Why are people talking about 120mm fans still? curious

[~El~Jefe~]

I am reading many posts about fans. It has been years since i was an active member here.

I expected it to be like 80% 140mm and up fan talk and only a small area of 120mm fan talk.

but no, most posts are dealing with smaller fans.

Is not it the case that you can have lower rpms (by a lot) if you use a 140mm fan or larger?

also, I dont know of a case that doesnt accomodate 140mm fans that was made in past 3 years.

So here is question: would i be better looking at 120mm fans or 140mm fans if either (which they can be) used in my new systems? More options or something? tone problems on bigger fans? Not perfected yet? just wondering.

[Pappnaas]

If your case can make use of 140mm fans, then you should use them. Simply because they can move more air at lower rpm.

But if you find out that your computer runs quiet enough while using 120mm fans and the temps are good, then i wouldn't change the fans. Simply because there is no need. Most CPU coolers can run quiet enough with a 120mm fan as most cases can.

Nowadays i seem to observe the tendency to go with small and smaller cases, mATX and mITX boards leaving no room for big fans. And imho there is no need for closet big cases like the old HAF or the big old Antec's. If you use extensive watercooling or Dual-GPU, you'll need a case big enough to house your stuff.

But the casual gaming/htpc/all-around-PC simply doesn't need the big cases any more and still can be made to run quiet or even silent. Big cases with 140mm fans can be silenced way more easy, but as modern CPU and GPU tend to use less power, thus producing less heat, small and smaller cases are totally feasible. YMMV.

[tim851]

1. There's still a better selection of 120mm fans, especially from proven manufacturers like Scythe, Noctua or Noiseblocker.

2. Most CPU coolers and radiators still take 120mm fans (or 140mm fans with 120mm holes)

3. While most new cases do have 140mm mounts, almost all of them also have 120mm-only-mounts, most notably for the rear exhaust fan.

4. Yes, when you can mount a 140mm fan, you should look for one.

[quest_for_silence]

just wondering.

My very personal opinion is that usually 140mm fans don't sound as smooth as 120mm ones, and when they sound that good, they will not move that much air (I mean, much more than a good 120mm fan).

Besides currently there are also very few 140mm fans which can go enough low (more often they bottom at around 500rpm, too high to be inaudible to me), or at least I've not found them.

[~El~Jefe~]

hm. i have not dealt with 140's yet. I tend to run my fans slightly higher speeds than most SPCR people. I need to buy a whole set of them for the case and cpu heatsink this week.

[UK_Peter]

My very personal opinion is that usually 140mm fans don't sound as smooth as 120mm ones, and when they sound that good, they will not move that much air (I mean, much more than a good 120mm fan).

Besides currently there are also very few 140mm fans which can go enough low (more often they bottom at around 500rpm, too high to be inaudible to me), or at least I've not found them.

Is this still the case or have you found any? I note that SPCR hasn't reviewed any 140mm fans for a while; I'm looking for one to replace the window on my case, and provide air to the ventilation-starved GPU.

[quest_for_silence]

Is this still the case or have you found any?

You should read my phrase "or at least I've not found them." as "or at least I've not found many/enough of them."
I'm sorry if I mislead you.

I note that SPCR hasn't reviewed any 140mm fans for a while; I'm looking for one to replace the window on my case, and provide air to the ventilation-starved GPU.

The various 2013 SPCR tests are IMO a good source: as often said by MikeC, testing fans is probably the most tedious and longest of any testing, so it's unlikely you will see lots of fan testing here.

Said that, are you looking for 3-pin or 4-pin (PWM) ones? You may look at some usual SPCR favourites, check the stock for the Antec TrueQuiet 140 for a 3-pin fan, or give a look to a Noctua P14 Redux PWM for 4-pin ones.