Believable Fan Specs?

[CRXican]

I know Panaflo fans are well trusted and I utilize one in a Shuttle. However, as we all know they're plain and black. I'm not looking for bright lights, just something a little different. Hoping to get some input on the following fan:

http://www.jab-tech.com/customer/product.php?productid=2181

I plan on using it in conjunction with an SP-94 heatsink. This Enermax fan claims about 7 more CFM with .7 less DB compared to the following Panaflo fan.

http://www.jab-tech.com/customer/product.php?productid=2001&cat=80&page=1

I'm considering the Enermax because I already have the 120mm version of the same fan that I will use as an exhaust fan on my Antec Lanboy. I would like the fans to match simply for asthetic reasons. Question is are the specs on that Enermax fan believable?

 

[Operandi]

Simple answer: no. Enermax fans are based on fairly cheap Globes. The Sleeve hearing fans are pretty quiet but not very durable or reliable, the bearing fans are more reliable but louder. Bottom line it's hard to find something to approach a Panaflow for noise/reliability/price.

 

[Painman]

I don't buy into the CFM ratings of the fan, but I'd say the dBA ratings are about right. My H1BX Panaflo is distinctly audible at 35.5 dBA - loudest thing in the case. The Enermax fan @ 2250 RPM is actually pretty quiet, can't hear it over anything else running.

 

[Bluefront]

Tell you what....it is almost impossible to compare any fans in any respect, using their listed specs. Noise specs for instance, are totally unreliable, because there is no standard way of measurement that everyone uses. CFM specs are probably the same.

The only really accurate way to compare fans, is to visit a website like Silent PC Review....and see what they have to say about the subject. They consentrate on such things as fans, and you'll get more accurate info there than here at Anandtech.

Concerning "cheap Globe fans"......heh. They have an extremely good reputation for quiet running, with no reliability problems I've ever heard of. Ball bearing fans usually exhibit a nasty chatter noise, and are rarely used in a quiet PC setup.

I use Globe and Yate Loon sleeve bearing fans exclusively.....never had a failure with anyone of them.....

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: Bluefront
Tell you what....it is almost impossible to compare any fans in any respect, using their listed specs. Noise specs for instance, are totally unreliable, because there is no standard way of measurement that everyone uses. CFM specs are probably the same.

The only really accurate way to compare fans, is to visit a website like Silent PC Review....and see what they have to say about the subject. They consentrate on such things as fans, and you'll get more accurate info there than here at Anandtech.

Concerning "cheap Globe fans"......heh. They have an extremely good reputation for quiet running, with no reliability problems I've ever heard of. Ball bearing fans usually exhibit a nasty chatter noise, and are rarely used in a quiet PC setup.

I use Globe and Yate Loon sleeve bearing fans exclusively.....never had a failure with anyone of them.....

Right, by the time the sleeve bearing wears out, you have already built a new computer 😛

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Bluefront

Concerning "cheap Globe fans"......heh. They have an extremely good reputation for quiet running, with no reliability problems I've ever heard of. Ball bearing fans usually exhibit a nasty chatter noise, and are rarely used in a quiet PC setup.

I use Globe and Yate Loon sleeve bearing fans exclusively.....never had a failure with anyone of them.....

That may be true but ball bearing fans are typically more reliable then a sleeve bearings. I think it depends on the RPM of the fan and how much heat it's exposed to, but you generally see ball bearing fan's on higher-end equipment. Sleeve bearing fans on lower-end or in lowest noise possible situations (Yate Loon).

Not all ball bearing fans are loud; my Sanyo Denki is very comparable to my L1A's and every Zalman fan is ball bearing based.

 

[Nessism]

A good rule of thumb is to look at rpm to judge noise; more speed equal more noise. Bearing type and quality is also a factor; sleeve bearings are quieter but are less reliable if you plan to keep the box together for a long time.

If you want to build a quiet rig, get slow moving sleeve bearings fans. For max cooling where noise is less of a concern, get high speed ball bearing fans.

Ed

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Bluefront
Concerning "cheap Globe fans"......heh. They have an extremely good reputation for quiet running, with no reliability problems I've ever heard of. Ball bearing fans usually exhibit a nasty chatter noise, and are rarely used in a quiet PC setup.

Interesting, because although I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "chatter", most of the ball-bearing fans that I've used, just sort of give off a nice white-noise "hum/fuzz" noise. Nothing with any specific characteristics that I could pin down. Sort of like a muffled wind-tunnel in my case.

Originally posted by: Bluefront
I use Globe and Yate Loon sleeve bearing fans exclusively.....never had a failure with anyone of them.....

I used Sunon and NMB ball-bearing fans almost exclusively. 😛

Part of the reason, I guess, is that I've had cheaper sleeve-bearing fans start to break down on me after six months to a year, and then they start exhibiting very irritating noise characteristics, whereas BB fans tend to have nearly identical noise characteristics over their entire lifetime. (Well, I'm not sure how long that is, at least in my applications, I've yet to have a BB fan actually "fail", as long as it was regularly cleaned of dust (every 6-12 mos). I'm sure that there is a quality scale among sleeve-bearing fans as well, and most of the ones that I've had the misfortune to use (usually factory-stock), were not what I would call "high quality" either. I've heard good things about the Yate-Loon fans though.