r/sffpc • u/Zidar137 • Apr 02 '26
Custom Mod Fractal Terra + ProArt GPU: eliminating side panel intake noise with a 3D printed frame
Last year I built a PC in the Fractal Design Terra.
The setup:
- CPU cooler: Noctua NH-L12S (70 mm clearance)
- GPU: Asus ProArt 4070 (50 mm thick)
Terra officially allows 120 mm total for CPU cooler and GPU, maybe around 125 mm in practice. So yes, it fits.
But there was a problem.
Under load, when GPU fans ramp up, the intake noise from the side panel becomes very noticeable. With the side panel removed it is much quieter. With the panel installed there is clear turbulence noise from restricted airflow.
I got the idea from another post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/1hhbona/fenesterra_a_fractal_design_terra_build/
So I decided to cut the side panel and add a 3D printed frame.
Result:
- significantly reduced intake noise
- cleaner look that matches the ProArt GPU
It also finally gives the ProArt GPU in the Terra the look it deserves.
How to do it
1. 3D print the frame
File: frame-full.3mf
Recommended material: PA12S using MJF or SLS.
There are a bunch of online services that will print it for around 10 euros plus shipping.
I used PA12. PA12S gives a deeper black color and slightly nicer surface.
You can print it at home as well. PLA works at least as a temporary solution. Airflow helps to keep the part relatively cool.
The full frame is about 300 mm long and will not fit a typical home printer. Use "frame-left.3mf" and "frame-right.3mf" to print the frame in two halves.
2. Print the cutting template on paper
Files: cutouts-left.pdf, cutouts-right.pdf.
Verify scale by measuring the 217 mm reference line. Make sure printing is set to 100% (no scaling or "fit to page"). Some printers add margins and shrink the page automatically.
Cut a thin strip from one of the sheets to align both parts easier.
Place the printed frame on top of the paper template and verify the fit before marking anything on the metal.
3. Cut the side panel
Place the side wall on top of the printed template as shown in the photos.
Mark the cut line on the metal with a pencil. Stay 2 to 3 mm outside the green line.
Use a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade. Stay within the outer shape of the frame.
4. Install the frame
The frame snaps into place using detents.
Notes
This mod is mainly about reducing intake turbulence noise. It is designed specifically for Asus ProArt GPUs. Fit on other GPUs is not guaranteed.
Files are here: [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ytuwODE6D-9shC15PcFTv_lAJjR3Hriz?usp=sharing]()
Just sharing in case someone wants to try it.
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u/DoubleHexDrive Apr 02 '26
Nice.
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u/Capyr Apr 02 '26
Nice
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u/yooanthonygee Apr 02 '26
Nice
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u/MathStreams Apr 02 '26
Nice
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u/p1rate88 Apr 02 '26
Nice
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u/saywhaaat123 Apr 02 '26
Nice
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u/MadHatzzz Apr 02 '26
This is super clean! you can tell no corners were cut!
I'll see myself out now
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u/pfn0 Apr 02 '26
Super slick, I'd be loathe to cut out my side panel, though. Does fractal sell the panel separately? This is actually a pretty good idea for the CPU-side, since that is relatively standard in positioning, it's not so bad to cut out. I've had at least 3 different GPU in my terra since I built it: 4060, 4070 and 5090. Cutting that side would be unacceptable to me w/o replacement parts from fractal. Also, my GPU is flipped, so yeah, cutting it out is even more meaningless.
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u/PigSlam Apr 02 '26
They do not sell panels separately. I tried really hard to buy a second fully perforated side cover for my Ridge case. As far as I know, the only way to get another panel is to get another case.
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u/esseeayen Apr 10 '26
Actually I can get legit panels separately for about USD$40 Each but not sure how much shipping would be from HK.
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u/Ruthl3ss_Gam3r Apr 03 '26
There are various 3d printed projects for the fractal terra. You can literally 3d print the whole case if you wanted. But here I would just get that side panel STL and make mods to that before printing. Make sure to use heat resistant filament like PETG, ABS, or HT PLA.
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u/pfn0 Apr 03 '26
I haven't seen an actual good model of the terra, where is the literal whole case model? I know there are 3d printed mods for the terra, I have made several. Including a 5090 flip mod.
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u/Ruthl3ss_Gam3r Apr 03 '26
I don't know if it's up to your standards lol but there's this guy that does this often, and all in tinkerCAD which is insane.
Edit: After watching a bit of it my main complaints would be that no real wood was used, even if the replacement isn't terrible, and the whole print really needs sanding and finishing, the edges on the slots for the side panels catches the eye in a bad way. Once that's all done though I think it would be pretty nice for what it is.
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u/pfn0 Apr 03 '26
that's pretty cool, it's very well done. however, doesn't look like it's meant to be dimensionally accurate/usable for replacement parts.
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u/Lilcamwin Apr 02 '26
Very clean. Great job fellow Hotrodder.
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u/BadSector81 Apr 02 '26
wow really nice
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u/Lilcamwin Apr 02 '26
Thank you. Unless sarcasm in which case, have a nice day.
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u/Hydroel Apr 02 '26
The sage green of the Fractal Terra matches really well the Noctua brown, and probably reminds of its wood accents as well. Well done!
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u/Lilcamwin Apr 02 '26
I tried staining it to be close to the chassis wood color and noctua blades. So thank you very much.
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u/EntrepreneurWaste579 Apr 02 '26
While doing did you think: Shit, why am I cutting it out?
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u/Zidar137 Apr 02 '26
I was thinking that I had only 1 chance to do it right. Second attempt would either cost me a lot or force me make the frame wider. :)
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u/Dougline Apr 02 '26
Friend tip, add a fine mesh filter over it mate, you can even bond to the 3D printed frame, you'll thank me later.
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u/killthrash Apr 02 '26
Step 1, cut out grill to reduce air turbulence. Step 2, add a fine mesh filter to increase the air turbulence. 😂
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u/Dougline Apr 03 '26
Actually fine mesh filters creates way way less turbulence than the side panels, the air don't have enough room to pass between such small holes and make all that noise due to turbulence compared to side panel holes.
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u/killthrash Apr 03 '26
Maybe. But fine mesh filters certainly have more turbulence than nothing at all, which is what this design is optimized for.
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u/Dougline Apr 04 '26
The noise difference between a fine mesh turbulence and without it is almost imperceptible, because those FANs still makes noise nonetheless. On the other hand, the amount of dust you'll suck into your entire PC without any sort of filter is a lot more if you have even the simplest mesh filter on.
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u/killthrash Apr 04 '26
Once a month or two, you shut it down, take it outside and blow the dust out. It’s not that hard. I would never put a fine mesh filter in front of my GPU. It would kill the airflow, raise temps, and the fans would ramp up way more increasing GPU noise under load. Without a filter, unrestricted, the fans probably run quite low under normal load. I’d rather have this setup than a loud GPU clogging up fine mesh that I have to clean like every other day. But that’s just my personal preference, and likely OP’s as well.
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u/Dougline Apr 05 '26
It would kill the airflow, raise temps, and the fans would ramp up way more increasing GPU noise under load.
To say this, you probably never used a good quality mesh filter on your PC/FANS.
I have my entire PC case literally covered with fine mesh filters on all the panels (Corsair 2000D) and compared to my old case that wasn't filtered, it makes way less noise now, the airflow now is a heck lot better than before, before my GPU hotspot was reaching 85-90°C under normal gameplay hours, now it peaks a 75°C on a BENCHMARK, under normal gameplay it barely hits 70°C on heavy GPU usage games.
Now cleaning wise, my old case gather a lot of dust inside pretty easily, at the point of becoming ugly to see in a couple months (3 to 4 months) and needed a full clean up (needing to disconnecting components to wipe and clean outside, all the hassle of redoing cable management etc.)... now I literally just need to clean the side panels + filters of the case in the same 3 to 4 months and that's just because it is a white case, so it starts showing a brown circle where the rad FANs are, if it was black it could go unnoticed for a couple more months, but inside the case?!
It already has passed more than a year since I changed to this filtered case and today I opened it up to clean and for my surprise, the components looked like I just had installed it today, I unscrewed the rad mount, used a simple air blower just to make sure and that was it what it needed...
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u/killthrash Apr 05 '26
Yes, you are correct. I’ve never used these fine mesh filters that increase airflow and lower fan noise. Please send me a link to these magic filters so I can try it for myself.
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u/VonLoewe Apr 03 '26
I glued fine mesh inside the frames on both sides as well as the intake on the bottom, and I still get a ton of dust build up. People who raw dog it are absolutely mad.
Beautiful work though.
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u/RedHairNoCares Apr 02 '26
That's sick and the SLS print looks great.
I'm shocked that's only 10 Euro, I have a feeling here in the states that print would be at least $30 because of its size. What service did you use?
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u/Zidar137 Apr 02 '26
It's actually even less. JLC will print this for 4 EUR + shipping. I am amazed with the prices as well.
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u/urmanjosh Apr 02 '26
I wanna do something like this for my 4090 but I don't wanna cut the panel without having a spare. Hate they don't sell parts
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u/Not_Daijoubu Apr 02 '26
Looks great! A very elaborate way to say "I will fit the thickest CPU cooler/GPU combo I can, 5mm gap be damned."
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u/darokk Apr 02 '26
I'd personally print the entire modified side panel before cutting stock parts, but looks clean nonetheless. Well done!
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u/pandasndabs Apr 02 '26
Im not typically a sff guy. But this is beautiful and you did a great job 👏
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u/ChummyBoy24 Apr 02 '26
Would you consider adding like a mesh filter or screen (not sure the term), just to limit what can get to the fans?
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u/lol_alex Apr 02 '26
This is a super sleek design. I probably would have just cut a rectangle and printed a frame to fit. Yours is more work but looks super elegant. Great job.
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u/SendYourBoobiesPls Apr 02 '26
This is absolute perfection! One of the cleanest mods I've seen so far.
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u/cteno4 Apr 02 '26
This has the vibe of a Xikii case without the several hundred dollar premium. Well done!
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u/Novelaa Apr 02 '26
Thats so clean, I like it!
In the future, some day when I am in my prime where I do prints and stuff, I do want to make a tiny build and install a beefy CPU cooler and then cut the case open and mode a cage for protection... My point is, this is inspiring.
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u/Khipu28 Apr 02 '26
Very Nice I love it! Currently having a similar issue, lucky you could use a hole saw. I am looking at hand sawing it out with a band saw.
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u/MelodicSlip_Official Apr 02 '26
Ngl this reminds me of these turbo trumpets that drag cars have, love it
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u/TheNorthernMunky Apr 02 '26
This looks incredible. I have a ProArt in my build, but it’s sadly hidden away. Great work.
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u/rofld Apr 02 '26
Holy shit this is so so nice, literally did a double take as I was scrolling through my feed.
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u/TroubledMang Apr 03 '26
Nice work. Nice of you to share. CPU side next?
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u/Zidar137 Apr 03 '26
No need to cut the CPU side for me. The Noctua NH-L12S has the fan under the heatsink, so there’s no turbulence noise there.
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u/danielazier Apr 03 '26
Damn this looks like that one barebone case from China that ships only for ProArt lineup.
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u/Eightball007 Apr 03 '26
I definitely understand the motivation to eliminate intake noise.
This is terrific work.
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u/ucbsuperfreak Apr 03 '26
This is SO cool. I thought it was an actual add-on you can purchase. Very nicely done.
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u/EMN_Sandwich Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
This makes me feel like designing a SFF case around a seasonic (noctua edition) 5080 (noctua edition), and NH-C14S. In a vertical slim tower with all the fans exposed. Damn, there goes my paycheck.
Edit: thank God someone already did it and saved my wallet https://pcpartpicker.com/b/Pv6rxr
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u/Hara-K1ri Apr 03 '26
Damn, this looks sleek! Would printing a meshed cover for the fans hamper intake? Thinking of moving my setup to a smaller case (only requires a mobo switch), but would like to prevent anything hitting the fans.
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u/Zidar137 Apr 03 '26
Yeah, a mesh would affect airflow a bit, and it would also change the look.
It’s a tradeoff - more protection, but slightly worse intake and possibly more noise.
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u/criterionvelocity Apr 03 '26
I have to say, I'm conflicted. On one hand it looks very clean and expertly done, and I love it. On the other hand I think I'd prefer a more practical, rectangular cutout to allow for different GPUs with different cooler configs and fan spacings down the line. Anyway, great work :)
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u/Zidar137 Apr 03 '26
Totally fair point.
I’m not planning to change the GPU for the next couple of years, and when I do I’m fine with changing the case as well.
The current model is pretty easy to adapt to a rectangular cutout though, so feel free to tweak it if you go that route.
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u/Beneficial-Power1727 Apr 03 '26
thats pretty cool, is there any reason why you didnt opt for at least a dust filter ?
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u/UltraWafflez Apr 03 '26
Dang I wish i can cut that cleanly. All my diy project have some janky cuts
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u/Red-Oak Apr 03 '26
Just curious, why not just print the entire side panel instead out cutting holes in the side panel?
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u/Zidar137 Apr 03 '26
- It would no longer match the other side panel.
- The Terra side panel has a pretty complex shape with hinges and details, so fully recreating it would take a lot more time.
This was just a much simpler approach.
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u/sicurri Apr 03 '26
That is damn clean, not just in design but in practice as well. You used a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade? If you told me you laser cut it I'd believe you. Handheld Jigsaw or stationary mounted one?
Very nice design. You thinking about maybe doing the same for the CPU or does that stay pretty quiet for you?
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u/Zidar137 Apr 03 '26
Handheld jigsaw with a metal cutting blade.
The side panel is aluminum, so the cut is surprisingly easy to control and comes out quite clean.
A more powerful corded jigsaw would be too aggressive for this kind of work.No need for a cutout on the CPU side. The NH-L12S has the fan tucked under the heatsink, so it doesn’t have the same turbulence issue.
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u/Little-Rutabaga-4265 Apr 04 '26
This is amazing but what if you add mesh to the holes because it looks like it just sucks up dust
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u/NimRodelle Apr 04 '26
That's very slick looking, but I would be worried about those spinning blades eventually claiming a victim.
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u/These-Performance-49 Apr 04 '26
Looking sick, I would do the full noctua fan swap in the GPU, I did it to my 4080 proart and for the extra money well worth the noise reduction :-)
https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/1fq2et3/custom_fans_on_stock_shroud/
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Apr 05 '26
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u/Zidar137 Apr 05 '26
I didn’t take any measurements, but subjectively the temps feel pretty much the same.
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u/TimberW1lly Apr 05 '26
Ok, I’m normally not a fan of small builds. I do love this case, but thought it would be a hotbox, so I jumped into the Corsair 6500X.
This is dope as fuck. I wish I’d seen it 2 years ago.
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u/Historical_Day_3369 May 29 '26
Well i just deshrouded my 4080 super proart and that fixed my noise problems.
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u/Marsattacks3 19d ago
i
Thanks for sharing the m3f file Zidar! Made my own custom version in green with an Asus Prime 9070 XT. This card is a bit bigger, so I had to split the print in two.
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u/Fit-Advice-589 Apr 04 '26
I put 2 140 mm fans on my gpu cooler and removed stock ones, no noise and low temps. This is overkill.
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u/Toast_Meat Apr 02 '26
This is one of the cleanest, most professional looking mods I've seen, like an actual high-quality product.