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Quiet 120mm case fan & CPU heat sink recommendations??

ZzZGuy

ZzZGuy

Golden Member
I need to replace the 120mm fans on my P182 case and a quiet but good CPU heat sink.

For the 120mm case fans I've read at SPCR (Silent PC Review) that the aluminum Evercool fans are quiet and move a lot of air, the "whoosh" of air bing the biggest source of noise. But there are several aluminum Evercool fans and I don't know which one they are talking about.

For a CPU heat sink I'm looking at the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme with a Noctua NF-S12-1200 120MM fan.
http://www.ncix.com/products/i...LRIGHT#CustomerReviews
http://www.ncix.com/products/i...Noctua#CustomerReviews

I am also looking for a fan speed controller that auto adjusts the speed based on temperature, but I already posted that question in this thread
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2247958&enterthread=y


Main source of info being http://www.silentpcreview.com/...e29564b9171de84c3483b3

 
I have a couple (okay 5) Scythe Slipstream 1900rpm fans in my Armor+ and at top speed they're not quiet 🙂

But if you keep them @about 1200rpm, or simply buy a 1200rpm version they're practically silent.
The S-Flex has fluid bearings so it should be even more quiet.
 
Well, I went with the Zalman ZM-MFC2 fan controler. Can't find anything that automatically adjusts the fan speed based on temperature(aside from crappy fans with the feature built in). This does the next best thing by having four temperature monitors that I can place around the case with a digital reading for each on the front panel that fits into the front 5.25 drive bay.

For fans I think I'll go with the Scythe Slip Stream (trying to figure out if the "Kaze Jyuni" version is the same), realized that the info on the reviews I was looking was updated and had the new results posted below the old ones so the Slip Stream looks to be the best combination of airflow vs noise.

Two 1900 RPM for the top front and rear vents, three 1200 RPM for lower front PSU/HD bay / CPU heat sink / top vent. The fan controller works for 4 fans so I'll hook up a "Zalman Fan Mate" speed controller for either the PSU/HD bay fan or the CPU heat sink depending on which I can hear better.
 
Slipstreams are great for exhaust fans, but not so much for heatsinks. The S-flex would be much better, or (considering your other post) dual Yate Loons.

On most fan controllers you can usually splice 2 fans together for one header, controlling two fans at once. I'm not sure what the output per channel is on that one, but with any low-mid speed fans you should be fine.

-z
 
Grr, 5 extra minutes of reading and my choice for fans goes out the window.

Looks like S-flex fans are better for pulling/pushing air through things like grills then the slip stream, and I'm not sure I'm looking at the same fans I want on NCIX for the Slip Streams.
 
Go with the Xigmatek S1283 and slap on a Noctua 120mm fan and you get great cooling and silence and it will not break the bank.

My two cents.
 
Originally posted by: cdnbum88
Go with the Xigmatek S1283 and slap on a Noctua 120mm fan and you get great cooling and silence and it will not break the bank.

My two cents.
Click to expand...

I admit I picked the heat sink that I did partly out of vanity. I like the look of the T Ultra-120 Black edition and it fits so well with my cases black interior. I know it is nothing bust a waste of cash to most people and it will hardly ever be seen, but I still like it and want it. It also works good so it's not like it's a total pile of garbage.

I'm now off to my local computer store again to see if I can avoid the useless guy I was talking to earlier (don't know where they got this tool). I don't think they can get noctua's, but I was told before they can get slip streams.

Da heat sink (Canadian dollars)
http://www.ncix.com/products/i...nufacture=THERMALRIGHT
 
It is a sweet looking unit that is for sure.

Noctua's are just my favorite, but if they have Scythe, Yate Loon, any 'higher end' fans, you can't go wrong. I am just not a fan of a $5 fan IMHO.

Happy shopping.
 
Originally posted by: cdnbum88
Noctua's are just my favorite, but if they have Scythe, Yate Loon, any 'higher end' fans, you can't go wrong. I am just not a fan of a $5 fan IMHO.
Click to expand...

Yate Loon D12Sx fans are under $5, at least in the US. They do have minor quality control issues though - reports of some batches having rattling fans...but I've never had a problem with them.

ZzZGuy - glad you found some backup as far as what I recommended. I have both, and when I switched from the slipstream to the s-flex the temp to noise ratio difference was night and day.

If the shop you're looking at says they can get the slipstreams, they can probably get the s-flex as well. If you're for sure using a controller get the 1600rpm one. The 1900 is overkill, the 800 is a little underpowered, the 1200 is just about right, but on a fan controller it's nice to have that little extra oomph.

The TRUE black looks rad. I say, if you've got the money, you can afford to "waste" cash on something that performs well but looks even better.

-z

p.s. yes I used the word rad. I'm bringing it back.
 
Well, finally ordered the fans.

One - Slip Stream @ 1200 RPM (top vent)
One - Slip Stream @ 1900 RPM (Rear vent)
Three- S-Flex @ 1900 RPM (bottom front fan/top front fan/CPU heatsink)
One - Noctua NF-P12 Vortex @ 1300 RPM (to test with CPU heat sink, top front vent and top vent)

I bought the Noctua just to give it a try and this version is supposedly designed for moving air at high pressure for things like heat sinks and fan grills. I went with the higher RPM fans in the hopes they under volt well and I can still crank them up on a hot summers day. Also went with the heatsink that I linked to.

In addition to what I've talked about I purchased some AcoutiPack sound dampening foam sheets (sticky strip on one side) to line the inside of my PC with.
http://www.quietpcusa.com/Acou...g-Material-P437C4.aspx
 
Since you'll be digging into the case anyway to add the dampening material, I'd cut out the fan grills too. You can use something as simple as tin snips, or a dremel if you want a cleaner cut. It'll cut down the noise a lot.

-z
 
Already cut out the front top grill with sheet metal cutters (much easier then wire snips), thinking about the bottom front and top but I'm leaving the back one for my fingers sake.

-edit- I also removed the bottom fan mount because the PSU was too long (I don't like rivets), moved the fan to the front of the lower bay after cutting out a strip of metal, this caused the lower HD bay to not fit so I removed the "guides" and glued them on 3/8 '' to the side so it will now fit.
 
Originally posted by: ZzZGuy
Well, finally ordered the fans.

One - Slip Stream @ 1200 RPM (top vent)
One - Slip Stream @ 1900 RPM (Rear vent)
Three- S-Flex @ 1900 RPM (bottom front fan/top front fan/CPU heatsink)
One - Noctua NF-P12 Vortex @ 1300 RPM (to test with CPU heat sink, top front vent and top vent)

I bought the Noctua just to give it a try and this version is supposedly designed for moving air at high pressure for things like heat sinks and fan grills. I went with the higher RPM fans in the hopes they under volt well and I can still crank them up on a hot summers day. Also went with the heatsink that I linked to.

In addition to what I've talked about I purchased some AcoutiPack sound dampening foam sheets (sticky strip on one side) to line the inside of my PC with.
http://www.quietpcusa.com/Acou...g-Material-P437C4.aspx
Click to expand...



Can you let us know how the Noctua is performing?
 
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