140mm Case Fans

Uppercut

Uppercut

Weaksauce
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
Messages
76
Has anyone tried either of these 140mm case fans?

Thermalright X-Silent-140:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109029

Cooler Master R4-S4S-10AK-GP:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103078

I have a Lian Li Lancool PC-K62 case here with 3x 140mm stock fans i'd like to replace becuase they're driving me absolutely bonkers. Is that Cooler Master fan really the same one that's used in the HAF 932 case and other CM cases? Cause i also have a HAF 932 case right here and it's a pretty quiet fan that pushes a decent amount of air.
 
i have the same case, whats wrong with the fans? they push a decent amount of air and i cant really hear them. although the blue leds are kind of obnoxious
 
Yeah, It took me all of 10 minutes to decide that i needed to snip those led wires. I really wish manufactures would insist on using an led color other than laser bright blue in their products. The Lancool's fans do move a lot of air though but they're pretty loud in my opinion. That 120mm fan in the back is probably the biggest offender at 1500rpm's. I actually have it completely unplugged because it feels like someone's putting a tuning fork next to my head when it's on.

I don't know, I guess i just have a lower tolerance for noise :p
 
weird, i just my head next to the rear fan and didnt hear anything except for air whooshing. maybe its defective? or maybe u should turn ur music louder :)

i've been looking for fans and found this one, http://www.svc.com/d14sm-12.html. seems to be the best. there also is a lower speed one but since im gonna be hooking it up to a fan controller it doesnt matter to me.
 
Both of the top fans on my K62 started to vibrate after a couple weeks of use. I moved one of them to the front of the case and stopped using the other. Sleeve bearing fans should never be mounted horizontally.

The 120mm fan is ok, all I can hear from it is the moving air.
 
Tell google to translate from German:

http://translate.google.com/transla...Roundup+2009+Part+II%40pc-experience.de&hl=en - 140mm fan roundup #2

http://www.pc-experience.de/wbb2/thread.php?threadid=28453 - #1 from same source

I wish they would have compiled the information in a more easily compared format, but it's some good info.

Based on those reviews, I'd be interested in the Xigmatek XLF-1453. It has the rifle-bearing, which is a modified, improved sleeve-bearing. I should get one to compare it to my Scythe GT AP-15 fans...I'm sure I can find a place for a 140mm fan in my hacked up p180 case, and I wouldn't mind the extra airflow.

I've heard some good things about the Thermalright X-silent 140mm fan too though...

I should do a fan review. Coming from an audio background, I have most of the equipment, including lab-grade measurement microphones, acoustic isolation, etc...I wish I could justify the cost/time.
 
Blown Cap said:
Both of the top fans on my K62 started to vibrate after a couple weeks of use. I moved one of them to the front of the case and stopped using the other. Sleeve bearing fans should never be mounted horizontally.

The 120mm fan is ok, all I can hear from it is the moving air.
Click to expand...

It's interesting that you should mention that. One of the top fans on my K62 began vibrating from the moment i turned it on. While it's unnoticeable with the top part of the case attatched, you can definitily hear it though when you have your head near the case.
 
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Archmage said:
Tell google to translate from German:

http://translate.google.com/transla...Roundup+2009+Part+II%40pc-experience.de&hl=en - 140mm fan roundup #2

http://www.pc-experience.de/wbb2/thread.php?threadid=28453 - #1 from same source

I wish they would have compiled the information in a more easily compared format, but it's some good info.

Based on those reviews, I'd be interested in the Xigmatek XLF-1453. It has the rifle-bearing, which is a modified, improved sleeve-bearing. I should get one to compare it to my Scythe GT AP-15 fans...I'm sure I can find a place for a 140mm fan in my hacked up p180 case, and I wouldn't mind the extra airflow.

I've heard some good things about the Thermalright X-silent 140mm fan too though...

I should do a fan review. Coming from an audio background, I have most of the equipment, including lab-grade measurement microphones, acoustic isolation, etc...I wish I could justify the cost/time.
Click to expand...

That's some pretty useful info right there. Thanks for posting that :)

I found a quick noise comparison video on youtube with the Yate Loon D14SM-12, Xigmatek XLF F1453, and Thermalright X-Silent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDeINlrCSTc

And one with an anemometer to measure wind speed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iouv430ZBNU

The Xigmatek and the Thermalright fans generated rather similiar results.
While that Yate Loon seems to push the most air, albeit at the expense of noise.
 
I ordered 2 low speed yate loon and 1 medium speed yate loon and they should arrive today. I can compare them to a gentletyphoon i received earlier yesterday, but it will be far from scientific :)

Yate loons are incredibly cheap. I hope they live up to the hype.
 
Archmage said:
Tell google to translate from German:

http://translate.google.com/transla...Roundup+2009+Part+II%40pc-experience.de&hl=en - 140mm fan roundup #2

http://www.pc-experience.de/wbb2/thread.php?threadid=28453 - #1 from same source

I wish they would have compiled the information in a more easily compared format, but it's some good info.

Based on those reviews, I'd be interested in the Xigmatek XLF-1453. It has the rifle-bearing, which is a modified, improved sleeve-bearing. I should get one to compare it to my Scythe GT AP-15 fans...I'm sure I can find a place for a 140mm fan in my hacked up p180 case, and I wouldn't mind the extra airflow.

I've heard some good things about the Thermalright X-silent 140mm fan too though...

I should do a fan review. Coming from an audio background, I have most of the equipment, including lab-grade measurement microphones, acoustic isolation, etc...I wish I could justify the cost/time.
Click to expand...

Do NOT get the Thermalright X-Silents. I heard good things about them too, so I bought 5 of them blind for my case -- there's a very annoying ticking noise regardless of orientation (it's worse when they're mounted vertically). It's present with all 5 of the fans.

Unfortunately, the place I bought them from won't let me refund them, so they're just sitting here -- I went with Noctua 140mms instead. If you want the Thermalrights still, let me know, and I'll be more than happy to sell all 5 of them to you for $30 :p
 
I'd expect the noctuas to be best, completely disregarding price. 60$ for three fans is absolutely ridiculous for me; but my NH-U12P is absolutely amazing.
 
akwok said:
Do NOT get the Thermalright X-Silents. I heard good things about them too, so I bought 5 of them blind for my case -- there's a very annoying ticking noise regardless of orientation (it's worse when they're mounted vertically). It's present with all 5 of the fans.
Click to expand...

Is it constant or random? and is it similiar to the tick you'd hear on a cheap clock? Cause that would probably drive me crazy heh. Also, can you hear it outside the case or does the fan noise drown it out?
 
Uppercut said:
Is it constant or random? and is it similiar to the tick you'd hear on a cheap clock? Cause that would probably drive me crazy heh. Also, can you hear it outside the case or does the fan noise drown it out?
Click to expand...

Nice videos, Uppercut. I hadn't seen those before... now I'm not sure if I want that xigmatek fan at all.

And the clicking on the X-silent: Are these fans on a PWM fan-controller, or they just click in stock configuration? That video sound clip didn't reveal the clicking noise, but you got it on ALL 5! :(

We need some better 140mm fan options (without spending hundreds on Sanyo Denki - I think they have the best 140mm fans around)... Silverstone makes some 180mm fans... maybe I'll look into those.

Edit: I suppose I'm happy with my gentle typhoons though...
 
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Hey guys,

I connected it directly to the power supply (via molex), to my Lian Li's fan controller (e.g. 5V and 7V), and also to my miniNG t-balancer. The clicking is there in all cases.

I also thought that they'd be quiet, after reading reviews online (SPCR, even!) but from my personal experience the fans were nothing like those in the reviews. Perhaps Thermalright manufactured a bad batch?

The ticking is CONSTANT. You can hear it outside the case... and I guess it's like a clock's tick, but sped up 5 times?
 
Perhaps they had a bad batch, but that's some terrible luck...

I'll be avoiding 140mm for now.
 
Oh, I also bought 3x of the 120mm X-Silents. Same problem, so it's not just confined to 140mms :p
 
Archmage said:
Tell google to translate from German:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.pc-experience.de/wbb2/thread.php%3Fthreadid%3D29848&ei=Qi44S8W8AoGyswPOxa2bBA&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CA4Q7gEwAg&prev=/search%3Fq%3D140mm%2BFan%2BRoundup%2B2009%2BPart%2BII%2540pc-experience.de%26hl%3Den - 140mm fan roundup #2
Click to expand...
Always nice to see a review that confirms a particular purchase was a good choice. I have the Noiseblocker PK-2 and I am pretty impressed with it (mounted horizontally in a Lian Li PC-A05N)
 
akwok said:
Oh, I also bought 3x of the 120mm X-Silents. Same problem, so it's not just confined to 140mms :p
Click to expand...

Wow. That is some terrible luck. Guess i'll be sticking with the Cooler Master fans then. Thanks for the input. It's much appreciated.
 
I have the same problems with some of the fans in my K62. I read some where that the clicking noise could be from the fan being undervolted.
 
Sigh... I can't win.

I went with the Noctua 140mms, and while there isn't a clicking noise with those, there's a very annoying low frequency alternating hum when they're undervolted. So far, the only fans that are acceptable to me are the Scythe S-Flex (120mm) fans -- so I'll be buying more of those today instead and using a 120mm=>140mm adapter, I guess.
 
Y'know, with your problems from undervolting, you might have an issue with your voltage controller. I have a variety of cheap slot types, which cause issues with a number of fans. I have also read that some not-cheap front-mounted fan controllers have issues. They are not simple rheostats.

I have taken to testing fans with a Molex adapter that supplies 5 volts directly from the PSU. A lot of my fans that disappointed me on fan controllers - from Noctuas to S-Flexes - quit disappointing me. In particular, the fan you have problems with - my X-Silent 140 is one of my favorite fans. It has trouble with vibration if I point its output up, but that's a problem sleeve bearing fans have.

So I'm thinking that the common denominator in these fans and in DEF's fan might be the Lian Li fan controller.
 
I used the Lian Li fan controller, an inline 5V/7V adapter, and a T-Balancer miniNG (http://www.t-balancer.com/english/produkt_tban_mini.htm) -- the miniNG is an extremely good regulator. Regardless, my issue with the X-Silents is present with all three, and even when they're not undervolted (12V, although it's harder to tell in this case since the noisiness tends to drown out the clicking a bit).

Also, the Scythes don't exhibit problems in any of these scenarios, while the other fans do...
 
I just stock up on 120 and 140mm Yate Loons from Petra's. Never had a problem. Some people really put to much thought into this... their just fans.
 
Hehe...

It's because we've become obsessed with quiet-computing. I sleep in the same room with my computer... no one likes a noisy roommate.

But yes... if I replaced all my fans with yate loons, I could probably find a way to nearly match the noise level and performance I enjoy now... +1-2C at the same dBA all around, although with a slightly different noise character.

It has actually been the case-design and modifications that have reduced noise (and improved performance) the most.
- Most of my fans are ducted, and the airflow is directed strategically.
- None of the fans are hard-mounted (screwed) directly to the case.
- Most of the fans are set apart from any restriction (grill, heatsink, etc) to reduce turbulence noise
- The ducts allow the fans to be placed further inward, while still allowing for a fresh air-source
- There are no unnecessary holes in my Antec P180 case (for noise leakage). The sides of the case are sealed.

I need to work on tidying the cabling, decoupling the hard drives, a more permanent fan-mounting solution (using foam-tape right now), PSU fan (silencer 750w 80mm), and hell... I actually want to add another fan.

The fans are important, but definitely secondary to all of that work.
 
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