Replacement 120mm Case Fans

[napes22]

I am attempting to lower the temperatures of my case as it hovers around 50C in both idle and load temp. I just ordered the Freezer Pro 64 to replace the stock cooler, and some materials to help with wire management. My case is the LIAN LI PC-7B plus II. What are some top quality replacement fans (120mm) that would make a noticable difference in temperature?

Thanks.

 

[Stephen8454]

That all depends really on what your sounds requirements are. I have a Antec P180b which is a quite case in in of itself. So, I bought 2 Aerocool ExtremeTurbine fans which push a HUGE amount of air into my case. One for the intake in the top chamber and one in the bottom chamber (both chambers are completely isolated). I also bought some rubber fan silencers for all my fans to reduce any and all vibrations the fans produce. But if you dont want something pushing THAT and you are sound sensitive I recommend the Scythe S-FLEX fans (they have multiple CFM versions so be mindful if you go w/ these. Some have small airflow, some have more). I recommend these because they have the Fluid Dynamic Bearings which are near silent... Very quite fans...

 

[Zepper]

There is a test on 26 120mm fans that can help you choose - there should be another batch tested there soon. You should be able to locate it with your favorite search engine. On their graphs, the steeper the slope, the better the sound to CFM ratio.

.bh.

 

[napes22]

Well to be more general then, will replacing the stock case fans make a significant difference in my system temp?

Also, should the top fan be an intake or blow out?

Edit: Also how are the Notcua fans (NF-S12). I have heard amazing things about how silent these things are, but I don't know if the airflow would be better than the existing ones.

 

[Zepper]

The Noctua quiet ones move little air and have a very inefficient blade design. The Lian Li standard fan is tested with the group of 26 mentioned above. I had one here in the EX-34B HDD cage and it was relatively noisy for the small amount of air it pushed - the cheap Yate Loon 1212SL puts it to shame. You could use a stronger exhaust fan - exhaust is almost always more important than intake in overall thermal performance as long as there is adequate venting toward the front of the case so the exhaust fan(s) can breathe easily without short-circuiting (drawing air from extraneous side, rear or top venting that won't have done much work).

.bh.

 

[napes22]

So would you suggest getting 2 Yate Loons; one for the front and one for the back? Or is there a better stronger exhaust fan to get. I have a panaflow for the top and it seems to move air very well.

And is this the fan you mean?

http://www.jab-tech.com/YATE-LOON-120mm-Case-Fan-D12SL-12-pr-3009.html

 

[Zepper]

Panaflo 120mm are all 38mm thick and the medium and up versions tend to start at a higher loudness than the others but have a steeper curve. If you can find a Sanyo Denki 109R1212H1011 it's one of the best exhaust or radiator fans there is but they are hard to find. thermalfx.com has some. I meant to look on eBay to see what's there buy haven't. Those need to be on a fan controller as they run from 40 something at 5V to over 100 CFM at 12V. I'm looking forward to seeing the test results when the guy who ran the tests below does his next batch.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=137832

 

[napes22]

Thanks for the info and link

 

[SparkyJJO]

http://xtremesystems.org/forums
go to air cooling
it is stickied, 26 fans tested.

 

[napes22]

For a mid-range gaming system what would you suggest for the fans (currently my system runs somewhat hot and noisy)? I was looking at this scythe fan or the yate loon

My setup:
Case: LIAN LI PC-7B plus II
Mobo: Foxconn C51XEM2AA- 8EKRS2H Socket AM2
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ (Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro)
Power Supply: ENERMAX Liberty ELT500AWT
Ram: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (DDR 800)
Vid Card: Sapphire Radeon 1800XT w/ MASSCOOL VF1-PLUS
HD: 150 Gig Raptor, 400GB Seagate, 74GB Raptor

 

[Zepper]

The Yate Loon won't be an improvement if your case has the new LL labeled fan as it can put out about 15 more CFM than the Y-L (it's just a bit noisier while doing it even if you crank it back to the same CFM as the Y-L). IDK what the specs of the Adda fans they used before are. More CFM generally yields better temps at a cost of some noise. The SD is pretty quiet from in the 7V range down while still moving some serious air. It also is 120x38mm if there might be a space problem.

.bh.

 

[Woofmeister]

I have an old Lian Li PC-7 Plus (not plus II). The PC-7 will take any standard size 120 mm fan no problem. If price is no object and you want the best performance to noise ratio, look at the SilentX iXtrema Pro. It's a new fan, but lots of people believe it delivers more CFM for less DBA than the Scythe S Flex.

 

[Zepper]

SilenX fans have never been good before - I'd need independent reliable reviews before I could believe that. Certainly not worth the money as they were just inexpensive Adda fans with dropping resistors added. And their dBA ratings have always been suspect like Tt's are.
That working voltage rating is kind of hinky too - lookls like just another resistor-dropped fan

.bh.

 

[Woofmeister]

Originally posted by: Zepper
SilenX fans have never been good before - I'd need independent reliable reviews before I could believe that. Certainly not worth the money as they were just inexpensive Adda fans with dropping resistors added. And their dBA ratings have always been suspect like Tt's are.
That working voltage rating is kind of hinky too - lookls like just another resistor-dropped fan

.bh.

You are so right Zepp--SilentX fans have always blown (and not in, you know, the good way ). However, the iXtrema Pro fans are completely new designs and AT calls them subjectively quieter than the SFLEX.

They've only recently come back in stock so I may have to run one against the Scythe S-Flex myself in order to figure out who's the new champ.

 

[Zepper]

If you're gonna spend $20. on a fan, then the Sanyo Denki is an option. I certainly wouldn't buy the (probably PRC made) SilenX for an exhaust fan (how high can they inflate a price anyway?) - I'd be buying the made in Japan Sanyo. The small hub of the SilenX does make it better for CPU use and perhaps cooling a rack of HDDs ("intake fan"). Of course, I wouldn't be buying an HSF that would need a 120mm fan anyway - just ridic. And for cooling a stack of HDDs, a $3. Yate Loon is just dandy - remove the label on the rotor and turn it down a bit if you are a real noise nazi...

.bh.

 

[napes22]

I can't find the Sanyo Denki's you mention anywhere.

So to be clear; Exhaust fan should be a stronger fan than the intakes, correct?

I am thinking of getting one of the Scythe S-Flex (the higher powered one). Would that be appropriate for the exhaust? or should I make that the intake and get a higher powered fan for the exhaust (like Denki)

 

[Zepper]

So to be clear; Exhaust fan should be a stronger fan than the intakes, correct?

Normally yes, some like positive pressure in their cases as it helps keep the dust out, to achieve that, CFM in needs to be slightly greater than CFM out. Requires a bit of work to plug up extraneous venting.

The Sanyo fan is only available from http://www.thermalfx.com as far as I know - he currently has 36 of them. http://www.petrastechshop.com used to carry them for $12. but they've been OOS for a while still are OOS and if they had some their current price is $18. w/ std. 3-pin connector. ThermalFX charges a buck or so to install your choice of connector for a total of $20. +sh. You can also find used or "refurbed" ones at some of those places that sell OEM replacement parts for $80.00 and up... :roll: If you don't believe me, run the model number thru Google on the web search, not the Froogle. I just did it for fun and found one place that has a used on at $25. and most list it as "Special Order" meaning SOL...

I got a batch of them that were pulled from Dell servers - they were OEMed for dell with special connectors on short leads - so they have a slightly diff. number but are the same fan. Let me see if I have one that's decent and I'll get back to you. I may still have the listing in my FS/T thread - click on the link in my sig.

.bh.

 

[napes22]

Unfortunately, the only Denki they have in is 120x120x38 and I am pretty sure that my case has 120x120x25. Is there any way to run a 120x120x38 fan in place of a 120x120x25 fan? Additionally, is 104 CFM overkill for a mid-tower?

I may just end up getting two of the 64CFM Scythe's. and some rubber connectors for them. I first need to double check if i have 25mm or 38mm fans

 

[Zepper]

Yes, that is a 38mm fan - I think I mentioned that somewhere above - that's why they still move good air at low voltage. The Lian Li uses normal fan screws to hold the rear fan in place, doesn't it? In that case, no problem. See my other post just prior to yours. You normally run the Sanyo fans between 5 and 7 or so volts at which speeds they are quiet enough for all but the SPCR crowd.

The two dell pulls I have left are too noisy to sell to my worst enemy - and one has a cracked spider. But I do have one new unit of the 1011 model left that I can sell. PM me if interested.

.bh.

 

[napes22]

Hrm, I'll think about that 1011 model. The life expectancy seems to be lower on that model than other fans, but 60,000 hours is still like 5+ years.

I have a temperature controlled fan controller so I don't know how loud these will run. My system tends to run somewhat hot. Once I take a look at my pc when I get home I'll let you know.

Thanks for your help.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: napes22
So to be clear; Exhaust fan should be a stronger fan than the intakes, correct?

IMHO, exhaust is the name of the game! Nature hates a vacuum, and so does heat!

Personally, I think your problem is that cheap Lian Li case!

They've tried everything... upside down, inside out, backwards... you name it.

I don't know if any size/amount of industrial fans is going to make a difference with a bad case design.

Here you go: My current temps

Intel Extreme Edition -- Tuniq Tower 120 -- MM U2-UFO Opti-1203 -- Antec Tri-Cool fans

There isn't a Lian Li made that will give you those numbers, guaranteed!

 

[Zepper]

C'mon Vin,

His Lian-Li layout is basically the same as most mid-tower ATX cases since the 90s (just prettily done up in aluminum) and he should have no more trouble cooling it than I do my Rosewill R5604 since his has 120mm fans f/r too. My HDDs are at 32, my CPU (granted it doesn't generate much heat anyway as it's a Duron 1600 not OCd yet) is 40 C with its fan turned down a lot, system is at 36 and the PWM bounces between 39 and 40. I didn't do much other than block off the major extraneous venting. I have a Sanyo in the front and a Y-L 1212SL in the rear so I can do my pos. pressure thing. That's it.

He finally mentioned the temperature regulated fan controller in his last post. And there (probably) lies the problem - it may never be letting the rear fan generate any CFM. Depending on what temp is doing the controlling.

Hey Napes,
How come no mention of the above until now? Just exactly what is controlling your fans and where are the temps being read for doing the controlling?

.bh.

 

[napes22]

I didn't mention it because it was termperature based; and didn't think that it would be the issue...but come to think of it now, one of the fans typically runs at significantly lower RPM. My HD's run around 32 (my raptor at 37), the CPU is the low to mid 30's, but the System temps via speedfan show up at 50-52, and don't vary between idle and load.

I have the Lian-Li Tr-3 automatic fan controller. It has 3 fans it can controll:
1) Front - Using for Intake
2) Rear - Using for exhaust
3) Cpu - Using for top mounted fan

It uses the little temperature probes and I have them placed under the edge north and southbridge cooler/heatsink (depending on location of fan). The controller shows my case as 41C idle, and 47-48 under load. Could I have the monitors in bad areas?

I actually own a Sunbeam Rhoebus with Lian-Li bezel, but unhooked it because of how bright the LED's were. I've since removed the LEDs but never re-installed the controller. I felt safer using the auto-controller avoiding human error.

Any suggestions?

 

[Zepper]

Well, SF (SpeedFan) is generic and you haven't configured it to read the proper temp for your CPU and system - it's just backwards. It comes with templates for some popular mobos, others you config manually. Use the temp monitor software that came with your mobo to find out what the actual temps that are associated with what actual devices, then config SF accordingly. It's your CPU or PWM that is probably 50 and your system is probably in the low to mid 30s - duuuh... That CPU is a bit warm for being cooled by a Freezer Pro - but it may just be your SF config. Perhaps you need to re-grease it, tighten up the clamps whatever. But 50 or so is nowhere near the danger zone for modern CPUs. Over 60 deg C, I'd begin to worry a bit.

Your HDD temp should be controlling the fan that's in front of it (the intake fan in your case) - the sensor that's related to that fan should be taped to the top of your warmest HDD (around 35 is plenty safe for the set point for HDDs). The rear case fan should be controlled by a sensor placed in the warmest air temp. within your case (perhaps hung from the top in the air near the top), not on a bridge chip as that would always have your rear fan running too fast. Any other fan that is controlled should be controlled by a sensor that is on or near something related to the fan. That is all common sense.
. I prefer manual controllers - I even have my CPU fan on my Aerogate 3. You apparently have the fan on the Freezer connected to the mobo. If you are allowing the mobo to control the CPU fan speed, you should put that on full speed 24/7 as that fan should be very quiet even at full speed and will drop the temp. Right now your mobo is just allowing it to run fast enough to keep the CPU at a safe temp.
. That's why I use manual control as I prefer my judgment to that of others (or mechanical devices like mobos).

Damn, I probably just killed my chance at a fan sale... __ Got dust bunnies inside your case and your Freezer fins? Wouldn't you like to try positive pressure, hmmm?

.bh.

 

[napes22]

haha thanks man. I'll try what you suggested. I do have a manual controller not installed like I mentioned. I may just re-install it. Just find a speed that runs well, and when I play games/run on load I'll put them at full blast. I want to trust the auto-fan controller, but then again I'm realizing, as with the CPU fan, the controller is probably running the fans fast enough to prevent damage, but not fast enough to effectively cool my system. I've been told the Rhoebus is one of the best controllers anyway. I can then just use speedfan to monitor temps. Or, continue to use the auto controller to only monitor temps.

I'm most likely still going to replace at least the exhaust fan in my case.

As for speedfan, I have a Foxconn Mobo which came with NTune, which I hear is garbage. How else can I determine which temp is associated with which area? I'm also unfamiliar with the program, which explains why I dont know how to set the fans.