best case fans?

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:48 pm

hello just wanted your thoughts on case fans on the market?

what is the most quietest fan on the market, yet one that gives good airflow.
i want 120mm fans.

i am looking to build a quieter pc now as my current one is starting to get to me. i am still going to use the same components, just replace psu, cpu cooler and case fans.

i am looking to get the antec p182.

widowmaker · Post by **widowmaker** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:13 pm

Read the reviews on this site first.

AuraAllan · Post by **AuraAllan** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:19 pm

Hi Ash

Welcome to SPCR !

Please check out the Fans and controls part of the forum.

And take a look at the recommended fans list on the main site.

Searching or just reading new posts will get you a long way in now time.
Theres lots of great info to be found here.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:54 pm

Greetings,

Scythe Slipstream 800RPM would be my choice.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:10 am

thanks alot guys, i will check out the reviews and the scythe slipstream, although i dont know if 800rpm is going to produce enough airflow?

how about the noctua nf p12. reported 1200rpm, 48cpm @ 17db?

walle · Post by **walle** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:32 am

Ash wrote:thanks alot guys, i will check out the reviews and the scythe slipstream, although i dont know if 800rpm is going to produce enough airflow?

Then go with the 1200 slip and undervolt if need be.

Cheers

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 4:03 am

well after reading the reviews, the slipstream does come in highly reccomended. although its just the airflow that concerns me.

i dont know whether to trust the reported stats of the noctua fans, and i also came across zaward golf fans which have the same specs.

has anyone had any experience with them.

i did come across the fan test in which the noctua came out on top ahead of the nexus and another brand. but it was reported at 25db not the 17db that they claimed, but the aitflow was exceptional.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 4:34 am

Hello,

What is your system: case, CPU heatsink, GPU heatsink, etc.?

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:12 am

hello

currently i have a TT tsunami case, have had it for a few years now. mainly for looks, as i have my entertainment system (sounds, consoles, tv) all together and hooked up.

i now want the p182, because of its sound dampening qualities and its sleek look.

inside.

asus p5b, all standard heatsinks.
c2d e6420, with zalman cooler - cnps9500/9700 not sure which but i want to replace it with another.
i have a 480w psu again from TT same as case, i have fan controler set so that is on quietest setting, and that isnt too bad.

nvidia 8600 graphics card. standard cooler and heatsink.

case fans are vantec stealth - ANYTHING but!!! probably worst components i ever bought, not as silent as stated, and airflow is rubbish.

i also have a ocz ram cooler which doesnt seem to make a difference to noise, but i will probably not use it in the p182.

2 wd hdd
1pioneer dvd/cd-rw

how good are asus cpu coolers? i recently saw the trinton (something like that) not sure which to get, alot of people have the scythe ninja but that just looks rediculous.

with regards to case fans, Niel, it seems you are a wlpistream fan. would placing 2 slipstream 800 fans at the front of the p182 increase airflow.

i mean 1 behind the other, as there is an option to mount 1 fan onto the hdd cage as long as there arent any hd's in there.

also to note: cpu is oc'd at 3ghz
ram is also oc'd

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:23 am

do the slipstream 800 push 40?

i saw the wrong item, it was the 500 and that was pushing 25, i just assumed that it was the 800 as it was listed under the 1200, my mistake.

if so then i am impressed, as the noctua that i saw were pushing 48 @1200rpm and producing 17 - 20+ db.

i think i am convinced on the 800's now. although i might get 1 1200 for the exhaust fan and undervault it.

how would i go about doing that exactly?

walle · Post by **walle** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:57 am

Ash wrote:how would i go about doing that exactly?

Fan controller, Zalman fan mate, resistor, or the motherboard (if the board has that feature)...

I prefer a fan controller myself (my favourite is the Sunbeam Rheobus) 0V -12V makes it possible to turn *off* any given fan which is a feature I really like.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:13 am

oh right, i thought it might have been something more technical.

thats quite straight forward then, i dont think i have a feature to undervolt via the MB, but i think the asus software allows me to adjust fan speed.

i have the zalman fan mate from my cpu if i need it.

thanks for that.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:00 am

after another look at my system. it is deffinately the psu that is making the most noise. i am looking to replace that with the ener mod82.

case fans and cpu fan are adding to it so i think il go with a fanless cpu cooler, and the slipstreem 800's

my 8600 vga seems fine, the fan wasnt making much noise at all and it should be muffled out by the p182 casing. but il assess that after i replace the rest.

thanks for all your input guys.

1 more thing, a but off topic but how do you guys apply thermal paste.

i have been spreading it across the cpu but have been concerned that it is too thin or thick. should i just apply a drop and let the pressure even it out. the only thing with that is i dont know if it will spread across the whole cpu.

xan_user · Post by **xan_user** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:32 am

I use a brand new razor blade to spread it as thin as possible on the cpu. And 'tin' the HS by rubbing thermal compound on, then off with a plastic baggie.- kinda like waxing a car.

less is better-unless the surfaces are not completely flat.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:07 pm

Hello,

It has been shown that a simple "grain of rice" sized dollop of paste in the center of the CPU spreader is a better way to go; as there is much less chance of air getting trapped.

Plekto · Post by **Plekto** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 1:01 pm

The applying and wiping it off with a plastic bag, if the surfaces are level(may require some lapping) is often just exactly what you want. A thin film of thermal compound that you can barely see.

Option 2 - easy applying without lapping. This assumes a brand new or totally clean surface.

- Put a small amount and smear it around on both surfaces until they are both coated in the stuff. Clean it off with a tissue or similar, but with no solvent or cleaner. Just wipe it off until the goo is essentially gone. Don't super-clean it - merely clean it casually. Optimally, it should look "clean" but if held up to the light, the surface will look semi-reflective or less reflective than when it was brand new.

In reality, each surface now has an invisible thin film of paste on it. By rubbing it off without solvent or cleaner, the friction and pressing down that it requires to get rid of the paste with a typical tissue, since it doesn't come off easily, fills in the tiny imperfections in the surface. Think of this as pre-conditioning. By the time you rub enough to get rid of the stray tissue fibers and clean it all up, it's done right. If you're concerned about stray fibers and such, use a plastic baggie.

This is actually 90% of the work. The next step is to fix any large gaps or problem areas due to it not being perfectly flat.

- Put a 1/2 to 1/4 grain size dot of thermal paste on the thing. Like the size of a pin head. Very, very tiny. Most CPU cooler mounts put enormous pressure on both surfaces and will squeeze the compound well across the entire surface.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:07 pm

thanks again guys, feedback is much appreciated.

im going to have a look at the cpu coolers now, my zalman is alright but i think im going to go for a fanless one, and place a smaller fan if needs be.

il look for the reviews, but any suggestions from you guys would be great.

how about watercooling? im open to the idea, but just dont know where to start - i mean which ready made kits are better, or if i want to build one myself which components are better.

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:52 pm

Ash wrote:how about watercooling? im open to the idea, but just dont know where to start - i mean which ready made kits are better, or if i want to build one myself which components are better.

Don't bother. It's a whole load of hassle and just not worth it unless you've got a mentally power-hungry machine (which you don't!).

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 1:24 am

ok thanks nutball, i dont need watercooling at all.

how can i find out how much power my system is using alltogether?

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:02 am

Ash wrote:how can i find out how much power my system is using alltogether?

The most reliable method is to invest in a power meter, which might set you back Â£10-20. Search around here, there are a couple of threads on the subject. Maplin sell one, personally I've got one of these.

I dare say some folks here could have a guesstimate what your system would use (if I were guessing I'd doubt it would be pulling more than ~100W DC give or take a few tens).

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 6:15 am

thanks again, il check out the power meter,

100w sounds good, i was worried that the psu may doing too much, when it is conected to the mb without the fan controller the psu fan goes crazy.

my cpu and ram are both overclocked, but i didnt want to push the voltage, i cant remember the exact values, the cpu has been oc'd to 3gz. i dont think i mentioned that before.

xan_user · Post by **xan_user** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:54 am

NeilBlanchard wrote:Hello,

It has been shown that a simple "grain of rice" sized dollop of paste in the center of the CPU spreader is a better way to go; as there is much less chance of air getting trapped.

true...
Iv'e tried the "new" way, but after itook off the hs off, my way seems more even, with less gloop.

Temps were same either way.

LG is noisy · Post by **LG is noisy** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 2:09 pm

which ones are best for a P182???

- 2x NF-P12
- 2x NF-S12

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:09 pm

Greetings,

Neither seems to be ideal, from what I've heard from folks here on SPCR. I think you be better off with the Scythe Slipstream 800RPM (or 1200RPM) if you can control the speed; or the 500RPM if you want to run it at 12v all the time.

AllergicToNoise · Post by **AllergicToNoise** » Tue May 06, 2008 11:36 pm

In my personal experience the Noctua NF-S12 undervolted to 800 RPM makes less noise than the Nexus 120mm also undervolted to 800 RPM.
The Nexus has more power in the lower frequencies.
The loudest of them all is the Noctua NF-P12. But Noctua agrees to that.
So instead of undervolting, if you prefer silence then purchase 800 rpm fans.
Scythe or Noctua.
Personally I'm still not satisfied with the noise of my Noctua and Nexus fans so I will switch to two 800 rpm Scythe fans. Just to try.