VANTEC 120mm Stealth Fan or Panaflo 120mm?

[InsiderGamer]

I ordered my new rig recently but I'm not as elite as you guys and chose to have them assemble the thing for me. But anyways, I forgot to add an additional case fan. I wanted the Panaflo 120mm (I made a thread about adding the fan myself, but changed my mind; I didn't want to accidently mess up my"investment").

They called me just now and said they haven't been carrying the Panaflo 120mm fan for a while now. I asked how long would the wait be if they were to order them and he couldn't give me a straight answer except "a long time". So he "suggested" I go for the VANTEC 120mm Stealth Fan instead which was the fan I had in my initial build (which you guys helped critique). I remember people saying it wasn't that great of a fan and I should definitely go for the Panaflo. But I'm impatient and conceded (for $5 CAD more no less!).

So is the Panaflo 120mm that much better than the VANTEC? I'm hoping no, but I suspect quite the opposite. Would it really matter? And if so, please give me some feedback so I can get back to him if need be.

Thank-you.

~IG

 

[phaxmohdem]

I honestly don't think it will matter in the broad scheme of things.

 

[InsiderGamer]

Yeah, I'm rather new to all this, so I'm just asking. Does anyone else have anything to say?

~IG

 

[suszterpatt]

Wait, you're in Canada? Get GlacialTech SilentBlades then. They're practically inaudible, I have two and am very happy with them.

 

[acole1]

i dont have a problem with Vantech. the 120mm one i got worked nicely and was decently quiet for how much air it moved. in the grand scheme of things is it only a 120mm fan... not the end of the world.

 

[zest]

Panaflo every time..

 

[JEDIYoda]

stay away from the vantec.....

go with the coolermaster 120 mm they are evey bit as good as the panaflo`s!!

 

[Remy XO]

thinkin way too much just for a silent fan

 

[Markbnj]

I have a Vantec 120mm stealth in the side of my case. Very quiet. Moves a lot of air. Me happy.

 

[Unkno]

panaflo.....why don't you just try to buy the fan from somewhere else and install it yourself? installing a fan ins't really hard and it will NOT (if you use common sense when installing) destroy your investment. Buy it from NCIX.com if you live in canada

 

[Ricemarine]

Go buy a nexus 120mm real silent fan. Nice

 

[ChiPCGuy]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
stay away from the vantec.....

go with the coolermaster 120 mm they are evey bit as good as the panaflo`s!!

Uh, which Coolermaster?? The one that pushes 11.1 CFM? Not sufficient in my book, if that is the one you are referring to.

I regulary use Vantec Stealth 120mms and have only had one that had an issue out of dozens. I use them in my personal machine as well. They move 53+ CFM. That is MUCH better.

The panaflos are not exactly quiet, either, btw.

 

[klah]

There are about a dozen Panaflo 120mm models, with varying specifications. Which specific model are you referencing?

 

[InsiderGamer]

On my local PC store's website, all it says for the Panaflo model is that it is the "Panaflo 120mm Ultra Quiet Fan, Medium Flow". These are its specs:

Panaflo 120mm
Dimensions: 120mm x 120mm x 38mm
Rated Voltage: 12V
Rated Current: 340mA
Rated Input: 4.08W
Nominal Speed: 2100 RPM
Max. Air flow: 86.5 CFM
Max. Air Pressure: 47.1 Pa
Noise Level: 35.5 dBA
Bearing Type: Hydro Wave
Connector: 3-Pin

VANTEC Stealth Fan 120mm
Dimensions:120x120x25mm
Speed: 1500 RPM
Air Flow:53 CFM
Noise Level: 28 dBA
Bearing Type: Double Ball Bearing
---

Yeah, I can see the VANTEC being quieter, but my current PC's pretty loud too, so I'm used to it .

~IG

 

[ChiPCGuy]

Originally posted by: klah
There are about a dozen Panaflo 120mm models, with varying specifications. Which specific model are you referencing?

Insider gamer beat me to it. Their medium speed and low speed models are still louder than the Vantec Stealth. As you can see from the specs on the medium speed one, about 7 db louder.

 

[Cawchy87]

I have both the L1A (low) and the M1A (medium). And there isn't a huge differance between them. Bearly noticable, but imo still too loud without a fan controller.

 

[Linden]

I highly recommend these AntecTricool fans. They have a tethered switch that allows you to select from one of three speeds. The middle speed pleasantly not loud. The low speed is very quiet. I've used many different brands of 120mm fans, including all types of Panaflo. These Antecs are very good. Also, if you have a case window, they are very attractive.

The post above mine comparing the Panaflo to that Vantec is apples to oranges. There are several models of Panaflo 120mm fans. The one compared above is not the 'L' model, which has lower volume airflow and much lower noise.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: ChiPCGuy

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
stay away from the vantec.....

go with the coolermaster 120 mm they are evey bit as good as the panaflo`s!!

Uh, which Coolermaster?? The one that pushes 11.1 CFM? Not sufficient in my book, if that is the one you are referring to.

I regulary use Vantec Stealth 120mms and have only had one that had an issue out of dozens. I use them in my personal machine as well. They move 53+ CFM. That is MUCH better.

The panaflos are not exactly quiet, either, btw.

The coolermaster fans that I use have a max cfm of 43 with a dba of 22.....

the vantec you are talking about has 53 cfm with a 28dba..

I use to use vantec 120 mm fans exclusively until I found that vantec padded there rated specs...besides that the vantec fans were boisy as all get so i figured the rated specs were bogus.


So I switched to CoolerMaster which are right on what there spcs say.

if you really want to get technical on the matter most of the time anything over 40+ cfm is actually over kill when it comes to sealed case and proper airflow.

have a nice day!!

 

[InsiderGamer]

Well, ChiPCGuy makes me feel a little bit better as I'm stuck with the VANTEC fan. I know it doesn't matter in the broad scheme of things, but I just plunked down a considerable amount of money for this rig (my current rig has lasted me 5-6 years; I don't do this often) so I want it as perfect as I can get it.

~IG

 

[Markbnj]

Yeah, I can see the VANTEC being quieter, but my current PC's pretty loud too, so I'm used to it

Yeah, if the 53 cfm is enough and your machine isn't already loud, the quietness of the Vantec is nice. My 4400+ is idling at 30c today with that thing blowing on the zalman.

The other thing that is nice about the Vantec is that it's about 33% slimmer than the Panaflo.

 

[dodgybob]

I replaced my vantec stealth with a nexus after it stopped and started to smoke. If you can get hold of the nexus they are very quiet fans although the vantec is pretty quiet. I have the 86cfm panaflo and at full speed it is quite loud as it shifts a lot of air, it also didn't seem to like lower voltages to bring the noise level down. Doing that caused weird clicking noises.