Which high static pressure PWM fan would you get? (2016)

[King Mustard]

I recently bought a "OcUK Tech Labs 240mm Extreme CPU Liquid Cooling Upgrade Bundle"

However, it came with non-PWM fans and I don't have a fan controller, so they currently run at 100% when plugged into my motherboard, which is noisey.

I am looking into replacing the two fans with 4-pin PWM models.

I have heard that, since they're going to be stuck on a radiator, they need to have a Static Pressure of at least 3.00 H2O.

I believe these are my options:

Any thoughts?

 

[ClockHound]

On that list EK Vardar F4 or ML120s would my 1st and 2nd choices. Not on the list are 1850 or 2200rpm PWM GTs and the Fractal HP-12.

The SP120s would be last on the list due to weak performance, high price. The Nocs are ok, but pricey and noisy.

 

[aigomorla]

Nidec Gentle Typhoon are undisupted champs on radiators.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017UX9DRA?psc=1

however they are a bit pricey.

 

[UsandThem]

There are a few more you could consider:

http://www.overclockers.com/pwm-fan-roundup-twenty-four-120-mm-case-fans-tested/

 

[BonzaiDuck]

On my own list, Nidec-Servo GT's and Noctua iPPCs are at the top and preferred for my air-cooled systems, particularly the iPPC-3000 and (if they ever became available again) the 4,200 RPM GT AP-30.

I don't regard noise as much of an issue for these choices, because it's not a lot of trouble to deal with motor-noise effectively with a little DIY investment of time and maybe $10 or $20.

I could use those fans for a radiator, but only as much as I can keep them out of direct contact from the radiator -- better if I could install them with a ducted gap between the fins and the fan of maybe 1/4". Noise mitigation is a bigger problem for fans at those speeds, but you wouldn't be running them at those speeds a good part of the time.

And for a radiator, I might choose either in a model with a lesser spec speed. Just my opinion, really.

There are a few more you could consider:

http://www.overclockers.com/pwm-fan-roundup-twenty-four-120-mm-case-fans-tested/

 

[UsandThem]

On my own list, Nidec-Servo GT's and Noctua iPPCs are at the top and preferred for my air-cooled systems, particularly the iPPC-3000 and (if they ever became available again) the 4,200 RPM GT AP-30.

I don't regard noise as much of an issue for these choices, because it's not a lot of trouble to deal with motor-noise effectively with a little DIY investment of time and maybe $10 or $20.

I don't think I could tolerate the noise from that particular Noctua fan (maybe cutting the RPMs in half through the motherboard or fan controller). However, those Nidec fans seem really impressive, but I haven't seen them in person.

I remember back in 2001 I was having heat issues with a Dell tower back when they kind of hooked up a plastic tunnel from the passively cooled CPU to the rear exhaust fan, which was the only fan in the computer (outside of the PSU). I had the bright idea to order a Delta fan I had seen on 1CoolPC (used to love that site). When it came and I installed it, it literally sounded like a vacuum cleaner. I immediately removed it, and my mission ever since has been a balance of seeking quiet fans with adequate performance, with a strong preference to the 'quiet' part.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I don't think I could tolerate the noise from that particular Noctua fan (maybe cutting the RPMs in half through the motherboard or fan controller). However, those Nidec fans seem really impressive, but I haven't seen them in person.

I remember back in 2001 I was having heat issues with a Dell tower back when they kind of hooked up a plastic tunnel from the passively cooled CPU to the rear exhaust fan, which was the only fan in the computer (outside of the PSU). I had the bright idea to order a Delta fan I had seen on 1CoolPC (used to love that site). When it came and I installed it, it literally sounded like a vacuum cleaner. I immediately removed it, and my mission ever since has been a balance of seeking quiet fans with adequate performance, with a strong preference to the 'quiet' part.

The way I have them set up, my AP-30 and the iPPC 3000 don't make any noise until the system is pushing around 60C. Even then, you can't much hear them.

I think it's silly to use too many fans, and I try to figure out ways to minimize the overall count. But my latest build has:

Akasa Viper 140mm "round" fan for heatpipe tower pusher
iPPC 3000 for exhaust fan puller ducted to the heatpipe tower rear with a TR accordion duct
2x Akasa Viper "square" fans 140mm front intake
2x BitFenix Spectre Pro side-panel intake [I got caught up in cheap bling, and wanted "green LED" but no sleeve bearings]
1x CoolerMaster Crossflow Barrel fan -- exhausting from a motherboard duct

Oh. Forgot. 40x10mm Noctua I/O plate intake blowing on the VRMs.

Eight! Eight! I should be ashamed of myself! ASHAMED! No, I forgot -- I think it's nine!

But I have a mechanics stethoscope and a digital noise-meter, together with my own ears. The noisiest thing in there was the barrel fan, so I did a better job of noise-isolation for the screws going through case metal. It would be tricky to use rubber fan mounts. But now, with the stethoscope, that fan is also -- just plain quiet.

Here -- maybe I can provide an idea of gaming RPMs on these:

Idle -- CPU package temperature = 24C <= X <= 29C
CPU Akasa pusher = 965 RPM
Bitfenix = 950 RPM
iPPC exhaust 1,560 RPM
F-panel Akasas 965 RPM
Barrel fan = 1,900 RPM
Let's reset HWInfo and run a game. GRID2 is still a mild game, but I love to drive stoned:

CPU package = 47C
BitFenix = 1,180 RPM
Akasa 140mm (all) = 1,160 RPM
iPPC 3000 = 1,936 RPM
Barrel fan = 2,818 RPM

I could provide a third point of reference for a stress-test. How about IBT? -- 65C peak package:
Bitfenix = 1,350
Akasa 140mm = 1,575
iPPC exhaust = 2,780
Barrel fan = 3,090

The only thing I can hear is a muffled motor-whine from the iPPC under IBT load. The Barrel fan had been almost as noisy, but it is just inaudible at that speed under the load. This actually puzzles me, but isolating contact with the case had been a tedious afternoon.

Maybe you suspect that I'm deaf, but my hearing is still good. There are four computers running under this desk, and the noisiest is my server -- some 40mm hotswap caddy fans is the worst of it.

The Skylake computer with the nine fans is just plain quiet.

Just as an afterthought, the 40mm Noctua has a top-end something like 5,000RPM. The fan-curve follows the temperature of the VCORE VRM that runs the hottest (never exceeds 42C). It only varies between 3,000 and 3,450 RPM.

 

[UsandThem]

You definitely have me on the total number of case fans. My setup is:

Front/bottom: 3 x 140mm Noctua NF-A14 FLX @ 700 - 900 RPM (I run them at 700 RPM most of the year, except from June to September when I usually run them at 800 - 900 RPM).

Rear: 140mm Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 14 PWM with 'Static booster' riser (usually runs 730 RPM to 825 RPM, depending on temps)

I can hardly hear them at all when my office is quiet, but if I'm listening to music at a low level, the slight air movement sound is totally inaudible at that point. I could honestly run them at lower RPMs, but if I play a game of Civilization, it gets a little warm.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Not being defensive, and had to think about it. I could probably run all my fans at those idle speeds. Did you take pains to avoid surface-to-surface contact and the use of metal fasteners?

I'd been fussy about it since my 2011 Sandy, fussiness growing. Each successive time, I'll stand back and feel surprised at how you can muffle sound without a lot of clutter and sticky crap on your case metal. I mean -- who cares if you have some dead space around two to four sides of a fan, and you fill it with Spire? Or pad fan corners with Spire. Sometimes the rubber fan mounts can be unintentionally pulled free while working inside the system, but never been a problem.

 

[UsandThem]

Yeah, all the fans have little rubber "washers" between the fan and metal.

The issue I ran into while making my computer quiet, was the exhaust fan. I tried the included Fractal Design fans and a Noctua NF-A14 FLX back there, but for whatever reason, their sound profiles drove me nuts. I guess I have sensitive hearing. I ended up buying the Promlitech fan after reading a review. I was skeptical it was going to help much, but it did. It's funky shaped, and uses 120mm mounting holes, but it made all the difference in the world back there.

If I didn't already have the Noctua fans, I would have ordered a couple more for the front.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Yeah, all the fans have little rubber "washers" between the fan and metal.

The issue I ran into while making my computer quiet, was the exhaust fan. I tried the included Fractal Design fans and a Noctua NF-A14 FLX back there, but for whatever reason, their sound profiles drove me nuts. I guess I have sensitive hearing. I ended up buying the Promlitech fan after reading a review. I was skeptical it was going to help much, but it did. It's funky shaped, and uses 120mm mounting holes, but it made all the difference in the world back there.

If I didn't already have the Noctua fans, I would have ordered a couple more for the front.

I've tried a couple things with some success for 120mm exhaust fans. [Not sure because you didn't mention either way, but I also hope you eliminated metal screws such as the ones accompanying new fans.]

Imagine cutting perfect two-inch circles from a panel of Spire foam rubber acoustic pads, then peeling off the backing and sticking about five or six together to make a barrel-shaped "nose." I fit these on the outside of the case centered on the fixed fan-hub housing, from which there is no airflow anyway. Or, you can put maybe two layers right on the output side of the hub, install the fan with rubber mounts, and then add the Bozo's nose on the case exterior.

If I were watercooling and depending on where the 240 or 260 radiator fits, I might use the exhaust port differently, but there would still be a fan there. In that latter case, I might have it as a ducted intake fan, forcing air through and across the motherboard to be gathered up by radiator fans on the output side. More Spire might augment something like a foam-art-board duct-box. If the radiator was at front-panel input, any of these strategies might apply, but the rear fan might be exhaust.

But if you run a fan like a rear exhaust ducted to a heatpipe-rear, you can use more clever cut-outs from Spire to deaden the noise. It is an investment in time and tedium with only a few dollars expense. Once it's done -- it's done. is it worth it? Depends on the builder and user. I'm just smarter about Spire and noise so that I use a minimum of material located at the source of the noise, and I don't gum up my case-metal with Spire.