Fan Decisions / Discussion

[fastamdman]

Hey guys I wanted to make this thread to help me and others decide on what fans we should use.

I am looking for 120mm fans that move A LOT of air, but aren't loud. The quieter the better but I want them to be able to keep my cpu / other components cool.

A few of the fans that I have been looking at are the scythe slip stream.

Judging by this link.
http://www.coolerguys.com/slipstream120.html

It shows the 1,900 rpm fan blowing 110.31CFM at 37dBA.

I can't find anything that blows that much air at lower dBA, or anything higher at lower/reasonable dBA.

Please link some fans and give me some opinions/options of high cfm flowing fans that aren't annoyingly loud lol.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/

 

[birthdaymonkey]

The Slipstream 1900s are loud.

Generally there's a strong relationship between CFM, RPMs and noise for fans of a given size. Premium fans might do a little better than inexpensive ones at the RPM range they're designed for, but it's not going to be a night and day difference. Manufacturer published CFM and sound levels are dubious. You can generally compare different models within the same series, but they don't really give you an objective measure of performance or allow you to compare between different model ranges or, especially, manufacturers.

Nevertheless, the Slipstream series is highly regarded, and you can get excellent performance at reasonable noise levels for a good price with one of the lower speed models. Unless you're the kind of person who isn't bothered by fan noise at all (they sound a bit like an airplane propeller), I don't recommend the 1900 RPM ones.

I also like Nexus and Noctua products, but they're a little bit pricier.

 

[nitromullet]

I'm with birthdaymonkey on this. IMO, anything over 1600RPM is loud. Really, anything over 1200-1300 is pushing it.

 

[Nemesis 1]

Were using these on all are New builds now . Nice fans and unlike what others think inside the case they look great.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/14...m_PWM_Fan.html

 

[birthdaymonkey]

Were using these on all are New builds now . Nice fans and unlike what others think inside the case they look great.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/14...m_PWM_Fan.html

Oh neato. I didn't know that product existed. Is it the same as the P12, except with PWM?

 

[Nemesis 1]

No its not. Froozen cpu has them Coming . I bought all the ones that one vender had on hand . 30 . I still need 10 more for the machines we need to get out the door . But Rads are holding me up also . I just ordered an Aqua modular 360 copper . At the time I ordered I needed 4. But the day befor I ordered they showed none in stock . So I was a little shy about the whole thing . I recieved order confirmation but NO ship date . So now I am glad I didn't order 3 as I doubt any were on hand . Performance PC pulled this sort of thing on me befor. (I didn't order rads from performance . I posted a link the other day showing stock thats were I ordered)

Wife got her Aquas threw Robert when he got back from over seas . Ding gang should have had him bring more . But we were clueless as to how they performed and stayed away from bigger purchase.

 

[Nemesis 1]

The Slipstream 1900s are loud.

Generally there's a strong relationship between CFM, RPMs and noise for fans of a given size. Premium fans might do a little better than inexpensive ones at the RPM range they're designed for, but it's not going to be a night and day difference. Manufacturer published CFM and sound levels are dubious. You can generally compare different models within the same series, but they don't really give you an objective measure of performance or allow you to compare between different model ranges or, especially, manufacturers.

Nevertheless, the Slipstream series is highly regarded, and you can get excellent performance at reasonable noise levels for a good price with one of the lower speed models. Unless you're the kind of person who isn't bothered by fan noise at all (they sound a bit like an airplane propeller), I don't recommend the 1900 RPM ones.

I also like Nexus and Noctua products, but they're a little bit pricier.

What you said can be true depends on how close fan blades are to rad fins were much of the noise is created . I like about3/4" but 1/2" isn't bad at all. Spreads the air out more evenly.

 

[ehume]

@fastamdman - you haven't said what you want this fan to do.

First things first: never believe a brand seller's specs. A manufacturer must be honest because the customer -- another industrial concern -- can test the fans and raise heck and demand money if they don't meet spec. Consumers don't usually have the testing equipment for that.

The Slip Stream 1900 rpm does not put out as much air as a San Ace 9G1212H1011. Yet the latter is rated at "only" 99 cfm and runs at 2500 rpm, where the Slip Stream 1900 rpm supposedly pushes 110 cfm. Also, the SS-1900 is noisy.

Once upon a time I compared 65 fans on a Megahalems. The SS-1900 is there.

If you're needing a rad fan, look here.

For a case fan I recommend either a SS-800 or and SS-1200. You also can't go wrong with a Gentle Typhoon AP-12 (800 rpm; my favorite for front intake fan), AP-13 (1150 rpm) and AP-14 (1450 rpm). These are quiet fans.

But I recommend 140mm fans wherever they will fit. You can get 140mm fans with 120mm screw holes. The TY-140 is the best -- and it's PWM to boot. My top intake is a TY-140 that gets the same PWM signal as my cpu heatsink fans. That way they all spin down at idle, and spin up at load.

A 140mm fan will fill a 120x120mm square fan opening. A 120mm fan will take less than 78% of that window, usually much less.

But a fan is not just a fan. You need to consider what you want to do with it before you start thinking about which fan to get.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

What you said can be true depends on how close fan blades are to rad fins were much of the noise is created . I like about3/4" but 1/2" isn't bad at all. Spreads the air out more evenly.

I was talking more about unrestricted fan performance/noise. While there's a serious difference between a $2 fan and a $20 fan, the difference can be hard to detect between a $10 fan and a $20 fan that are the same size and move the same CFM.

How different models perform when they're up against radiators or heatsinks, as you say, really depends on the fin configuration and other factors like static pressure. My current favourites for that application are the NF-P12s, which I actually found to perform better than the vaunted GT 1850s in my system. I'm tempted to order one of these F12s once they're available in Canada...even though I don't really NEED any fans at the moment.

 

[ehume]

Actually, the fan I bought for $2 holds its own against other fans. Amazing, really. In my later tests I included it as a reality check against fans that cost literally ten times as much, and more.

 

[Nemesis 1]

I am sitting on a bunch of Lian Li 140 case fans . Don't know what I will do with them . Never been run.

 

[ehume]

I am sitting on a bunch of Lian Li 140 case fans . Don't know what I will do with them . Never been run.

I've got one. Won't run it except to compare it to other fans. Never seen a company with such great cases and such lousy fans.

 

[aigomorla]

fans are broken into 2 sections..

1. just moving air ie.. the open air fan... attached to the rear of your case.. or the front without a filter. These just move air...

2. Static fan... this are the ones u need for heat sinks + radiators.

Specify which family u need.

 

[jsedlak]

fans are broken into 2 sections..

1. just moving air ie.. the open air fan... attached to the rear of your case.. or the front without a filter. These just move air...

2. Static fan... this are the ones u need for heat sinks + radiators.

Specify which family u need.

Care to explain a little more about what the difference between these two is?