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Is there such a thing as a quiet 80mm fan?

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pulsedrive

Senior member
My wife's computer exhaust fan is making an INSANE racket, so I would like to replace it with a nice quiet 80mm fan, because that is all it will fit. Any suggestions?
 
Arctic Cooling makes some very nice, quiet 80mm fans.

For exhaust only, try this one.

For intake/exhaust check out this one.

I've used both, as well as a model they no longer make 🙁 and I don't even know they're there.

They make a nice lighted fan too that can be intake or exhaust, but it's a bit thick at 34.5mm vs. the more typical 25mm.
 
NMB. Panaflo. Though, I prefer simply 7volting whatever fan I have laying around. Its easy w/4 pin fans, though the same thing can be done to 3 pin fans with a 3 pin to 4 pin adapter.
 
Originally posted by: chocoruacal
NMB. Panaflo. Though, I prefer simply 7volting whatever fan I have laying around. Its easy w/4 pin fans, though the same thing can be done to 3 pin fans with a 3 pin to 4 pin adapter.
Click to expand...

Where would I find a voltage regulator to do that?
 
Originally posted by: pulsedrive
Originally posted by: chocoruacal
NMB. Panaflo. Though, I prefer simply 7volting whatever fan I have laying around. Its easy w/4 pin fans, though the same thing can be done to 3 pin fans with a 3 pin to 4 pin adapter.
Click to expand...

Where would I find a voltage regulator to do that?
Click to expand...

There is a couple or ways to do that. The way chocoruacal mentioned involves rewiring the fan by taking the 12+ line and wiring the ground wire to the 5v rather then 12v giving you 7v. I don't recommend doing that as I?ve heard of several people damaging their PSUs.

A better option is to use a fan controller such as the Zalman ZM-MFC1 or simpler Fan Mate2. The last option and one I use is using the motherboard to control the fans based on system temp. Most newer boards offer this feature which can be configured through the BIOS or for more control you can use SpeedFan.

As for fans I can recommend this NMB which tops out at 1200RPM so no controller will be needed as it's dead quiet at 12v and should be enough if you're not running very hot hardware. If you need more air flow I would suggest this Panaflo.


 
I'm also looking for a quiet 80mm case (exhaust) fan. I have this now:

Thermaltake A1214 80mm Thermal Control Fan

It moves a lot of air, and keeps my X2 4440+ very cool (cpu temp == mb temp at idle, +10c full load) BUT it's quite loud. Usually runs at ~3500 rpm (heat sensing, so it varies) 4000 max on a hot day maybe. (very loud)

Well for kicks, I disconnected this fan completely and watched what happend...

Temps went up but not that much (+5-10c). The 2nd fan in my Antec SP-500 didn't even come on. In fact I've NEVER seen it come on yet. This makes me believe that all I really need is a 80mm case fan with decent output, but quiet.

It also has to snap into a screwless fan mount (Antec case) so can't have some weird shape.. it should have a good square frame (and if it had a grill on the inside to protect my wires (and fingers!) even better...
 
The Nexus 80mm is a very quiet fan, at least as far as 80mm fans go. Only drawback is the price. As far as a grill, you could just add a wire grill to it. Keep in mind, theres only so much air you can move with an 80mm fan and have it stay extremely quiet. You pretty much have to undervolt them or find one that is made to run pretty slow if you want to keep the noise down. If you want extremely quiet with decent airflow, then 120mm fans are your friend 🙂
 
Nexus and Arctic Cooling. Panaflos are nice, too, but you need to get a Japanese one, and maybe be prepared to undervolt (were it a CPU fan, it would be worth finding a Japanaflo L!).
 
I have an Enermax Thermally Controlled fan... Which is VERY quiet... I love it.
I think it's often overlooked because the thermal controlled fans aren't very popular... Just set the sensor against some cool part of your case, it'll keep the speed low that way.

The Nexus brand fans are very nice as well, I have the 120mm version and it's dang near inaudible.
 
I agree with the Nexus. Replaced a Vantec stealth on my cpu heatsink; what a differance, and I had the Vantec undervolted.


unmerited
 
There's a difference between quiet and silent, with the fan mechbgon linked above being near silent, and prety wimpy at the same time.

As to what will do the job, it depends on the contents of the box, and the openness of the airways within.

It's critical to correctly identify the loudest noise source when on this kind of quest, otherwise it quickly becomes an exercise in futility. If you think it's the case fan but it's really the processor or vidcard fan, you've just wasted time, effort, and money.

If the case fan has a 4 pin molex plug, try moving the black fan wire to mate with the red 5v wire from the psu, effectively 7v. Super easy- all you need is a sharp instrument to push back the lock tabs of the plugpin...

Or just order one of these, they'll work well in a variety of situations at low noise levels-

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/pa80br.html

 
Originally posted by: Jhhnn
There's a difference between quiet and silent, with the fan mechbgon linked above being near silent, and prety wimpy at the same time.
Click to expand...
I can remark that I cool a dual-core X2 3800+ with one of those powder-puff NMBs on an Alpha 8150 and it works sweet for that role. 🙂 The heatsink's base barely gets above body temperature even with Adobe Premiere Elements blasting both cores at 90%+ usage for hours on end.

 
Originally posted by: agathodaimon
I have an Enermax Thermally Controlled fan... Which is VERY quiet... I love it.
I think it's often overlooked because the thermal controlled fans aren't very popular... Just set the sensor against some cool part of your case, it'll keep the speed low that way.

The Nexus brand fans are very nice as well, I have the 120mm version and it's dang near inaudible.
Click to expand...

I bought a pair of Enermax fans from Directron and installed them in my Lian Li case. :thumbsup:
 
Originally posted by: Hurricane Andrew
Arctic Cooling makes some very nice, quiet 80mm fans.

For exhaust only, try this one.

For intake/exhaust check out this one.

I've used both, as well as a model they no longer make 🙁 and I don't even know they're there.

They make a nice lighted fan too that can be intake or exhaust, but it's a bit thick at 34.5mm vs. the more typical 25mm.
Click to expand...
I also love AC fans for their CFM/dBA/price balance. 😀
The model you need is an Arctic Cooling Pro 2L. It's adjustable, cheap (to buy) and quiet even at the mid setting.
Toss One Of These in your cart too.

Here's a mod I did for a woman that had an XP Barton that was located in a dusty, poorly vented area. Yes, that's a Pro 2L I used on the side panel.
I used an 80mm-120mm adapter for two reasons...
1. Provide more filter surface area.
2. Move the Pro 2L closer to the CPU fan. Which is also Arctic Cooling (Copper Silent 2L).

BTW, I found that if the side fan was lined up directly with the CPU fan it created too much noise. The setup was much quieter since I off-set the side fan from the CPU fan.




 
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