It's a good point that running fans at low RPM makes them quieter. It also reduces the amount of airflow though.Aris wrote:This isnt some all passive low power system either. Its my main gaming rig, and has a total of 3 fans in it. stock psu 80mm fan, 120mm nexus, and a 92mm nexus. it plays every game i want on my LCD at native resolution of 1280x1024 at acceptable game detail.
You didn't mention what components your PC uses?
From the SPCR fan reviews your Nexus fans should be running at close to the specifications below:
NEXUS REAL SILENT CASE FAN D12SL-12 120mm
Voltage: 5v
Noise: <19dBA@1m
RPM: 490RPM
CFM: 16CFM
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article69 ... html#nexus
NEXUS REAL SILENT CASE FAN DF1209SL-3 92mm Fan
Voltage: 5v
Noise: <18dBA@1m
RPM: 570RPM
CFM: 11CFM
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article72 ... html#nexus
Now the Intel C2D E6600 @3.2ghz/ Nvidia 8800 Ultra system in an Antec P180 case that I linked to previously uses three Scythe S-Flex SFF21D 800rpm fans at 12v for cooling. (That's ignoring the PSU in it's seperate chamber).
Falcon26's PC (C2D E6600 @3.2ghz, Nvidia 8800Ultra)
viewtopic.php?t=41722
The quoted load temperatures for that system are quite good with those three Scythe fans. If you're prepared to run the components at just below their throttling temperatures there must be at least some scope to cut airflow and therefore noise.
SCYTHE S-Flex SFF21D (800 RPM) 120mm Fan
Voltage: 12v
Noise ~20dBA@1m
RPM:850RPM
CFM: 32CFM
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article69 ... html#sflex
This comes back to the original point of the thread:
If you were to take that same Antec P180 system (fitted with a 130w Intel Core 2 Quad QX6800 CPU and 130w Nvidia 8800GTX graphics card in order to meet the specs of the first post) on a warm summer day (room temperature 30c) could it be safely cooled under sustained full load using just the 27CFM of Aris's two Nexus fans at 5v?
I'd guess that it could work at idle but would start throttling significantly under load.