Loud Fans

[uhaulball]

like the topic says.. my Lian Li PC-60 Plus case is reaaaallllly loud with all the attachments.

can someone recommend a really quiet 120mm fan and 80mm fan.

im looking for as quiet as possible with the least possible tradeoff of lost airflow.

can someone suggest by brand or type based on those 2 sizes? thanks

 

[Shadowknight]

120mm-Nexus or Yate Loon
80mm-Nexus or Panaflo L1A

 

[letdown427]

Nexus or Akasa Amber FTW @ 120mm
The only really quiet 80mm fan is a stationary one. basically. get another 120mm and find a way of fitting it where the 80mm was going to go.

If the 80mm is on the CPU heatsink, then aim for a new HSF, best one if you want it to be quiet would be a scythe ninja, with nexus/amber fan at low speed (around 30-35cfm)

 

[Cerb]

Shadowknight has you covered.
At 80mm, a Panaflo MADE IN JAPAN undervolted would work very well, but they are harder to find than the Nexus fans, which do rock.

 

[Ping to the Pong]

Originally posted by: Shadowknight
120mm-Nexus or Yate Loon
80mm-Nexus or Panaflo L1A

Those would be my choices...im getting ready to purchase that Scythe S-Flex fan someone on this forum posted about a couple days ago and i want to compare it to the Nexus. If it works pretty well, ill let you guys know since its supposed to be as quiet as the Nexus and blow more air....well see.....

 

[suszterpatt]

GlacialTech SilentBlades come in those two sizes, and I can vouch for their efficiency. They're not available in the US though. :\

 

[RallyMaster]

You know...with all these topics on quiet case fans, maybe someone should make a stickied thread on cooling fan suggestions?

Personally, I would go with Cooler Master LED/UV fans because I'm using 3 of those and they're very quiet. Otherwise, go with the other suggestions such as Nexus, Amber, Yate Loon, etc.

 

[uhaulball]

im trying to avoid those LED fans. i just wanna install one cold cathode in my lian li case. im trying to leave out any led's.

i was searching on newegg for the nexaus fans. couldnt come upon any? where can i get it online. or maybe i can pick it up at a local computer store?

 

[uhaulball]

hows this one? is this the nexus u guys are talking about; the site has a couple of differnet 120mm nexus's : http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/nexus_120mm_bw.html

it says that these fans have 3 pin conectors for the mobo and 4 pin for the psu. right now im using 3 pin for my fans. if i use the 4 pin, can my still adjust the speeds with my mobo? im using ITE smart guardian.

 

[Cerb]

They are the same fan, except color. I don't think you want to control the fan speed via PWM (AFAIK, most mobos use this). Like many other slow fans, it doesn't take well to it.
Just stick it at 12v, 7v, or 5v, or use a real voltage controller...like so:
http://www.jab-tech.com/Sunbeam-5-1-4-Rheobus-Kit-BLACK-pr-2530.html
(if you don't even like LED fans, be prepared to clip the LED wires )

 

[Brodel]

I ordered some 80mm Nexus fans to replace my Zalmans which were running with the resistors on (silent mode). They came today and I've just fitted them, the Nexus is far quieter.

 

[uhaulball]

Originally posted by: Cerb
They are the same fan, except color. I don't think you want to control the fan speed via PWM (AFAIK, most mobos use this). Like many other slow fans, it doesn't take well to it.
Just stick it at 12v, 7v, or 5v, or use a real voltage controller...like so:
http://www.jab-tech.com/Sunbeam-5-1-4-Rheobus-Kit-BLACK-pr-2530.html
(if you don't even like LED fans, be prepared to clip the LED wires )

if it isnt good to control the speeds with the mobo, i can still use the 3 pin connector and just use the program and set it on custom mode and make them run at full speed.

The reason i dont want to use the 4pin is because i have a modular psu, and i dont want to add any leads if i dont have to; this makes the view into my windowed side panel a LOT cleaner looking, especially when i am about to add a UV light kit.

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: uhaulball

Originally posted by: Cerb
They are the same fan, except color. I don't think you want to control the fan speed via PWM (AFAIK, most mobos use this). Like many other slow fans, it doesn't take well to it.
Just stick it at 12v, 7v, or 5v, or use a real voltage controller...like so:
http://www.jab-tech.com/Sunbeam-5-1-4-Rheobus-Kit-BLACK-pr-2530.html
(if you don't even like LED fans, be prepared to clip the LED wires )

if it isnt good to control the speeds with the mobo, i can still use the 3 pin connector and just use the program and set it on custom mode and make them run at full speed.

The reason i dont want to use the 4pin is because i have a modular psu, and i dont want to add any leads if i dont have to; this makes the view into my windowed side panel a LOT cleaner looking, especially when i am about to add a UV light kit.

Yes, you can do that.

Also, for using more fans, the fan controller, while it wouldn't give you RPMs back, would also not be bad on the power connectors, as it would use one for four fans. At <$10, don't get anything else (well, unless you want a really nice one that is also using plain voltage controllers), if you want to run them slower w/o growling (it's a real set of linear voltage controllers--IMO, the only problem is super-bright LEDs).

I don't know about the 80mm or 92mm, but the 120mm Nexus is almost as bad as Panaflo fans with growling using PWM.

 

[Shadowknight]

Originally posted by: uhaulball
hows this one? is this the nexus u guys are talking about; the site has a couple of differnet 120mm nexus's : http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/nexus_120mm_bw.html

it says that these fans have 3 pin conectors for the mobo and 4 pin for the psu. right now im using 3 pin for my fans. if i use the 4 pin, can my still adjust the speeds with my mobo? im using ITE smart guardian.

FTR, Newegg doesn't carry Nexus for some odd reason, even though they are very popular in silent computing circles. The BW and the orange Nexus are the same, they just released the BW because people kept complaining about the orange color. If you get a Nexus, I would get the BW on sale, as that makes them the same price and they are more aesthetically pleasing than the orange.

Also, for using more fans, the fan controller, while it wouldn't give you RPMs back, would also not be bad on the power connectors, as it would use one for four fans.

The Zalman fan controller comes with two cords which allow the motherboard to get the rpms for two fans.

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: Shadowknight

Originally posted by: uhaulball
hows this one? is this the nexus u guys are talking about; the site has a couple of differnet 120mm nexus's : http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/nexus_120mm_bw.html

it says that these fans have 3 pin conectors for the mobo and 4 pin for the psu. right now im using 3 pin for my fans. if i use the 4 pin, can my still adjust the speeds with my mobo? im using ITE smart guardian.

FTR, Newegg doesn't carry Nexus for some odd reason, even though they are very popular in silent computing circles. The BW and the orange Nexus are the same, they just released the BW because people kept complaining about the orange color. If you get a Nexus, I would get the BW on sale, as that makes them the same price and they are more aesthetically pleasing than the orange.

Also, for using more fans, the fan controller, while it wouldn't give you RPMs back, would also not be bad on the power connectors, as it would use one for four fans.

The Zalman fan controller comes with two cords which allow the motherboard to get the rpms for two fans.

[/quote]
It's Q with AT.

Anyway, yes, and you can get 3-pin adapters with tach coming out, too, which is what I did (4-pin molex to 3-pin fan to 3-pin fan connector w/ only tach). Come to think of it, if I didn't try to go for this whole silence thing, I would have enough saved up for a dual-core A64 upgrade

 

[uhaulball]

Originally posted by: Cerb

I don't know about the 80mm or 92mm, but the 120mm Nexus is almost as bad as Panaflo fans with growling using PWM.

i thought the nexus and panaflo 120mm are quiet? i already ordered one online. if im not mistaken, are you saying the 120mm nexus is loud?

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: uhaulball

Originally posted by: Cerb

I don't know about the 80mm or 92mm, but the 120mm Nexus is almost as bad as Panaflo fans with growling using PWM.

i thought the nexus and panaflo 120mm are quiet? i already ordered one online. if im not mistaken, are you saying the 120mm nexus is loud?

No, I'm saying they make additional noise when controlled by PWM (AFAIK, all mobos use PWM). Actual lower voltage is the way to go for fan speed reduction.

 

[uhaulball]

I'm new to this, could you elaborate on why this is so? doesnt the mobo adjust the speed by lowering the voltage as well? and even it didnt, and reduced speed with another method, isnt the noise generated by the rpm of the fan, regardless of how much voltage its using?
In the end, you're saying that i should use the 4pin connectors over directly plugging them into my mobo with the 3pins right?

 

[potato28]

Originally posted by: RallyMaster
You know...with all these topics on quiet case fans, maybe someone should make a stickied thread on cooling fan suggestions?

Personally, I would go with Cooler Master LED/UV fans because I'm using 3 of those and they're very quiet. Otherwise, go with the other suggestions such as Nexus, Amber, Yate Loon, etc.

Fan sticky will eventually come... , but other than that, your recommendations are :thumbsup:

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: uhaulball
I'm new to this, could you elaborate on why this is so? doesnt the mobo adjust the speed by lowering the voltage as well? and even it didnt, and reduced speed with another method, isnt the noise generated by the rpm of the fan, regardless of how much voltage its using?
In the end, you're saying that i should use the 4pin connectors over directly plugging them into my mobo with the 3pins right?

There are basically two easy and economical methods:
1. PWM
2. Reduce voltage.

1. Pulse Width Modulation cuts out parts of the power signal, like a light dimmer. So at 50%, you get on-off-on-off of 12v to the fan. Fans with particularly powerful motors, like many fans that run low RPMs at 12v, with create a substantial bit of movment on each 'on' section, causing a growling noise, and additional vibration.

2. Voltage actually being lowered simply makes it run slower, but gives the motor the same nice power signal you get at a higher voltage, making them run slower, but still smoothly. However, doing this in an easy way, you will need a heatsink, because there is still power associated with the extra voltage. You effectively must 'burn off' the extra voltage at the controller. This is why they have substantial heatsinks.

It does not make sense for a mobo chipset to use #2, because it adds real heat that needs to be dealt with, where PWM does not. AFAIK, all mobos use PWM. PWM also makes sense because it tends to allow for starting fans well at low duty cycles (a fan that won't start at 4v might still work at a 30% duty cycle).

Good pages (note the pros/cons on the PWM page):
http://www.cpemma.co.uk/pwm.html
http://www.cpemma.co.uk/reg.html
http://www.cpemma.co.uk/ef.html

 

[uhaulball]

Originally posted by: Cerb

Originally posted by: uhaulball
I'm new to this, could you elaborate on why this is so? doesnt the mobo adjust the speed by lowering the voltage as well? and even it didnt, and reduced speed with another method, isnt the noise generated by the rpm of the fan, regardless of how much voltage its using?
In the end, you're saying that i should use the 4pin connectors over directly plugging them into my mobo with the 3pins right?

There are basically two easy and economical methods:
1. PWM
2. Reduce voltage.

1. Pulse Width Modulation cuts out parts of the power signal, like a light dimmer. So at 50%, you get on-off-on-off of 12v to the fan. Fans with particularly powerful motors, like many fans that run low RPMs at 12v, with create a substantial bit of movment on each 'on' section, causing a growling noise, and additional vibration.

2. Voltage actually being lowered simply makes it run slower, but gives the motor the same nice power signal you get at a higher voltage, making them run slower, but still smoothly. However, doing this in an easy way, you will need a heatsink, because there is still power associated with the extra voltage. You effectively must 'burn off' the extra voltage at the controller. This is why they have substantial heatsinks.

It does not make sense for a mobo chipset to use #2, because it adds real heat that needs to be dealt with, where PWM does not. AFAIK, all mobos use PWM. PWM also makes sense because it tends to allow for starting fans well at low duty cycles (a fan that won't start at 4v might still work at a 30% duty cycle).

Good pages (note the pros/cons on the PWM page):
http://www.cpemma.co.uk/pwm.html
http://www.cpemma.co.uk/reg.html
http://www.cpemma.co.uk/ef.html

The fans i am getting are case fans, not HSF or Chipset fans. I think i understand the idea of PWM, but how would a heatsink be involved with a case fan? I think when you say "However, doing this in an easy way, you will need a heatsink, because there is still power associated with the extra voltage." You meant "you will need a controller with a heatsink"

In other words, i could also bypass the growling from PWM adjustments if i just manually set it to the max rpms correct? I dont plan on adjusting the speeds on these fans, as they are silent fans. If thats the case, i dont really need a controller to adjust the voltage, and i will still be void of any of that growling effect right?

 

[Cerb]

The computer's CPU has nothing to do with heatsinks for the fan controller.
PWM--no HS
transistor+divider--big HS
linear regulator--big HS
multiple linear regulators--4 big HSes
linear regulator--big HS under the plastic case (pretty much the whole length of the vent holes)

You meant "you will need a controller with a heatsink"

It's a good way to tell, usually, because most PWM controllers lack them.

In other words, i could also bypass the growling from PWM adjustments if i just manually set it to the max rpms correct?

Yes, just not do any controlling. Then, it will be running a plain old 12v 100% of the time to the fan.

I dont plan on adjusting the speeds on these fans, as they are silent fans. If thats the case, i dont really need a controller to adjust the voltage, and i will still be void of any of that growling effect right?

There is no such thing as a silent fan. Motors, bearings, and turbulence create noise. You can get varying degrees of quietness--less noise--but not silence. For silence, you need passive cooling. That is, purely by conduction and convection (BTW, this is actually possible, with quad Opterons no less ).

Even quiet fans can be made quieter. My entire PC now is not as loud as the Nexus 120mm fan at 12v (but my NV Silencer at 5v is close ).

 

[uhaulball]

I did read the page, i replied after reading. I don't know if you fully interpreted what i meant.
There is noise generated when using the PWM, especially at low rpms, when the voltage is ON and the fan is picking up its pace. This happens because the voltage is not lowered but is turned off for a duration and on for a duration.
What i'm saying is, i will not have this problem, if i put all the fans being controlled by PWM on 100% duty. The fans will recieve full voltage and there will be no "off" duration. I am using this setup because the fans i am getting are Nexus silent fans, and at full voltage, they remain silent (or so i believe).

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: uhaulball
I did read the page, i replied after reading. I don't know if you fully interpreted what i meant.
There is noise generated when using the PWM, especially at low rpms, when the voltage is ON and the fan is picking up its pace. This happens because the voltage is not lowered but is turned off for a duration and on for a duration.
What i'm saying is, i will not have this problem, if i put all the fans being controlled by PWM on 100% duty. The fans will recieve full voltage and there will be no "off" duration. I am using this setup because the fans i am getting are Nexus silent fans, and at full voltage, they remain silent (or so i believe).

Yes, that's right. If it's not quiet enough, go straight for the Sunbeam Rheobus. It's well-priced, and does the job right.

 

[uhaulball]

the thing with the Sunbeam Rheobus is that its a LARGE and BLACK 5 1/4" drive regulator. My lian li is silver and i have a silver front panel theme going on ( i have 2 aluminum optical drive covers and an aluminum floppy drive cover ). Is there a multiple regulator that you would recommend that goes in the 3 1/2" drives that is silver/aluminum?