LED fans for radiator?

[QueBert]

I'm ordering a Corsair Hydro h110i GTX tomorrow and want to get some red LED fans to go with it. I was leaning towards the Cougar ones, but are there any others I should look into? I'm not anal about silent, I'd like something that has bright LED's and is quiet enough. I'd like something that looks like the Corsair or Cougar and not a square blocky fan. also PWM would be cool, I noticed either the Corsair or Cougar are, but that's not a requirement.

Will I be able to control the speed of the fans with the Corsair software? I'm not sure how the software works.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I'm ordering a Corsair Hydro h110i GTX tomorrow and want to get some red LED fans to go with it. I was leaning towards the Cougar ones, but are there any others I should look into? I'm not anal about silent, I'd like something that has bright LED's and is quiet enough. I'd like something that looks like the Corsair or Cougar and not a square blocky fan. also PWM would be cool, I noticed either the Corsair or Cougar are, but that's not a requirement.

Will I be able to control the speed of the fans with the Corsair software? I'm not sure how the software works.

By your posting-history stats, you've been around here a long time -- longer than I. After years of building computers and dealing with the cooling issue (including thermal control), I have a few principles I follow, but I don't want to pontificate about them.

Even so, I'd set my objectives to get the optimum out of a parts investment, and anything related to "bling" would be an objective of lower priority. That doesn't mean I wouldn't address those priorities, but I'd worry about them as secondary factors.

And -- I think you SHOULD use PWM fans. First question would be: is the Hydro cooler and its software bundled with PWM fans? Second question: would it seem better and simpler to control the Corsair's fans (bundled or your own choice) from the motherboard? What features of the bundled Corsair software are essential to its operation? Does it provide monitoring data that you can't get from the motherboard?

That being said, there are some LEPA fans with the usual modest noise, RPM and CFM ratings that are not "square blocky," which have LED lights (in various colors), and fit the PWM requirement if that's what you want:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4017&cm_re=LED_PWM_fan-_-35-494-017-_-Product

and this one is supposed to be "Red LED:"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4016&cm_re=LED_PWM_fan-_-35-494-016-_-Product

If I could find those in less than 60 seconds, there must be more which fill the bill. Why a "round" fan is important to you, I wouldn't know. I assume these are supposed to be used in a case interior. Heck -- you can turn a "square" fan into a "round" one with a little careful dremeling. . . . . But why bother?

 

[aigomorla]

BLINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.....



on a serious note... as bonzai states, you probably want a PWM fan, with good static.
So i would probably second his recommendation.

 

[Puffnstuff]

One thing that you'll want to keep in mind about radiator fans is that you need high static pressure to move the air through the fins effectively. Keep that in mind when selecting your bling.

 

[Stuka87]

The corsair software will only control PWM fans that you plug into the cooler block. Non-PWM fans require an external fan controller to manually adjust their speed.

Best fans for a radiator are noctuas, but they don't make any with LEDs. The corsair fans with LEDs will work for you, but they are a bit loud. They are the same as the stock ones, just with LEDs.

 

[bigboxes]

I'm not anal about silent.

Just really anal about red LED fans.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Just really anal about red LED fans.

Over the years, I'd made enough posts touting the 2007 case-mod I made for a '95 ProLiant Server case on 3.5" double-caster wheels.

The original plan focused on the large side-panel Lexan window I'd installed with automotive "mirror" film, and the red-LED lights I'd configured to the 4-drive RAID5. I figured I could sculpt some additional Lexan shards into "lightning bolts" modeled on Weather Channel photographs, and run different-colored LEDs to the shards. The shards would fit behind the window, and the light-show would penetrate the otherwise-reflective mirror-film, either in subdued room lighting or in the dark.

By the time I got to these "bling" aspects of the project, I was worn out from the sheet-metal work. Since then, I only add "bling" if it doesn't take Michelangelo-level effort and doesn't cost anything. In fact, I don't want to make any effort at all.

Some of my LED fans are pretty quiet, and serve their purpose for airflow. I've been less than impressed with some of the 120mm variety. Airflow and silence trumps LED bling for me.