Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Control: management of fans, temp/rpm monitoring via soft/hardware

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Camacha
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Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Post by Camacha » Thu Aug 21, 2014 6:39 pm

Let me start off with the obvious - 40mm fans are not optimal when it comes to sound or airflow. They are small and therefore noisy. I understand that the request for quiet fans of this size is a bit optimistic. However, in the specific situation I am dealing with, size is a major issue. Anything bigger than 40mm fans is simply not going to fit. Something like 50mm might be squashed in there, but that is probably asking for trouble and not worth the hassle. More I can simply forget.

This should not be a massive deal however, as the device is not totally quiet either. The current fan does make most of the noise, so I would like to mitigate that as much as possible. Of course, 40mm fans are generally not tested for noise characteristics and even though there are a number of options, I do not have a clue which might be better and which ones are horrible. Airflow is relevant, but I think I have room to find a sweet spot.

That brings me to my request - does anyone know of any reference, or does anyone have any experience with fans this size? I understand I will never get things to be as quiet as my PC, but I accept that. I just want to do the best job I can, within reason. It looks like the Noctua 40mm fan is fairly quiet, but at 15 dollar/euro that is an expensive affair. As I need at least three, I feel that is a bit more than I am willing to spend. Another potentially interesting option seems to be Scythe Mini Kazes, but the messages are mixed. Some say it is really quiet, some say it is very loud.

Any input is welcome!

lodestar
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Re: Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Post by lodestar » Thu Aug 21, 2014 9:42 pm

The Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX is probably the best seller in this category. Apart from the Scythe it might be worth considering the Gelid Silent 4 which has a top speed of 4200 rpm, slightly less than the Noctua.

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Camacha
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Re: Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Post by Camacha » Thu Aug 21, 2014 9:53 pm

lodestar wrote:The Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX is probably the best seller in this category. Apart from the Scythe it might be worth considering the Gelid Silent 4 which has a top speed of 4200 rpm, slightly less than the Noctua.
The latter seems to be available locally for a decent price. Three Gelids for one Noctua. Why do you recommend these, do you have any empirical data on the fans?

Cheers!

lodestar
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Re: Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Post by lodestar » Thu Aug 21, 2014 10:14 pm

The Gelid is cheap enough to be worth trying. The higher price of the Noctua is partly explained by the fact that the 40mm is given the full treatment afforded to the larger fans in the range - SSO2 bearing, soft mounts, low noise adapter, cable adapters and extenders. And a six year warranty against the two year warranties of the Gelid and Scythe.

Camacha
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Re: Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Post by Camacha » Sun Aug 24, 2014 1:55 pm

I want to avoid 'trying' as much as possible, as that tends to add up anyway. Someone must have looked at affordable 40mm fans before, right?

xan_user
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Re: Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Post by xan_user » Sun Aug 24, 2014 5:53 pm

Camacha wrote: Someone must have looked at affordable 40mm fans before, right?
yep we sure have, none ive seen are up to the task. the general consensus on SPCR is to use 80mm as a minimum size to achieve silence. ive used 80mm fans in cases less than 80mm thick, but i had to angle the fan at 45* to make it fit inside the case...

johannes
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Re: Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Post by johannes » Sun Aug 24, 2014 9:59 pm

I own a Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX and used it to replace the fan on an Asrock E350M1/USB3. I would call it quiet until ~3000 rpm and it is certainly audible north of 4000 rpm. It does not cool my 18W APU adequately at quiet speeds.

The fan is great for when the APU is at idle and sounds better than the stock fan, but don't expect wonders.

Camacha
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Re: Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Post by Camacha » Tue Aug 26, 2014 4:56 pm

xan_user wrote:
Camacha wrote: Someone must have looked at affordable 40mm fans before, right?
yep we sure have, none ive seen are up to the task. the general consensus on SPCR is to use 80mm as a minimum size to achieve silence. ive used 80mm fans in cases less than 80mm thick, but i had to angle the fan at 45* to make it fit inside the case...
As stated, 80mm is simply not an option. Dead silent is not a requirement is this case, as the machine makes other noises too, but that does not mean I have no interest in doing the best job I can within a reasonable budget.

Camacha
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Re: Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Post by Camacha » Sat Sep 06, 2014 5:41 pm

Does anyone have any empiric indication of noise? Otherwise I will have to take a gamble.

quest_for_silence
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Re: Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Post by quest_for_silence » Sat Sep 06, 2014 8:10 pm

Camacha wrote:Does anyone have any empiric indication of noise? Otherwise I will have to take a gamble.

What about doing the homework using Youtube?

Camacha
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Re: Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Post by Camacha » Tue Oct 07, 2014 6:30 pm

Allright, I spoke with the manufacturer of the device I am going to use these fans for and apparently static pressure is of relevance for proper operation. Maybe this will help the search a little bit, though it too seems restricted to the numbers the manufacturer gives us.
quest_for_silence wrote:
Camacha wrote:Does anyone have any empiric indication of noise? Otherwise I will have to take a gamble.

What about doing the homework using Youtube?
Believe me, I did. Though some indication, those can hardly be called a proper comparison.

edh
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Re: Looking for quiet 40mm fans

Post by edh » Tue Oct 07, 2014 10:48 pm

What exactly is the device that you intend to use this fan on? It would help to have some system specs to look at what cooling you need. Modding to fit a larger fan is almost always a possibility.

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