the beQuiet Dark Rock Pro (the one I've got in there). But they cost 2x as much, mostly for quality finish and minor details. And the extra surface and fan in there only really pays off when you push CPUs past 100W, so thats a recent Intel under a nice OC. (These coolers are rated for 200-220W TDPs, but you can take that with a bag of salt / lots of headroom in mind)

It is the Define C, and yes it is a quiet case. The Mechify C is basically this case but with open design for airflow front and top

No, the Meshify has many little sacrifices compared to the Define line. Its in a whole other price range too.

 

[winterwonderland]

-Case is Fractal Design Define C (TG). Its just a Define R-case, but with the HDD tray area cut off the front. Its basically the most compact full ATX case you can get. I love it. Its not as well sound proofed as the regular Define is. I have an R4 as well and its noticeably more quiet. Blame the tempered glass... the insulation material is missing from that side so its kinda obvious But with the right components, even regular cases can be pretty quiet these days. The most noticeable noise is GPU at full speed, followed by mechanical HDD humming. For the latter the most important quality in a case is its weight and the thickness + rigidness (is that a word) of the materials. Noise from resonance is incredibly annoying.

-Katana 4 is just fine. The differences are not going to be noticeable versus a 5. If you want to spend a bit more, there is the Scythe Mugen as well, which is hands down the best midrange heatsink there is. Great balance for all but the heaviest mainstream CPUs.

-As for cooler height, you can find your case max cooler height in its specs and compare, or you can measure it yourself from the base of the CPU die to the side panel of your case. But most cases will easily fit 130mm height coolers, and many will do 140-150mm too.

-If 140 doesn't fit, use 120. Its a minimal difference. 140 is nice because it can move the same air at lower RPM (I'm a sucker for silence...)

-As for the capacity of coolers, if you want to use the same heatsink, look at dual stack heatsinks. There are many like the Phantom Black I linked, that one is just the cheapest around. Noctua of course has the good ol' NH-D15(s), and in the same range you also have the beQuiet Dark Rock Pro (the one I've got in there). But they cost 2x as much, mostly for quality finish and minor details. And the extra surface and fan in there only really pays off when you push CPUs past 100W, so thats a recent Intel under a nice OC. (These coolers are rated for 200-220W TDPs, but you can take that with a bag of salt / lots of headroom in mind).

Great post! Ok. Will put 2x120 front and 1x120 back. Remove the others.

Dual stack heatsinks are mostly around the budget of those 2 you listed, huh? Or are there otyer alternatives that are also quiet, but maybe a little cheaper? Im not that big OC kind of a person, so i will not be fiddling too much with cpu in that regard.. heh.

Actually, Katana 4 seems to be a very afforsable heatsink, thesame with Mugen... but which Mugen is the preferred and more quiet one? Mugen 5 Rev B? PCGH edition? Mugen Max? They are all at same price, more or less.

I think imma go for that Fractal Design C... but.. the regular is without glass while the TG is with glass.. is TG more silent or? I assume the regular one with no glass, hmm? Yes, im a sucker for silence too, for sure!

 

[Vayra86]

Great post! Ok. Will put 2x120 front and 1x120 back. Remove the others.

Dual stack heatsinks are mostly around the budget of those 2 you listed, huh? Or are there otyer alternatives that are also quiet, but maybe a little cheaper?

Actually, Katana 4 seems to be a very afforsable heatsink, thesame with Mugen... but which Mugen is the preferred and more quiet one? Mugen 5 Rev B? PCGH edition? Mugen Max? They are all at same price, more or less.

I think imma go for that Fractal Design C... but.. the regular is without glass while the TG is with glass.. is TG more silent or? Yes, im a sucker for silence too, for sure!

TG = more noise because it has no sound dampening material on the glass panel. But you get to look at how much dust is in there without opening it

Mugen 5 PCGH I believe is the higher performance version of it. Check some reviews, its one Google away

 

[winterwonderland]

TG = more noise because it has no sound dampening material on the glass panel. But you get to look at how much dust is in there without opening it

Mugen 5 PCGH I believe is the higher performance version of it. Check some reviews, its one Google away

So. Regular C would be my choice then. Only €5 more expensive than TG.. hehe. And my current mothrboard etc will fit nicely in that case yes?

It seems like Mugen 5 pcgh is the more quiet one yes. How will that work when i will upgrade my cpu?

 

[Vayra86]

So. Regular C would be my choice then. Only €5 more expensive than TG.. hehe. And my current mothrboard etc will fit nicely in that case yes?

It seems like Mugen 5 pcgh is the more quiet one yes. How will that work when i will upgrade my cpu?

Check the specs and try to figure it out so you won't have to ask on a case-by-case basis. Your motherboard has ATX form factor? So it will fit in any ATX case.

Mugen 5 isn't a dual stack, so if you intend to get a Ryzen 7, or Intel i7 6-8 core CPU at some point, which pull well over 120W when overclocked, it won't be enough. For Ryzen 5 and other Intel CPUs lower than that, it will do fine. How it works, you compare the rated TDP of these CPUs (and add headroom for overclocking if you'd want to) and compare that to the rated TDP of the cooler.

*check my sig, I'm teaching you how to fish

 

[Ruru]

Haven't read the whole thread, but I'd show some steel cutters to that thick honeycomb grill on the rear fan place.. Hell, I've cut those even from Define cases even they're lot less restrictive of airflow.

*check my sig, I'm teaching you how to fish

Teach a man how to lit fire, you'll warm him for one day. Set the man on fire, you'll warm him up for the rest of his lifetime.

 

[Vayra86]

Teach a man how to lit fire, you'll warm him for one day. Set the man on fire, you'll warm him up for the rest of his lifetime.

Pure gold

 

[winterwonderland]

Bwahaha. Great one, Chloe.

Ohh crud. Another problem.. how da frack am i gonna install another fan in the front? No holes available.. or.. there are holes, but not long enough screws to attach the fan with...

 

[Ruru]

If the threads match, you could attach a fan from the bottom holes with short screws? I've done that with AIO radiators.

 

[winterwonderland]

If the threads match, you could attach a fan from the bottom holes with short screws? I've done that with AIO radiators.

Argh what a USELESS crap of a case i have. It is heavy, it is troublesome to open the doors on it, it is not spacious at all, little room for any fans and just a big mess. I hate itttt! *placing an order on fractal design C NOW*

I cannot mount a 2nd fan in the front cuz there are no threads that fits into those small holes. So i guess i am stuck with 2 fans.. 1x120mm in front and 1x120mm in the back...

 

[Ruru]

Argh what a USELESS crap of a case i have. It is heavy, it is troublesome to open the doors on it, it is not spacious at all, little room for any fans and just a big mess. I hate itttt! *placing an order on fractal design C NOW*

I cannot mount a 2nd fan in the front cuz there are no threads that fits into those small holes. So i guess i am stuck with 2 fans.. 1x120mm in front and 1x120mm in the back...

Well, you aren't going wrong with your new case.

 

[winterwonderland]

Well, you aren't going wrong with your new case.

Indeed so. I guess there arent really any better alternatives out there for the price of define C, yes? And i can only mount 2xSATA 3.5 drives in define c, or?

 

[Ruru]

Indeed so. I guess there arent really any better alternatives out there for the price of define C, yes? And i can only mount 2xSATA 3.5 drives in define c, or?

Yup, 2x HDD. Great choice, especially when thinking about for its price.

 

[winterwonderland]

Yup, 2x HDD. Great choice, especially when thinking about for its price.

Ah okay. Yes it does seem to be a good choice indeed. Just that extra hdd space would have been nice. I found another nicely reviewed case: Zalman Z11 Plus (2013 model). It has the exact same price as Define C... but Z11 hosts more hdd space... any thoughts on that, or? Trying to google its silence level, but that wasnt so easy...

 

[Ruru]

Ah okay. Yes it does seem to be a good choice indeed. Just that extra hdd space would have been nice. I found another nicely reviewed case: Zalman Z11 Plus (2013 model). It has the exact same price as Define C... but Z11 hosts more hdd space... any thoughts on that, or? Trying to google its silence level, but that wasnt so easy...

That Zalman is uglier than my third girlfriend..

And I'm 99% sure that the Define is much more well built in quality. Get an external enclosure if you need more HDDs?

 

[Vayra86]

Ah okay. Yes it does seem to be a good choice indeed. Just that extra hdd space would have been nice. I found another nicely reviewed case: Zalman Z11 Plus (2013 model). It has the exact same price as Define C... but Z11 hosts more hdd space... any thoughts on that, or? Trying to google its silence level, but that wasnt so easy...

Always buy a recent model case because you will want to have things like USB 3.0 at some point. The Define C is already not as 'up to date' as you might want, its worth checking for stuff like front panel USB-C for example, if that is something you use or intend to use.

Of course, there is always a back port as well.

 

[winterwonderland]

That Zalman is uglier than my third girlfriend..

And I'm 99% sure that the Define is much more well built in quality. Get an external enclosure if you need more HDDs?

Indeed. It is fugly for sure. Maybe so yes. Looking at the possibilities.

Always buy a recent model case because you will want to have things like USB 3.0 at some point. The Define C is already not as 'up to date' as you might want, its worth checking for stuff like front panel USB-C for example, if that is something you use or intend to use.

Of course, there is always a back port as well.

I'vet yet to use usb-c, actually... cannot say if that is something i need, really. 3.0 is nifty and useful tho, so that'd surely be nice.

Ok. After some googling and reading, i see that Define-series is by far the most smoothest one AND the most budget-friendly too.

So. I take it that Design R6 would be the one to actually go for.. Define C costs €15 less, so i can definitely add the extra €15 if it is worth it? And it is also future-friendly too. Minus the usb-c in the front i guess. Cuz it seems that if i want one with usb-c, i must push the budget well over €100...

So. Define C, R6, S1 or any other alternatives?