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Quietest case fan?

I have a Antec SX case and was looking to replace my exhaust and side fan with that fan, got any places with cheap prices? Also, any recommendation for a cheap, quiet PS?
 

In my opinion the quiest fans I've ever seen are the PAPST 8412N/2GL 80mm.

According to the specs they make 12dB of noise. And they're nearly silent, you only ear the air moving 🙂
 
Are you in the USA ? If you're in the US and don't need rpms in a low power 80 mm, go with panaflo (which can be had for under $5 each fan) but know you will either need to feel comfortable with soldering, crimping, or otherwise adding your own 3 pin or 4 pin connector -or- you'll need to trim the included two pin connector to connect to a male 3 pin connector plug (like your motherboard plug) -or- you'll need to buy a special 3 pin tail from somewhere (they're made for people who don't like soldering things...).

If you're in the UK, get papst (not PBR 🙂 ), they're supposed to be cheap over there, while we pay over $10 (closer to $14) for them in the USA.

BTW: My most recent order for a 5 pk of 80 mm panaflo L1As was for $5 each at fozencpu.com.
 
My case uses a 120mm fan.
The idea is to use a "quiet" 120 fan AND only run it at 7voltz so you get the air movemnet of a 80mm fan yet it is even quieter.
 
Oh, quiet 120mm is different. I think they're all pretty quiet at 7 volts. My main rig has two 120 mm L1As purchased from pcmods.com and I run on a baybus at somewhere around half power. I bet they're somewhere close to 7 volts and they're silent.
 
These NMBs are very quiet for only $2 each. For the average user they won't be heard over the PSU, HDs and everything else. I have them now, but I am switching to Panaflo 92mm and 80mm L1As at 5-7V on a rheobus. They will be inaudible in my case. Also, check outGizzo's Fan database

Brian
 
I was looking for silent case fans as well. My Chieftec AX-01 case came with three, but they are NOISY SOBs. I need 2 outtake 80mm and 3 intake 80mm, no louder than 25dbA. That fan database looks pretty sweet 😀
 
i know the nmb is rated at ~19db (i use it for my psu currently)

but sometimes the quality of the sound of the fan can make it more discreet/silent (some fans are quiet, but whiny/rattle sound)

even tho the panaflo is rated at ~21db... how would you guys say it compares to the NMB? quieter/louder? more pleasant sound?
 
My NMBs have a click that makes them the most noticable thing in my system. Besides for that they are inaudible. Panaflo L1As are a bit louder overall and a bit whinier, but there sound is rather smooth. This seems to be the case for both the 80mm and 92mm L1As I just bought. I have just tested them and not hooked them up permanately yet.

Brian
 
Originally posted by: BG4533
These NMBs are very quiet for only $2 each. For the average user they won't be heard over the PSU, HDs and everything else. I have them now, but I am switching to Panaflo 92mm and 80mm L1As at 5-7V on a rheobus. They will be inaudible in my case. Also, check outGizzo's Fan database

Brian
Click to expand...

I plan to order 2 of these, outtake and sidetake, but I need 4-pin connectors (HD type) and these are 3-pin, got a solution?

 
Buy some 3 pin to 4 pin adapters... check them out at svc.com or some other site. Order from where you can get both the adapters and fans (frozencpu.com has a nice selection of adapters, so does svc).
 
I have 4 NMB fans in my case, none of them have ever clicked.
They are very quiet, I was surprised at the quality and performance from such a inexpensive fan.
 
Almost all the systems I built get those 18cfm NMB's in them. I've found that 2-4 of them is pleny of cooling for a non-hardcore rig and they're so quiet that people just love 'em. NMB + TruePower PSU + Seagate Barracuda IV HDD + a quiet HSF (SLK800 + Panaflo sort of thing) + Antec case = a system that's as quiet or quieter than a Dell. Customers really like that their computer is nearly inaudible.
 
Its hard to justify spending the money for panaflo L1a's when the NMB's are 5 for $11 from svc.com
I have 4 in my case right now on default voltage (2 in, 2 out) and my computer is barely audible when i want it to be (rheobus)
I also use L1a's in the same case, and they have a smoother overall sound. They are slighty louder compared to the nmb @ 12v, but they also push way more air. When undervolted to ~7v they are dead silent, and they still push more air than the nmbs.
The best setup is with panaflos undervolted. The easiest, cheapest setup is with the NMB's. Thats my opinion.
 
I think a lot of people are missing the idea that the noise it makes the and air it actually pushes are directly related. Who cares how silent a fan is if it's only pushing ~10 CFM, because you will need a number of them to do the job of one that is only a little bit louder. A lot of people don't realize that they usually don't hear their case fans over the processor fan anyway.
 
Originally posted by: ness1469
I think a lot of people are missing the idea that the noise it makes the and air it actually pushes are directly related. Who cares how silent a fan is if it's only pushing ~10 CFM, because you will need a number of them to do the job of one that is only a little bit louder. A lot of people don't realize that they usually don't hear their case fans over the processor fan anyway.
Click to expand...

My system has 1x120mm 7volted Antec and a 18cfm NMB ducted to the side panel. Great temps, no noise.

NMBs are awesome fans, but really...pretty much any decent 80/92/120mm will be quiet @7volts.
 
The quietest fan I have ever had/ heard is one I ripped out of a fried Antec 300W PSU. It is made by Jamicon. It is rated at 39cfm at 32db. At 5V this fan is inaudible about 6" from my ear. It flows about the same as an NMB, maybe slightly less. I think it is even quieter than Panaflo L1As at 5V, because the little sound there is is extremely low and constant. There has been a little bit of talk about these fans over at SPCR, but you cant buy them except directly in bulk. Currently this fan with my Volcano 7 keeps a XP1700 Tbred at 34c, with 28c case temps.

Brian
 
Hmm so basically its down to the NMBs and the L1A Panaflows now? I went to Fry's Electronics yesterday and there was one fan that caught my eye, but I couldn't make up my mind. Specifically, I'm looking for 5 80mm fans rated at 27dbA or under that will still keep my system cool. Right now I have 3 very noisy fans that came with my Cheiftec AX-01 case and my system temps are still around 40C (CPU is only around 32C). I live in AZ too so it can get pretty warm in my room.

Can someone help me to decide if I should pay the extra $ for the panaflows, or should I go with the NMBs? (by the way, I looked at www.svc.com and couldn't find NMBs anywhere...)

Also, how do you set the voltage down to 7V as opposed to 12V? Thanks
 
Oh yeah one more thing: Can any fan act as an intake fan or outtake fan? Do you reverse the voltage or what? Sorry I'm such a huge n00b at all this cooling stuff 😛
 
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