Which Noctua 120mm Fans

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Pohemi

Pohemi

Lifer
Oct 2, 2004
10,859
16,928
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The S12B is designed more as a case fan, and will be slightly quieter than the P12, which can be used as either a case fan or a CPU HSF. As far as cheaper prices- not by much. You may find them slightly cheaper, just be mindful of ordering from a reputable source.
 
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dma0991

Platinum Member
Mar 17, 2011
2,723
1
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Do you really need the Noctua fan or you could go for other alternatives? I am using the NF-P12, they are good, solid frame, well built, silent and so on but the price is not worth it. For the price that I would pay for the NF-P12 I'd rather get the Scythe Gentle Typhoons. The NF-P12 isn't that much more silent compared to my Noiseblocker XLP as both sets are manually controlled. The amount of air that they push is a bit disappointing compared to my XLPs as well and I only use them as side panel fans instead of rad fans.

If you want reasonably priced fans and still quite silent, get the Arctic Cooling F12, Aerocool Shark, Yate Loons, etc.
 
MoInSTL

MoInSTL

Senior member
Jan 2, 2012
392
0
76
Pohemi420 said:
The S12B is designed more as a case fan, and will be slightly quieter than the P12, which can be used as either a case fan or a CPU HSF. As far as cheaper prices- not by much. You may find them slightly cheaper, just be mindful of ordering from a reputable source.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info on the S21B. Will be used as a case fan. Was hoping for another, cheaper source, but NE works.

dma0991 said:
Do you really need the Noctua fan or you could go for other alternatives? I am using the NF-P12, they are good, solid frame, well built, silent and so on but the price is not worth it. For the price that I would pay for the NF-P12 I'd rather get the Scythe Gentle Typhoons. The NF-P12 isn't that much more silent compared to my Noiseblocker XLP as both sets are manually controlled. The amount of air that they push is a bit disappointing compared to my XLPs as well and I only use them as side panel fans instead of rad fans.

If you want reasonably priced fans and still quite silent, get the Arctic Cooling F12, Aerocool Shark, Yate Loons, etc.
Click to expand...

I have a AeroCool Shark Fan mounted in the rear. I don't think it's all that silent but am running it at high.

I have noisy, 7+ year old Tri-Cools in the top and front. Maybe when they are replaced I'll take another listen to the Shark fan. The Gentle Typhoons are all deactivated at NE.
 
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dma0991

Platinum Member
Mar 17, 2011
2,723
1
0
MoInSTL said:
I have a AeroCool Shark Fan mounted in the rear. I don't think it's all that silent but am running it at high.

I have noisy, 7+ year old Tri-Cools in the top and front. Maybe when they are replaced I'll take another listen to the Shark fan. The Gentle Typhoons are all deactivated at NE.
Click to expand...
I remember that the Aerocool Shark comes with an adapter for low fan speed, that should reduce some of the noise.

As for the Scythe GT try here or here. In case if you still are keen on getting those from Newegg, Artic Cooling or Aerocool. Cheap but reasonably good.
 
MoInSTL

MoInSTL

Senior member
Jan 2, 2012
392
0
76
dma0991 said:
I remember that the Aerocool Shark comes with an adapter for low fan speed, that should reduce some of the noise.

As for the Scythe GT try here or here. In case if you still are keen on getting those from Newegg, Artic Cooling or Aerocool. Cheap but reasonably good.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the links. They are less than the Noctua. Since I only have 3 fans and the one in front has a grill & filter in front of it I need to run it on high. Ambient room temp is 71F. GPU is 54C, GPU fan at 30% and cores range from 28C to 37C. I need the air. ;)

Edit: I have a Xigmatek sitting here from MC. It's rated at 75 CFM & 20 dBa. The 75 CFM says Max next to it. For decibel level it does not say Max after it. Will pop it in tomorrow. Don't like that it's not sleeved. Will probably return it unless it really surprises me.
 
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lsv

lsv

Golden Member
Dec 18, 2009
1,610
0
71
Pohemi420 said:
The S12B is designed more as a case fan, and will be slightly quieter than the P12, which can be used as either a case fan or a CPU HSF. As far as cheaper prices- not by much. You may find them slightly cheaper, just be mindful of ordering from a reputable source.
Click to expand...

Worth it when buying this bundle @ NCIX. 2x S12B's for $30. Can't go wrong when even 1450RPM Gentle Typhoons are $19 a pop.
 
birthdaymonkey

birthdaymonkey

Golden Member
Oct 4, 2010
1,176
3
81
I've owned 1150rpm and 1850rpm GTs, and I really prefer the Noctua P series. The GTs are not quiet. No matter how slow you dial them down, they make a distinctive ball bearing noise. I've also found that the GTs either have poor QC or (as some have suggested) they're easily damaged in shipping. Of the five I've owned, only two (which I still have sitting in my extra fan box... gave the others away) had a pleasant noise signature; the others exhibited an unpleasant bearing chatter somewhat reminiscent of a seeking hard drive.

I also found that two NF-P12s outperformed two GT-1850s on a Hyper 212+ despite spinning more slowly.

I don't like the S12B. The one that I own (which has found its way into my extra fan box) ticks at low voltages and requires a high (> 5v) start voltage. Its noise signature is also unpleasant at high rpms.

So, as someone who is sort of obsessed with fans and considers himself a big fan of Noctua products, I'd suggest the P12s or maybe try the new F12s. If this is going to be a case intake/exhaust you might also consider Nexus RealSilent as an inexpensive and very pleasant sounding/quiet alternative. I don't suggest the GTs for intake/exhaust.
 
n0x1ous

n0x1ous

Platinum Member
Sep 9, 2010
2,574
252
126
I have the F12s on my H100 and they are fantastic but I have read that they are designed for rad use and not as effective as a case fan
 
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