120mm case fans

[Handruin]

I'm looking for some adjustable 120mm case fans that are quiet for two different cases. I have a Antec P180 and an Antec P160. Both of them need new fans because the old ones are noisy from age/use (they buzz).

I like the 3-speed fans that come with the P180, is there anything comparable or better than that to recommend?

 

[ddrueding]

If you are looking for fans with built-in speed controllers, the Antec are the ones to get. If you don't need fast fans, you can get the low-speed S-Flex 800RPM version. IMHO the 1200RPM version is too loud.

 

[Handruin]

I guess 800RPM might be enough. I run the Antec fans at either low or medium and my machine is more than quiet enough for my liking. I don't know what RPM's those speeds that equate to though.

 

[ddrueding]

IIRC, 800/1200RPM. Same as the Slow/Medium Scythe.

 

[P5-133XL]

Try looking at Quiet 120mm fan Where Merc compared a bunch of 120mm fan's.

His conclusion:

The "winner" in my fan contest for CPU cooling is the SilenX. The Noctua has a low-pitched noise I can hear even with the case on. The Scythe 800rpm fan is inaudible (as is the SilenX) with my case closed but it does not move as much air.
None of the three is unpleasant to hear. They're all very nice fans.

 

[Bozo]

I like the Antec variable speed fans. They change speed automatically based on temperature.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835129033


Bozo :joker:

 

[Mercutio]

You need to be careful in replacing the fan at the top of the P180; it uses a pair of clips instead of screws to hold one side of the fan in the case, and the only brand of premium fan I found that had a wide enough lip to accommodate those clips was Antec's.

 

[Jan Kivar]

Here's the test for Antec Tricool fans at SPCR. The low speed RPM is 1200. SPCR recommends Noctua, Scythe S-Flex or Nexus (see the conclusion of the review).

Noctua is ok for a case fan, but if the grill (finger guard) is too restrictive it should perform rather poorly. Those fancy blades don't put up too much back pressure. Noctua is releasing a new fan with more traditional blades.

A cheaper alternative to Nexus is Yate Loon, which is the manufacturer of the Nexus 120 mm fans. But Yate Loon fans run at 1350 RPM or higher, so they might be too fast for your liking. Nexus fan has a built-in resistor which drops the RPMs to 1000 from the stock 1350.

Antec fans are the only ones with a "smart" adjuster - I don't like the idea of having a pot mounted in the expansion card slots. Fan Mate is always an option to tame a speedy fan, but for 20-50 % added price to the fan might not be the optimum solution.

Cheers,

Jan

 

[Bozo]

Antec fans are the only ones with a "smart" adjuster - I don't like the idea of having a pot mounted in the expansion card slots. Fan Mate is always an option to tame a speedy fan, but for 20-50 % added price to the fan might not be the optimum solution.

Cheers,

Jan

Never seen one of those. The fans I am refering to have a thermocouple built in and adjust the fan speed automatically. You can see the thermocouple if you look close at the motor. It is a small blue device sticking out between the motor case and fan blade.


Bozo :joker:

 

[Jan Kivar]

Antec fans are the only ones with a "smart" adjuster - I don't like the idea of having a pot mounted in the expansion card slots. Fan Mate is always an option to tame a speedy fan, but for 20-50 % added price to the fan might not be the optimum solution.

Never seen one of those. The fans I am refering to have a thermocouple built in and adjust the fan speed automatically. You can see the thermocouple if you look close at the motor. It is a small blue device sticking out between the motor case and fan blade.

Poor choice of words from me... I meant that the switch is on a separate lead, not in the power lead - that is "smart", as it reduces cable clutter. Or did you even mean this? :???:

At least Globe has fans that have the thermistor on a lead, so that it can be positioned better.

Cheers,

Jan

 

[Handruin]

You need to be careful in replacing the fan at the top of the P180; it uses a pair of clips instead of screws to hold one side of the fan in the case, and the only brand of premium fan I found that had a wide enough lip to accommodate those clips was Antec's.

I need to replace the bottom middle fan in the p180, which I switched with the top fan in order to fit my new PS. So I actually need another top fan to put on the bottom.

Thanks for the links everyone. I'll look through all that and probably buy a few to try out like Mercutio did. I don't think I'd be interested in the fan that changes speed automatically. It might drive me nuts not to hear a constant tone from the PC, but thanks for pointing it out Bozo.

 

[Santilli]

Just a quick note on the subject. I just got done pulling a Radeon X700 out of the machine David built, and I sold. CPU AMD 3000+, with Swifttech's massive cooler,and a Stealth Vantec fan on top of it.

As the computer boots, the fan turns on, then the auto sensor shuts it off, and, it stays off. I think this maybe the way to go, vs. some of the other finned coolers, without fans.

I'm going to try going silent, since it's cold now, with the other box, and see how well the Scythe cooler really works.
Just turned all three fans to barely audible, and that should be plenty for the winter.

An adjustable voltage fan tuner sure is a nice addition.