Massive Fan Update

Devonavar · **Posted:** Tue May 06, 2008 3:07 pm

Massive Fan Update

FartingBob · **Posted:** Tue May 06, 2008 3:26 pm

Whats the cause of the large drop in CFM? Are the fans now tested whilst on a heatsink/case?

DaveLessnau · **Posted:** Tue May 06, 2008 5:41 pm

No PWM (4-pin) 120mm fans?

MikeC · **Posted:** Wed May 07, 2008 6:47 am

FartingBob wrote:

Whats the cause of the large drop in CFM? Are the fans now tested whilst on a heatsink/case?

I'm responsible for pulling together the new methology article... but I've been swamped with other matters. There's no way to give you a nutshell summary. Please be patient, I hope to have that piece up in a couple days.

Larry is also working on new 120mm fan roundups. That should be done very soon as well.

dhanson865 · **Posted:** Wed May 07, 2008 6:57 am

Are slipstreams in the new 120mm article :?:

MikeC · **Posted:** Wed May 07, 2008 7:01 am

dhanson865 wrote:

Are slipstreams in the new 120mm article :?:

Yup. There will be a whole article devoted to nothing but Scythe fans. They sent us multiple fans of just about every model in their extensive lineup.

FartingBob · **Posted:** Wed May 07, 2008 1:55 pm

MikeC wrote:

dhanson865 wrote:

Are slipstreams in the new 120mm article :?:

Yup. There will be a whole article devoted to nothing but Scythe fans. They sent us multiple fans of just about every model in their extensive lineup.

Horray!

Fallsroad · **Posted:** Wed May 07, 2008 2:30 pm

Wow.

Wish this had come about prior to ordering several Noctua fans at the end of last week. I'm astonished at the vast disparity in the CFM figures from the old methodology to the new.

NeilBlanchard · **Posted:** Wed May 07, 2008 3:11 pm

Hello,

Fallsroad wrote:

I'm astonished at the vast disparity in the CFM figures from the old methodology to the new.

If they work for you, then does the number of CFM's really matter?

Fallsroad · **Posted:** Wed May 07, 2008 3:25 pm

NeilBlanchard wrote:

If they work for you, then does the number of CFM's really matter?

Given I've just installed them today, I cannot answer with any sort of accuracy.

The numbers as reported in the reviews do matter for comparative purposes. Notice that the new methodology does not yield a 1:1 difference with any particular fan. The Noctuas apparently fare very poorly in the new testing set up, and that would have impacted my decision to buy them had I been able to have this information prior to buying.

In the end I'm mostly moaning about the near timing of it - I placed my order Friday, they arrived today, I read of the revised data last night. Missed it by a hair.

In the end it doesn't exactly matter what the CFM for a particular fan is - if it fits the application and moves as much air as I need it to and is quiet enough, then it is perfect. But those figures do serve a purpose when it comes to trying to determine which fans may best suit my needs in terms of air flow vs. rpm vs. noise.

I didn't mean to complain, by the way. While brand new to the forums I've been reading SPCR for a very long time and hold a deep appreciation for the work done here.

brucesm · **Posted:** Thu May 08, 2008 2:26 am

I am not sure why you are concerned about your purchase.
I don't think the Nocturas fair badly...
Looking at the <19dba lines:
Noctura NF-S12-1200 5V <19 dBA@1m 640 RPM 18 CFM 0.60W
Noctura NF-S12-800 9V <19 dBA@1m 660 RPM 18 CFM 0.48W
Scythe Kama Flow 7V <19 dBA@1m 610 RPM 16 CFM 0.27W
Scythe S-Flex 9V <19 dBA@1m 620 RPM 16 CFM 0.27W
Nexus REAL SILENT 7V <19 dBA@1m 680 RPM 19 CFM 0.62W

It doesn't seem the others move any more air when running silently.

sanse · **Posted:** Thu May 08, 2008 3:07 am

i'm happy with my silenx fans. ;-)

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/vi ... hp?t=47722

Fallsroad · **Posted:** Thu May 08, 2008 8:29 pm

brucesm wrote:

I am not sue why you are concerned about your purchase.

I was concerned mainly because the sudden change in data on the heels of placing the order for the fans, kind of threw me off.

Not a huge thing - Noctuas undervolted are doing pretty well, though the NF-P12 makes some unpleasant motor noises using either of the supplied adapters.

That was pretty surprising, as it is neither quiet nor subtle.

In the grand scheme of things, none of this rates.

nightmorph · **Posted:** Fri May 09, 2008 5:15 am

Hmm, the Noctuas really don't fare well in the airflow department, not after the updated results.

Still, when comparing the Noctua 800 to the Nexus, It looks like the Noctua still beats the Nexus in terms of cooling ability, given that they're on par for noise. Assuming, of course, that the Noctua's in more of a free-air environment, or on a HS with relatively normal fin spacing (Ninja). If airflow is the only change (the article isn't really clear), they're still better fans.

I'm considering replacing my Nexus fans, and even with the updated numbers from the article, the Noctua still looks more attractive. Except for price. They're $10 more expensive on average than the equivalent Nexus.

Of course, now the article has updated information on the Scythe fans, too. Some of them look real interesting, especially the Slipstream and S-Flex. Choices, choices.

dhanson865 · **Posted:** Fri May 09, 2008 12:43 pm

brucesm wrote:

I am not sure why you are concerned about your purchase.
I don't think the Nocturas fair badly...
Looking at the <19dba lines:

Code:

Noctua NF-S12-1200  5V <19dBA  640RPM 18CFM
Noctua NF-S12-800   9V <19dBA  660RPM 18CFM 
Scythe Kama Flow    7V <19dBA  610RPM 16CFM 
Scythe S-Flex       9V <19dBA  620RPM 16CFM 
Nexus 120mm         7V <19dBA  680RPM 19CFM

It doesn't seem the others move any more air when running silently.

I cleaned up your lines to match the format I use, now I'll add a few more:

Code:

Slipstream SH 1900  7V  18dBA  630RPM 21CFM
Slipstream  H 1600  5V  21dBA  890RPM 30CFM
Slipstream  M 1200  5V  18dBA  720RPM 24CFM
Slipstream  M 1200  4V <18dBA  620RPM 20CFM 
Slipstream  L  800  9V  18dBA  640RPM 21CFM
Slipstream SL  500 12V <18dBA  440RPM 14CFM

Now the H 1600 can't get slow enough to really compete with the first list.

Also the SL 500 doesn't do enough CFM to compete either.

But the M 1200 at 5v or 4v beats any fan on the either list for noise to CFM ratios as far as I can see.

Surprisingly the SH 1900 can be undervolted enough to also best most of those fans.

And the L 800 makes it to the list as better than average.

But then all of this data wasn't available to us before this week so there is little reason to beat yourself up over it. Just take note and buy the better fan next time (fans don't last forever).

btw the data is from Fan Roundup #5: Attack of the 120 Scythes

dhanson865 · **Posted:** Fri May 09, 2008 12:56 pm

It's so surprising that the 1900 RPM slipstream is more versatile and quiet capable than the 1600 RPM model that I still find it odd when I look at the data. For that purpose I find it nice to have it all on one page so I made this list:

Code:

Number of samples tested: 2
Slipstream SH 1900 12V  39dBA 1780RPM 79CFM
Slipstream SH 1900  9V  26dBA 1340RPM 54CFM
Slipstream SH 1900  7V  18dBA  630RPM 21CFM
Slipstream SH 1900  5V <18dBA  400RPM 12CFM
Starting voltage 4.7

Number of samples tested: 6
Slipstream  H 1600 12V  32dBA 1460RPM 61CFM
Slipstream  H 1600  9V  29dBA 1250RPM 47CFM
Slipstream  H 1600  7V  24dBA 1080RPM 40CFM
Slipstream  H 1600  5V  21dBA  890RPM 30CFM
Starting voltage 4.2

Number of samples tested: 4
Slipstream  M 1200 12V  28dBA 1210RPM 46CFM
Slipstream  M 1200  9V  24dBA 1030RPM 37CFM
Slipstream  M 1200  7V  21dBA  890RPM 30CFM
Slipstream  M 1200  5V  18dBA  720RPM 24CFM
Slipstream  M 1200  4V <18dBA  620RPM 20CFM 
Starting voltage 2.4

Number of samples tested: 2
Slipstream  L  800 12V  19dBA  770RPM 24CFM
Slipstream  L  800  9V  18dBA  640RPM 21CFM
Slipstream  L  800  7V <18dBA  540RPM 18CFM
Slipstream  L  800  5V <18dBA  420RPM 13CFM
Starting Voltage 3.2

Number of samples tested: 6
Slipstream SL  500 12V <18dBA  440RPM 14CFM
Slipstream SL  500  9V <18dBA  350RPM 10CFM
Slipstream SL  500  7V <18dBA  270RPM  6CFM
Slipstream SL  500  5V <18dBA  170RPM  2CFM
Starting Voltage 7.3

again taken from Fan Roundup #5: Attack of the 120 Scythes
I also highly recommend the content in the discussion of that article at silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=48060

lethul · **Posted:** Fri May 09, 2008 12:57 pm

dhanson865 wrote:

Just take note and buy the better fan next time (fans don't last forever).

6 year warranty tho, almost forever

dhanson865 · **Posted:** Fri May 09, 2008 1:01 pm

lethul wrote:

dhanson865 wrote:

Just take note and buy the better fan next time (fans don't last forever).

6 year warranty tho, almost forever

Imagine fuel costs rising every year. If you pay for S&H what is the true cost/value equation of shipping a fan back for warranty replacement?

Depending on what part of the world you are in compared to where you have to ship it to it might actually be cheaper to just buy a new fan for some people. Especially if the fan of choice is less than half the cost of the fan you bought the first time...

Fallsroad · **Posted:** Fri May 09, 2008 1:18 pm

dhanson865 wrote:

Imagine fuel costs rising every year. If you pay for S&H what is the true cost/value equation of shipping a fan back for warranty replacement?

Depending on what part of the world you are in compared to where you have to ship it to it might actually be cheaper to just buy a new fan for some people. Especially if the fan of choice is less than half the cost of the fan you bought the first time...

I suppose I'm about to find out. The Noctua NF-P12 I bought with two NF-S12s is misbehaving, giving off a terrible, loud warbling noise, no matter how fast or slowly it spins.

I'd likely be better off getting a Slipstream 1200 rather than pay to ship the Noctua anywhere.

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