SPCR

Here's the run down on the noisy specs:
CPU: i7 2700k
Case: Fractal Design R3 (white)
PSU: Seasonic X650
Graphics: MSI 560 TI Twin Frozr ii 2GB

The R3 case only comes with 2 120mm fans. I'm not sure how adequate this cooling would be. I know compared to many other noise dampening cases the R3 actually performs very well, but compared to mesh gamer cases it falls very short.

My thinking is to get a CoolerMaster 212 Evo and replace the fan with either a Nexus D12SL-12 or a GELID Silent 12PWM. The reason for one of these is to be quiet, and keep with a white color theme I have planned. I have a strong preference for white fan blades.

The 560 TI I picked largely because it gets great cooling and is relatively more quiet than the reference design. I'm in the USA so no Gainward Phantom for me unfortunately.

So my question is about case fans. Which fans that have white blades would be good to use for this build? Both to increase case airflow and for use with a CPU cooler. I'm concerned about the CFM of the ones I listed for use with the CoolerMaster 212 Evo.

An alternative option would be to spray paint the 212 Evo's stock fan

All hail Krylon.

WELCOME TO SPCR!!!!

what about the nexus one with white blades and the black body? http://www.silentpcreview.com/article69 ... html#nexus


PS, why stop at the fans? Krylon the mobo, GPU and heat sink too!

Zullwick wrote:So my question is about case fans. Which fans that have white blades would be good to use for this build? Both to increase case airflow and for use with a CPU cooler. I'm concerned about the CFM of the ones I listed for use with the CoolerMaster 212 Evo.

Scythe Gentle Typhoon have a very light gray on the blades, not white, there are a lot of rpm versions, from 500rpm to 1850rpm, i have some 1850rpm and good fans imo, just not the quietest, decent below 800rpm, among the best perfomers for raidators and heatsinks, i would try the 1150 or 800 rpm versions for a more quiet setup, but this fans are very hard to get. Another fans that has white blades are Arctic Cooling F12 and GELID Solutions Silent 12 PWM (FN-PX12-15)

I like the Typhoon, but... well. If I'm going to be picky about color, I'm going to be really picky.

Thanks for the warm welcome Xan. The Nexus One looks like it could definitely work. And that's actually part of the plan (well the heatsink part). White case, black motherboard, black sound card, black PCB Video card, Black PSU, white RAM, white fans with black casing, possibly paint the top fin (and very top only) on the CPU cooler and add in Arctic Cooling VGA cooler at a later date. Best of all: No LEDs.

I think I've narrowed it down to 4 options:

ARCTIC COOLING AF12PWM 120mm Case Fan

GELID Solutions FN-PX12-15 120mm Case Fan with Intelligent PWM control

Nexus Basic Series 120mm

NZXT FX-120LB 120mm Enthusiast 3 Speed Fluid Dynamic Bearing 2600RPM Fan

Now what I hate about fans and the reason I come to you is because I know that the specs given by the manufacturer are not accurate or reliable for comparing one fan to another.

Now my case has 7 fan options.
Top: 2 x 120mm/140mm
Side: 1 x 120/140
Bottom: 1 x 120/140
Front: 2 x 120
Rear: 1 x 120

It comes with two of the Fractal Design Silent Series 120mm fans. I was thinking that what I should do is move both of those fans to the front of the case. Then buy a fan for the CPU cooler, and buy another fan for the rear exhaust. Does this sound like a good idea?

The NZXT is a really good fan in terms CFM, but noise is quite high.

The Nexus is quiet, and highly rated as a case fan but its CFM seems to be low? Too low for a CPU cooler fan?

The Arctic Cooling and GELID fans seem to do okay for both CFM and decibels. But I really am not sure.

Any other fans to consider? Suggestions? Ideas? I'm open to anything.

Looks like I found a 5th contender. The Zalman ZM-SF3 120mm

It looks pretty gimmicky with the 'shark blade' design. But seems to be on the same level as the GELID or Arctic Cooler.

Zullwick wrote:I was thinking that what I should do is move both of those fans to the front of the case. Then buy a fan for the CPU cooler, and buy another fan for the rear exhaust. Does this sound like a good idea?

That's a very good idea. Additionally maybe you should consider filling the bottom slot with another 120mm fan, to create a bottom, CPU and exhaust PWM fan chain. The bottom fan is partially obstructed by the PSU output cables, but it will give an intake directly into the GPU area of the case. If you go for the Arctic fans they have PWM sharing built in; any of the other PWM fans will need a splitter such as this one http://www.frozencpu.com/products/13548 ... 03-45.html.

Hi, I used an Arctic Cooling F12 PWM as my CPU fan some time and was happy with it. I love the F9 / F9 PWM fans, not they any use to you!
If you got an Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 or 13pro it will come with decent enough white bladed PWM fan!
There's a special edition in "Titanium Black" see here, not sure if any interest to you?

I had a Freezer 13 on my 2600k for a while and with the CPU at stock speed it provided enough cooling at low noise level.
It you want to push the over-clocking you want a more capable cooler, in fact if you want to push the over-clocking and low noise then you want a massive cooler! Something along the lines of Thermalright Silver Arrow or Noctua NH-D14!

Regards, Seb

Zullwick wrote:Looks like I found a 5th contender. The Zalman ZM-SF3 120mm

Not really good for silent use, to be really silent you have to lower the voltage under ~4V (to reach ~550rpm).

The NZXT fan is...not that good, within the framework of silent operation.

I'm pretty happy with Gelid switched over to mostly this make of fans for a while now. No problems to report so far at least.
I've used normal 3 pin Gelid Silent fans on CM heatsinks (as a quieter replacement to the not that quiet CM fans) Again I'm very satisfied with their performance in terms of quietness, cost, warranty, and airflow to noise.

The PWM fans do run faster but this is not likely a problem if you dial down the speed on the board. Even at full speed whilst audible they are not annoying some fans can grate on you even if they're fairly quiet..Gelid are pretty smooth and pleasant to my ears. There are other good makes too..I'm fine with the black white design myself.