two questions: Fan Noise & Thermal Compound?

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ncage

Golden Member
Jan 14, 2001
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OK guys i use not to worry about fan noise. I thought if i can keep my system really cool i really don't care how loud it is. I had this opinion until i got a thermalengine a few years back with a 7000RPM fan. This thing was about 50dba if i remember and my system sounded like a vacuum cleaner running that i could hear throughout the house. It cooled good for a k7 class cooler but it was WAY to LOUD. Now all my systems have the stock HSF which isn't to loud. I think the loudest parts of my sytems now are the psu which i plan to replace an enermax 400something psu because i find iits to loud. Anyways i digress. I ordered a scythe ninja a few days ago which 120mm fan that is rated 23.5dba for 46.5cfm and 1200rpm.

I guess my real question on this is does dba always tell you the real story on noise or are they somehow scewed? The rating on the scythe fan doesn't seem that good. Like here is a 2000rpm fan that puts out a lot more air and is quieter eventhough its almost spinning twice as fast:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811999127
but does dba always tell the truth? At what dba do you think you start to really hear the fan? 35dba? Im wandering what dba i want to stay below to have a quit system. What cfm minimum do you think you should look for in a 120mm fan?


Ok second question is:
Is all thermal paste made the same? Should i replace the thermal paste that came with my scythe ninja with artic silver or is thermal paste pretty much thermal paste?
 
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Navid

Diamond Member
Jul 26, 2004
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Each individual has a different sensitivity to noise at different frequencies. dBa only tells you about noise power. But, even that is not complete. There is not a standard method for measuring fan noise. How far from the fan you make the measurement has an impact on what you measure. There is no standard that manufacturers can use for that measurement.

So, the dBa figure you see advertised is not very helpful for two reasons: the lack of a standard for the measurement so you cannot compare fans using the advertised dBa, and the lack of information about the frequency spectrum of the measured noise.


Thermal pastes are not the same. But, how different they are for you depends on what you expect. If you want to get every single MHz of performance that you can out of your chips, you can see a benefit by using one versus another. If you are happy with basic cooling and 1 or 2 degrees difference in temperature does not bother you, you can use any thermal paste.
 
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Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
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Thermaltake is notorious for lying about fan specs.

Anyway, your Ninja does fine with low flow.
 
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Operandi

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,508
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There are standards for testing fans but nobody says you have to adhere to them, Thermaltake obviously doesn?t. It is also important to keep in mind that fans are always tested free-air, and the dBA rating always increases once the fan is mounted to a heatsink or inside your case.
 
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Navid

Diamond Member
Jul 26, 2004
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Please post links to such standards if you can. I am interested to see.
Thanks.
 
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Vertigo0176

Member
Aug 17, 2006
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Remember the db level depends on how far away you take the measurement, some do it at 10cm(check the Sticky link on heatsink reviews), some do it outside the case. Obviously outside the case would be quieter, unless the fan noise was amplified by some case vibrations. Remember a 3db difference means the sound is twice as loud. I would recommend looking at reviews of various fans. Also keep in mind that the air that is being moved by the fan make noise as well as it whooshes over the grill and possibly echos through your case.
 
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Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
11
81
Originally posted by: Vertigo0176
Remember the db level depends on how far away you take the measurement, some do it at 10cm(check the Sticky link on heatsink reviews), some do it outside the case. Obviously outside the case would be quieter, unless the fan noise was amplified by some case vibrations. Remember a 3db difference means the sound is twice as loud.
Click to expand...
No, it is twice as powerful. It takes about a 10dB increase for a subjective doubling of loudness.
 
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ncage

Golden Member
Jan 14, 2001
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thanks guys. You have helped. I have new insight. Any good sites on noise level of fans and such?
 
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Zepper

Elite Member
May 1, 2001
18,998
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I think madshrimps or some such recently did a fan comparo.

So many variables contribute to the sound quality of a fan: type and quality of the bearings, shape and design of the fan blades. the clearance between the venturi (throat of the fan frame) and the blades, shape and smoothness of the venturi, mass of the blades and distribution of the mass along them, shape and smoothness of the edges of the blades and it goes on and on... Just imagine how much less noise these fans would make if each blade/motor assembly had its dynamic balance tweaked individually - and how much more they would then cost... ;)

.bh.
 
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Shadowknight

Diamond Member
May 4, 2001
3,959
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ncage

Golden Member
Jan 14, 2001
1,608
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71
Originally posted by: Shadowknight
Originally posted by: natethegreat
Originally posted by: ncage
thanks guys. You have helped. I have new insight. Any good sites on noise level of fans and such?
Click to expand...
ummm, you could try Silent PC Review
Click to expand...

Defintely. Here's something I posted there to help you get started, though you should do more research on your own, of course. http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=21152 (see page 2 as well).
Click to expand...

Thanks and i definitly will.
 
JEDIYoda

JEDIYoda

Lifer
Jul 13, 2005
33,986
3,321
126
Ok second question is:
Is all thermal paste made the same? Should i replace the thermal paste that came with my scythe ninja with artic silver or is thermal paste pretty much thermal paste?

The thermal paste that came with your Ninja is as good as anything on the market including AS5...etc...etc
 
VinDSL

VinDSL

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2006
4,869
1
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www.lenon.com
Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
The thermal paste that came with your Ninja is as good as anything on the market including AS5...etc...etc
Click to expand...
Agreed! Now, back to the larger question...
Originally posted by: ncage
thanks guys. You have helped. I have new insight. Any good sites on noise level of fans and such?
Click to expand...
Look, ncage, I don't know about you, but I'm a web dev'er, and I'm on the computer about 19 hours a day, on the whole. Personally, I can't sit here in total isolation, for that long, without listening to music, talk radio, or whatever. So, fan noise doesn't mean jack to me, unless it interferes with my other distractions. That is, if I'm going to be distracted, it ain't gonna be by a fan -- it's going to be of MY choosing -- Italo disco music or Michael Savage!

Having said that, sometimes certain fans, like the Intel boxed fan, which I paid extra for, will drive you crazy. Evidently, you made a poor choice too, with whatever fan you're talking about (not interested enough to go back and look). So be it!

Get rid of those 'barking dogs'! You don't have to go from one extreme to another, or do you? If so, you've got a personal problem, and no amount of quiet (or noisy) fans are going to make any difference in your life! You're just looking for trouble, and PC fans are simply the irritation of the day...

Anyway, what I would do is get rid of the offending fan and forget about making your PC as quiet as possible. What the hell is that all about? No man is an island...

'Quiet' will drive a person as crazy as 'noise', IMHO... :)
 
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