I'm new to the forum and I’m going to complete my new rig in a few days. In order to finish it, I have this need to replace all my stock fans from my Antec 900 case. I've been reading for hours throughout this forum + others and have come to this semi-conclusion on what I want

Based on reviews and the general consensus on a premium quiet fan

Scythe 1200 RPM (E version) and the
SY1225SL12M Slipsteam 1200 RPM

I don't need the rig to be completely silent, but pretty quiet. So I plan to undervolt to 7v on all my fans except the stock 200MM exhaust fan

The computer case has
2 front 120MM fans
1 Side 120MM
1 Rear 120MM
and a 200MM which i plan to set on low, and according to the manual it should run at 400 RPM /82 CFM / 23.6dBa

I also plan to use 1x 120MM for my CPU HS (Thermalright ultra 120 extreme that’s cooling a Q6600)

I wish to replace all the 120MM fans with either one of the Scythe and undervolt them to 7v. My problem is I can’t decide between those 2 or whether I should grab the SF21F version @ 16000 RPM and undervolt that instead. Or if I do get the 1200 RPM version, should I undervolt the fan that will be blowing on the Thermalright HS too? Or leave it blowing at 12v?

I'm open to suggestions and your guys response is mucho appreciated!
I'd like to hear suggestions/ideas to optimize this rig to make it a relatively quiet system

I apologize in advance for such a newbie lengthy post!

How are you planning to undervolt your fans? Are you set on a 7V undervolt for any particular reason or have you just settled on that particular undervolt as likely to make the Scythe fans quieter?

Please post your entire hardware configuration. There may be components in there that are noisier than any particular fan at 7V, making your question somewhat moot.

Answering your question:

Slipstream 800rpm @ 7V is <18 dBA@1m, 540 RPM, 18 CFM
Slipstream 1200rpm @ 7V is 21 dBA@1m, 890 RPM, 30 CFM
S-flex F 1600rpm @ 7V is 7V ~20 dBA@1m, 890 RPM, 23 CFM
S-flex E 1200rpm @ 7V is <19 dBA@1m, 670 RPM, 18 CFM

(Source: SPCR Fan reviews # 2 and # 5 from the main page-> Fans section)

So the Slipstream 1200rpm moves the most air but is also the loudest at 7V. However, the 21 dBA noise is below the 23.6 dBA quoted for the 200mm fan on low (although all of these fans will add up to louder than that). Is your system going to be so hot that you will need all of these fans?

Have you considered using software like Speedfan or a hardware fan controller (or even a few Zalman fanmates) to get the best possible result noise-wise for your system?

*Whew* Sorry for all the random questions. You've probably considered a lot of them if you've read some of the contents of this site in reasonable detail...

I assume you have already bought the Antec 900, as the Antec P182 is easier to quiet (although not as good at cooling). I've built my gaming rig into a P182 (see my signature below) with what were at the time some reasonably beefy specs and it is reasonably quiet.

Hope some of this helps!

Hey Jamie
Thanks for the response


So basically my setup is

Case: Antec 900
CPU: Q6600
Videocard: Soon to be Nvidia GTX 260 or something in that range (i plan to do aftermarket cooling as well)
HardDrive: 10K RPM raptor, and 250gb storage Western Digital
PSU: Corsair T750, which is regarded as a really quiet PSU

I don't plan to overclock anything since this setup should play everything smoothly @ stock setting

I'm a bit new to making a computer quieter, however, I have built close to a dozen computers in my lifetime so I'm not totally lost =/

I considered getting a Fan controller, but i plan to leave the fans all on low setting consistently 24/7 so i figured i might as well undervolt all the fans to 7v. The reason is to make my rigg more quiet. I suppose using software/bios/hardware to control the fan will give me a better cool to noise ratio.

Honestly i'm not sure what to do. I for sure want to replace the stock Antec fans since i'm not much of a fan of Blue/Red/lighted computer cases.



Slipstream 800rpm @ 7V is <18 dBA@1m, 540 RPM, 18 CFM
Slipstream 1200rpm @ 7V is 21 dBA@1m, 890 RPM, 30 CFM
S-flex F 1600rpm @ 7V is 7V ~20 dBA@1m, 890 RPM, 23 CFM
S-flex E 1200rpm @ 7V is <19 dBA@1m, 670 RPM, 18 CFM

Based on this info i'm now leaning towards 1600RPM @7v cooling the thermalright HS and 1200RPM @7v for chassis fans as my setup.

What do you think?

Instead of 7V, you might want to consider a Slipstream 1200rpm at 5V:

1200rpm @ 5V is ~18 dBA@1m, 720 RPM, 24 CFM

This is the same as the S-flex F 1600rpm @ 7V but 2 dBA quieter for approximately the same amount of airflow in CFM.

Other than that, your setup sounds good. If you suspend your hard drives behind the front 120mm case fans, they will be cool and quieter as well.

You might want to retain the ability to vary the speed of your CPU fan (to turn it up for games etc) such as by using a Zalman fanmate wired to be externally accessible from outside of your case but otherwise hard-wiring your other fans to 7V should be fine.

With aftermarket cooling on your graphics card, your rig should be pretty quiet. Good luck with your project!