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Opinions of XP-120? Suggestions on fans? Thanks!

Straight from the thermalright page:

Recommended Fan

Maker: Panaflo (Panasonic)
Model: FBA12G12L1A
Size: 120 x 120x 38 (mm)
Bearing: Hydro Wave
Voltage: 12V
Speed: 1700 rpm
Air Flow: 68.9 CFM
Noise Level: 30.0dBA
Weight: 270g (9.52 OZ )

This should be fine. Also pay close attention to the motherboard compatibility list. For instance, with the gigabyte boards, you need to replace the plastic backplate with a metal one. Some boards are a relatively tight fit regardless of them being on the "approved" list. I own the K8NSNXP-939 board, and I recently purchased the xp-120 but I have not had enought time to install it yet so I cannot tell you if it fits fine on this board in particular. I have heard of some people having trouble with the DPS though.

 
Originally posted by: Heen05
Originally posted by: akira34
I gather you were too lazy to check on Thermalright's site dedicated to what mobo's are compatible with the XP-120 cooler....
Click to expand...


Sorry, just noticed that.

What is the quietest/best fan to use with that? Thanks
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There is no "best" fan. High flow fans will cool better if you want to over clock but they will be noisey. A low rpm fan be quiet but will not cool as well.

I suggest a medium speed fan like the Panaflo suggested along with some sort of fan controler. That way, you can turn it down most of the time and ramp it up when needed.

Good luck.

Ed

 
I'm using this fan on my XP-120 cooler... I couldn't located the panaflo listed on TR's site, but the Enermax has good CFM and dbA numbers... I did have to alter the fan to fit to the heatsink (open up the holes for the retension clips), but that was easy.
 
Not the recommended model but BGmirco has 120mm Panaflo's for $4/each. I ordered some but they haven't arrived yet. These are the medium speed model, rated 2100rpm at 12V, which should be ok if you are using a fan controler since the fans are rated down to 7 votls.

Panasonic tech info.

Good luck.

Ed
 
Originally posted by: akira34
I'm using this fan on my XP-120 cooler... I couldn't located the panaflo listed on TR's site, but the Enermax has good CFM and dbA numbers... I did have to alter the fan to fit to the heatsink (open up the holes for the retension clips), but that was easy.
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For your viewing pleasure (table listing).

 
Originally posted by: flexy
i bought the variable thermalright 120mm, you can adjust it to your liking.
http://www.newegg.com/app/view...iption=N82E16811999012

the specs look good, eg. only 24dba at low (50 cfm) and 30dba at 94cfm....
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First off, that's an Enermax fan, NOT a Thermaright fan. As far as I can tell, Thermalright doesn't make fans, just heatsinks.
Secondly, you're off on the dBA/CFM ratings... At 63CFM it's ~25dBA. It also goes just shy of 95CFM at 30dBA...
You WILL need to modify that fan to fit onto the XP-120. I know I had to since the holes inside the fan are blocked off. I simply used the saw on my Leatherman to get rid of the excess plastic and was able to mount the fan without issue. I had thought of getting a Dremel tool for this, but since it would have been one of the very few times I would have used the tool it didn't make much sense.

Algere
The fans listed there, at the same size as the Enermax I picked up, have lower spec's. Besides, I prefer to use the few vendors I've dealt with in the past and have had good results with. Seems like whenever I try out a new vendor lately, they either screw up the order or screw me. Neither one is good.
 
akira, yeah your numbers are the right ones...sorry for that 🙂 (Not awake today 🙂

But i didnt really understand what i have to modify. The holes are blocked off ? Doesnt the XP-120 have these clips ? So i dont understand where the holes come into play then ? What exactly do i have to remove/saw to fit on the XP-120 ? What excess plastic ?

Thanks a lot for this info !
 
akira, i might probably end up getting an old 120mm and use it as a spacer (w/ blades removed).
Mount/glue the Enermax on the spacer. This should work since the spacer would have the holes, the enermax then on top of it.

Of course this would also be goodfor a smaller dead spot...and people reporting 2 or 3 degrees less with a spacer.... 🙂
 
Originally posted by: akira34
Algere
The fans listed there, at the same size as the Enermax I picked up, have lower spec's. Besides, I prefer to use the few vendors I've dealt with in the past and have had good results with. Seems like whenever I try out a new vendor lately, they either screw up the order or screw me. Neither one is good.
Click to expand...
The original quote was "I couldn't located the panaflo listed on TR's site", hence the response, & ResellerRatings is your friend. 😉
 
I've done a lot of experimenting, much of it with the XP120, and Akira34 is now right "up there" with the rest of us, doing the same thing.

We will not all agree on good choices of fans. With a certain level of CFM throughput, the effective thermal resistance of the XP120 drops to about 0.16 C/W. Not even the recently-released Arctic Freezer coolers can match this. Further, because of this low thermal resistance and under the circumstances of heat-leaking processors of high thermal design power, enhancing this or any heatsink with a TEC cooler is totally useless. But the 0.16 C/W is about as good as it gets -- comparing to just about everything except water and water-blocks.

That leaves fans. The Panaflo 120mm L1 and M1 get a lot of good press. I wanted a fan that had a greater range of speed, and tested a ThermalTake Blue LeD, a Silverstone, a Sunon KD1212PMB1-6a, a Panaflo "Ultra-High" output, and a Delta triple-blade. The Delta has the highest output at 142 CFM, followed by the Panaflo at 114, the Sunon at 108, the Silverstone at 104 and the TT Blue LED at 94.

Somewhere between 108 CFM and 120 CFM, the XP-120 at the CPU's load temperature will not depress that load temperature much further, although additional cooling to the motherboard and chipset can be seen to have occurred at a limit near 120 or 125.

For the purpose of my ducted solution, with foam-board acting as a natural noise-deadener, I can run the Delta at 2,800 rpm with hardly any noise, and use SpeedFan with the motherboard CPU_FAN header to spin up to 3,350 rpm, although it would go to a top-end of 3,700 if I wanted it to. I chose 97F as a thermal threshold to spin up. I think I could set it higher -- close to the expected load temperature.

The SUNON is relatively quiet, but heavy. The Silverstone has the slightest, almost hard to hear, motor-whine at its top end, but it disappears at lower speeds, just as does motor noise from the Delta. The TT loses its motor-whine also at maybe 2,100 rpm, but its throughput is just short of what you'd want.

I'm sure the Panaflo L1 or M1 will work fine, although your load CPU temperatures will be a tad higher. You won't have much of a range to work with if wanting to vary speed and throughput across a thermal threshold.

If controlling the CPU fan from the motherboard, you will want to determine the amperage limits of the motherboard fan headers. The amperages on the fans mentioned above vary from 0.48A - TT Blue and 0.45A Silverstone, to 0.51A Panaflo Ultra-High, 0.56A Sunon, 0.80A Delta tri-blade. On my motherboard, I can draw cumulatively 2.22A from the fan-headers or to that limit exclusively from one of them.

Another fan I forgot to mention is the YS-Tech 120x38mm, rated at 125.5 CFM but failing to live up to that rating. It has an amperage-draw of somewhere between 0.51 and 0.65A, is relatively quiet after a few days' breaking in, and light-weight at 213 grams. The Sunon weighs 326 grams, the Delta around 290, the Panaflo-Ultra-High about 250 or 260, and the 120x25mm fans obviously less than the "big ones".

If it weren't for SpeedFan, the mobo fan-header and the foam-board duct, I wouldn't be using the Delta tri-blade. But it's a whole different ball-game with fan-control and ducting.
 
How much of a difference will you see between the XP-120 & the XP-90? I'm looking for a good, quiet, effective cooler for a S939 board, but my choice board is excluded (K8N Neo2 Platinum). Obviously the XP-90 will fit, but you also lose the 120MM fan. Opinions?
 
i use a xp120 and an Noiseblocker Ultra Silent Fan SX1 (120mm) rev. 2.0. it runs at 1200 std but i reduced it to 900 (you cannot hear it anyway). but it is more than enough my cpu is 51° full load. i got 3 noiseblocker 120mm ultra silent in this mobo. 2 case 1 cpu all down to 900 and you cannot hear anything =). so get the slowest fan possible for the xp-120 you wont need more with this baby =)(btw i use a a64-3200)

if it fits get the xp120 since bigger fans can be run slower -> silence

sal
 
I would recommend the 69 cfm Panaflo as well. I have one on the back of my case, and while its not as silent as other Panaflos its not really that loud
 
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