Scythe Fans -VS- Nexus Fans

Aucix · Post by **Aucix** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 3:47 pm

Ok, I'm new here so just want to start by saying hi! I've recently been bitten by the silence bug and gone out and got myself an Antec P180 as well as quiet PSU etc. Now I am out to replace the Antec Tricool fans and thought who better to ask then the experts.

My choices are -
Nexus Real Silent 120mm Fan:
http://pccasegear.com/prod3568.htm
or
Scythe Kamakaze VR LED:
http://pccasegear.com/prod4237.htm
or
Scythe S-Flex E
http://www.nintek.com.au/x/scripts/prod ... oduct=6669

I'm not into flashy so I'll be disconnecting the LEDs so they aren't a factor. I was just wondering if the claims Scythe make about there fans are true or total crap like the SilenX fans.
Also, since there are two different types of Scythe fans listed, I'm just curious as to why they give out different noise levels? Like the S-Flex at 800RPM would be 8 or so dBA but the Kamakaze is 14. I'm after the best CFM/dBA ratio but I'm also conscious of price. The S-Flex is cheaper per fan, but does not have bulk sipping so I'd be paying about $37 on each fan in the end which is $185 compared to the $135 including postage bulk pack of Kamakaze fans.
I have $300 AUD and was hoping to outfit my Antec with Rear and Top Exhaust, Bottom Chamber Intake and Front Intake as well as a fan for a Scythe Ninja (Ninja costing $87 inc postage). Also was hoping for a quieter VGA heat sink since my current one whines constantly.

Aucix · Post by **Aucix** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 4:46 pm

As requested, right now the current ambient temp is around 37 degrees (To hot considering my room is like 20). I guess nexus fans are the way to go then for me unless anyone else has actually used both and could say the Scythe aren't way off in specs.

Actually, can anyone tell me if that's like way to many fans? I'm getting Air Conditioning in my room soon to and that should cool things down. Just thinking about it, 5 fans would make a lot of noise. I'm thinking drop the bottom intake fan and maybe one of the top exhausts. If i ever end up ducting the Ninja I will add the top exhaust but until then, the push-pull of the Ninja should be more then enough to expel air and i only really need one intake am I right? The bottom one is only too cool HDDs and they don't really need to be less then what they are.

Devonavar · Post by **Devonavar** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 8:27 pm

S-Flex fans are pretty good, although at least one user has found better. I've found them on par with the Nexus, although the maximum speed of the S-Flex (even the slowest model) is a little faster, so it makes a bit more noise at full speed. I think you'll probably be happy with either model; the difference is so small that I doubt you'll notice a difference in cooling.

Evil Gnomes · Post by **Evil Gnomes** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:10 pm

http://eport.com.au/product_info.php?cP ... 2bfd334a7f
tricods are supposedly rebranded yate loons (low speed)
how ever they only come with a 4pin connector

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/sea ... +uv+-80+12
Coolermaster uv 120mm fans, seem to have a good rep here

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/sea ... led+-80+12
LED variant

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/sea ... +alumi+120
These seem interesting (first two results)

http://www.radiical.com.au/products/fans.asp
Those Xinruilian MIGHT be a higher speed yate loon (1700rpm), but i cant confirm that

panda-R · Post by **panda-R** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 7:10 am

I have both the S-Flex E's and Nexus 120's.

@ full speed, nexus is quieter due to running slower.
@ 7v or less... i can't tell the difference because they're both too quiet and drowned out by psu and hard drives in P150.

u'll be happy with either.

Mari0-Br0s · Post by **Mari0-Br0s** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 9:30 am

I got five S-Flex SFF21E, I highly recommend them. Like previous poster said, at full speed you'll find quiter a Nexus, because the Scythe runs faster, but at 7V, you won't see the difference.

GHz · Post by **GHz** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:44 am

Scythe S-Flex is almost as quiet as a Nexus at a given airflow, but be aware that they DO NOT like PWM. My samples buzzed with PWM, while the Nexus/YL samples did not.

nomoon · Post by **nomoon** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 12:22 pm

I chose GlobalWin fans for my P180 based on a plot I made (see below) from data from MadShrimps. I use speedfan to control the fans. At idle with an AMD 4600X2, the fans run extremely quietly at <700 rpm. The Scythes seems to generate slightly more noise at the same cooling levels. The Nexus and GlobalWin fans seem equivalent, though the GlobalWins are much cheaper. It makes more of a difference if you are buying 3-4 fans.

Jason

EndoSteel · Post by **EndoSteel** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 4:15 pm

Aucix wrote: My choices are -
Nexus Real Silent 120mm Fan:
http://pccasegear.com/prod3568.htm
or
Scythe Kamakaze VR LED:
http://pccasegear.com/prod4237.htm
or
Scythe S-Flex E
http://www.nintek.com.au/x/scripts/prod ... oduct=6669

The Kamakaze clicks so choose out of the other two. S-Flex E has a very smooth motor but impeller noise signature is somewhat unpleasant at full speed. And there might be problems starting the fan at 5V because of the dumb overcurrent protection.

Aucix · Post by **Aucix** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 4:22 pm

Thanks for all the help guys. I have ordered myself four nexus reall silent fans. Should be here today or tomorrow.

Freeco · Post by **Freeco** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 1:14 am

Both Nexus and Scythe are quite hard to find over here, and reading previous posts (and a recent 80mm fan review on spcr) I can't go wrong choosing between either a Nexus or a Scythe S-flex? I'll let my choice depend on availability then...

But I still got 1 question about the Scythe S-flex fans as there are 3 models available:
Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D (800rpm) 120mm fan 9dBa
Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E (1200rpm) 120mm fan 20dBa
Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F (1600rpm) 120mm fan 28dBa

Are these the same fans running on a different voltage? I mean, are they all derived from the SFF21F model and made to run at ~9/7V from factory? Or they all run at 12V and I can still lower the voltage as I like?

Are there also 92mm variants of that model? I don't think so, so I'll still have to find a Nexus model as intake for my Antec Solo...

Aucix · Post by **Aucix** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 1:19 am

I got the nexus ones, and well, they're really loud still. What can I do?

nightmorph · Post by **nightmorph** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 1:41 am

Aucix wrote:I got the nexus ones, and well, they're really loud still. What can I do?

Same thing happened to me when I got my Nexus fans. I think it's interesting that the 120mm Nexus fans are much louder than the 92mm fans... anyway, you've a couple options.

1) Modify them to drop the voltage. there are any number of threads around here on how to do that.

2) Invest in a fan controller, either software or hardware. I've decided to go the hardware route, which can be anywhere from $3 to over $30. Sure, my Nexii sound nice, but even a pleasant sound can be too loud.

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 3:29 am

Are these the same fans running on a different voltage? I mean, are they all derived from the SFF21F model and made to run at ~9/7V from factory? Or they all run at 12V and I can still lower the voltage as I like?

They all run at 12V and you can lower voltage as you like.

Are there also 92mm variants of that model? I don't think so, so I'll still have to find a Nexus model as intake for my Antec Solo...

ikbenstil.nl is a good source of fans, they have the Yate Loon 92mm:

http://www.ikbenstil.nl/product_info.ph ... ts_id=1429

vine-au · Post by **vine-au** » Sun Nov 19, 2006 8:02 pm

www.pccasegear.com.au is about the only australian stockist of Nexus. they have a bulk-buy deal going at the moment too.

ckolivas · Post by **ckolivas** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 5:38 am

Mini review of the scythe D series: viewtopic.php?t=35981

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 7:39 am

Hello,

Aucix wrote:I got the nexus ones, and well, they're really loud still. What can I do?

How are you using them? Are there any grills or other obstructions close to the intake side, especially?

Aucix · Post by **Aucix** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 12:19 pm

I've cut all the grills out. It has got a bit quieter through moving my case under my desk and covering the top fan hole though

Scythe Fans -VS- Nexus Fans

Scythe Fans -VS- Nexus Fans

Re: Scythe Fans -VS- Nexus Fans