Silenx Fans

greshoff · Post by **greshoff** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 9:53 am

Hi,

I am curious why Silenx fans are not mentioned much in the forum. I have a couple and they are silent, much quieter than the Panaflo's I also have.

Sizzle · Post by **Sizzle** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 11:47 am

Like me, you are relatively new to this forum. Back when SilenX first broke from ExoticPC (I think that's who it was) apparently, SilenX was bad mouthing ExoticPC in these forums from what I can gather in the various threads I have read.

Now, my personal experience with SilenX has been very good. My SilenX fans are much quieter then any Panaflo L1A's I have had. I don't feel they move much air though, and the lack of a RPM wire is irritating.

I have just recently been happy with some SilverStone fans I picked up from Performance-PC's. They are a Evercool fan, but not any louder then a L1A and they move way more air then either the Panaflo or the SilenX.

krooton · Post by **krooton** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:48 am

My SilenX's do me luvvly.

Got a 120mm intake for my sonata, with a 120mm duct to the front grill going above my HDD.

Got a 120mm exhaust in the normal spot.

92mm on my SP97 with a duct going to my side panel (I cover with a homemade muffler when leaving on overnight)

92mm intake that I am going to use kinda like the cookie-jar method, but as a rear intake using my lowest 2 pci slots like this:

¦
¦
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <--- 9800 pro
< [][][][][][][][][][][][] <---- arctic silencer
¦
¦
¦<--- PCI slots
¦
¦......fan......... ^^^^^
¦...direction... ^^^^^
¦__________XXXXXXXX <---- 92mm fan
¦
¦__________________¦____________
^
bottom of case

All I need to do is a PSU duct using the side vents that come standard with the sonata when my Super Silencer gets back, and my pc will be nice n quiet

shathal · Post by **shathal** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 1:26 pm

Just be aware that the "ANTEC" holes kinda need to be filtered too

krooton · Post by **krooton** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 8:56 am

shathal wrote:Just be aware that the "ANTEC" holes kinda need to be filtered too

Aye, I'm planning a way to incorporate that into the duct I'll be making

Smokeey · Post by **Smokeey** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 1:22 pm

The 120mm Silenx fan is stated as having an airflow of 58CFM at 1800rpm and only 14dBA. Is this correct? Seems a little optimistic to me

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:05 pm

Smokeey wrote:The 120mm Silenx fan is stated as having an airflow of 58CFM at 1800rpm and only 14dBA. Is this correct? Seems a little optimistic to me

I have no idea whether those numbers are correct, or just numbers printed on a web page, but I've tried some semi-objective comparisons between the 120mm Silenx fan and my current favoured fan (Papst 4412).

The Silenx fan achieves it's silence by requiring the use of an additional cable which presumably drops the voltage.

I compared the airflow of the two fans by placing them facing each other with a piece of paper suspended between the two. I then varied the voltage to one of the fans (using a Fanmate) until the paper hung vertically. I'm making the assumption that in this state the airflow is roughly equal.

With the Silenx using the supplied voltage reduction cable, the airflow of the two fans was balanced with the Papst at a voltage of 8.5V. At this voltage the noise made by the two fans was equal in my estimation.

Removing the resistor widget and plugging the Silenx directly into 5V it was balanced by the Papst at 7.2V. Again the noise level was about equal.

To get the Silenx fan to equal the airflow of the Papst at 5V I had to supply it (the Silenx) with 3.65V. Yet again, the noise level was subjectively equal.

The quality of the noise made by the two fans was noticeably different, especially at lower voltages. The Silenx had more of a propellory sound (if that makes sense), whereas the Papst sounded more like bearings rubbing. In my personal estimation the Papst was less offsensive, but that was literally with both fans stuck next to my ears, not fitted to a working PC. In use I'd doubt there was any practical difference.

So there you go. Conclude from that what you will. My conclusion is that the Silenx moves more air at a given voltage, but the same air at a given noise level.

I'm sticking with my Papst!

Sizzle · Post by **Sizzle** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:55 am

nutball wrote: The Silenx fan achieves it's silence by requiring the use of an additional cable which presumably drops the voltage.

This is no longer true. While they do offer fans with thermoresister still, they also offer a two wire version of all their fans as well.

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 4:43 am

Sizzle wrote:
nutball wrote: The Silenx fan achieves it's silence by requiring the use of an additional cable which presumably drops the voltage.
This is no longer true. While they do offer fans with thermoresister still, they also offer a two wire version of all their fans as well.

I don't think that the additional cable on my Silenx fan is a thermistor, but I suppose I could check. It looks like one of these:

though it isn't the Zalman unit of course.

Sizzle · Post by **Sizzle** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 5:30 am

nutball wrote:
Sizzle wrote:
nutball wrote: The Silenx fan achieves it's silence by requiring the use of an additional cable which presumably drops the voltage.
This is no longer true. While they do offer fans with thermoresister still, they also offer a two wire version of all their fans as well.
I don't think that the additional cable on my Silenx fan is a thermistor, but I suppose I could check. It looks like one of these:

though it isn't the Zalman unit of course.

Does it look like this one http://www.silenx.com/productcart/pc/co ... dproduct=9

That is the 80 mm thermoresister model.

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 6:29 am

Sizzle wrote:Does it look like this one http://www.silenx.com/productcart/pc/co ... dproduct=9

That is the 80 mm thermoresister model.

No, not really. That thing seems to have two sets of two wires (the white pair and the yellow pair). The extension cable on my fan is a few centimetres long, a 3-pin socket on one end, 3-pin header on the other, and a resistor interposed in the 12V between the two ends (like the Zalman thing).

Smokeey · Post by **Smokeey** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 6:25 am

Hi Nutball - many thanks for that info - that was very informative

I'm tempted to try the Silenx 120mm fan available from Kustom PCs in the UK - a bit pricey though at £17! But I guess you get what you pay for

hydroxyhydride · Post by **hydroxyhydride** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 11:30 pm

Well I played with an 80mm thermistor fan with RPM sensing by SilenX. Plugging it into the CPU fan header on my K8V deluxe prevented the system from booting--even when set to ignore CPU tach warnings. That was definitely very annoying. Considering the cost vs a panaflo, I was not that impressed.

greeef · Post by **greeef** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 5:43 am

Smokeey wrote:Hi Nutball - many thanks for that info - that was very informative

I'm tempted to try the Silenx 120mm fan available from Kustom PCs in the UK - a bit pricey though at £17! But I guess you get what you pay for

I'd reccomend the orange 120mm nexus if you're shopping there - loads of people here have said it's a great fan.

Post by **Rusty075** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 7:44 am

It should probably be noted that, like everything else it sells, Silenx doesn't make the fans. They are relabeled Adda low-flow fans. (Although Silenx quotes dBa values that are complete fiction compared to Adda's tech specs)

And before anyone claims that this is anti-Silenx paranoia....Silenx lists the fans as having Hypro bearings. Hypro is a patented, trademarked, bearing type, made exclusively by Adda. If Pete's selling fans with Hypro bearings that are not Adda's, then they're counterfeits.

Sizzle · Post by **Sizzle** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 8:15 am

Rusty075 wrote:It should probably be noted that, like everything else it sells, Silenx doesn't make the fans. They are relabeled Adda low-flow fans. (Although Silenx quotes dBa values that are complete fiction compared to Adda's tech specs)

I think those are supposed to be the dBa values with the fan isolation mounts. Adda's catalogue is currently down, so I can't pinpoint the exact model that the SilenX's might be.

Lots of talk about SilenX lately, I have a extra 80mm fan laying around from them, I think I may send it on to MikeC and see if we can't get a review out of him.

Post by **Rusty075** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 8:29 am

The isolation mounts wouldn't have an effect on the dBa ratings, fans are by default assumed to be tested in a non-resonating environment. And there's no Adda in the catalog that comes close in terms of dBa.

But since no testing criteria is given by Silenx, they're not technically lying either. They could just be testing the fans from a range of 3 meters, or testing the thermally controlled ones while they are in the freezer. That's the trouble with resellers' product info...they have no desire or need to give retail customers any real technical info. The manufacturers tend to be better, because their big customers do need such information.