Cougar Vortex 120mm PWM??

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
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I found these at Tiger and the Egg. Don't know why I hadn't discovered them earlier, since -- from other threads here -- you all would know I'm "looking for a fan:"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835553006

I thought to myself "113 CFM?!! Less than 20dBA?!! PWM!! 300--thousand hours!!??"

Maybe I jumped too quickly, and I usually order two fans for anything I'm apt to try out -- even if I only need one.

Looking at the cus-reviews, there is a low-rpm motor-noise. The Manufacturer -- in responding to those reviews -- said early last year that "it had been fixed."

Should I be optimistic? I need the throughput, the PWM, the longevity. I wouldn't mind air-turbulence noise, but these are supposed to be "silent." Not what some customers said, though.

I suppose I can test them out of the case before I take the time to remove my NMB-MAT and install the Cougar Vortex . . .

At least you can order them in black instead of orange. Why do I think the manufacturer is goo-gah about Halloween?
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
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Those black Vortex fans are the only 120mm fans that I use. Great fans and definitely push some air.

Do you vary their speed -- thermally or manually? I'm wondering what to expect in the way of noise from the customer reviews. The prevailing consensus is that you can "hear" them, but it's "tolerable." I'll have to wait and see what I get when they're delivered.

You will find threads here recently about "fan sandwiches," and other things. I want to take my single PWM (Akasa Viper 140R) fan off the motherboard with the Swiftech 8W-PWM-SPL, and replace my Panaflo 120x38 exhaust fan (3-pin) with another PWM (the Cougar). Then I can use the port previously occupied by the Panaflo to control a 200mm NZXT.

You can hardly hear the NZXT, but I think it would keep some dust out of the case if it only spins to top-end with CPU temperature. So the idea is to have the Cougar, the Viper and the NZXT all controlled by CPU temperature.

If the CFM airflow of the Cougar is close to its rated spec, then it's only about 10+CFM more powerful than the Panaflo it replaces, and about the same difference with the Akasa fan.

I had a different strategy that would've eliminated the Viper with a 120x38 PWM Delta replacing the Panaflo, but thought it might be a bit extreme. And I'd have to do "ducting" to make it elegant . . .
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,891
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The *&6d&*m dummies at Tiger Direct!!

Look at this!

Scroll to the table of specs:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...FU5cfgodlgcAOQ

It says for airflow: 70.5 ~ 119.8 CFM.

This was the first site I found. I have ordered from them before. Then I ran a search to see if I could find them in a different color -- looking for the model name and code, and found them at the Egg and elsewhere. I reasoned it would take less time to get them from the Egg. But I was too hasty reviewing the specs again at the Egg, since it was the same fan at Tiger. Scroll to the spec table:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835553002


I saw the numbers. But if I read the airflow spec, my eyes were only in focus for the first part of the line. "119.8 CMH" Cubic Meters per Hour.

I'm gonna be sick. This isn't the fan that I need. I'll either have to send them back, or find a way to use them in our other computers.

I just have a vision of the "Default Auto Parts" girl in "Jack Reacher." A total chucklehead. There's a Chucklehead at Tiger Direct.

It was too, damn good . . . to be TRUE!!
 

Freddy1765

Senior member
May 3, 2011
389
1
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I had one of the orange cougars on my 212 Evo, but replaced it with a noctua which is quieter and cpu temps dropped as well. The cougar i had was not quiet, both in terms of motornoise and pwm clicking.
 

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
86
If you want high CFM, you're not going to get low dBA@1m. There are compromises to be made, there.

Though, why are you so concerned with high CFM? Where are these fans being used?
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,891
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If you want high CFM, you're not going to get low dBA@1m. There are compromises to be made, there.

Though, why are you so concerned with high CFM? Where are these fans being used?

Post before yours noted using a Noctua with result of decreased temperatures. I removed the two stock Noctuas from my NH-D14 -- replaced them with an Akasa Viper 140R, and decreased temperatures.

Both the Akasa (PWM) and the case 120x38 exhaust (Panaflo/NMB-MAT) 3-pin have a top-end CFM of ~103. They are both thermally controlled by the motherboard, and that all works fine. I set my fan profiles, and even with gaming -- the temperatures don't cause the RPMs on these fans to exceed maybe 1,500 and 1,000 respectively. Their top-end under extreme load can reach 2,500 and 1,600 respectively.

So under normal-use conditions, there is no noise problem.

The intake fan is a 200mm sidepanel -- also quiet -- powered directly from the PSU. It pushes a rated 166 CFM. I want to thermally control this fan as well, with dual purpose of increasing the fan's longevity and especially reducing Kruft buildup in the case.

If I can replace the Panaflo with a PWM fan, power what will now be two PWM fans from the PSU but still getting PWM signal from the mobo, I can use the 3-pin plug now used for the Panaflo for the larger fan. CPU_FAN and CHA_FAN1 are the two fan ports on my mobo that give reliable thermal response and monitoring.

This is really an "OCD" project -- sort of nit-picky. But, having ordered two $10 Swiftech 8W-PWM-SPL-ST PWM fan splitters, all I need is the right exhaust fan to replace the Panaflo. The spare splitter will come in hand for my next project. Ideally, for this computer, I want the exhaust fan to have a top-end CFM which just exceeds the Akasa Viper's ~103 CFM.

Thus, under a range up to extreme CPU load and temperatures, the exhaust fan (ducted to draw air primarily through the fins of the NH-D14) -- will promote even better airflow. I have a spare Viper. It would fit the 120mm holes in the case rear, but it's still a 140mm fan. So I'm looking for a 120mm fan with top-end CFM between about 110 and 120CFM. I suppose it would be acceptable for ~105 CFM, but we're talking about the top-end under extreme load, so slightly more is better across the entire range. . . .
 

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
86
You're not going to get the rated CFM from any of the fans. Pushing into or pulling out of the case is not like the silly scenarios where they measure CFM rating. Industrial fans typically have a multipage datasheets detailing how they perform under various known controlled non-ideal (but experimentally repeatable and standardized) scenarios.

Some given 90 CFM rated fan might actually pull more air from your case than one rated for 110 CFM. Compare temps and RPMs in fan reviews, for well-measured examples of this in action, inside PCs.

With the big side intake, though, have you considered removing exhaust fans, and seeing how temps do? They might be just as good, without all the bits of the fan in the way of the exhaust vent itself :p.
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,891
1,554
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You're not going to get the rated CFM from any of the fans. Pushing into or pulling out of the case is not like the silly scenarios where they measure CFM rating. Industrial fans typically have a multipage datasheets detailing how they perform under various known controlled non-ideal (but experimentally repeatable and standardized) scenarios.

Some given 90 CFM rated fan might actually pull more air from your case than one rated for 110 CFM. Compare temps and RPMs in fan reviews, for well-measured examples of this in action, inside PCs.

With the big side intake, though, have you considered removing exhaust fans, and seeing how temps do? They might be just as good, without all the bits of the fan in the way of the exhaust vent itself :p.

That's a thought, except that forcing all exhaust air through the dual-tower D14 only improves performance. It would likely work to some degree, if the gap between the towers is ducted to keep any significant pre-exhaust airflow from mixing more with case interior air. In any event -- that's how I would do it, based on experience I had with bygone projects.

The Viper 140R fan actually serves as such a duct between the towers. And like I said, replacing the two Noctuas with the single Akasa dropped my load temperatures 5C.

Another possible configuration has a single case exhaust, a ducted D14 cooler, and the large side-panel fan.

Someone somewhere mentioned "taping off" the narrower edges of a tower cooler. In the ducting equation, duct "walls" might do this. But with significant internal case pressurization, a single exhaust fan would be drawing air from three sides of one tower if ported to the tower's rear fins. Having a center fan like the Viper does much the same thing with the other tower, forcing air to the exhaust side.

I understand what you say about CFM ratings. Unless one is prepared to personally measure actual CFMs for a particular case, these numbers are only useful relative to one another, and not as absolute measures. Given the obstructive nature of fan-vents, filters and other aspects, you would only expect the actual CFM to be lower than the rating -- if the rating is indicative of anything.
 
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BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,891
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OK. . . I think I'm establishing a pattern over the last few months with my posts on the forums: I have too much time on my hands!

This nit-picky concern over an exhaust fan has reached what would be a "budget limit." Like the Lucas film "THX-1138" and the budget limit for pursuing the main character, I should just break off with this.

I COULD get myself a DELTA AFB1212SHE-PWM fan, connect it to the Swiftech splitter, set the fan profile to top-end below 3,000 rpms, and cable the 200mm fan to CHA_FAN1 for "total thermal control."

Ya'll will say I'm crazy, of course . . .

I could also take the money and get one of those METRO ED-500 air dusters ($140 at Newegg!!!).

Mmmm. . . . live and learn . . . This also speaks to better "project planning" from the beginning.

No noise, plenty of airflow, lowest load temperatures.

Why do I do these things? o_O

I've got so many fiberglass AC filters, I should just filter the intake fans!
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,891
1,554
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Three posts in sequence. Can't tell if this has more general interest for you other members. And some of my posts seem more like a "personal journal" of problem-solving.

Woke up today; started poking around the web again.

I'm usually not deterred by the need for some "mods." Other folks? Maybe.

Here's what I'm going to do, and I'm not going to buy the $25 DELTA AFB1212SHE-PWM fan to do it!

I could post a picture or diagram, but anyone interested should be able to construct it in their mind's eye.

My "pusher-puller" fan for the NH-D14 is one of these:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...WM_Fan_w_Hydro_Dynamic_Bearings_AK-FN073.html

I want to replace my 3-pin Panaflo 120x38 exhaust fan with a PWM fan like the Viper.

So . . . here's a 140mm fan that could do the trick (wait-a-minute and I'll explain!):

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...WM_Fan_w_Hydro_Dynamic_Bearings_AK-FN063.html

But the case exhaust vent is 120mm -- therefore:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...120mm_Slim_Profile_Fan_Adapter_-_UV_Blue.html

I'll install the adapter to the case with rubber rivets, after securing it to the square Viper fan with nylon screws and nuts. In fact, I can then duct the Viper to the back of the D14 with a 140x25mm fan shroud from a defunct fan I was prepared to throw away. I'll just snip out the fan motor at the shroud for the throw-away fan and secure the shroud to the other side of the square viper with more nylon screws and nuts.

The 140mm square Viper has exactly the airflow spec I want: more than the Panaflo. How the reduction with the adapter will restrict airflow, I can't exactly say. But I would then have two PWM fans to run off a Swiftech 8W-PWM-SPL-ST splitter.

I would then only connect one 3-pin fan to the motherboard for thermal control: my 200mm NZXT 0.70A unit. The PWMs are controlled from the PWM CPU_FAN header but powered from the PSU.

And the Viper fans taken together should produce less noise at load than the Panaflo by itself.
 
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