SilenX fans...All Hype?

D

Dark Prodigy

Jawbreaker
Joined
Mar 10, 2006
Messages
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Need to seriously quiet down computer...Its watercooled but my Sunon high performance fan for my radiator ridiculously loud...and my Evercool aluminum case fan is loud too...

Thinking of buying 2 SilenX 120mm fans...They are sick expensive. Before I drop $50.00 on two friggin' fans, I need to know if they are worth it. I'll spend the coinage for a seriously quiet computer.
 
From what I have gathered thier ratings are bunk, for 1/10th of the price go with Yate Loon. I got mine at jab-tech.com for about $5 each.
 
^^ Well Said. I traded out my Silenx Fans for Panaflows and havn't had a problem since. My silenx's made a rattling noise...
 
I like the Panaflo M1A, rated 86.5CFM at 35.5 dba at 12V.

Under-volting them to 7V should provide about 50CFM - still audible, but fairly quiet with good air-flow.

Hope this helps!
 
SilenX are very overpriced and their specs are off. That doesn't mean they are bad. If someone gave them to you as a gift, use them.
If you are paying, there are equally good or better fans for much less.
 
c1001 said:
SilenX are very overpriced and their specs are off. That doesn't mean they are bad. If someone gave them to you as a gift, use them.
If you are paying, there are equally good or better fans for much less.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the reply... Any advice on which ones are equally good or better for much less?

There is already a couple of votes for Panaflo...
 
Nexus 120 fans are good (just cherry picked yate loons and resistor-ed)

J-MAG sells yate loons cheap here $9 for one shipped $15 for 2 shipped
if you do buy from him, mention me ;)

Panaflos are nice, but their quality isn't what it used to be

what are you aiming for here?
low noise at all costs or low noise with some airflow?
 
theyangster said:
Panaflos are nice, but their quality isn't what it used to be
Click to expand...

I noticed that too. I had one that just had one of the blades snap off when I was cleaning it with barely any force.
 
theyangster said:
what are you aiming for here?
low noise at all costs or low noise with some airflow?
Click to expand...


I do need decent airflow...I guess no less than 50 CFM or so to cool my waterloop properly. So I basically need the best noise to airflow ratio fan I can buy... SilenX claims to do that....

And plus (not trying to start up flamers), the Voodoo Omen is said to be the QUIETEST computer that can be bought (as reviewed by Custom PC, CPU Magazine, Maximum PC) and all Voodoo uses is 120mm SilenX fans....

I have to rely on input because I've never heard one operate....
Thanks for the input so far..
 
Claims. :rolleyes:

Sometimes it is just physically impossible for a fan to move so much air yet produce so little noise, and SilenX is a fine example. I doubt the 50cfm rating, and the motor noise produced completely negates the 11dBA or whatever rating they tend to use. You can't have low noise yet high airflow for the most part.

Ever think that SilenX paid Voodoo to put their re-branded fans into their boxes? They're marking up a marked up product.
 
You're just not going to get 50cfm with any kind low noise. Even if the fan motor was completely silent like a mag-lev fan, significant noise created by air getting pushed by the fan blades would still be there. I like the Nexus at 22db and around 35cfm. The Yates are a bit louder with a bit more air being pushed because of higher rpms. I'd estimate the 120mm SilenX fans (14db spec) to be around 30db and 40ish cfm (58cfm spec) at 12v. At 7v they are under 20db.

If you want above 50cfm, try Thermaltake, Silverstone, Papst and others have those, but you'll get above 35db easy. At least you'll no longer hear any other fans you may have in your system!
 
benamaster said:
I noticed that too. I had one that just had one of the blades snap off when I was cleaning it with barely any force.
Click to expand...

This happened to me too! Argh!
 
I have two 80mm silenx fans as intakes to my case. They're not even a month old yet and I think i'm starting to notice some rattle. I've only heard it a few times and haven't bothered checking it out because I was busy, but I'll eventually get around to it. Sounds like I should have gone with another brand and saved some money :(
 
Get Yate Loon D12-SL or D12-SM . The Ls move a reasonable amount of air and are very quiet. The Ms move quite a lot and are still not too loud.
 
From what I have heard the SilenX specs are supposed to be bunk. But I have not personally heard them so I cannot give a yeah or nah..

I would go with thiese that are KNOWN to be quiet

Scythe S-Flex
Panaflo M1A or L1A
Nexus
Yate-Loons

Those I have heard and those are all extremely quiet.
 
Get a Yate-Loon, cheap and effective. The nexus fans are (as stated above) simply Yate-Loon fans modified for lower voltage (less rpm=less noise=less cfm). Especially if you have a rheobus, the Yate-Loon is a great choice. You can pick up el cheapo rheobus (sunbeam is a decent one) for less than 10$.
 
I bought 2 40mm Silenx for my Shuttle PSU. After 2 weeks, one of them started making lots of noise. I put the stock fans back in. Silenx sucks.
 
vudoo said:
I bought 2 40mm Silenx for my Shuttle PSU. After 2 weeks, one of them started making lots of noise. I put the stock fans back in. Silenx sucks.
Click to expand...


Quick questions....

Were they actually silent when they were running?

What type of noise...rattling?
 
40mm fans can be silent, but they'll move miniscule amounts of air. SilenX will insist on charging you $15 for one still. :rolleyes:

I still think they don't deserve anybody's money.
 
Dark Prodigy said:
Quick questions....

Were they actually silent when they were running?

What type of noise...rattling?
Click to expand...

Yea, it was rattling. I think my PSU's stock fans are actually quieter than SilenX fans...
I would return them, but I threw away the boxes :(
 
I like the SilnenX fans. Man, they are VERY quiet and move decent air for as quiet as they are. However, I wouldn't buy them again. Why would you not just get a good fan controller and buy panaflo's (man, hard to beat) enermax's, mechatronics, SmartFans, anything. That way, you can precisely relate your noise tolerance to performance exactly where you need it.

Secondly, in the real world, the choice of fan and rad may pale versus the question of whether you have easily accessible (and washable) foam filters between the intake and blades. I mean, just check out an unfiltered system and see the rad all gummed up and EVERYTHING covered with an insulating layer of gray, greasy dust. Heatsinks, psu intakes, drive surfaces, vid cards...all gummed up. And do you think those fan blades are spinning efficiently with clumped up crap on them? LOL. Unless you're gonna clean it all up every month or two, selecting the fan that's best on the first day you buy it just doesn't mean that much.

On the other hand, just go get a 930 D chip and blow on it once a week... you got 4k!
 
ickywu said:
I like the SilnenX fans. Man, they are VERY quiet and move decent air for as quiet as they are. However, I wouldn't buy them again. Why would you not just get a good fan controller and buy panaflo's (man, hard to beat) enermax's, mechatronics, SmartFans, anything. That way, you can precisely relate your noise tolerance to performance exactly where you need it.
Click to expand...

Ok..you're like only the second person that says SilenX fans are good and possibly worth the money...and that's cool. But why wouldn't you buy them again?

And I don't have any extra bays to put a nice fan controller which sounds like a great option although I considered that.
 
The best deal around for quiet 120mm fans is the $5.95 yate-loon. If you want quieter (ie the $15+ nexus which is a yate-loon that spins a little slower), 7V mod 'em or use a Zalman fanmate2.
 
Dark Prodigy said:
And I don't have any extra bays to put a nice fan controller which sounds like a great option although I considered that.
Click to expand...
Zalman Fanmates are your friends. I love 'em.
 
Dark Prodigy said:
Ok..you're like only the second person that says SilenX fans are good and possibly worth the money...and that's cool. But why wouldn't you buy them again?

And I don't have any extra bays to put a nice fan controller which sounds like a great option although I considered that.
Click to expand...

Well, first, the ambient sound level in most circumstances I've seen is much higher than the SilenX goal levels. Road noise, AC, kids, TV, rain, yada-yada and your likely to be around 30 db(A). Remember it's a logarithmic scale where every 3db roughly doubles the acoustic power. You probably exceeded 20 db when you snuck into your GF's bedroom with her parents in the next room. 30db just ain't that loud...

Then, there are lots of VERY quiet fans available, now, at low prices. Just wander through NewEgg's 120mm fan choices. I wouldn't go with those, either, myself.

Lastly, you can get SmartFan type 120mm fans with an individually variable controller built in, or in-line controllers, like other posters have pointed out, that you can work into most any fan arrangement. Just seems like the obvious solution.
 
Ok..

I know most of you will think I'm a sap for doing this but this is what I did that you might find interesting..

I bought 2 SilenX fans. 1 120mm 11dba 42 CFM fan and 1 120mm 14dba 67 CFM fan.
I also bought a Zalman Fanmate 2.

I hooked the Zalman up to my Sunon High Performance 120mmx35mm 107CFM fan to the Zalman Fanmate 2. I put the 11dba SilenX fan as my intake and mounted the 14dba SilenX fan to the underside of my radiator (doing push-pull with the Sunon).Then I volted the Sunon fan down to 5v.

I cut my comp back on....

I swear, if I didn't have cold cathodes and grunty Raptor drives, I would not have know my comp was on. Super quiet...very quiet...almost too quiet.
I immediately started checking temps, because I was paranoid about running too hot with my w/c setup.My CPU would usually idle at about 34C ...After letting it sit for about 45 minutes I returned to see it idling happily at around 37C. Since I w/c my 2 7800GT's in SLI and my NB in the same loop I checked those as well. 39C GPU1; 41C GPU2. And my system temp was about the same...I ran 3dMark06 with Prime95 torture test in the background and my cpu never got over 44C and both GPU maxed out at 49-51C...

My girlfriend came over later that day. I didn't tell her about the fan change. She came in and was shocked to see me at my computer. She said that she thought I was laying down or something because she couldn't hear the computer... at all. Usually after walking 10ft into my t/h, you could hear my comp on from downstairs.

I am very happy with how things turned out, even with the 3C temperature peformance hit. I did not disregard anyones advice, I simply had to see for myself. I probably could have gotten the same result with the Yate-Loons most people advised and saved myself $40.00... But I didn't want to go through the "you get what you pay for" cheaper fans. This was much too serious.

SilenX fans are too damn expensive. But they work...as advertised. And if I can help it I don't EVER want to spend that much money on fans again. Now I understand the people that said they are good but will never buy them again. We'll see if they hold up over time too.

How much would YOU pay for a nearly inaudible computer? Thanks for all the replys.
 
They're quiet, but I still say they don't work "as advertised". I also continue to say that they deserve nobody's money.
 
Was undecided.... Either to post results in another thread... or simply bump this one so the inquiring individuals could see what was decided and the resulting information on my dealing with SilenX fans...


Maybe some peoples opinion could change....or stay exactly the same.... :)
 
from what i hear the ars technica forum has the most info on the credibility of the silenx fans check there

i use antec tri cool led and they are great

if you want hi power get a vantec fan and just change the cfm on the knob

those will prob. last longer too since they are ball bering fans and not bushing fans i think

if you want ultimate cooling try to find a mag lev from sunon :)
 
I have quite a few Silenx fans: 2 80mms, 1 92mm, a VGA cooler, and a NB cooler.

I used the NB heatsink on my NB and put the 40mm fan as a replacement for my OTES fan in my Abit Max3. The 40 mm is ridiculously loud so I leave it underpowered.

The 80mm and 92mm fans are barely audible, but sometimes the make a ticking sound. The VGA cooler is superbly made and is similar in price to the Zalman flower cooler.

Their products look nice. Plain and simple. You're paying for paper ratings and looks. The NB heatsink looks fantastic and is better looking than any other passive chipset heatsink I've ever seen.

The fact that I have to undervolt the Silenx fans disappoints me. They do move sufficient amounts of air but saying they're "silent" is indeed a bit misleading. If you invest in a fan controller, you can adjust fan speeds to suitable levels.

So... given the fact that I've spent a bit over $100 in Silenx fans to supplement the cooling of two systems, I recommend that you try different options. Maybe you could buy 1 Silenx and 1 other brand fan and see which you like more. Everyone's opinion about Silenx is subject to their personal judgement, so you may have to try a fan out for yourself.

My HTPC case (Silverstone) came with two 80mm fans which I replaced with 2 Silenx fans almost immediately. The Silenx fans run a bit slower but emit a ticking sound sometimes (only one of them though). The Silverstones don't emit the tick and pass more airflow, but have a slightly more audible low-frequency "woooosh" sound.
 
Dark Prodigy said:
Ok..

I know most of you will think I'm a sap for doing this but this is what I did that you might find interesting..

I bought 2 SilenX fans. 1 120mm 11dba 42 CFM fan and 1 120mm 14dba 67 CFM fan.
I also bought a Zalman Fanmate 2.

I hooked the Zalman up to my Sunon High Performance 120mmx35mm 107CFM fan to the Zalman Fanmate 2. I put the 11dba SilenX fan as my intake and mounted the 14dba SilenX fan to the underside of my radiator (doing push-pull with the Sunon).Then I volted the Sunon fan down to 5v.

I cut my comp back on....

I swear, if I didn't have cold cathodes and grunty Raptor drives, I would not have know my comp was on. Super quiet...very quiet...almost too quiet.
I immediately started checking temps, because I was paranoid about running too hot with my w/c setup.My CPU would usually idle at about 34C ...After letting it sit for about 45 minutes I returned to see it idling happily at around 37C. Since I w/c my 2 7800GT's in SLI and my NB in the same loop I checked those as well. 39C GPU1; 41C GPU2. And my system temp was about the same...I ran 3dMark06 with Prime95 torture test in the background and my cpu never got over 44C and both GPU maxed out at 49-51C...

My girlfriend came over later that day. I didn't tell her about the fan change. She came in and was shocked to see me at my computer. She said that she thought I was laying down or something because she couldn't hear the computer... at all. Usually after walking 10ft into my t/h, you could hear my comp on from downstairs.

I am very happy with how things turned out, even with the 3C temperature peformance hit. I did not disregard anyones advice, I simply had to see for myself. I probably could have gotten the same result with the Yate-Loons most people advised and saved myself $40.00... But I didn't want to go through the "you get what you pay for" cheaper fans. This was much too serious.

SilenX fans are too damn expensive. But they work...as advertised. And if I can help it I don't EVER want to spend that much money on fans again. Now I understand the people that said they are good but will never buy them again. We'll see if they hold up over time too.

How much would YOU pay for a nearly inaudible computer? Thanks for all the replys.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the recommendations Stuey...here's what happened...
 
Dark Prodigy said:
Thanks for the recommendations Stuey...here's what happened...
Click to expand...
LoL, I actually did read your post, but after reading through the entire thread, I forgot who the thread starter was and decided to post anyways. LoL, I really should have just scrolled up, but I don't mind looking like a spaz every now and then.

Besides that, if anyone searches for Silenx info, they have some extra input to read.

:D :D
 
piako said:
from what i hear the ars technica forum has the most info on the credibility of the silenx fans check there
Click to expand...
In my humble opinion, nobody beats SPCR for noise-freaks.
 
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