Hi all, this is my first posting here. I am assembling a new system and recently bought a new DFI Lanparty 754 NF3 250 UT mb and A64 3400+ 1mb CPU along with a XP-90 HS. I do plan to OC this machine and am pairing with OCZ 3700EB memory. I dont want to run any louder than I need to so am wondering if I made a mistake purchasing a Panaflow 92mm High flow (model FBA9A12H) fan for this HS. I did not know about the L1A at the time so am wondering if I can undervolt the high flow fan to 5V and get same results as with L1A? It is not worth returning a $10 fan so would you try this or just order a lowflow L1A or some other fan instead? Also, I am trying to decide between the OCZ powerstream 470 PSU and the Seasonic SS 460. With this setup, which would you choose? (remember I will need plenty of power!) I do not have a case yet and am toying with the idea of either an ARM system starter quiet case or a 6A19 and some globe or nexus fans. Thanks.

If it's not worth returning the H1A, then why don't you see for yourself? It will perform just fine, it just won't be as quiet as the L1A or M1A. If you CAN cancel the order, then I would lean towards purchasing an M1A. It's almost as quiet as an L1A, but performs much better.

Between the PSUs, I'd lean towards Seasonic, but that's just based on my experience with them in terms of silence and stability performance. I have no idea if it will be sufficient for you in terms of OC performance.

thanks for the advice sthayashi, I will try to undervolt it and see how quiet I can get it. Atleast it has a lot of headroom if I need to turn up the voltage. To keep the voltage or output adjustable would you use a fanmate or a fan controller such as the Nexus-201 (thinking of the case fans as well)? I know I could just wire it at 5 volts but if it needs more cooling, it would be nice to have the ability to adjust it. I guess I am a littlle confused as to the difference between the L1A the M1A and the H.. . if the voltage and RPM can be reduced, and the fan starts and runs, unless there is some physical difference in the blades or something wouldn't they have the same sound output?

For fan control, I've used both the Zalman fanmate and an el cheapo fan-controller, and they work fine. I'm actually against the more expensive fan controllers due to the problems that can arise with more complex methods (like PWM). But a lot of other people have had success with those controllers, so YMMV.

As for the sound output, I'm not sure what you might be thinking, but the reality is that for a given voltage, the H1A spins faster than the M1A (and likewise for the L1A). Because it spins faster, it will subsequently be louder. Now if you can get a fan to spin at the same speed, then generally yes, the sound output should be roughly the same.

For example: An M1A at 5v spins at roughly 1000 RPM. An L1A spin at about 1000 RPM at around 7-8v. And at both those voltages, they sound roughly the same.

Note though that fan speed does not always dictate the quality of the sound. There are other fans that can spin that slowly, but are very audible due to motor buzz or bearing clickiness.

Thanks for the explanation on the fans -that really helps clear things up. If I may ask, is there a case you would recommend? I am looking at several including the ARM stealth foundation kit ($300 with Zalman 400 PSU -modded with lower speed fan) but I am not sure it is worth it and I may need more power anyway. The Antec SLK 3700 BQE/amb I looked at felt kind of cheap and sort of "tinny" quality- but looks and feel may be deceiving as to function as many seem to swear by them. I am also interested in the Coolcases LX6A19 but it comes in many configurations on their website.