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Are Panaflos 120mm L1A ***really*** quiet?

V

VBboy

Diamond Member
I looked at the specs, I read whatever reviews I could find, but still..

I ask, are the Low-Output Panaflos, L1A, 120mm, actually quiet? It's one thing what it says on paper, and totally different what happens in actual usage. Before buying 3 of these (will mod a Chenbro Genie), I want to know just how loud these things are...

Feedback, links, comments -- all highly appreciated and will save me time, money and frustration.

Specs: 68.9 cfm. 30.0 dba. 2.16 watt
 
this site SideWinder Fan Noise allows you to listen to their fans. They don't offer panaflos, but they do have other 30db fans and the such.


If you don't have a rheobus, baybus, or digidoc...this is the perfect opportunity and reason to get one. Or better yet, build one.
 
Uh, no 5 or 7v mod trick with this fan. I have one, not only will it not start at 7v, it won't keep going at 7v even after you start it at 12.
 
The low RPM of the 120mm fan blade brings the pitch of the noise down so although it's audible, it's not unpleasant. I had a couple of the old-school Panaflo 120mm L1A with the aluminum frames and they would start and run at 7 volts, but maybe the newer ones don't, judging by what McCarthy says. 🙁 Another option would be a Baybus, or a Digital Doc 5 set to auto-regulate your case temperature by switching the front fans on and off as needed.

Really, if you want to use 120mm fans, it's not going to be easy to find anything quieter than a Panaflo L1A. There is a special version of L1A which uses a "ring-cage" design that reduces turbulence and noise, and you can find them at Digikey. You can go to www.digikey.com and search for "fbl fan," then filter for 12V 120mm models. Or here is a direct link to the ring-cage 120mm L1A. Oh, and here are some photos of what the ring-cage design looks like: Ring-cage 80mm fan as an example.

I have a couple of the ring-cage L1A 60mm on Alpha PAL6035's, cooling a couple of P3's. They are definitely unique-looking. They also have mounting flanges on only one face (the label side) so be aware that if you choose this type, you might need to find some metric 5 x 0.8mm bolts about 40-45mm long at the hardware store (this size/threading will thread right into the plastic).
 
Ya... they are VERY VERY quite and bring in ALOT ALOT of air, i have one on the top of my case, it is realy wicked
 
I run my main rig in a Chenbro Junior case, and I started it out with 2 120mm Panaflo L1As. I'm a little sensitive to noise, but I thought they were too loud. I guess it's not necessarily that they were loud, they just made a weird noise that I hadn't heard from fans before (it almost sounded like they were running on dry bearings). I eventually replaced them with Deltas because I decided that I didn't want quiet anymore. If you want quiet 120mm fans, your best bet would probably be L1As attached to a rheobus, or the Papst fans, if you have a lot of money to blow.
 
I have two 120mm L1As on a pcmods variable baybus... 12 Volts, yes, a deep sounding whirr... I've adjusted the voltage to somewhere around 9 volts or so and they're silent but pull air great at that speed.
 
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