Alternative fans for Twin Turbo

[Haych]

Wanted to enquire whether there are any decent 80mm or maybe 92mm fans that would make a suitable, and quieter replacement for the fans on an Accelero Twin Turbo. They seem to have become noisier recently, and I've replaced the fan part of the cooler once already because the first set that came with it stopped working.

I'd like to use Nexus fans because they're cheap, but they're also sleeve bearing, which I think would rule them out for being mounted horizontally. There are a few S-Flex's but they're obscenely expensive for their size.

Any suggestions, or should I just get a couple of S-Flex and cry when I read my next credit card statement?

[mkk]

I've just put a 120mm Slip Stream Slim 800rpm on my Accelero S1 cooling a HD5850. It runs quitely at a little less than 12V and cools fine at 7V, not starting up at 5V. No noticeable chatter and at low speed it won't wear out any time soon even in a horisontal position. But if you have room for a regular thickness 120mm fan then by all means go for one since they push more air at lower speeds.

I have a Nexus 120mm 1000rpm and while it chatters a bit when horisontal it's not going to be audible from within the middle of most systems. They don't start at 5V either so 6-7 volts might be ideal. A regular Slip Stream 800 or even the 500rpm variant would do well here too.

[Lawrence Lee]

I have a Twin Turbo on a 5850 at home, but I had to bend some of the fins to get it on so the stock fan assembly had to go. Replaced it with a pair of CM 80mm fans attached with zip-ties. I run them at 5V/7V and their acoustics are surprisingly good.

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=14996

[SebRad]

Hi, I’m using a pair of Arctic Cooling F9 92mm PWM fans on my video card cooler, an Akasa Freedom Force. It’s mounted on a GTX260 and I deliberately picked PWM fans so they can be speed controlled by the video card itself. I also mod’d the card’s BIOS so the fans run 25% (not 40%) at idle and tweaked the fan/temp curve. I’m very pleased with them, they idle ~600rpm and very quiet and very cheap! You can also get F8 80mm PWM (and normal 3pin) versions. Available here for £3~5.
See all the details of my GTX260 here.

Regards, Seb

[Haych]

Thanks for the replies. Strangely enough, the fans on the Twin Turbo have quietened down again. I'm guessing that having them running at 55% for the 10 or so hours I was playing Borderlands yesterday has done something to them. I'll not assume that they'll stay quiet though, so I'm still considering replacements.

@SebRad - Thanks for the info re: Arctic Cooling fans. I've used some of them in the past and they're a good option, though quality has seemed a little hit or miss for me. I read your post on the GTX260 and decided to check the specs for the Twin Turbo. Apparently the heatsink is 103mm wide, so I *should* be able to put 92mm fans on there instead of 80mm. Also, thanks for the link to QuietPC. I've looked on there for stuff before now, but completely forgot to check on there this time. Do you (or anyone else) know how well the Xilence Red Wing 92mm fans perform? They seem to have good reviews, but I can't find any info on whether they can be mounted horizontally.

Fractal Design is another brand I noticed, but had never really heard of. They're pricey compared to some other options but also seem well rated. Does anybody have experience with them?

[SebRad]

Hi, I've used a 80mm redwing fan as a fan swap in to Zalman VF-900, think there's a post for it somewhere and found it a nice fan. 1500rpm top speed is pretty low though, it replaced a Noctura R8 fan that had gotten fried by being jammed and then seriously overheated by the video card that wasn't then being cooled! The video card didn't survive either... I found the differance in blade design produced no measurable differance in GPU temperatures for a given rpm.
I've also used a 120mm one in a quiet PC I built as the exhaust in an Antec Solo. Worked great there, was speed controlled by the motherboard down to (I think) 600~700rpm and I noticed no untoward noises from it.

I would think the 92 version worth a try, especially as not an expensive fan, but I've not actually tried one.

My reason for choosing the AC fans was they are available in PWM so the videocard automatically controls the speed. ~600rpm idle upto 1000+rpm under Furmark. under "normal" games they often don't speed up at all!

Regards, Seb

[Haych]

Thanks again, Seb. I think I'll give the Xilence 92mm a shot and see how they fare. If they aren't up to snuff I'll get a couple of Arctic Cooling, and I'll have wasted £9, which is still less than the cost of one S-Flex.

I'll post on here when I've tested them

[quest_for_silence]

I think I'll give the Xilence 92mm a shot and see how they fare.

They simply suck, from a silence perspective: moderately noisy, they are just unusable for any SPCR advised reader.

[Haych]

They simply suck, from a silence perspective: moderately noisy, they are just unusable for any SPCR advised reader.

Is it possible that you just got a bad fan? I'm not questioning your judgement, but from the reviews I've read by people that own them, the only thing being disputed was airflow. They all seemed to agree that they're quiet.

Is there a fan you'd recommend as an alternative?


Thanks, H.

[quest_for_silence]

Is it possible that you just got a bad fan?

Maybe, of course: or more probably I just (subjectively) don't tolerate its own noise, in the same way I'd rather - to say - a Nexus (or a Scythe, or a Panaflo) over a Noctua (or a Nidec, or a Zalman) at the same given rpm (so it should be not true that "every" advised SPCR reader may agree with me on that).

Unfortunately I can't give you any equally economical suggestion: however, to be safe, personally I'd stick with two 80mm, as the 103mm height seems to me due to protruding heatpipes and plastic frame:



and maybe the heatsink itself might not offer enough surface (even if a ziptie may actually help to secure the fans), as perhaps we might see on the slightly bigger AC TT Pro (35 - denser? - fins vs. 30 ones):

[Haych]

Thanks Luca

I'll probably bite the bullet and try the Red Wing. If I don't like them I'll give them to my brother for Christmas

I'll also be sure to check the measurements for the Twin Turbo heatsink. The second image you posted certainly makes it look like a 92mm is going to be too big.

[Haych]

Ordered two 80mmm Red Wings yesterday, and they turned up today.

At present I have them running at 40% using speedfan, and that's about 580rpm. I had to unplug one of the front Nexus 120's so I could plug both fans into the splitter cable. Airflow seems good, though GPU temps are 1-2C warmer. Nothing to worry about though as the card is still only 38-39C at idle. And considering the Twin Turbo fans are 2000rpm compared to the Red Wings 1500rpm, 2C is acceptable.

I played a quick game of Left 4 Dead with the fans turned up to 60% (the front fan and rear fan are on the same header) and temps didn't exceed 48C. Front and rear fans were running at 780rpm. Don't know what rpm the 80mm were running at, but when I measured the speed at 65% it was 1030rpm. Most importantly, at 40% I can't hear them running at all.

All in all, I'm more than happy with them, and to recommend them.

Thanks to all for your replies and help.