Anyone have any direct experience in comparing the following fans (all 80mm):
Vantec Stealth
Panaflo L1A
Zalman ZM-F1
Thermaltake Smart Case Fan 2 (forced to slowest speed)
They all have roughly the same rated CFMs and similar dBA but I'm looking for other experiences with them (e.g. does one have an annoying whine or is the manufacturer exaggerating their specs). The Thermaltake seems to have the best specs but is the most expensive. They're all available at svcompucycle.com so I'm considering just getting one of each and trying it out before committing to a bunch of any of them.
-ZA
Vantec vs. Panaflo vs. Zalman vs. Thermaltake
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
i got stealth 80mm fan. my experience with one sample was not great. although spec'd to start at 7V, i think, most of us like our fans to start lower. the vantec did not start at 5.5V. i have several (about 8 panaflo 80mm and several various papsts) other comparable fans and they all start at 5V consistantly.
it's also (subjectively) much louder than panaflos at 12V (but still much quieter than non-low speed fans) and pushes less air than panaflos at lower voltage, at least with my experience with that one fan (used to swap out PS output fan btw).
without knowing for sure, i believe vantec and zalman and remarked and resold. panasonic and papst fans are not for sure.
from my experience, panaflos are almost as good or just as good as papst in noise and airflow for similar RPM 92mm and 120mm fans that i own, and nearly impossible to tell apart at low voltages. some people have complain that their papsts fans have come with a "clicking" noise. i personally have not experienced this, but i've seen enough posts to say that it's probably not totally uncommon. (could be the rough overseas shipping?...)
correction: memory servers me poorly. after checking it wasn't a vantec fan but the pc power and cooling silenver 80mm.
it's also (subjectively) much louder than panaflos at 12V (but still much quieter than non-low speed fans) and pushes less air than panaflos at lower voltage, at least with my experience with that one fan (used to swap out PS output fan btw).
without knowing for sure, i believe vantec and zalman and remarked and resold. panasonic and papst fans are not for sure.
from my experience, panaflos are almost as good or just as good as papst in noise and airflow for similar RPM 92mm and 120mm fans that i own, and nearly impossible to tell apart at low voltages. some people have complain that their papsts fans have come with a "clicking" noise. i personally have not experienced this, but i've seen enough posts to say that it's probably not totally uncommon. (could be the rough overseas shipping?...)
correction: memory servers me poorly. after checking it wasn't a vantec fan but the pc power and cooling silenver 80mm.
Thermaltake specs are not accurate. I have found them to be much louder than their claims and ended up taking all of them back. They clicked, they whined, they just weren't right. Tried several in different sizes.
The Vantec Stealth seems to be right in line with its claimed specs. Nice low hum, no clicking etc.. I am using several of these in two systems. In my wife's system I am using it as the HSF. Quality fan.
I am using two of the Panaflo as case fans in my system right now. Good cheap low dBA fan, also low air flow so be careful where you use them. No clicking or other noises.
My favorite low noise fan is the Enermax, really quiet running. I am using an adjustable 120mm as the intake on my system turned down as low as it will go. Great airflow, very quiet, and the little noise it makes is very low pitch.
The Vantec Stealth seems to be right in line with its claimed specs. Nice low hum, no clicking etc.. I am using several of these in two systems. In my wife's system I am using it as the HSF. Quality fan.
I am using two of the Panaflo as case fans in my system right now. Good cheap low dBA fan, also low air flow so be careful where you use them. No clicking or other noises.
My favorite low noise fan is the Enermax, really quiet running. I am using an adjustable 120mm as the intake on my system turned down as low as it will go. Great airflow, very quiet, and the little noise it makes is very low pitch.