What is the best silent 120mm fan

[Spike99]

I'm in the market for the best silent 120mm fan for my new Corsair H50. Although I do OC, It's more important for the fan to be silent.

I want to buy 2 fans for push/pull configuration. I've been researching and I'm leaning to buy the below:
Noctua 120x25mm NF-P12 54.3 CFM 1300RPM (19.8db)

So is this the best silent fan I can get ?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I have 3 of these bad boys in my Antec 300, silent :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185004

 

[LOUISSSSS]

no fan is silent unless it is off... no joke!

 

[MisterDonut]

no fan is silent unless it is off... no joke!

bahahahahahahaha....

Scythe GT. I replaced my old panaflo (114 cfm, 46 db). Sounded like my 5850 taking flight. The GT is one hell of an impressive fan. I have two Zalmans running (~75 cfm, ~30ish db). I can't hear the motor moving, just the air. Might be a bit pricey, but I would say its one of the best fans I've used thus far...S-Flex is ok, but I would go with the GT over it, especially with the price of the s-flex. My friend has three of them running in his Antec 900. Quiet, yes, but he'd like it quieter. He uses the higher RPM version though, I forget which one. But the 800 rpm would be dead silent. If you want to spend less, some cheap yate loons would do you justice. I think jab-tech has the better yates, maybe somebody can verify that. The Noctua one is nice and its about equal to the Gentle Typhoon, but hey, Scythe is Japanese and nicely packed, need I say more?

 

[deimos3428]

I'm in the market for the best silent 120mm fan for my new Corsair H50. Although I do OC, It's more important for the fan to be silent.

I want to buy 2 fans for push/pull configuration. I've been researching and I'm leaning to buy the below:
Noctua 120x25mm NF-P12 54.3 CFM 1300RPM (19.8db)

So is this the best silent fan I can get ?

Yes, though they're pricey. You might also want to consider the 140mm version (NF-P14) as it has 120mm holes. It's even quieter and pushes more air.

 

[Spike99]

Yes, though they're pricey. You might also want to consider the 140mm version (NF-P14) as it has 120mm holes. It's even quieter and pushes more air.

Interesting... I was not aware of this model. Yes, it does move more air but with about same noise level as shown below:

Noctua NF-P14
Airflow: 64.96 CFM Noise: 19.6 dBA
Airflow with L.N.A.: 49.29 CFM L.N.A.: 13.2 dBA
Airflow with U.L.N.A.: 41.93 CFM with U.L.N.A.: 10.1 dBA

Noctua NF-P12
Airflow: 54.36 CFM Noise 19.8 dB(A)
Airflow with L.N.A.:46.23 CFM L.N.A. 16.9 dB(A)
Airflow with U.L.N.A.:37.33 CFM U.L.N.A. 12.6 dB(A)

My concerns are the following:
1. My case fan is for a 120mm fan... I see that NF-P14 has an option to put 120mm fan... but will it fit in case ? I have a CM Stacker 830 full tower case and I have 5inches of space for rear fan. Does anyone have the dimensions for this fan ?
2. Corsair's website suggests that if you're gonna replace fan you can replace fan with "approximately 50CFM max airflow". Is it worth getting NF-P14 since NF-P12 already is 54CFM and noise is ideal > 20db ?

 

[deimos3428]

1. My case fan is for a 120mm fan... I see that NF-P14 has an option to put 120mm fan... but will it fit in case ? I have a CM Stacker 830 full tower case and I have 5inches of space for rear fan. Does anyone have the dimensions for this fan ?

The fan is 140x140x25mm, so I'm not sure if you'll have enough clearance around the 120mm mounts the way the case is designed. Stick with the 120mms to be sure.

 

[aigomorla]

ive said it a lot now.

And i even got a few members who pm'd me after they bought it saying they now understand why i was tooting it so much.

SCYTHE GENTLE TYPHOONS ARE STRAIGHT UP THE BEST FANS PERIOD!
http://www.jab-tech.com/Scythe-Gentle-Typhoon-D1225C12B3AP-15-1850rpm-pr-4501.html

NOTHING WILL TOUCH THEM IN SILENCE + Amount of AIR they push.
NOTHING!

Get a one and try it out...
You wont be disappointed in that fan.

If you do, you just cant use fans period!

 

[MJinZ]

ive said it a lot now.

And i even got a few members who pm'd me after they bought it saying they now understand why i was tooting it so much.

SCYTHE GENTLE TYPHOONS ARE STRAIGHT UP THE BEST FANS PERIOD!
http://www.jab-tech.com/Scythe-Gentle-Typhoon-D1225C12B3AP-15-1850rpm-pr-4501.html

NOTHING WILL TOUCH THEM IN SILENCE + Amount of AIR they push.
NOTHING!

Get a one and try it out...
You wont be disappointed in that fan.

If you do, you just cant use fans period!

EXCEPT THEY ARE MADE BY SERVO AND NOT SCYTHE AND SCYTHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT EXCEPT MAYBE AS A DISTRIBUTING PARTNER FOR MARKETING PURPOSES AND BRAND PLACEMENTS BECAUSE NO ONE KNOWS WHO SERVO IS.

Yelling is fun. :awe:

 

[Spike99]

ive said it a lot now.

And i even got a few members who pm'd me after they bought it saying they now understand why i was tooting it so much.

SCYTHE GENTLE TYPHOONS ARE STRAIGHT UP THE BEST FANS PERIOD!
http://www.jab-tech.com/Scythe-Gentle-Typhoon-D1225C12B3AP-15-1850rpm-pr-4501.html

NOTHING WILL TOUCH THEM IN SILENCE + Amount of AIR they push.
NOTHING!

Get a one and try it out...
You wont be disappointed in that fan.

If you do, you just cant use fans period!

Sorry, but you are wrong. Just checking specs for this... look below
D1225C12B4AP-14 85 m³/h (50CFM) Noise: 21 dBA
NF-P12 54.36 CFM Noise 19.8 dB(A)

So your suggestion is less airflow and higher noise ?

 

[Spike99]

The fan is 140x140x25mm, so I'm not sure if you'll have enough clearance around the 120mm mounts the way the case is designed. Stick with the 120mms to be sure.

Yes, Looks like I need to stick with a 120mm fan. I barely have 5 inches in clearance for my rear fan and 140mm = 5.5inches. So it looks like I don't have the space... Too bad... damn !!

 

[MisterDonut]

Sorry, but you are wrong. Just checking specs for this... look below
D1225C12B4AP-14 85 m³/h (50CFM) Noise: 21 dBA
NF-P12 54.36 CFM Noise 19.8 dB(A)

So your suggestion is less airflow and higher noise ?

Hey if CM can rock some 19db/69cfm or whatever fans, I'm sure they're not the only one....The Noctuas are nice though. But I got a GT, and must say....very quiet

 

[aigomorla]

Sorry, but you are wrong. Just checking specs for this... look below
D1225C12B4AP-14 85 m³/h (50CFM) Noise: 21 dBA
NF-P12 54.36 CFM Noise 19.8 dB(A)

So your suggestion is less airflow and higher noise ?

dude...

Noctuna's really dont compare against a GT.

NOctuna's are also one of the most overated fan's you can get.
Yes there quiet, and yes there nice...

But trust me.
You wont find a better fan then a GT.

 

[CraigRT]

I have read time and time again that the Gentle Typhoons are the best.

The only Scythe fans available locally to me are the S-flex (also good) considering getting some of those.

 

[deimos3428]

D1225C12B4AP-14 85 m³/h (50CFM) Noise: 21 dBA
NF-P12 54.36 CFM Noise 19.8 dB(A)

Time to put the thread back into context. What matters is how you plan on using the fan and what you consider important. You said silent in your original post. You also said it's for a Corsair H50.

For use on a radiator like the H50, the NF-P12 is a better choice than the AP-14 as it has higher static pressure (1.68 vs. 1.24 mm H20) while still being silent.

The AP-15 has even higher static pressure, (2.10 mm H20), so if a little bit of noise is tolerable this is your fan. But it's not as quiet as either the AP-14 or NF-P12.

For an unobstructed case fan, it's harder to justify the $5-6 premium of the NF-P12. I'd stick with the AP-14 because of the price.

Reality check: They're all excellent fans and you won't be disappointed with any of them. Pick one.

 

[aigomorla]

No... As i said Noctuna's STATS are overrated.

NEVER trust a vendors resources.
NEVER!

Because a vendor will always tweek his environment to get the most out of the results.

I will NEVER buy a noctuna fan.

Id rather get yates @ 4 dollars which perform better vs a 20 dollar noctuna.

You can use these results in mirror of an air sink.

Open air, the results will be different, but if the fan is mounted to something.. even a rear 120mm fan grill, these stats will apply.

 

[Rubycon]

GTs are made by Nidec and packaged by Scythe.
Build quality is excellent. You can drop one five feet onto a steel deck (or concrete) and it bumps and keeps going. Try that with a Noctua. I know I have and it breaks them!

They have more powerful GTs on the way all the way up to 150CFM and considerably quieter than Delta's equivalent. Highly recommended.

 

[deimos3428]

Sorry guys, I'm trying to help someone here not start a fanboy war.

Get it? Fan boy?

 

[Rubycon]

Sorry guys, I'm trying to help someone here not start a fanboy war.

Get it? Fan boy?

I get called a Tomboy but never a fanboy.

 

[MisterDonut]

Sorry guys, I'm trying to help someone here not start a fanboy war.

Get it? Fan boy?

You gotta include the waterboys...

 

[Rubycon]

You gotta include the waterboys...

Around the docks the kids soup up their boats. We call them waterbillies. (Like the mountain goats with jacked up trucks people call hillbillies.) :biggrin:

They continue to DENY my request for water cooling. I guess I need a PC that dissipates 20,000 watts of power. (we have amps that are water cooled!)

 

[MisterDonut]

Around the docks the kids soup up their boats. We call them waterbillies. (Like the mountain goats with jacked up trucks people call hillbillies.) :biggrin:

They continue to DENY my request for water cooling. I guess I need a PC that dissipates 20,000 watts of power. (we have amps that are water cooled!)

I bet you Ed Elric has watercooling in that awesome arm of his. He recommends Japanese.

 

[Rubycon]

I bet you Ed Elric has watercooling in that awesome arm of his. He recommends Japanese.

I prefer to skinny dip. KISS + comfort = the best life.

 

[aigomorla]

dude why is it when people say something is the best, because it has history for being the best they get called a fan boy?

I just dont get it..

To me the definition of fanism is a blind respect for a product regardless if its good or not.

That doesnt apply, because as i said, ive recomended the GT numerous times.
Even had people PM me after buying one saying that it was indeed the best fan they ever bought.

And yet i am still called a fanboy.

:\

Oh man... its almost as bad as the cpu section when i say gulftown...
Everyone calls SHINS! or they try to make AMD pull the impossible, and im sitting in front of my gulftown scratching my head going HUH?

 

[Spike99]

Thanks for your suggestions guys. I actually placed an order yesterday for a pair of Noctua NF-P12. I'm now checking forum and noticed additional info provided. I guess I pulled the trigger a little early.... In any case, although a bit more expensive... it's still a good silent fan.

Thanks again !!