What radiator fans?

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Jeff G

Limp Gawd
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Nov 2, 2017
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I currently have Corsair SP120 fans, and they're loud at full tilt.
I want a new fan that cools at least as good as the SP120, but is much quieter.
I have the option of 140mm or 120mm (I have both a Nemesis 480GTS and Nemesis 560GTS, I can use either).
Is the 140mm fan going to provide better pressure at lower noise levels?
 
140mm is not as good for static pressure, but the performance difference is negligible. 140mm WILL be quieter than a 120mm for the same airflow, because the 140mm will be able to achieve it at a lower RPM.

I'm fond of BlackNoise nb-eLoops, myself. They're not the top of the heap for raw, blistering performance, but they strike a very nice balance as they're quite quiet. They're pricy but well built.
 
Thoughts on the Be Quiet! Silent Wings 3?
Seems to be a pretty decent performer with little noise. The 140mm version runs at 1k rpm.
 
Jeff G said:
Thoughts on the Be Quiet! Silent Wings 3?
Seems to be a pretty decent performer with little noise. The 140mm version runs at 1k rpm.
Click to expand...

The Be Quiet Silent Wing 3 looks to have comparable or better performance while consistently producing less noise. The Corsair ML120s are also pretty damn good. Both of the aforementioned fans are in the below review among several others.

I personally use the ML120s and find the noise levels to be impressively low, but YMMV.

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/ML120_PRO_RGB/
 
Solhokuten said:
The Be Quiet Silent Wing 3 looks to have comparable or better performance while consistently producing less noise. The Corsair ML120s are also pretty damn good. Both of the aforementioned fans are in the below review among several others.

I personally use the ML120s and find the noise levels to be impressively low, but YMMV.

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/ML120_PRO_RGB/
Click to expand...
I've used ML140s and 120s, and like them both. They are, in my opinion, some of the nicest looking lighted fans on the market, and they perform very well without being too noisy. Just be aware that on those, you have to PWM control them or the "maglev" bearings don't work. They'll still spin but might be a bit noisier on DC control.
 
Jeff G said:
I currently have Corsair SP120 fans, and they're loud at full tilt.
I want a new fan that cools at least as good as the SP120, but is much quieter.
I have the option of 140mm or 120mm (I have both a Nemesis 480GTS and Nemesis 560GTS, I can use either).
Is the 140mm fan going to provide better pressure at lower noise levels?
Click to expand...
I would go with 560 simply because more radiator area means more cooling area so lower airflow is needed thus less noise.

Both radiators are thin enough any decent pressure rated fan will do the job, and 120mm vs 140mm static pressure rating is more about fan design, not that one is inherently better than the other.

MLs are good but some people have had noise issues with them. I don't know of anyone who had problems with Silent Wings 3, but I would recommend the 1600rpm high speed version over hte 1000rpm models simply because while 99% of the time 1000rpm is as fast as we run our fans, there are times we might need more airflow .. like encoding a video in hot summer weather when filters are dirty.

Phanteks MPs (PH-F120MP & PH-F120MP) are very good and not as expensive. If you can find them on special in 2-pack or 3-pack they are about $8-9 each.
 
Nidec Gentle Typhoons or Noctua A12's

The GT's are super quiet for how fast they are, and the A12's are based on GT's but with a bunch of improvements like custom plastic, notched wings, etc.

Ball bearings FTW
 
I installed 3 ML140's in my case and 2 ML120's on my radiator and no one can believe how quiet these things are. They are amazing.
 
The Corsair ML series are fantastic at pushing air through a rad, but they aren't overly quiet above 40% speed. I had both sizes and used them for both case fans and rad fans. I picked up some Noctua's NF-P12s that run at 60% before becoming noticeable, and the A12's should be significantly better still.

So if you want good airflow and quiet, stick to Noctua A12s and Nidec GTs. If you need great airflow and aren't concerned about audible fan noise, the MLs are fine. That said, the fan noise wasn't unpleasant, but simply more audible.

The Noctua A12s should be coming out this year either in a black edition or a redux gray edition (or both) and are probably going to be the go-to fan for any use-case for awhile. The biggest advantage the MLs have right now is that they are available in 140mm.
 
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Yeah I went with the ML's for the RGB lights. Noctua's are very good fans. I have used them before also.
 
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