Fan broke today

[bigboxes]

I've had these rattling sounds come out of my intake case fans for a couple of months. They'd start at start up under low RPMs and then petered out at full RPMs. If I removed the fan filter then there would be no obstruction.

I guess I didn't inspect it well enough. This morning, the sound was pulsing depending on the demand I put on my machine while benching. I took off the fan filter and was pushing the edges of the case fans to see if adjusting them would make the sound go away. I accidentally touched the bottom fan and a fan blade broke off. No more noise. I guess it had been fractured for quite a while. Had never experienced that before.

I'm looking for some recommendations for intake fans. This one came with the case (Antec P280). They were located as top exhaust fans and I mounted them as front intake fans when I installed the AIO Cooler Master Nepton 240M in their place. They are 120mm Antec tri-cool fans. I would like them to be quiet first and move air second. TIA

 

[aigomorla]

budget?

a single fan can cost as much as 7 dollars to 35 dollars according to your spec / wants.

 

[bigboxes]

budget?

a single fan can cost as much as 7 dollars to 35 dollars according to your spec / wants.

I am not looking to cheap out on the fans. Quiet and reliable is my goal. I was looking at the Noctua NF-S12A PWM fan. It's about $20 on Amazon. Is there better?

 

[ClockHound]

For intake, the Noctua NF-P12 PWM can be a better choice than the S12A. Has higher static pressure and is quieter when pulling through a restricted grille/filter - the optional LNA reduces the max speed to 900rpm at 12dB - pretty much inaudible inside a case. The P12 series has one of the best airflow to noise ratios.

Both of these Noctuas are PWM controlled - which is how I control all my intakes, allows a slower (quieter) idle speed than voltage control. However you need either a PWM controller or PWM splitter as most motherboards only support PWM for the CPU fan. At idle the P12 PWM intakes in my case spin at 300rpm and are not audible in my quiet office.

3pin voltage control versions of the P12 and S12A are available. Behind the 280's door, wouldn't expect you could hear the difference between a P12/S12 spinning at 600 vs 300 rpm.

There are other cheaper, quiet intake fan options, (Nexus, TR), but to me the Noctua performance, quality, reliability and support is worth the extra cost.

 

[aigomorla]

What are you going to use this for? Blade Geometry is different for different situations. A turbine bladed fan works better at generating better CFM, but has really poor static. For an rear exhaust fan where it does not have very much restrictions to work out, a turbine type fan would be a better solution, like a slipstream.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2W03013841
Again its a good rear exhaust / open air fan, but turbine fans have horrible static raitings, meaning its not a fan i would use for a radiator, or if i needed them for a heat sink, but an intake or exhaust, you wont get better then a turbine blade.

Id honestly replace your AIO fan and move the existing one to your intake, so i could justify a reason to get a scythe GT.
You wont get a better fan then a Gentle Typhoon Series when it comes to radiators PERIOD.
http://www.amazon.com/Nidec-Gentle-...1145678&sr=1-2&keywords=scythe+gentle+typhoon

So replace your rad fan with the GT, and move the existing fan to your intake...

OR

Wanna ask me why i still use Yate Loons?
http://www.amazon.com/Yate-120mm-Model-D12SL-12-Black/dp/B000CHU9UC

Price... Performance.... Noise.... did i mention Price? :biggrin:

Excellent fans, very quiet, very cheap.... always on the recommended table because of the performance / Price / Noise ratio.

Did i mention yate loon are OEM Nexus fans? :hmm:

 

[bigboxes]

Thanks for the advice. According to Noctua's website the NF-S12A is the quieter and better choice for case ventilation. The NF-F12 is better for heatsinks/radiators. Again, this is according to Noctua's website. Here's a screen cap:

I already have two NF-P12 inside my case just behind the SDD/HDDs to help move air.

The supplied fans for the AIO are great. Never make that much noise and have high static pressure. Link: Silencio FP 120 PWM

On my first build (in 2000) I replaced the stock Cooler Master fans (which were garbage back then) with four Vantec Stealth 80mm case fans in my Cooler Master ATC-200. When I upgraded my Athlon 64 3200+ in 2006 to an X2 4400+ I went with all Yate Loons for my P180. I believe they are still in use in my wife's 7850K rig. In 2009, when I built my i7 920 box I went all Noctua (I love quiet).

So, you see I have a history of using good fans. I just went with the supplied case fans that came with the Antec P280 for the 4790K. I have no problem spending $20-25 for good quiet fans. Let me know if you agree or disagree with Noctua's website. Appreciate the responses so far.

 

[ClockHound]

I still prefer the sound profile of the P12s to the S12A when used for intake. And the P12 will work more efficiently and quietly than the S12 with restrictive intake grille/filters. (Which is what Noctua states about the P12)

Altho...you could use your P12s as intakes get a couple S12As for inside the case. That is a combo I use in one of my systems - P12 intake, S12A inside the case behind the drive cage.

And then you can perform your own P12/S12 shootouts, er, soundouts at will.

The F12 is a bad choice for a case fan. Not my fave cooler fan either. It's not in the same sonic class as the P12/S12. It's sounds obnoxious above 1000rpm - not the usual Noctua smooth.