quiet 120mm case fan

justin777 · Post by **justin777** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 4:11 pm

hey guys,

i was just wondering if one of these exist... ive had a bunch and still havent found one. it seems like any fan is only quiet if undervolted and running at like 60% power. ive had a few silenx fans which were supposed to be amazing and were quite expensive but they werent very quiet. they pretty much straight out lied about the 14 dba they claimed. i also tried scythe s-flex because i heard many people mention it. it was quite cheaper but a bit louder than the silenx. anyone know of any good fans? i want a quiet computer but its pretty frustrating. lol

thanks,
-justin.

CountChoculaBot · Post by **CountChoculaBot** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 5:26 pm

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835185056

It might be a bit on the extreme side though

sea2stars · Post by **sea2stars** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 5:34 pm

There's a thread about the Sycthe Slip Streams. I just replaced two Globalwin NCBs with the 800RPM version and I'm very happy with them.

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 5:58 pm

Scythe S-Flex, Slipstream fans are good
Nexus
Yate Loon

those are the three big ones to look at for quiet to silent 120mm fans.

dhanson865 · Post by **dhanson865** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 8:25 pm

justin777 wrote:i also tried scythe s-flex because i heard many people mention it.

What RPM s-flex did you try? They come in 800, 1200, and 1600 RPM. You'd have a tough time finding someone who thought a 1600 RPM fan is quiet.

Yate Loon and Scythe are the cheaper choices. If you look hard enough you can find a Yate Loon 120mm fan for about $3 but it'll be 1350 RPM so you'd have to run it at 5v if that isn't quiet enough for you.

Again with the slip stream they come in 500, 800, 1200, 1600, and 1900 RPM.

If you think an sflex 1600 is loud try a slipstream 1200 or 800. If you think a sflex 1200 is loud then try a slipstream 800 or 500. If you think a sflex 800 is loud the only quieter option will be the slipstream 500.

http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/0 ... etail.html
http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/0 ... etail.html

Just remember even though not all fans are created equal, the air they move is. Once you move a lot of air you'll have a lot of noise. High RPMs and/or high CFM are your first clue to the noise of a fan you've never laid hands on...

Das_Saunamies · Post by **Das_Saunamies** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 12:10 am

So what've you got against fan control?

casebuyer · Post by **casebuyer** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 5:47 am

did you tried papst silent eagle or arctic cooling solutions
also my question is the same diameter fans of same type are for same price
I mean 800 and 1200 rpm ones are for same price
if I buy a 1200 rpm one and modifying it to work with 800 rpm does it give the same sound
do their engine or fan blades same for same models with different rpm

dhanson865 · Post by **dhanson865** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:23 pm

Das_Saunamies wrote:So what've you got against fan control?

Some people don't want the cost and some just want the simplicity of plug and use.

Myself I'll happily run a fan at 5 or 7 volts if it saves me $5 a fan. I know the fans will only last a few years but I'll always have a way to give the next fan 5v.

casebuyer wrote:if I buy a 1200 rpm one and modifying it to work with 800 rpm does it give the same sound
do their engine or fan blades same for same models with different rpm

Generally speaking the sound will be the same. There is always "sample variance" meaning every fan is unique and many factors could give you a lemon (think manufacturing defects, shipping damage, etc). There are exceptions to this rule but if you search SPCR you can usually find enough threads that mention both fan speeds to make a decision about that.

Your biggest issue when trying to buy the next speed up fan and slow it down is that the starting voltage may be too high to let you slow it down as far as you might want. Again there will be sample variance when it comes to starting voltages.

Das_Saunamies · Post by **Das_Saunamies** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 1:17 am

Well it is of course easier to just 'plug and use', but hardly as versatile. It's just a teeny bit of extra trouble for a world of difference, but to each their own I suppose.

And "only last a few years"? I haven't noticed a detrimental effect from voltage control. Oldest controlled fan I have is some 120mm Enermax with clear blades and a blue frame. It's been adjusted with its own built-in knob to 10% of the scale available, and it's been running happily for six years(fingers crossed now

). The performance is still the same at that speed, and it is by no means a special or expensive fan.

I'm not sure how the Adda fans I sold on are doing, but they would be even older.

dhanson865 · Post by **dhanson865** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 7:30 am

I have some 80mm sleeve bearing fans that I ran at 7v for several years that are no longer as quiet as they used to be. I also have a Seasonic S12-430 that the fan is not as quiet as it used to be after several years of use.

I think lubricant evaporation is the biggest issue to aging once you get past shipping and handling damage. It's worth noting that some fans are fully sealed such that you can't add lubricant (for example my Yate Loon D12SL-12 is that way if I remember correctly as was the sleeve bearing fan in the early S12 models)

Of course a higher quality fan might last longer but the price per year of use may not be in favor of the more expensive fan.

fwiw here is more detail on the issue with the fan in the s12 Yate Loon

Das_Saunamies · Post by **Das_Saunamies** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 8:30 am

Well yeah, wear and tear happens. But that's nothing to do with voltage control, right? I probably took what you said the wrong way around, thinking you meant to relate voltage control and fan life cycles.

dhanson865 · Post by **dhanson865** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 6:06 pm

What I meant is that you can save money sometimes by buying a cheaper fan if say for example your choice is a Yate Loon for $4 or a Nexus for $12 and the Yate Loon is almost identical other than the RPMs are 30% higher.

But when it comes to total cost of ownership (TCO) you have to pay one way or the other. Either pay up front for the lower RPM fan or pay up front for a fan controller or pay over time dealing with the hassle of hardwiring 5v, 7v, or pay over time with dealing with speedfan or BIOS based voltage control.

My earlier comment was that if I buy cheaper fans whatever method I choose to slow them down will outlive the usefulness of the individual fan so I can spread the cost of that effort out over the life of several fans.

I know I'm throwing a lot of concepts into one thread and the English language has much room for ambiguity so forgive me if I didn't make it clear the first time...

Das_Saunamies · Post by **Das_Saunamies** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 10:55 pm

Well it's all clear now, thank you.

I find a proper controller well worth the investment too, gives you so much more choice and legroom with cooling. So far I haven't moved controllers around, but have instead bought a new one when I've upgraded - probably because I always upgrade the whole thing, case and peripherals included. But I think this 70 EUR T-Balancer is going in the next upgrade.

By the way, Nexus is 30 USD (20 EUR) over here.

Mythy · Post by **Mythy** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 11:41 pm

Scythe "SLIP STREAM" 120mm Case Fan

SY1225SL12M
1,200 rpm
24.00 dBA
68.54CFM

-VS-

Scythe "Minebea NMB Silent IC Series" 120mm Case Fan

4710KL-04W-B19-V54
1,600rpm
27.0dBA
63.6CFM

ideas?

quiet 120mm case fan

quiet 120mm case fan

Re: quiet 120mm case fan