Advice for top case fans 500R

Hi, I just bought the Carbide 500R, and have just started putting things together. There are mounting locations for 2 120mm or 2 140mm fans in the top of the case. I would assume 140mm fans would move more air and would be quieter. I would like a quiet fan, preferably with blue led's. What fans would you recommend?

I was thinking about the AF140 x2, but found Amazon had the AF120 in a 2 pack that was a decent price. I have their Amazon Prime, so would have free 2 day shipping. From the few reviews I have read, both of these seem to be good fans. I would want the quiet version. How much difference would there be with 2 120's or 2 140's?

Huge difference. The 140s will (quietly) move more than 50% more air than the 120s.

Thanks, I kind of figured that would be the case. So another question about the 500R, while looking at it today, it appears there would be space on the top side of the cutout to mount the fans. Is that true? or do they have to be mounted from the inside of the case?

I have a 500R, and there certainly is room for two 120 or 140mm fans on the "top side of the cutout" as you put it. I use two 140mm fans in that area and it works fine. The top, removable vent grill fits in place with the fans there fine. The grill is a bit close to the fans for my tastes, but that is not unusual for top case fans.

 

You could put a H100's radiator in that top area, and have the fans underneath it. In that situation, the clearance can be tight, particularly with the eight pin mother board power cable, but the case was clearly designed for that configuration.

 

I prefer 140mm fans in the top, because when using 120mm fans, the opening for the fans is not completely covered by those fans. IMO air could be sucked down through that space, and compromise the air flow through the case. You could rig up some flat plastic to block the open space, or even use wide tape, but that's not pretty.

 

If you care about a quiet PC, you will want to consider how to control the speed of the top fans, or use extra quiet fans. The 500R is not configured to control the top fans speed. Quiet fans can be connected directly to the power supply, and run at full speed constantly. Or you could use your mother board fan headers, depending on the boards fan speed control software.

 

It's nice to be able to configure the fans in a case perfectly the first time you assemble it, but that is not easy to do.

Thank you, Parsec. That is a huge relief, as I just finished installing everything, and I was not looking forward to trying to install fans on the "inside" of the top cutout. ;):

 

I love this case!! It was easy to work with, I love the wire management, and the drive bays are awesome! I thought the Antec 1200 I used 4 years ago was easy...this one is much easier!

Great, thank you. While no case is perfect, the cable management design of this case is one of the best I've used.

 

I don't want to ruin your happiness with the 500R, but if you can, test the front panel USB 3.0 ports. Even if your mother board only has USB 2.0 connections. Some owners of this case, including me, have had problems with the front panel USB ports. That would mainly be with USB flash drives. Since you did not add your system details, I have no idea what parts you are using.

So far the two usb ports on the front are working, but I only have an old usb keyboard and mouse hooked to them, while i get windows installed. They are usb 2.0 I would assume. But they are working fine.

 

My build is using the Asus P8Z77-V LK mobo with the i5 3570k, 8gb RAM, an SSD and HD, an Nvidia GTX 670 FTW and a Cooler Master Hyper 212+ cpu cooler; and of course the Corsair Carbide 500R and Corsair TX750 psu. I really wish now that I had bought the modular psu instead...oh well.

Glad they're working for you. I assume you are using the adapter to connect the front panel USB 3.0 ports plug to a USB 2.0 header on your board.

 

Does your board have a USB 3.0 header for the front panel ports?

I used the USB header cable that was installed in the case, and hooked it to the USB 3.0 header on the motherboard. I have the USB 2/3 adapter cable, but am not using it. I plan to get a USB 3.0 flashdrive soon, and will be curious to check the front ports with it.

Ok, another stupid question (I am full of them...;):), but I was just looking at the case, and pictures of the AF 140, and the cord does not look long enough to get to open chassis fan connector. Do they come with an adapter to plug direct into a line from the power supply? Do you have to buy something in addition? And I realize this entire topic probably should have been in the cooling forum, but at first I thought it was more related to the case....sorry.

was just about to say get Corsair AF quiet edition fans until you said you wanted LED fans.

Ok, another stupid question (I am full of them...;):), but I was just looking at the case, and pictures of the AF 140, and the cord does not look long enough to get to open chassis fan connector. Do they come with an adapter to plug direct into a line from the power supply? Do you have to buy something in addition?

 

You're correct, the cable is pretty short. I have one for my rear intake and there was only one header it would reach. There is no molex adapter included. You will need an extender cable or a molex adapter. Either are readily available from Newegg or Performance-PCs.com for a few dollars.

If it's not too late, take a look at the Gelid Wing 14 UV. I have two on the top and used another to replace the stock exhaust. Best fans I have ever bought. They move a HUGE amount of air, are extremely quiet, very long sleeved cables, very long life and the impellers can be removed for cleaning or of you need to access the top of the motherboard. Having agonised over which fans to buy I am extremely pleased with these and will use them from now on. I've put them on the inside as you can see here.

 

 

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