Current best 120/140mm case fans?

MavericK

Zero Cool
Joined
Sep 2, 2004
Messages
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I'm sure these kinds of threads pop up once in awhile, but I didn't see a recent one. I just upgraded my rig and put it all into a Corsair C70. Nice case, but it doesn't come with a lot in terms of stock cooling. So my question is, what are the current best 120mm and 140mm case fans that are out right now? It's been awhile since I bought case fans, so I'm kind of out of the loop, as it were. I'm looking for a good balance of performance and noise, with more of an emphasis on low noise. Thanks!
 
define: "Best"
What are you looking for?
There's no one "best" fan as there's various types available. (these "best" threads always bug me because everyone says they want the "best" without saying what the hell they want)

If you're looking for airflow then there's plenty of high rpm ones that'll sound like a small tornado.

If you're looking for silent fans then it's hard to go wrong with Noctua though there is a price premium there. (there's roughly equivalent ones out there for cheaper if you dig around enough)
 
Yeah, well as I said the primary focus would be on sound but also have midrange performance as a case fan. Looking into Noctuas but like you said, they are very pricey. Any good things about the Corsair AF-120 fans?
 
Coming from someone who just replaced all of his Corsair AF and SP fans with Noctua, the only good things I can say about Corsair fans are that they are reasonably priced and the LEDs between fans appear to be very close in color. On my horizontally mounted AFs the bearings didn't self-lubricate properly and died within 3 months, and my vertically mounted AFs developed a whine after 10 months. The additional cost of going with Noctua may be tough to get over at first, but they're quiet, built in vibration reduction, all the accessories you could want (voltage reduction, extension, soft mounts, etc...).
 
I'm very satisfied with CM JetFlo.

But it all depends on what noise you find acceptable. These fans have three speed options out of the factory. For me all three are too noisy, but if I connect them to fixed 5V, they're right in the sweet spot, and they still outperform in airflow and pressure all "quiet" fans I've tried. Including noctua.
 
Thanks for the tips guys. I will check those out...might just have to bite the bullet and go Noctua.
 
From what I've seen in terms of performance, most fans perform similarly at the same RPM. The differences in noise come primarily from the type of bearing used. Although yeah, there are some differences. High static pressure optimized fans tend to have lower maximum airflow in an open air situation than a fan optimized for airflow. But for your purposes, it will likely come down to the bearing being used.

One bearing you do want to avoid are sleeve bearings. They are quiet but are much more prone to early failure. Ball bearing fans are noisy but long lasting. Double ball bearing fans (like Gentle Typhoons) will be quieter than ball bearing fans while lasting just as long, but probably noisier than FDB and other special sleeve-derivative bearings. FDB and other sleeve-derivative bearings (like Noctua's bearings) will be quiet and last longer than regular sleeve bearings. Though I doubt they can match the longevity of ball bearing fans.
 
Another vote for Noctua. Love mine. I have a 140 main exhaust and thin 92's for my hdd's
 
I really like my Cooler Master Jetflo's, more so than my corsair fans. Also I've only heard great things about nactua, can't stand the color of the fans though since my case is open
 
this.
even thought the color maybe ugly, which i actually like in person, it adds a sense of ownership to the fans.

They've got silver and black ones now instead of the traditional beige-ish ones if the color bothers anyone.
 
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