Reliable NON-variable speed 120mm case fan?

[mysticfm]

I need some quick help here. My 120mm case fan on the back of my Antec Sonata has all but died. I need to order a replacement and have it overnighted, but I don't know which brand to go for. Based upon the failure of the Antec fan within 2 months of purchase, I'm not thrilled about the idea of buying another Antec (and RMAing the current one looks like it is going to take waaaay too long ... I can't be out of commission that long).

What would be a good make to go for? I don't care about LEDs. I don't want a variable speed temp-sensing "smart fan" (I'll use the PSU Fan-only connectors if I ever want to do that). The fan needs to be 120mm x 120mm x 25mm. Important qualities to me: at least as much cooling as the Antec delivered, and no louder (quieter would be good, but not at the cost of cooling). I'd prefer to get it from NewEgg, whom I know, but fast delivery is very important.

Anyone who can help me quickly with the choice?

 

[Tiamat]

Evercool 120mm Aluminum fan gives great airflow, at 36db. If you have a way to lessen the rpms, it can be decently quiet and still exhaust a great amount of air. @5V the fan is pretty quiet.

Check frozencpu, svc, sidewindercomputers for availability.

Some people like teh Vantec 120mm. I dont have personal experience with this fan.

good luck!

 

[klah]

I would avoid the Vantec Stealth if you ever plan on using lower than 12V, as the fan produces an annoying ticking at lower voltages.

The stock Sonata fan runs at 2000rpm@12v, if you want something with the same performance and sound level.

 

[mysticfm]

Followup question: can the grille on the Enermax 120mm Clear Ultra-Cool Speed Dial fan be removed? There is already a grill on the Sonata case itself.

Edit: yes, I decided against the Vantec based on its fairly low air movement compared to the Enermax. (I think the Antec moves an amount closer to the Enermax as well.)

 

[thuper]

The stealths do boast 70k hour lives.

 

[WalkingDead]

Panoflo 120mm L1 for low noise or M1 for better flow. I am using 2 on my system. Even the L1 version has no problem running at 5v. However, Panoflo 120 are thicker than 25mm.

 

[mysticfm]

Originally posted by: mysticfm
Followup question: can the grille on the Enermax 120mm Clear Ultra-Cool Speed Dial fan be removed? There is already a grill on the Sonata case itself.

I don't want a Panaflo ... too loud, from many references.

What I still really need to know is the answer to the above quoted question. The presence of that grille is the only thing holding me back from the Enermax purchase.

 

[lobadobadingdong]

won't the rear case fan on the sonata take the larger 32mm fans? my thoughts are P a n a f l o .

loud and panaflow in the same sentence wierd.

 

[mysticfm]

The Antec site seems to suggest that the case fan maximum thickness is 25mm.

I've read a number of opinions elsewhere that the Panaflo fans are on the loud side, including some actual dB tests.

Doesn't anyone know if the grille on the Enermax 120mm is designed to be detachable?

 

[Zepper]

Don't know about the Enermax...

http://www.bgmicro.com always has a few on hand for low bucks. I've got one of their Sanyo-Denki 120x25mm fans in my box right now - works great. I also have one of their 120x25mm JMC Datech units and it's not bad either. One of them even came with a wire finger guard.
. The only thing with bgmicro fans is that they are often not specifically for PCs so the connecotrs are often non-standard and cord lengths can be shorter than usual. So be prepared to play around with them a bit. And their assortment changes frequently as they sell mainly odd lots. But the prices are usually very good.
.bh.

:moon:

 

[Tiamat]

I have used the 92mm Enermax fan with Variable resister attached. It allowes you to go down to 1500rpm and is pretty quiet in my book. The grille unscrewed off of mine... NOt sure about the 120mm. Some people dont think highly of enermax fans - maybe i got lucky. Mine doesnt make any clicking noise at higher resistance, but doesn make a slight motor noise.

 

[RalfHutter]

The grill on the 120mm Enermax is easily removable. It's screwed on with four regular fan screws.

120mm Panaflo L1A's are some of the quietest 120mm fans. The Evercool aluminum is also a good choice, as are the $9 Globe fans from mnpctech.com. The Enermax is fairly loud at 12V, but is pretty quiet at 5-7V.

 

[beatle]

Papst!

 

[mysticfm]

Thanks to everyone for your input. Due to your continued input I decided against the Enermax (I was confusing it with a similarly named brand last night in my rush to try to order a replacement ASAP). I couldn't find 120mmx25mm Panaflo's (or many other brands for that matter) in stock at any online source that I trusted (actually I don't even recall seeing any 120mmx25mm Panaflo's, like someone mentioned earlier). I don't think the Vantec would move enough air to keep my system cool (since it was already a little on the warm side even with the Antec), so I ended up ordered another Antec fan from NewEgg. I figure that if Antec will also eventually RMA my current fan, since it is less than 2 months old, then at least I will have a spare in case this happens again. (Of course with my luck Antec will want me to RMA the entire case, and that's not going to happen.)

Another quick question: has anyone been able to extract and reuse the Antec-supplied rubber grommets for the case fan mounting? I ask since I don't know if the new fan will come with such things or not ... do I have no choice but to cut them off at the outside in order to remove the current fan?

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: mysticfm
Thanks to everyone for your input. Due to your continued input I decided against the Enermax (I was confusing it with a similarly named brand last night in my rush to try to order a replacement ASAP). I couldn't find 120mmx25mm Panaflo's (or many other brands for that matter) in stock at any online source that I trusted (actually I don't even recall seeing any 120mmx25mm Panaflo's, like someone mentioned earlier). I don't think the Vantec would move enough air to keep my system cool (since it was already a little on the warm side even with the Antec), so I ended up ordered another Antec fan from NewEgg. I figure that if Antec will also eventually RMA my current fan, since it is less than 2 months old, then at least I will have a spare in case this happens again. (Of course with my luck Antec will want me to RMA the entire case, and that's not going to happen.)

Another quick question: has anyone been able to extract and reuse the Antec-supplied rubber grommets for the case fan mounting? I ask since I don't know if the new fan will come with such things or not ... do I have no choice but to cut them off at the outside in order to remove the current fan?

Those rubber things - i had 0 luck extracting them out for using them a second time. I tried for 30 minutes using tiny screwdrivers and stuff, but it began to deteriorate, so i just cut them and am using plastic snap rivots that came with my Lian-Li case (I had some spares lying around).

 

[cw42]

i'm using the 120mm enermax fans and they've been great. They're handy with the knobby thing you can use to change the speed.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Tiamat

Originally posted by: mysticfm
Thanks to everyone for your input. Due to your continued input I decided against the Enermax (I was confusing it with a similarly named brand last night in my rush to try to order a replacement ASAP). I couldn't find 120mmx25mm Panaflo's (or many other brands for that matter) in stock at any online source that I trusted (actually I don't even recall seeing any 120mmx25mm Panaflo's, like someone mentioned earlier). I don't think the Vantec would move enough air to keep my system cool (since it was already a little on the warm side even with the Antec), so I ended up ordered another Antec fan from NewEgg. I figure that if Antec will also eventually RMA my current fan, since it is less than 2 months old, then at least I will have a spare in case this happens again. (Of course with my luck Antec will want me to RMA the entire case, and that's not going to happen.)

Another quick question: has anyone been able to extract and reuse the Antec-supplied rubber grommets for the case fan mounting? I ask since I don't know if the new fan will come with such things or not ... do I have no choice but to cut them off at the outside in order to remove the current fan?

Those rubber things - i had 0 luck extracting them out for using them a second time. I tried for 30 minutes using tiny screwdrivers and stuff, but it began to deteriorate, so i just cut them and am using plastic snap rivots that came with my Lian-Li case (I had some spares lying around).

Same here, maybe if heating them up with heat gun or hair dryer would help?

Oh, and for referance I belivhe Antec fans are re-badged Dynatrons.

 

[RalfHutter]

I've successfully removed those rubber fan mounts several times by lubricating them with a soapy water solution first.

You do need to be gentle with them though because they tear easy. Lube 'em up and sort of squeeze the barbed section together with your fingers while you're gently pulling/twisting them with your other hand.

 

[mysticfm]

An update: I was able to extract all four of my used rubber fan mounts just by being careful, squeezing and pushing the outside barbs while simultaneously twisting and pulling them from the inside of the fan. No soapy water, no heat, nothing other than patience and perseverance.

However, I was stumped when the time came to install the new fan with them ... all but one of them had been clipped off by the original builder right at the top of the barbs, and I found it pretty much impossible to push/pull those back through the fan's holes. So I ended up using three of the four spare rubber mounts that I had been hoping to save for a rainy day. I'm going to leave maybe 1/8" of shaft above the barbs when I clip these new ones off, since that amount was just barely enough for me to be able to reuse the 4th one.

Anyway, hopefully this new fan will last longer than two months, so I won't have to worry about this again anytime soon. :-/

 

[oneshot47]

Originally posted by: klah
I would avoid the Vantec Stealth if you ever plan on using lower than 12V, as the fan produces an annoying ticking at lower voltages.

The stock Sonata fan runs at 2000rpm@12v, if you want something with the same performance and sound level.

Second that. Got a stealth as the front fan in my Sonata, works great.