What are the quietest 120mm case fans?

[Muse]

I've been reading the reviews of the Zalman ZM-F3 at Newegg and several people said it's not as quiet as one might expect, even at low speed.

I want 120mm fans (2 or 3) and my priorities are:

1. Quiet

2. Moves decent air

3. Not too expensive


Probably the least important of those 3 is air movement, because my system isn't that high powered:

AMD Athlon Venice 2.2GHz 3200+
geforce 6600 AGP

What fans would fit these criteria?

 

[Zepper]

Only silent fan is one that is unplugged. Ones that are moving some air can be low noise, but not silent...

.bh.

 

[WoodButcher]

Originally posted by: Zepper
Only silent fan is one that is unplugged. Ones that are moving some air can be low noise, but not silent...

.bh.

And I've been called sarcastic!

@ Muse, you'll like Yate Loons, good, quiet, and cheap. I've read that Petra's Tech buys direct and has better yates but I've bought them at several places and never had a problem.

 

[masteryoda34]

Ive been looking for some quiet 120mm fans recently also and I find many people recommend the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835185005

They're expensive though. I found that a couple other sites had them for around $12-14.
Just do a search for the model number and you'll find many reviews.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: masteryoda34
Ive been looking for some quiet 120mm fans recently also and I find many people recommend the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835185005

They're expensive though. I found that a couple other sites had them for around $12-14.
Just do a search for the model number and you'll find many reviews.

Yes, I ran into that today just before I posted the OP. Actually, it looked to me that the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D is maybe the quietest Scythe 120mm fan. Yes, they're expensive. And they don't move a whole lot of air, but like I said, quiet is more important to me than air movement with my box, at least now.

Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D at Newegg

I'm curious about the Yate Loons. Just how quiet are they? I guess that any of these fans can be made quieter by putting a resistor in series with them.

Note: These Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D are little cheaper than the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E, and quieter. Here's the spec:


RPM 800 RPM
Air Flow 33.5 CFM
Noise Level 8.7 dBA

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: masteryoda34
Ive been looking for some quiet 120mm fans recently also and I find many people recommend the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835185005

They're expensive though. I found that a couple other sites had them for around $12-14.
Just do a search for the model number and you'll find many reviews.

Yes, I ran into that today just before I posted the OP. Actually, it looked to me that the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D is maybe the quietest Scythe 120mm fan. Yes, they're expensive. And they don't move a whole lot of air, but like I said, quiet is more important to me than air movement with my box, at least now.

Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D at Newegg

I'm curious about the Yate Loons. Just how quiet are they? I guess that any of these fans can be made quieter by putting a resistor in series with them.

Note: These aScythe S-FLEX SFF21D a little cheaper than the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E, and quieter. Here's the spec:


RPM 800 RPM
Air Flow 33.5 CFM
Noise Level 8.7 dBA

You have to keep a coule things in mind, orientation and restriction. The Scythe Slipstreams are great case fans for their price but, are more heavily affected by restriction and are sleeve bearings so they will often make noises when laid flat(ie powersupply fans or top/bottom pannel fans. The SFF21x are ball bearing so they're going to be more versatile and last longer, the blades are designed to better cope with restriction but, are not going to move as much air ber DB. The yate loons are only a good value because they can be had for half the price of better fans. they are sleeve bearing with wide blades so, out of the three they're going to be the loudest at a given output or rpm.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: Zepper
Only silent fan is one that is unplugged. Ones that are moving some air can be low noise, but not silent...

.bh.

QFT, first thing I thought when I read the headline. I know he meant near or below the ambient noise level but, he did say silent.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: Zepper
Only silent fan is one that is unplugged. Ones that are moving some air can be low noise, but not silent...

.bh.

QFT, first thing I thought when I read the headline. I know he meant near or below the ambient noise level but, he did say silent.

If you are referring to the topic title, ... no, I didn't say "silent," I said "quietest." And that wasn't exactly what I meant, although I am curious about that. Of course, cost is an important factor.

Of course, the quietest fan is the one that's not hooked up, but that would be silly. I appreciate the sentiment, though, obviously being that there's no working fan that you won't hear to some extent.

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: masteryoda34
Ive been looking for some quiet 120mm fans recently also and I find many people recommend the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835185005

They're expensive though. I found that a couple other sites had them for around $12-14.
Just do a search for the model number and you'll find many reviews.

Yes, I ran into that today just before I posted the OP. Actually, it looked to me that the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D is maybe the quietest Scythe 120mm fan. Yes, they're expensive. And they don't move a whole lot of air, but like I said, quiet is more important to me than air movement with my box, at least now.

Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D at Newegg

I'm curious about the Yate Loons. Just how quiet are they? I guess that any of these fans can be made quieter by putting a resistor in series with them.

Note: These aScythe S-FLEX SFF21D a little cheaper than the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E, and quieter. Here's the spec:


RPM 800 RPM
Air Flow 33.5 CFM
Noise Level 8.7 dBA

You have to keep a coule things in mind, orientation and restriction. The Scythe Slipstreams are great case fans for their price but, are more heavily affected by restriction and are sleeve bearings so they will often make noises when laid flat(ie powersupply fans or top/bottom pannel fans. The SFF21x are ball bearing so they're going to be more versatile and last longer, the blades are designed to better cope with restriction but, are not going to move as much air ber DB. The yate loons are only a good value because they can be had for half the price of better fans. they are sleeve bearing with wide blades so, out of the three they're going to be the loudest at a given output or rpm.

When you say "restriction," to what exactly are you referring?

When you say that the ball bearing fans last longer, what is the issue? Will sleeve bearing fans fail sooner or will they start making more noise? What kind of time frame?

You say that the ball bearing fans don't move as much air/db (I think you say this). So the sleeve bearing fans are actually quieter? However, you say the Yate Loons are sleeve bearing and actually less efficient in terms of loudness at a given "output," by which I assume you mean CFM. Could you clarify? Thanks.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: Zepper
Only silent fan is one that is unplugged. Ones that are moving some air can be low noise, but not silent...

.bh.

QFT, first thing I thought when I read the headline. I know he meant near or below the ambient noise level but, he did say silent.

If you are referring to the topic title, ... no, I didn't say "silent," I said "quietest." And that wasn't exactly what I meant, although I am curious about that. Of course, cost is an important factor.

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: masteryoda34
Ive been looking for some quiet 120mm fans recently also and I find many people recommend the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835185005

They're expensive though. I found that a couple other sites had them for around $12-14.
Just do a search for the model number and you'll find many reviews.

Yes, I ran into that today just before I posted the OP. Actually, it looked to me that the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D is maybe the quietest Scythe 120mm fan. Yes, they're expensive. And they don't move a whole lot of air, but like I said, quiet is more important to me than air movement with my box, at least now.

Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D at Newegg

I'm curious about the Yate Loons. Just how quiet are they? I guess that any of these fans can be made quieter by putting a resistor in series with them.

Note: These aScythe S-FLEX SFF21D a little cheaper than the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E, and quieter. Here's the spec:


RPM 800 RPM
Air Flow 33.5 CFM
Noise Level 8.7 dBA

You have to keep a coule things in mind, orientation and restriction. The Scythe Slipstreams are great case fans for their price but, are more heavily affected by restriction and are sleeve bearings so they will often make noises when laid flat(ie powersupply fans or top/bottom pannel fans. The SFF21x are ball bearing so they're going to be more versatile and last longer, the blades are designed to better cope with restriction but, are not going to move as much air ber DB. The yate loons are only a good value because they can be had for half the price of better fans. they are sleeve bearing with wide blades so, out of the three they're going to be the loudest at a given output or rpm.

When you say "restriction," to what exactly are you referring?

When you say that the ball bearing fans last longer, what is the issue? Will they fail sooner or will they start making more noise? What kind of time frame?

You say that the ball bearing fans don't move as much air/db (I think you say this). So the sleeve bearing fans are actually quieter? However, you say the Yate Loons are sleeve bearing and actually less efficient in terms of loudness at a given "output," by which I assume you mean CFM. Could you clarify? Thanks.

Yeah, by restriction I mean filters, radiators or heatsinks generally speaking but, anything within 1mm of the fan per CFM is going to cause some degree of restriction.

Ball bearing fans are just a better design and when they do dry out you can re-lubricate them and they come back to pretty close to factory. When a sleeve bearing dries out it will get noisier and relubricating will help but, never as much as a ball bearing fan. Most manufacturers will list the MTBF or mean time between failures, which is a long way of saying their average lifespan.

I didn't mean that in general sleeve fans are more efficient, though I know I said it that way. With the scythe sflex versus slipstreams it's the blade design that makes the slipstreams more efficient, not the bearing, I was just using the bearing style to diferentiate which fan I was talking about. The yate loons have sleeve bearings and the larger blades so they're the least efficient of the group. The ball bearings in the sflex are more efficient and longer lasting but, it has the less efficient wide blades. Make more sense now?

 

[boomhower]

I would say go with either a slipstream or a yate loon. I have used the low speed yates in the past on a water set-up and was very happy with them. If you go this route definately get them from petras. I have heard nothing but great things about the slipstreams when being used as case fans. As Derwen mentioned they have a poor static pressure so they are good for a HS fan, but thats not what you need. From what I gather they should provide more air flow at the same dB as the yates, or the same air flow at lower dB depending on the model you choose. They will probably be quieter than the yates but they are far from what I consider noisy.

 

[Quasmo]

You're going to have to look for a fan that uses sleeve bearings instead of ball bearing. I found the the thermal take fans are extremely quiet. I mounted them to my case using rubber washers and they are almost silent. They were the best I could find for sound/cfm performance.

http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?Item=N82E16811999127

78cfm at 21dba

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Quasmo
You're going to have to look for a fan that uses sleeve bearings instead of ball bearing. I found the the thermal take fans are extremely quiet. I mounted them to my case using rubber washers and they are almost silent. They were the best I could find for sound/cfm performance.

http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?Item=N82E16811999127

78cfm at 21dba

Why sleeve bearings instead of ball bearings?

 

[Zepper]

He should have said that sleeve bearing fans are generally quieter than cheap ball bearing fans - The Yate D12SL vs. D12BL for example. I have some Cooler Master 110CFM fans here that come in a $19.00 (MSRP) kit that are amazing when dialed back a bit and are tolerable to me even at full speed. And my Sanyo Denki 1011s - FWIW the fan testing guy on XS says there are none better. The 80mm Adda ball bearing fans that Seasonic uses in a lot of its PSUs are quiet at the speeds they normally run in the PSUs. I've not heard one cranked full though.

.bh.

 

[Muse]

I haven't ordered yet (after all it's Easter Sunday, and earliest shipping would be tomorrow), but I'm inclined to think Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D (800RPM) 120mm S-FDB Case Fan. I read some reviews by people who had Slip-Streams and experienced them leaking oil and the company's warranty policy didn't thrill them. There are several Slip-Streams, and I suppose I'd be more interested in the 24.5 CFM 7.5 db model, but for $11 more I can get 2 of the S-Flex above instead at Petra. They are about 50 mi. from me and I'd probably get the UPS Ground the next day.

I was going to buy an Antec 900 case the other day (almost decided) but when I saw the price hiked $20 at Newegg, I figured "why not mod my old generic ATX case instead?" I just saw a review at Newegg by a guy who said he replaced the Antec 900 120mm fans with the SSFF21Ds and the case got way quieter. So, I'm thinking I am making the right decision.

This is probably not as quiet as the 24.5 CFM Slip-Stream (8.7 db vs. 7.5 db), but it should move 1.5x as much air. Plus, I will have some restriction (gonna make some DIY filters), so I think the S-Flex makes more sense.

 

[poohbear]

i replaced my 4yr old silen-X exhaust fan w/ a S-FLEX SFF21E (1200rpm) and its a night and day difference when they're both @ full load. the s-flex is extremely quiet @ low setting in the bios (runs @ 440rpm), and under high settings (its rated @ 1200rpm) its still really quiet compared to the previous case fan which you could clearly tell a fan was blowing hard in the rig. I guess it really shows how fan technology has improved over the years. Buy one as u won't regret it. Now im looking to replace my Big Tyhpoon heatsink fan w/ a noctua NH-U12P to go for the quietest setup possible.

 

[nevbie]

silentpcreview.com mentions that the S-FLEX SFF21D model has a slight "ticking" noise, whatever that means.

If you have the ability to undervolt your fans, I'd recommend the SFF21E model instead of the D model. Besides, the E model can run >800rpm if required. Personally I'm going to get E models because of this "ticking" and because the motherboard of my new build can control fan speed by undervolting. There doesn't seem to be any price differences between E, D and F.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: nevbie
silentpcreview.com mentions that the S-FLEX SFF21D model has a slight "ticking" noise, whatever that means.

If you have the ability to undervolt your fans, I'd recommend the SFF21E model instead of the D model. Besides, the E model can run >800rpm if required. Personally I'm going to get E models because of this "ticking" and because the motherboard of my new build can control fan speed by undervolting. There doesn't seem to be any price differences between E, D and F.

My new mobo (Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro, an old model but new-in-box), is to arrive any day, but I don't know if it supports changing fan speeds. I've been unsuccessful in getting SpeedFan to work, so I figured I wouldn't anticipate being able to control my fan speeds and just get one that out of the box will be OK as long as I don't need additional cooling. If I do, I'll be buying at least one more fan. After all, two quiet 120mm fans are going to be quieter than any single 120 mm fans. As it is, I will have one 120mm intake and one blowing out. In addition, a PSU with a bottom fan and an exhausting fan. That makes two exhausting, one intake... a certain imbalance. An additional intake fan, if necessary, would add balance as well as additional cooling. And there's plenty of room on the side of my midtower for that additional fan. Meantime, I don't think I'll need it.

I read a fair number of reviews of the D model S-Flex fan at Newegg, and saw one or two that mentioned a tick, but my impression is that this is anomaly and not typical. One stated that the fan was defective (wobbly and loud) and the buyer was rancorous and swearing off Scythe entirely.

The silentpc revew mentioned above is here. Concerning the D model, this quote concerning choosing between the S-Flex models is significant:

"The Low speed S-Flex is probably the best choice for those who just want a drop in solution. It is very close to inaudible at full speed, and should disappear entirely if there are any other significant sources of noise in the system. The fact that it is so quiet at 12V makes it attractive to users who don't want a fan that just works without needing to tinker with it. However, modders will probably want to avoid it, as its extremely high starting voltage makes it useless for undervolting."

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: nevbie
silentpcreview.com mentions that the S-FLEX SFF21D model has a slight "ticking" noise, whatever that means.

If you have the ability to undervolt your fans, I'd recommend the SFF21E model instead of the D model. Besides, the E model can run >800rpm if required. Personally I'm going to get E models because of this "ticking" and because the motherboard of my new build can control fan speed by undervolting. There doesn't seem to be any price differences between E, D and F.

Prices are not the same at Newegg. Around $15 for the D, $20 for the E, $25 for the F.

The best deal I found was $13 for the D at Xoxide.com, and it was there I did my shopping.

 

[aigomorla]

zalmans are great static fans, there also fairly quiet.

Fans need to be determined for 2 criterias.

1. is it an open air fan? something just to push air in and out of a case?

or

2. is it a static pressure fan, something needed to push air though sinks, or radiators.


In option 2, the zalman is the best when it comes to a 25mm thick fan. If you want the best of the best, thats a sanyo denki sanace. But there uber expensive.

Option 1, i go yates. Dirt cheap, fairly quiet when downvolted, and they get the job done.


Tell us what type of application the fan is used for, and we can list out more fans.

Originally posted by: Quasmo
You're going to have to look for a fan that uses sleeve bearings instead of ball bearing. I found the the thermal take fans are extremely quiet. I mounted them to my case using rubber washers and they are almost silent. They were the best I could find for sound/cfm performance.

http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?Item=N82E16811999127

78cfm at 21dba

Sorry thermaltake, silentX, These are two companies whom you should never trust fan raitings for. There known liars, or they test in the middle of rush hour freeway to take ambient sound messurements.

 

[craftech]

What's the difference how much longer ball bearing fans last than sleeve bearing fans. Sleeve bearing fans are cheap, quiet, and often come in multiple packs to use as spares.

For example:

COOLER MASTER case fans such as:

http://www.svc.com/r4-s2s-124k-gp.html

R4-S2S-124K-GP 4 PACK 120MM LOW NOISE FAN 44.73CFM 19.3DBA

Four for $9.99

John

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: craftech
What's the difference how much longer ball bearing fans last than sleeve bearing fans. Sleeve bearing fans are cheap, quiet, and often come in multiple packs to use as spares.

For example:

COOLER MASTER case fans such as:

http://www.svc.com/r4-s2s-124k-gp.html

R4-S2S-124K-GP 4 PACK 120MM LOW NOISE FAN 44.73CFM 19.3DBA

Four for $9.99

John

I'll step back in here quick, those fan are not, Not, NOT 19dbA. They're about 19dbA above an ambient reading of 19dbA, lol. They're a little quieter than my 60cfm 39dbA evercool cheapies and don't nearly move as much air.

Sleeve bearings generally have an MTBF of just shy of 3 years whereas ball bearings are about 5 years. Proper re-oiling of a sleeve can stretch it to about 5 years and re-oiling a ball bearing can push it to about 8.5 years. Obviously that is giong to vary by as much as 25-30% depending on build quality. Any imbalance in the actual rotor/blades of the fan is going to cut it's life by 10-20%.

 

[craftech]

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: craftech
What's the difference how much longer ball bearing fans last than sleeve bearing fans. Sleeve bearing fans are cheap, quiet, and often come in multiple packs to use as spares.

For example:

COOLER MASTER case fans such as:

http://www.svc.com/r4-s2s-124k-gp.html

R4-S2S-124K-GP 4 PACK 120MM LOW NOISE FAN 44.73CFM 19.3DBA

Four for $9.99

John

I'll step back in here quick, those fan are not, Not, NOT 19dbA. They're about 19dbA above an ambient reading of 19dbA, lol. They're a little quieter than my 60cfm 39dbA evercool cheapies and don't nearly move as much air.

Sleeve bearings generally have an MTBF of just shy of 3 years whereas ball bearings are about 5 years. Proper re-oiling of a sleeve can stretch it to about 5 years and re-oiling a ball bearing can push it to about 8.5 years. Obviously that is giong to vary by as much as 25-30% depending on build quality. Any imbalance in the actual rotor/blades of the fan is going to cut it's life by 10-20%.

These Cooler Master sleeve bearing fans sold in two-packs by Newegg are similar. The user reviews seem to indicate that they are quiet and cheap.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835103022

If they are quiet and cheap, I still don't get the logic of spending $20 plus on a ball bearing fan or two or three. If they are that cheap, in three years I can afford to replace a $2-$5 fan with another one just like it. All of us certainly open our computer cases to mess around inside every other week.

John

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: craftech

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: craftech
What's the difference how much longer ball bearing fans last than sleeve bearing fans. Sleeve bearing fans are cheap, quiet, and often come in multiple packs to use as spares.

For example:

COOLER MASTER case fans such as:

http://www.svc.com/r4-s2s-124k-gp.html

R4-S2S-124K-GP 4 PACK 120MM LOW NOISE FAN 44.73CFM 19.3DBA

Four for $9.99

John

I'll step back in here quick, those fan are not, Not, NOT 19dbA. They're about 19dbA above an ambient reading of 19dbA, lol. They're a little quieter than my 60cfm 39dbA evercool cheapies and don't nearly move as much air.

Sleeve bearings generally have an MTBF of just shy of 3 years whereas ball bearings are about 5 years. Proper re-oiling of a sleeve can stretch it to about 5 years and re-oiling a ball bearing can push it to about 8.5 years. Obviously that is giong to vary by as much as 25-30% depending on build quality. Any imbalance in the actual rotor/blades of the fan is going to cut it's life by 10-20%.

These Cooler Master sleeve bearing fans sold in two-packs by Newegg are similar. The user reviews seem to indicate that they are quiet and cheap.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835103022

If they are quiet and cheap, I still don't get the logic of spending $20 plus on a ball bearing fan or two or three.

John

Then you'll have a hell of a time explaining why aigomorla has a thousand dollars worth of water cooling stuff sitting in a box and why I'm spending about $300 to cool my 4 year old hardware to -25C huh?

It's just what we do. :shrug:

 

[craftech]

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: craftech

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: craftech
What's the difference how much longer ball bearing fans last than sleeve bearing fans. Sleeve bearing fans are cheap, quiet, and often come in multiple packs to use as spares.

For example:

COOLER MASTER case fans such as:

http://www.svc.com/r4-s2s-124k-gp.html

R4-S2S-124K-GP 4 PACK 120MM LOW NOISE FAN 44.73CFM 19.3DBA

Four for $9.99

John

I'll step back in here quick, those fan are not, Not, NOT 19dbA. They're about 19dbA above an ambient reading of 19dbA, lol. They're a little quieter than my 60cfm 39dbA evercool cheapies and don't nearly move as much air.

Sleeve bearings generally have an MTBF of just shy of 3 years whereas ball bearings are about 5 years. Proper re-oiling of a sleeve can stretch it to about 5 years and re-oiling a ball bearing can push it to about 8.5 years. Obviously that is giong to vary by as much as 25-30% depending on build quality. Any imbalance in the actual rotor/blades of the fan is going to cut it's life by 10-20%.

These Cooler Master sleeve bearing fans sold in two-packs by Newegg are similar. The user reviews seem to indicate that they are quiet and cheap.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835103022

If they are quiet and cheap, I still don't get the logic of spending $20 plus on a ball bearing fan or two or three.

John

Then you'll have a hell of a time explaining why aigomorla has a thousand dollars worth of water cooling stuff sitting in a box and why I'm spending about $300 to cool my 4 year old hardware to -25C huh?

It's just what we do. :shrug:

Then for you it's worth it. Not all of us spend that much as I am sure you are aware. I am not sure if the OP spends that kind of money either.
From his post:

I want 120mm fans (2 or 3) and my priorities are:

1. Quiet

2. Moves decent air

3. Not too expensive


Probably the least important of those 3 is air movement, because my system isn't that high powered:

Now I believe we are participating in this thread to help the OP meet his needs. Right?


John

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: craftech

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: craftech

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: craftech
What's the difference how much longer ball bearing fans last than sleeve bearing fans. Sleeve bearing fans are cheap, quiet, and often come in multiple packs to use as spares.

For example:

COOLER MASTER case fans such as:

http://www.svc.com/r4-s2s-124k-gp.html

R4-S2S-124K-GP 4 PACK 120MM LOW NOISE FAN 44.73CFM 19.3DBA

Four for $9.99

John

I'll step back in here quick, those fan are not, Not, NOT 19dbA. They're about 19dbA above an ambient reading of 19dbA, lol. They're a little quieter than my 60cfm 39dbA evercool cheapies and don't nearly move as much air.

Sleeve bearings generally have an MTBF of just shy of 3 years whereas ball bearings are about 5 years. Proper re-oiling of a sleeve can stretch it to about 5 years and re-oiling a ball bearing can push it to about 8.5 years. Obviously that is giong to vary by as much as 25-30% depending on build quality. Any imbalance in the actual rotor/blades of the fan is going to cut it's life by 10-20%.

These Cooler Master sleeve bearing fans sold in two-packs by Newegg are similar. The user reviews seem to indicate that they are quiet and cheap.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835103022

If they are quiet and cheap, I still don't get the logic of spending $20 plus on a ball bearing fan or two or three.

John

Then you'll have a hell of a time explaining why aigomorla has a thousand dollars worth of water cooling stuff sitting in a box and why I'm spending about $300 to cool my 4 year old hardware to -25C huh?

It's just what we do. :shrug:

Then for you it's worth it. Not all of us spend that much as I am sure you are aware. I am not sure if the OP spends that kind of money either.
From his post:

I want 120mm fans (2 or 3) and my priorities are:

1. Quiet

2. Moves decent air

3. Not too expensive


Probably the least important of those 3 is air movement, because my system isn't that high powered:

Now I believe we are participating in this thread to help the OP meet his needs. Right?


John

Absolutely, and budget was the last of his priorities. In the grand scale of things with SanAce1011s going for $25; $7-10 for any of my recomendations is pretty reasonable. Honestly you have to spend that to get the caliber of fan we've been discussing in this thread. If budget were his number one concern, I'd say yate loons from petras, in a heart beat. I have a hard time personally justifying the saving of $1-2 per fan against the yates given the total expense of everything else in the system. Is $5 even too much insurance on airflow with even an inexpensive $300 machine?