Looking for a decent 90 (92?)mm LED fan

[CurseTheSky]

I'm building a Christmas present for a friend that hasn't had anything but lower end Dells. On the inside it won't be anything special, a low end Core 2 Duo, 1-2GB of memory, 160-320 GB hard drive, some cheapish PCI-E card, etc. That will be more than enough to suit their needs.

However, they're ABSOLUTELY in love with all that glitters on custom PCs. I'm going to build a semi-modest case with a few glowy fans, and maybe a couple of UV Cathodes. I need a 90mm (or is it 92mm... or does the 2mm even really matter?) blue LED or UV fan that pushes semi-decent air without being wicked loud. I'm not expecting something that will outperform every Yate around, but they also won't appreciate a jet engine sitting on their desk.

Also, "smart" fans like the Thermaltake one I see so frequently are out of the question. I need something that I can plug right into a molex without having to worry about a fan controller to keep it quiet.

Thanks.

 

[VinDSL]

Go to a local B&M and buy an Antec TriCool.

Can't beat 'em!

Everyone carries them / easy on the eyes / work great / quiet / dependable / long-lasting... yada, yada!

 

[Ika]

I second the TriCool recommendation. They are easy to find and don't perform that bad, either. They are not Yate Loons, but are a good "mass market" alternative.

 

[aigomorla]

u cant really expect to get quiet + leds on 92mm fan. And yes 90mm and 92mm are mostlly compatible.

What case are you running? CM Centurion windowed would be my first pick in a budget system. I believe aspire also has some bling. The rear can take a 120mm fan as well.

If you can fit a 120mm then i would recomend a yate

http://www.jab-tech.com/YATE-L...ium-Speed-pr-3823.html


What case is this thing going on? Most cases can take a 120mm fan on the rear.

 

[Zepper]

Yeah, almost none of the fans measure exactly at the tens across the flats, it's just a convenient rounding. 90 is actually 92, 120 is actually 119, etc. The real measure is in english units (inches) to the mounting hole centers across the diameter at which point, 120 would be known as 5-7/8", etc.

Too bad your "friend" wants the LEDs as Panaflo fans aren't available that way... If you can talk him into a quality fan instead, then jab-tech.com or svc.com usually carry good selections of the 92 mm models.

.bh.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Originally posted by: Zepper
Yeah, almost none of the fans measure exactly at the tens across the flats, it's just a convenient rounding. 90 is actually 92, 120 is actually 119, etc. The real measure is in english units (inches) to the mounting hole centers across the diameter at which point, 120 would be known as 5-7/8", etc.

Too bad your "friend" wants the LEDs as Panaflo fans aren't available that way... If you can talk him into a quality fan instead, then jab-tech.com or svc.com usually carry good selections of the 92 mm models.

.bh.

Good to know about the sizes, thanks. And why "friend" in quotes? It's not me trying to disguise a hidden fetish for blingy computers. It's a her anyway.

The case they have their heart set on is the Thermaltake Tsunami Dream (the one with the side window). It comes with a 120mm blue LED fan in the back, but a normal 90mm fan on the side. Unfortunately, the case + other components are a little more than I wanted to spend, but it's my fault for showing them the case to begin with. It is a great case though.

I'll check out the Antec TriCools. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Zepper]

The Tsunami is basically a tricked out Antec SLK3000-B case - Rosewill has some other variants on the 3000-B in their R6A series but none of the variants of the 3k-B I've seen are blingier than the Tsunamis. They are all the same inside. I just use the quotes to get a rise...

The 3k-B style case needs no side fan - just block the hole with something. Jab-tech, SVC et al. also have selections of filters/grills... All it needs is one 120 in back and another in the front. You could change out the ordinary 120 front fan in the Tsunami with a nice 120mm Yate Loon SM (Sleeve bearing, Medium speed) LED fan from Jab-tech (or since it really can't be seen, get the black one instead) - maybe the rear one too for better cooling and perhaps less noise if the Tt fans in that case are true to form...

.bh.

PS: I found a nice silver mesh 92mm hole filler at FrozenCPU.com .

.bh.