Replacing S12 430 rattling fan with a Noctua?

fabre · Post by **fabre** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 10:31 pm

While I have been very satisfied with my previous Super Tornado 400w and S12 330w.
I can't say as much about the S12 430w, I am at my second unit now, the first one was DOA and this one is SPCR loud (can hear it rattle 2m away at night).
Rather than go through a RMA I figured I might as well replace the fan.

I know the Noctua is the new king of 120mm but would a Noctua NF-S12-1200 be adequate for the job?

NF-S12-1200 is rated at 1200 RPM @ 12V, 63 CFM while the S12 430 fan (D12SM-12) is rated 1650 RPM @ 12V, 70.5 CFM.

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 6:02 am

Apparently Noctua fans don't like to be mounted horizontally. Try Globalwin NCB or Scythe S-Flex.

cienislaw · Post by **cienislaw** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 6:09 am

jaganath wrote:Apparently Noctua fans don't like to be mounted horizontally. Try Globalwin NCB or Scythe S-Flex.

why? and what bad happens to my ears when noctua is mounted horizontally?

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 11:05 am

cienislaw wrote:
jaganath wrote:Apparently Noctua fans don't like to be mounted horizontally. Try Globalwin NCB or Scythe S-Flex.
why? and what bad happens to my ears when noctua is mounted horizontally?

Why? You'd have to ask the designers of the Noctua bearing why.

120mm fan thread

Par contre, il faut impÃ©rativement Ã©viter la position horizontale avec la tÃªte en bas, le bruit du guidage augmente. On entend clairement que la rondelle arriÃ¨re frotte sur l'extrÃ©mitÃ© du palier vu qu'il n'y a que Ã§a qui empÃªche l'axe de tomber. Le niveau de vibration augmente Ã©galement trÃ¨s sensiblement !
Translation : "on the other hand, it is imperative to avoid the horizontal position with the head down, because the guidance noise increases. You can hear clearly that the back disc rubs on the end of the stage because that's the only thing that prevents the axis from falling. The level of vibration also increases noticeably !"

And the original review from which the quote in French was taken:

http://www.cooling-masters.com/articles-39-8.html

Asio · Post by **Asio** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 4:34 am

Hello.
IÂ´d try other fan, maybe a GlobalWin NCB fan.
In my opinion the Noctua doesnÂ´t work properly in a PSU because has a desing that canÂ´t push air efficiently in a restricted enviroment like the PSU one.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 4:46 am

Hello,

Right, the GlobalWin NCB is a good choice for a PS -- it has blades with a larger surface area (the Noctua is almost unique is how small it's blades are), which helps it work against some static pressure. And the bearings in the NCB are ceramic, which means they should work well in a warmer area, for a longer time, than typical sleeve bearings.

The GlobalWin NCB works fine in a PS when it is blowing the air upwards, as it is in a 120mm fanned PS (though when blowing down, it slows down.) It is a very quiet fan -- it is in the same league as the Nexus, and the Noctua. It is quieter than the Yate Loon low and medium speed fans (which is the one you are replacing, I think?).

fabre · Post by **fabre** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:51 pm

Would the GlobalWin NCB push enough air?
NCIX description says it's rated 2200 RPM @ 12V, 54 CFM, 39dba, which actually seems low for a 120mm spinning at 2200 RPM.

Is there different versions of the GlobalWin 120mm NCB?

Would the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F 120MM 1600RPM @ 63.7CFM, be a good option?

PPGMD · Post by **PPGMD** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 2:06 pm

I think the 1200rpm Scythe would be a better match IMO, about 21db @ 1 meter and 40CFM. Mine are inaudible in my Fusion.

fabre · Post by **fabre** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:41 am

I thought since the S12 430 fan was rated at 70CFM I should replace it with a fan that pushed about the same amount of air.

Am I mistaken? Because otherwise I already have a low speed Yale loon I could use.

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 12:44 pm

fabre wrote:I thought since the S12 430 fan was rated at 70CFM I should replace it with a fan that pushed about the same amount of air.

Am I mistaken? Because otherwise I already have a low speed Yale loon I could use.

If your computer doesn't use very much power (<100W) then a D12SL-12 is fine. I have one in my S12-330, works great (runs off a fanmate@5V).

DonQ · Post by **DonQ** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:35 pm

cienislaw wrote:
jaganath wrote:Apparently Noctua fans don't like to be mounted horizontally. Try Globalwin NCB or Scythe S-Flex.
why? and what bad happens to my ears when noctua is mounted horizontally?

I was just checking my Noctua out and I thought worth mentioning that only when blowing up does it make the bearing grinding noise (that's what it sounds like to me). I have mine blowing down on a WD5000KS and it's inaudible so close to it. It's set up with the U.L.N.A. (resistor?) that Scythe includes.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 3:18 pm

Greetings,

fabre wrote:Would the GlobalWin NCB push enough air?
NCIX description says it's rated 2200 RPM @ 12V, 54 CFM, 39dba, which actually seems low for a 120mm spinning at 2200 RPM.

Is there different versions of the GlobalWin 120mm NCB?

Would the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F 120MM 1600RPM @ 63.7CFM, be a good option?

There must be (at least) 2 versions; here's the one I was recommending:

http://www.coolerguys.com/840556025054.html
or:
http://www.svc.com/1202512l.html

You know, since it is controlled by temperature, then the CFM ratings are probably irrelevant (and they are usually bunk, anyway).

The Yate Loon or the Adda that are the stock fans in the S12 430 run at about 1300-1500RPM at 12volts, which is the most relevant spec -- and the GlobalWin NCB is in the same range. In my experience, it is also quieter than those fans, as well.

fabre · Post by **fabre** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 3:37 pm

NeilBlanchard wrote:Greetings,

There must be (at least) 2 versions; here's the one I was recommending:

http://www.coolerguys.com/840556025054.html
or:
http://www.svc.com/1202512l.html

You know, since it is controlled by temperature, then the CFM ratings are probably irrelevant (and they are usually bunk, anyway).

The Yate Loon or the Adda that are the stock fans in the S12 430 run at about 1300-1500RPM at 12volts, which is the most relevant spec -- and the GlobalWin NCB is in the same range. In my experience, it is also quieter than those fans, as well.

Thanks Neil, I am going to get that version.
By the way does it have close corners?

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 6:28 pm

Hello,

Yes, it does have closed corners.

viewtopic.php?p=251603&highlight=#251603

fabre · Post by **fabre** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:21 pm

If I can't get a NCB would a Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E or SFF21F be a good alternative for a PSU?

/edit

Nevermind, ordered 3 from coolerguys

fabre · Post by **fabre** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:23 pm

To my surprise I received the NCB fans today, it's the first time I receive something from the US under 2 weeks.

Anyway I recycled a 3 pin male fan connector from an old fan controller to make an adapter, that way if the replacement fan becomes noisy over time I will just have to swap it.

Here is a picture of the adapter and the S12 430 with the NCB fan mounted with rubber grommets, also removed the grill to improve airflow.

On a side note I did well to order 3 NCB fans one of them, one of them turned to be pretty noisy, like if something was rubbing in the motor.
Also bought 3 packs of rubber grommets for closed corners fans from coolerguys, these things are really fragile I broke 2 when installing and 2 more when trying to remove the 2 I had already installed.

skj · Post by **skj** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:04 pm

Just one question--are you happy with the change?

fabre · Post by **fabre** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:11 pm

Yes it's a good improvement over the rattling stock fan, I have only heard it ramp up once during a gaming session.
So it seems the thermal control is working fine.

Otherwise I can't hear it, if it's making any noise it's covered by the exhaust YL @ 5v