Fan Selection

[JimiP]

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to decide which fans to purchase for my Lian-Li PC B25B case. I haven't received the case yet but I know I'll want to change them out once I do. Basically I'm looking for the best maximum airflow with the lowest noise levels. I'm stuck between two fans.

Noctua's NF-P12 (54.3CFM/19dbA), and SilenX's iXtrema Pro (90CFM/18dbA). Now, I realize that the SilenX fan has the better ratio... however, I'm not very familiar with that company. Do they create solid, quality products? I've heard many good things of Noctua, and I'm really leaning towards purchasing their product but if the SilenX is as good as it's airflow/noise level ratio then I might have to change my mind.

Just an FYI, I'll be using two as front intakes and one for rear exhaust. I hope to hear back from somebody soon as I'm planning on making the decision tonight. Thanks in advance!

-EDIT-

After reading some reviews on FrozenCPU.com, I have come to the conclusion that I will be going with Noctua's NF-P12. Reviewers have stated that the SilenX fans only come to about 60% of the 90CFM they are rated at, and that even if they were to achieve the 90CFM, it wouldn't be at 18dbA. It would seem as though I gave my hopes up - haha

 

[RallyMaster]

There is no way a 90 cfm fan can be operating at 18 dBA unless you're deaf. SilenX's ratings are almost always wrong and this is definitely one of them.
Noctua fans don't move very much air if you have restriction. They should not be used for exhaust fans because the way they designed the blades was not intended for pushing air out of a case. And these Noctua fans are expensive as hell. $20 for a fan? Please...I can buy 4 fans for that much money...

And speaking of those 4 for $20 fans: Yate Loon D12SL-12 Put those on 7V and they'll be pretty much silent or you can run them at full speed and I'll doubt you'll hear much more than the air flowing through the case.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

are yate loon's blade design better for exhaust or for intake/heatsinks?

 

[JimiP]

Originally posted by: RallyMaster
There is no way a 90 cfm fan can be operating at 18 dBA unless you're deaf. SilenX's ratings are almost always wrong and this is definitely one of them.
Noctua fans don't move very much air if you have restriction. They should not be used for exhaust fans because the way they designed the blades was not intended for pushing air out of a case. And these Noctua fans are expensive as hell. $20 for a fan? Please...I can buy 4 fans for that much money...

And speaking of those 4 for $20 fans: Yate Loon D12SL-12 Put those on 7V and they'll be pretty much silent or you can run them at full speed and I'll doubt you'll hear much more than the air flowing through the case.

I'm not sure I see how the Yate-Loon would compare to the NF-P12 in terms of CFM and dBA. As it states at PTS, it moves less air and is louder. Also, Noctua states that their NF-P12 is really designed for cases and heatsinks that have limited ventilation.

It's hard to know who to believe! I've heard good things about Yate-Loon fans as well but the rating on the fan you linked to just doesn't SEEM very appealing. Unless there is something I don't know about it, in which most cases is true.

 

[Zepper]

SilenX are on the "used food" lists at most of the techie forums.

Yate Loon (and most sleeve bearing fans) aren't particularly well suited for heat sink or radiator use. Case intake or exhaust is their forte as long as there is low restriction. IIRC, the medium speed unit did fairly well in the restricted test. Check the fan reviews in the Air Cooling section in the http://www.XtremeSystems.org forums - they give good tables that compare unrestricted (free air) and restricted (heat sink or radiator) performances for many popular fans. A 3rd installment is due any time (some teaser info was posted in the last few days). XS gives the performance point of view. Check the fan reviews on http://www.silentpcreview.com for the noise freaks perspective.

.bh.

 

[RallyMaster]

Originally posted by: JimiP

Originally posted by: RallyMaster
There is no way a 90 cfm fan can be operating at 18 dBA unless you're deaf. SilenX's ratings are almost always wrong and this is definitely one of them.
Noctua fans don't move very much air if you have restriction. They should not be used for exhaust fans because the way they designed the blades was not intended for pushing air out of a case. And these Noctua fans are expensive as hell. $20 for a fan? Please...I can buy 4 fans for that much money...

And speaking of those 4 for $20 fans: Yate Loon D12SL-12 Put those on 7V and they'll be pretty much silent or you can run them at full speed and I'll doubt you'll hear much more than the air flowing through the case.

I'm not sure I see how the Yate-Loon would compare to the NF-P12 in terms of CFM and dBA. As it states at PTS, it moves less air and is louder. Also, Noctua states that their NF-P12 is really designed for cases and heatsinks that have limited ventilation.

It's hard to know who to believe! I've heard good things about Yate-Loon fans as well but the rating on the fan you linked to just doesn't SEEM very appealing. Unless there is something I don't know about it, in which most cases is true.

I've used Yate Loons for almost a year and I have not had any complaints about noise or the lack of airflow. You'll find many companies use Yate Loons in their power supplies and Nexus uses Yate Loons for their supposed low noise fans. IMO the performance on those fans are excellent for the price.