whats a case with 92mm intake/exhaust fan?

[dunce11r]

my antec 1080 is really pissing me off... so many fans (all panaflo L1s), but the front grill is just TOO big of an opening... a lot of sound escapes teh damn case... so i want a new case now, but i want a 92mm in/exh fan since they are more efficient and quieter.

any suggestions?

 

[mechBgon]

If the fans are the issue, try a set of these (5 fans for $11). They are quieter than L1A. The system's as quiet as its loudest part, and unless you have some ultra-quiet hard drives, these fans will not be the problem In fact, you might want to test that... fire up your system with the case fans unplugged and see if they're really the issue.

 

[HiTek21]

Supermicro Server case is a very nice case with lots of room and rock solid.
It has 1 - 92mm Sunon Fan on the back top of the case, an optional 92mm fan spot that can be positioned in various positions like next to the hard drives or near the heatsink. It also has a massive 120mm NMB Fan next where the mobo sits. Also has room for 7-80mm Casefans 3 in front, and up to 4 on the sides next to the 5.25" bays. I just picked up this case last week and its a very very sweet case. Cost quite a bit but its worth it.

 

[Auric]

I don't mean to burst your parade but while those fans may be quieter than the low speed Panaflo hydrowave as supplied, they are actually noisier when considering the relative airflow. That is, if the Panaflo is supplied with a lower voltage it will be provide more airflow at the same noise level as the NMB ball-bearing. That goes the same for all these so-called "stealth" fans and whatnot. They are just the same old fans set to run slower. Step up to a 92mm and the ratio of airflow to noise increases further. It is practicallly free to use the existing power supply to provide either 5 or 7V instead of 12 to do this or otherwise you can get a variable 5-11V controller for about $5.

 

[OulOat]

Originally posted by: Auric
I don't mean to burst your parade but while those fans may be quieter than the low speed Panaflo hydrowave as supplied, they are actually noisier when considering the relative airflow.

But do you really need that much airflow? I'm using mostly NMBs as case cooling and my case temp is 1-2 C over room temp.

 

[Auric]

Look at it this way, with a good quality well designed fan like the Panaflo you can either have:

1) more airflow for the same noise
2) the same airflow for less noise

than a ball-bearing model which are the noisiest. Sleeve are quieter but the hydrowave sleeve eliminates the short life span problem of traditional sleeves. EZ Fan has a similar design. Pabst is also known for their quality sintec-sleeve.

 

[OulOat]

Originally posted by: Auric
Look at it this way, with a good quality well designed fan like the Panaflo you can either have:

1) more airflow for the same noise
2) the same airflow for less noise

than a ball-bearing model which are the noisiest. Sleeve are quieter but the hydrowave sleeve eliminates the short life span problem of traditional sleeves. EZ Fan has a similar design. Pabst is also known for their quality sintec-sleeve.

You sure the panaflo will produce the same cfms as NMBs if you undervolted it? I would think that airflow decrease faster than noise. Also, you are forgetting the fact that panaflos cost twice to three times as much as the NMBs. Don't get me wrong, panaflos are great fans, just that they are way overpriced right now.

 

[dunce11r]

hmmmmm the fans really arent the prob... its actually the HDs i have... damn maxtor 740X's are LOUD. but i also just wanted a smaller case, and one that had less of an opening at the front so sound couldnt escape as easily. and since the front would more or less be blocked in the front, im gonna need a fan that has enough power that could suck enough air, BUT operate at quiet levels.... tahts why i opted for 92mm fans.

What those dB meters dont tell you is what note the fan is making. an 80mm fan operating at 32db vs a 92mm operating at 32db as well, the 92 will seem to be quieter even though the meter would tell you otherwise. The human ear is way more sensitive to higher pitch tones than lower pitch.... thats why i want a 92mm... it produces a lower pitch so i wont be able to notice it or hear it at all...

but anyway, i'm stilll looking for a mid tower that has a 92mm intake/exhaust ... i'll perhaps get new HDs as well... seagates seem tempting. every fan in my computer (except heatsink, which is sunon 32db) is a panaflo... i feel they dont push enough air.... and when i turn the computer on with 'fans on only', its still pretty noticeable... but im really sensitive to these things. its really subtle, but i want a computer thats as quiet as a dell... but i dont want a dell.

i'll perhaps get thermaltake's new 80mm->80mm fan duct... taht should reduce the fan noise at the heatsink.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: OulOat

Originally posted by: Auric
Look at it this way, with a good quality well designed fan like the Panaflo you can either have:

1) more airflow for the same noise
2) the same airflow for less noise

than a ball-bearing model which are the noisiest. Sleeve are quieter but the hydrowave sleeve eliminates the short life span problem of traditional sleeves. EZ Fan has a similar design. Pabst is also known for their quality sintec-sleeve.

You sure the panaflo will produce the same cfms as NMBs if you undervolted it? I would think that airflow decrease faster than noise. Also, you are forgetting the fact that panaflos cost twice to three times as much as the NMBs. Don't get me wrong, panaflos are great fans, just that they are way overpriced right now.

This question is easily answered by referring to Panasonic's airflow/backpressure/voltage graphs found here (for 80mm as an example) At zero backpressure (fairly close to reality for this situation), the airflow and voltage drop fairly linearly.

Panaflos will start from stall at 7V in my experience. I don't know if they'll start reliably from stall at 5V however... anyone tried enough to say with reasonable assurance? I will say this: Turbo runs very cool inside with a team of 18dB NMB's and a TruePower PSU (flipped upside down). If the 15000rpm SCSI drive were replaced with a Seagate Barracuda ATA V, I doubt you could hear it running without getting within a couple feet of it. Very good value for my $11

 

[RalfHutter]

Originally posted by: dunce11r
What those dB meters dont tell you is what note the fan is making. an 80mm fan operating at 32db vs a 92mm operating at 32db as well, the 92 will seem to be quieter even though the meter would tell you otherwise. The human ear is way more sensitive to higher pitch tones than lower pitch.... thats why i want a 92mm... it produces a lower pitch so i wont be able to notice it or hear it at all...

How about taking your thinking to the next level and getting a case with 120mm fans in the front and rear: Antec SLK3700AMB. It's a really good case. I'm an SX10x0 guy from way back but after I got my 3700 I really fell in love with it. The 120mm fans let you move a lot of air quietly or enough air very quietly. I'm runing one 5-volted Panaflo L1A on the back of my case and it runs very cool.

 

[dunce11r]

THANK YOU! thats a case i didnt know exist, but is now for sure on my "buy list" ... .

 

[Auric]

If you want to go the whole nine yards, Fortron Source makes a PSU with a sinlge 120mm fan too. They also have models with a 92mm fan.