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120mm or 80mm Fans

J

JMoore

Senior member
I am building a new computer for myself, and I was wondering if it rlly worth it to look for a case that uses 120mm fans. The last computer I built used 3x 80mm fans and it was rlly loud (the case was alluminum though). I was wondering what you guys think, since most of the cases im finding I like use 80mm fans?
 
It really shouldn't matter. 120mm simplifies things, and should push more air for the noise it produces.
What to really look for is no less than 1mm steel. Vibration dampening on the fan mounts won't hurt either, nor will using Panaflos.
 
Originally posted by: JMoore
I was wondering if it rlly worth it to look for a case that uses 120mm fans. The last computer I built used 3x 80mm fans and it was rlly loud (the case was alluminum though). I was wondering what you guys think, since most of the cases im finding I like use 80mm fans?
Click to expand...

Think about a 120mm fan and an 80mm fan. If you rotate each one turn, the larger fan moves more air just because of the larger size of the blade. So, if both fans run at the same RPM, the larger fan moves more air.

On the other hand, to make the two fans move the same amount of air, the 80mm fan has to rotate at a higher rate, which will make more noise.
So, the 120mm fan can cool as well as an 80mm fan with less noise, or it can cool better if generating the same noise.
 
Last case was an Antec SX630 with 80mm intake/exhaust fans & Antec 300W/80mm fan.Ran a P4 2.26 stock HSF & MSI GF4 4400Ti w/ stock cooling.
New case SLK 3700BQE with 120mm intake/exhaust fans & Antec NeoPower 480W/120mm fan.Running an AMD64 3500 w/ Zalman 7000a CuAl & eVGA 6800GT w/ NV Silencer5.
1 ea. fan for intake/exhaust + PSU fan for both systems.
Both the cases were steel/plastic facing.

My current system is considerably quieter than my previous system.In fact if I have my TV on in the same room I now have to look over to see if my 'puter is actually even runing at all.With my previous system my 'puter actually provoked me to turn up my TV to louder volumes to overcome the 'puters noise levels.Not that my prior system was by any means a racket maker,but the difference is extremely noticable now.I run my TV at 3 levels quiter on the volume bar than before and I still have to look at my 'puters power LED to see if it's really on.
BTW I don't use any type of fan controller or AMD's Cool-n-Quiet.Just plain 100% continous.
So the answer is yes,120mm fans make a very considerable difference in noise levels and also are more efficient at mocing air to boot!
It's beyond me why anybody would even consider a case w/ 80mm fans anymore.
 
120 mm is the better choice, if factors are noise and cooling. Get good 120's though, don't get crap. If you don't buy good stuff, why buy anything at all?
Get Panaflo or Papst. If you're not satisfied, spin them at 7 instead of 12 volt by putting the ground wire @ 5 volts. (12-5 = 7)
 
It's all a matter of moving air. 120 can move the same amount of air as an 80mm at a significantly lower rpm. So, all else being equal, it may also be quieter. Just use a "volume" control 😉 .

.bh.
 
Originally posted by: Subhuman25
I keep seeing people swearing by Panaflo's & Pabst. I opted for Antec Pro's dual BB 120mm's http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=35-129-030&depa=0
They are pretty darn quiet at 29.8 db pushing a whopping 79 CFM.
How do those Panaflos and Pabst' compare?
Click to expand...
Very well. The Papst fans are quieter than the Panaflo Ls...but IMO, why not just undervolt the Panaflo? Panaflo fans tend to be better fot heatsinks than others (static pressure); though for case fans, if it is really that quiet (some manufacturers basically lie), you're good.
 
It's bigger difference than night & day.... 120mm cool better & are more quiet than those pesky 80mm fans....

Regards,
Jose
 
120mm's are definately better. Just finished building my new rig using a Thermaltake Tsunami case which has 2x 120mm fans and its a huge difference from my earlier case which had 2x 80 mm's especially in terms of noise.

I would recommend the Tsunami if you're on the lookout for a new case, coz so far i absolutely love it.

RedE
 
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