Need a Good/Quiet fan for the xp120

[Earsly]

Hello,
I'm looking for a good but quiet fan for the xp120. I know the panaflo is good but which one should I get. Thanks

Ears

 

[ChemGeek]

The Nexus Real Quiet case fan is a quiet choice. The Vantec Stealth is a good choice as well. The Panaflo is nice too. As with any fan you put on there, you are going to want to control the voltage, probably run the fan at 5 or 7V. I have an XP-90 with a 92mm Vantec Stealth running at 5V and it keeps my Prescott nice and cool, so you can probably run at 5V with a 120mm fan. If you go with the Nexus, it spins slow enough at 12V that you probably don't need to lower the voltage on it. Basically, you will want any fan running at about 1000RPMs or a bit lower. You can use the fan monitors on the motherboard to determine their speed.

 

[Shadowknight]

Vantec Stealth is horrible. Don't even think about buying it. The Panaflo is 38mm and won't fit on the mounting clips of the zp-120.

 

[JEDIYoda]

I had my XP120 mounted on my mobo w/ a 120 mm Thermaltake Smart fan.
It was hooked to my Multi speed fan controller thus when I need alot of CFM`s thats just what I got.
With the fan throttled down I could not hear it at all.

Also I just ordered 2- 120 mm coolermaster fans. I am told those are also reasonably quiet!
You wan`t quiet--catch JBDan---he is a quiet freak!!🙂

 

[suszterpatt]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
I had my XP120 mounted on my mobo w/ a 120 mm Thermaltake Smart fan.
It was hooked to my Multi speed fan controller thus when I need alot of CFM`s thats just what I got. With the fan throttled down I could not hear it at all.

Also I just ordered 2- 120 mm coolermaster fans. I am told those are also reasonably quiet!
You wan`t quiet--catch JBDan---he is a quiet freak!!🙂

I'm a quiet freak too, and if ChemGeek is correct about 1000RPM being enough, then I recommend the 120mm GlacialTech SilentBlade. 950RPM, 19dB and 38CFM of airflow. If the XP-120 comes with rubber fan mounts like my XP-90 did, then you'll have a very hard time hearing that fan over everything else in the comp.

 

[JEDIYoda]

The glacial tech fans are excellent fans,,,but from what I have been reading on these forums they cannot be bought in the unites states.
You have to order from a company in Canada.

There`s a post on another thread in this forum that has the companies name listed....🙂

 

[suszterpatt]

True, that's one downside.


They're pretty cheap though, and considering their outstanding performance it's well worth the couple extra dollars imo.

 

[ChemGeek]

Originally posted by: Shadowknight
Vantec Stealth is horrible. Don't even think about buying it. The Panaflo is 38mm and won't fit on the mounting clips of the zp-120.

How is the Vantec Stealth horrible? At low RPMs, it is pretty quiet. There is a characteristic clicking noise that can be heard if you put your ear to the case, but nothing to complain over. Hmmm...the Panaflo I had for testing fit the XP-120 just fine, arg* maybe I was thinking of the Coolmaster and not the Panaflo (it was quite a while ago). You might be right. Regardless, the Nexus is the way to go (IMO). That fan is really quiet, but I did find it had a slight clicking noise that the Vantec had (it was not as distinct though). Typically, the Nexus 120mm fan runs about $20, which is a bit expensive, but well worth it. There is also a Aerocool 120mm fan, I have never tested it before, but it supposedly runs at 950RPMs and produces less than 20db.

http://www.aerocool.us/p-accessory/turbine%20fan/turbine%20fan.htm

Again, I have never tested this fan nor have ever seen it in a store.

 

[Shadowknight]

It's been a couple of years. Before I started going to SPCR I realized they sucked. I later got a fan controller and they still sucked. They're bad. I just can't remember in what way. Avoid.

 

[suszterpatt]

Originally posted by: Shadowknight
It's been a couple of years. Before I started going to SPCR I realized they sucked. I later got a fan controller and they still sucked. They're bad. I just can't remember in what way. Avoid.

16 fan blades!? I'm guessing they make a lot of turbulence then.

 

[WobbleWobble]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
The glacial tech fans are excellent fans,,,but from what I have been reading on these forums they cannot be bought in the unites states.
You have to order from a company in Canada.

There`s a post on another thread in this forum that has the companies name listed....🙂

Are they that good? I can get them locally in Canada (www.anitec.ca) for $15 Canadian. I might try them in the future.

 

[suszterpatt]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
The glacial tech fans are excellent fans,,,but from what I have been reading on these forums they cannot be bought in the unites states.
You have to order from a company in Canada.

There`s a post on another thread in this forum that has the companies name listed....🙂

Are they that good? I can get them locally in Canada (www.anitec.ca) for $15 Canadian. I might try them in the future.

I bought two in my case and didn't notice the noise difference after installing them. They're definately a very good compromise between noise and airflow on the silent end. A++ fans, would buy again.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
The glacial tech fans are excellent fans,,,but from what I have been reading on these forums they cannot be bought in the unites states.
You have to order from a company in Canada.

There`s a post on another thread in this forum that has the companies name listed....🙂

Are they that good? I can get them locally in Canada (www.anitec.ca) for $15 Canadian. I might try them in the future.

Yes I am told They are that good!!

Also thx for the website!!
Thats the place in canada I was thinking about!!
http://www.anitec.ca

 

[JBDan]

Originally posted by: Earsly
Hello,
I'm looking for a good but quiet fan for the xp120. I know the panaflo is good but which one should I get. Thanks

Ears

It really depends on what your specs are (case, fans, cpu, oc or not, etc...), but the quietest 120mm to be easily had in North America at stock speeds and under pwm or a controller is the Nexus. Period. And Shadowknight, the 120x38's pannie's fit fine on the XP120. They are are open chassis fans so no problemo there. As for the Vantec's they are way loud (major motor hum), BUT you might get lucky and find a quiet one as this seems to happen every now and then. Just shows how poor Vantec's fan manufacturing consistency is. For silence, the CM fan Jedi is speaking of is my 2nd choice. They are awesome imo, especially for the price. If you are gonna oc heavily, I would recommend this>http://www.jab-tech.com/Panaflo-120mm-L1A-FBA12G12L1A-pr-2686.html
And if you still treasure silence, put it on SpeedFan or a controller to ramp it down under idle. As for the Glacialtechs, I hear nothing but great things about them. One of the few fans out there I have not had the pleasure of using.

 

[NotquiteanooB]

Quote:
Are they that good? I can get them locally in Canada (www.anitec.ca) for $15 Canadian. I might try them in the future.

Yes they are that good; and you can believe the specs.
37CFM / rated at 950 rpm and 19db.
I have 3 of them (120mm) mounted as intake fans in my Antec cases, and they are all turning about 1000 rpm avg. I have bought extras for when the Antec case exhaust fans go bad; and they will. One crapped out last week.

 

[Shadowknight]

Originally posted by: JBDan

Originally posted by: Earsly
Hello,
I'm looking for a good but quiet fan for the xp120. I know the panaflo is good but which one should I get. Thanks

Ears

It really depends on what your specs are (case, fans, cpu, oc or not, etc...), but the quietest 120mm to be easily had in North America at stock speeds and under pwm or a controller is the Nexus. Period. And Shadowknight, the 120x38's pannie's fit fine on the XP120. They are are open chassis fans so no problemo there.

Ah, I was thinking of the closed 25mm Nexus (Nexi?) where users had to mount them by cutting into the fan to create an open flange, or buy clips to go over to the other side of the closed flange (25mm only, I think).

 

[Shadowknight]

Originally posted by: suszterpatt

Originally posted by: Shadowknight
It's been a couple of years. Before I started going to SPCR I realized they sucked. I later got a fan controller and they still sucked. They're bad. I just can't remember in what way. Avoid.

16 fan blades!? I'm guessing they make a lot of turbulence then.

Oh, I was referring to the Vantec. I've heard good things about the glacialtech fans.

 

[ChemGeek]

Originally posted by: Shadowknight
It's been a couple of years. Before I started going to SPCR I realized they sucked. I later got a fan controller and they still sucked. They're bad. I just can't remember in what way. Avoid.

I'll agree with you that the Vantec is not the best choice, but I have tested so many fans through the years, and it is a decent choice especially for the money. You can get a Vantec Stealth for $9 at Frys. I was merely trying to give a range of possibilities, including availability in local stores. A Nexus is the best, but after paying $20, you have to pay for shipping becuase it is never available in the store. I personally would buy a Nexus, but it really depends on the person and their situation.