Fan sizing adapter kits - comments?

[ToeJam13]

Hello all,

My Lian Li PC-68 case comes with an 80mm CPU exhaust fan. The fan is very loud and is nearing the end of its life.

I would like to replace it with a quiet Panflow 92mm or 120mm unit. However, I was worried that using a fan adapter would cause turbulence within the adapter, canceling any reduction in noise a larger fan has to offer.

Have any of you successfully used an adapter kit? If so, was the fan any louder? Did you use the adapter before the fan (sucking air in) or after the fan (exhausting air our)?

In specific, I was looking at this 80mm to 120mm adapter to connect up this Panflow 120mm L1A unit.

Thanks in advance...

 

[iamtrout]

When you're using adapters always suck the air through the adapter. If you try to push air into the adapter you will get backflow and less efficient cooling. As far as noise, I'm pretty sure sucking the air will be quieter also.

 

[Tiamat]

I cannot recommend such a huge fan conversion. What are your specs? Typically 2x panaflo L1A in front on "Low" and 1x panaflo l1A on exhaust on 12V is good enough for cooling. Especially if you have an efficient psu that doesnt dump much heat into the system.

 

[ToeJam13]

I cannot recommend such a huge fan conversion. What are your specs?

AMD AthlonXP 3200+ Barton CPU
ABit AN7 nForce2-Ultra Mainboard
Mushkin 2x256MB DDR400 2-3-2 Memory
BFG GeForce FX5700Ultra AGP 128MB (stock cooler)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 Plus 200GB UDMA/100 Hard Drive
NEC ND-2500A DVD-RW Drive
Noise Control Silverado HSF (dual 75mm blower fans [35CFM each], aluminum/silver heatsink body)

The case has two front 80mm x 80mm x 25mm intake fans made by Adda (model AD0812MB-A76GL, 2440 RPM, 31.4 CFM, 28.3 dBA) which is controlled by a 3-speed switch. The rear exhaust fan is also 80mm x 80mm x 25mm, however I can not determine the model. The power supply uses a 120mm x 120mm x 25mm fan (22 dBA minimum).

Its the rear exhaust fan that I hate. It is the loudest fan in the case. I am looking to replace it with something that pushes at least 30 CFM while staying below 25dBA. If I underdrive that PanFlow I listed above, I think that will be quite easy to do. I need to replace it regardless because its starting to whine as the bearing is wearing out.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: ToeJam13

I cannot recommend such a huge fan conversion. What are your specs?

AMD AthlonXP 3200+ Barton CPU
ABit AN7 nForce2-Ultra Mainboard
Mushkin 2x256MB DDR400 2-3-2 Memory
BFG GeForce FX5700Ultra AGP 128MB (stock cooler)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 Plus 200GB UDMA/100 Hard Drive
NEC ND-2500A DVD-RW Drive
Noise Control Silverado HSF (dual 75mm blower fans [35CFM each], aluminum/silver heatsink body)

The case has two front 80mm x 80mm x 25mm intake fans made by Adda (model AD0812MB-A76GL, 2440 RPM, 31.4 CFM, 28.3 dBA) which is controlled by a 3-speed switch. The rear exhaust fan is also 80mm x 80mm x 25mm, however I can not determine the model. The power supply uses a 120mm x 120mm x 25mm fan (22 dBA minimum).

Its the rear exhaust fan that I hate. It is the loudest fan in the case. I am looking to replace it with something that pushes at least 30 CFM while staying below 25dBA. If I underdrive that PanFlow I listed above, I think that will be quite easy to do. I need to replace it regardless because its starting to whine as the bearing is wearing out.

Lian Li uses all ADDA fans for that model last I knew. I would still recommend a panaflo L1A as an exhaust in your system. It is probably half as loud as your addas, and moves only 5 cfm less. I would say that is a very nice trade off for noise. Secondly check your heatsink fans. I have never known 70mm fans to be quiet, much less two of them. There is probably nothign you can do for that, unless you buy a new hs.

 

[ToeJam13]

The Silverado when run at 12VDC is rated around ~37 dBA@3300RPM. I have my ABit's BIOS set to undervolt it between 8VDC@40C and 12VDC@65C.

After looking some more at size adapters, I decided against it. After reading some more about it, most people suggested that you suck the air through the duct. Since this would be my exhaust, that would mean mounting my fan externally. Without any case around it, the noise it produced would be easier to hear, even if it was quieter than the 80mm fan it meant to replace.