120mm Case Fans

sechs

sechs

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I'm doing an SFF build to replace my current NAS, and the Lian Li case that I've chosen comes with three-pin fans that the motherboard can't control because it only does PWM.

Folks have brands/models that they suggest?
 
A fairly recent thing to think about is that many brands now ship special fans for high static pressure in addition to the usual series. Would your application benefit from this?
 
sechs said:
I'm doing an SFF build to replace my current NAS, and the Lian Li case that I've chosen comes with three-pin fans that the motherboard can't control because it only does PWM.

Folks have brands/models that they suggest?
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Are you talking normal case fans, or are you pushing air through a radiator or other airflow restrictions. I still like the Noctua fans for case fans myself. http://noctua.at/en/nf-s12a-pwm

mubs said:
Wouldn't the fans for high static pressure be noisy?
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It largely depends on how fast you spin them. However, I've heard some fans with bearings that were noisy even when spun slowly.
 
Stereodude said:
Are you talking normal case fans, or are you pushing air through a radiator or other airflow restrictions. I still like the Noctua fans for case fans myself. http://noctua.at/en/nf-s12a-pwm


It largely depends on how fast you spin them. However, I've heard some fans with bearings that were noisy even when spun slowly.
Click to expand...

I replaced several 120mm fans with the Nocturals and they have been fine for years. Noise is low for the speeds.
 
Noctua has also been my go-to for fans but I realize they sell many different types for different applications. I've typically bought the NF-A14 FLX for my case (but it's 140mm and you asked about 120mm) and I use the 120mm Noctua NF-F12 PWM Cooling Fan for my CPU heat sink because of the higher static pressure. If you're looking for a case fan maybe consider the 120mm Noctua NF-S12A PWM or if you need or want higher static pressure consider the fan I mentioned earlier.
 
Unfortunately, the fan has to push the air through a screen. I'm not sure whether more static pressure is better in this situation.

I guess Noctua is the way to go.
 
I think that page tells you that the Corsair fans are probably what most people want. But I could be wrong - the chart was a little challenging.
 
Futzed around this evening and figured out how to remove the screen on the fan. So, I put in an order for a NF-S12A PWM.

Once I have that installed, I can figure out whether I need to replace the 140mm front intake or a better heatsink to get the noise levels where I want them.
 
I've just found out that Noctua makes industrial fans with either IP52 (dust proof) or IP67 (dust and water proof) ratings.

I could see using the IP52 models inside a 4U server operating in a dusty environment, like some iron mines's less-than-ideal server rooms.
 
I saw a video review of the fans where they placed the fans under water and ran them. It looked strange, but that is what they're designed to do.
 
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