Silent Wings 3... high speed or normal version? (3950x build)

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silenceorgtfo
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Location: Spain, Europe

Silent Wings 3... high speed or normal version? (3950x build)

Post by silenceorgtfo » Sun Feb 16, 2020 11:56 am

I was told the default Fraktal R6 fans aren't good enough and it's worth changing for some Silent Wings 3. My question is, should I go for the normal version or high speed versions?

comparation:

normal:

https://www.bequiet.com/en/casefans/722



Model Silent Wings 3 | 120mm PWM

Dimensions (mm) 120 +SilentWings ✓

Fan speed @ 100% PWM / 12V (rpm) 1,450

Air Flow @ 100% PWM / 12V (CFM / m3/h) 50.5 / 80.47

Air Pressure @ 100% PWM / 12V (mm H2O) 1.79

Noise level @ 100% PWM / 12V (dB(A)) 16.4





high speed

https://www.bequiet.com/en/casefans/724



Model Silent Wings 3 | 120mm PWM high-speed

Dimensions (mm) 120 +SilentWings ✓

Fan speed @ 100% PWM / 12V (rpm) 2,200

Air Flow @ 100% PWM / 12V (CFM / m3/h) 73.33 / 124.58

Air Pressure @ 100% PWM / 12V (mm H2O) 3.37

Noise level @ 100% PWM / 12V (dB(A)) 28.6

Default R6 specs:
Image


Im going to need the extra power of the high speed version? I've read this opinion:
Static pressure rating is how much pressure in mmH2O fan at full speed can make pushing air into a sealed container.
Noise level rating is usually only a pressure rating in dB, so does not take into account if sound is good or bad to our ears.

Neither is a way we use our fans, so specs are not really the best way to determine a good fan.
If price does not make any difference the best fans I know of are be quiet! Silent Wings 3 140mm PWM High Speed. I say the high speed (1600rpm max) because the other option tops out at 1000rpm, which is enough for 99% of our uses, but gives us no additional airflow for extremely hot weather, dirty filters, etc. It's nice to have some extra airflow available even if it's rarely used and of course louder if needed.

2x 140mm in front and 1x 140mm in bottom with all openings not covered by fans blocked of so air they push into case has to move through and out back, not leak around and be sucked into fans. Setup case fan speed curves to cycle with cooler fans they are supplying air to so the air temp going into coolers is only a few degrees warmer than room, especially when components are working hard / near 100% load. Below link is basic guide to how airflow works and how to optimize case airflow. It also shows simple cheap way to monitor air temp into compoents as well as air temp around case.
And about R6 stock fans:
As I posted earlier, static pressure rating is fan at full speed or with NF-A14 speed reduced with L.N.A. Lower rpm means lower pressure rating.

Yes, the stock case fans are absolute garbage. They can barely move air through grills and filter at full speed.

be quiet! Silent Wings 3 PWM 140mm High Speed (1600rpm) are rated 2.16mm H2O. Low speed (1000rpm) are rated 1.08mm H2O. NF-A14 ratings are at 1500rpm and 1200rpm. But again, this is not airflow, it's pressure in a sealed box.
I've suggested 3 fans from very expensive best fans, mid-range very good, and low cost decent performance.

The setup will be x3 120mm on the front and x1 x140 rear for exhaust. As far as I know I can use 3 120mm on the front on the R6 and do not lose the 5.25 bay (I like to have bluray reader)

Image

As far as I can tell, I will neer use top speeds on the fans, but maybe during heavy gaming session or during rendering a complex Sony Vegas project in August (im from spain) maybe the extra power comes in quickly and during those moments I don't really care that much about extra noise since I play games with headphones and during rendering im going to be at the pool or just out of the room anyway and it would help the long term life of the computer due lower temps so maybe its worth it? I mean price seems to be almost the same comparing high speed version to normal versions, its just that the high speed version of 120mm is sold out in the shop I wanted to buy at.

CA_Steve
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Re: Silent Wings 3... high speed or normal version? (3950x build)

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:56 am

My suggestion is always to try the stock fans first and see if they meet your needs, rather than buy new before you try.

Why 3 120mm's in front instead of 2 140mm? What's your perceived benefit?

normal vs high speed: I've never run a case fan above 800rpm. It tends to be very diminished returns at higher speeds. Maybe your heat load is much higher or summer room temps are very high? What are the specs of your system.

Abula
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Re: Silent Wings 3... high speed or normal version? (3950x build)

Post by Abula » Mon Feb 17, 2020 9:13 am

I would buy the BL067, if you need more than 1000rpms on the case fans, it wont be quiet and you should re think your build toward better cooling even water, so for me the BL067 (1000rpm version) is the ones i go with. On the 120, if money is no object i would go with NF-A12x25 PWM, now if they are out of your budget, Scythe KamaFlex PWM are decent and cheap.

silenceorgtfo
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Re: Silent Wings 3... high speed or normal version? (3950x build)

Post by silenceorgtfo » Mon Feb 17, 2020 4:45 pm

Abula wrote:
Mon Feb 17, 2020 9:13 am
I would buy the BL067, if you need more than 1000rpms on the case fans, it wont be quiet and you should re think your build toward better cooling even water, so for me the BL067 (1000rpm version) is the ones i go with. On the 120, if money is no object i would go with NF-A12x25 PWM, now if they are out of your budget, Scythe KamaFlex PWM are decent and cheap.
I was told the SW3 are the best case fans, and speed:noise ratio are the best, so even if they go faster, that would be only if I needed that. Chances are I will not, but who knows during summer + i forget to clean filters + during rendering some big project on Sony Vegas the extra power of the high speed versions may come handy, and im not even around when I render projects so who cares about the noise. Since they are PWM I will just use a curve that makes no noise during idle and browsing, and during gaming I use headphones so I doubt I will hear anything.

silenceorgtfo
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Location: Spain, Europe

Re: Silent Wings 3... high speed or normal version? (3950x build)

Post by silenceorgtfo » Mon Feb 17, 2020 4:49 pm

CA_Steve wrote:
Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:56 am
My suggestion is always to try the stock fans first and see if they meet your needs, rather than buy new before you try.

Why 3 120mm's in front instead of 2 140mm? What's your perceived benefit?

normal vs high speed: I've never run a case fan above 800rpm. It tends to be very diminished returns at higher speeds. Maybe your heat load is much higher or summer room temps are very high? What are the specs of your system.
I asked here:

https://www.overclock.net/forum/246-air ... st28324114
doyll wrote:As I posted earlier, static pressure rating is fan at full speed or with NF-A14 speed reduced with L.N.A. Lower rpm means lower pressure rating.

Yes, the stock case fans are absolute garbage. They can barely move air through grills and filter at full speed.

be quiet! Silent Wings 3 PWM 140mm High Speed (1600rpm) are rated 2.16mm H2O. Low speed (1000rpm) are rated 1.08mm H2O. NF-A14 ratings are at 1500rpm and 1200rpm. But again, this is not airflow, it's pressure in a sealed box.
I've suggested 3 fans from very expensive best fans, mid-range very good, and low cost decent performance.

I was also told 3 120mm at the front will create a better airflow because if you use 2 140mm on this case, it leaves an awkard gap:

Image

see the gap below. and this is using x3 120mm:

Image

here there is no gap so the entire surface is covered and pushing air to the rear then the 140mm on the rear acts as tunnel effect for exhaust and pushes all the air outside quickly. fans on top and below seem to be negligible.

I haven't bought it yet but it will be this:

3950x
32gb trident z neo
corsair 750w
noctua nh-d15
gigabyte rtx 2080 gaming 8gb oc
aorus pro

Im not doing water cooling, i dont like it, and I didnt see the commercial non custom weird stuff being that much of a big deal vs noctua nh 15 anyway.

CA_Steve
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Re: Silent Wings 3... high speed or normal version? (3950x build)

Post by CA_Steve » Tue Feb 18, 2020 6:29 am

The bottom 120mm is mostly pushing air into the PSU tunnel where it serves little benefit.
If you have to run the case fans at more than 1000rpms, then something is wrong with your configuration.
If you do go with 120mm, then follow Abula's advice.
In a well designed system, the gfx card fans are the predominate noise under load. The Asus STRIX in quiet BIOS mode is 4dB quieter than the Gigabyte.
The RTX 2070 Super has 95% of the 2080's performance and costs ~$100 less.

Abula
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Re: Silent Wings 3... high speed or normal version? (3950x build)

Post by Abula » Tue Feb 18, 2020 7:29 am

I went with 2x BL067 on front, because they cover most of the motheborads components, as steve said the bottom 120 is mostly sending air in the shroud which is perforated... but weather it makes a difference is something that i didnt know (still dont know), so i went with 140s, for me its good enough, but you can go however you think its best for you. Also price wise... 3x Noctuas is $90 vs 2x Bequiet is $50, its almost double the cost, and i can tell you that case fans wont give you double the cooling nor quietness, i still dont want to detear you from Noctua, they are very good fans, but its up to you and your budget, btw dont get NF-A14 for the back get a BL067.

Image

silenceorgtfo
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Re: Silent Wings 3... high speed or normal version? (3950x build)

Post by silenceorgtfo » Fri Feb 21, 2020 1:57 pm

I already bought x3 120 and x1 140 SW3 high speed. Will run cinebench to check temps with default r6 fans and then mount them and compare. I would like that the fans were white to match the black and white setting... but whatever, I didnt even buy a window, but I would maybe in the future buy a panel with a window if i get bored of no window.

Btw, what do you have plugged on the pci lanes? looks like some weird small cards.

As far as the gpu, im going to wait for the rtx 3080 so im keeping the 7850.

Abula
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Re: Silent Wings 3... high speed or normal version? (3950x build)

Post by Abula » Fri Feb 21, 2020 3:45 pm

silenceorgtfo wrote:
Fri Feb 21, 2020 1:57 pm
Btw, what do you have plugged on the pci lanes? looks like some weird small cards.
Thats a dedicated streaming PC, built around TR1950x
PCIcards.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

Exel
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Location: Finland

Re: Silent Wings 3... high speed or normal version? (3950x build)

Post by Exel » Sun Aug 30, 2020 1:18 am

I would caution against Silent Wings 3 in general.

I have the Fractal R6 and I was in the exact same situation as you. I got two Silent Wings 3 High-Speed fans to replace the Fractal fans... and the result was terrible. The SW3 produces a lot of turbulence when it's placed against the intake filter in the case. They were louder than the original Fractal fans.

I have the SW3 as a CPU fan and there it is quiet. As long as there is nothing directly in front of the fan the Silent Wings 3 is quiet, but it's not good as a pull fan against a mesh filter or any other obstructions.

I replaced the SW3 with Noctua P12-redux and the result was much better, although I am not completely satisfied with the P12 either. I'm looking for a replacement for those and the Silverstone AB120R would seem very promising (see here for a review with audio samples).

Kay Burton
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Re: Silent Wings 3... high speed or normal version? (3950x build)

Post by Kay Burton » Tue Sep 15, 2020 3:10 am

As a rule, ordinary coolers are enough, if you do not overload the computer in the summer. And if you actively use it in the very heat, then the coolers will not cool much - they will drive hot air. If you want to extend the work of your computer, be careful in the heat. Everything will be OK.

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