140mm case fans, 120mm CPU fans

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Flogger23m

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Considering upgrading my CPU fans, and/or case fans. Trying to determine if it will produce any worthwhile results or will just waste money with my specific case. Looking to increase cooling capacity, while also keeping low noise as I like low noise builds.

Case is a Fractal Design Define S. I keep the front panel on. This used to be fine with my previous CPU/GPUs, although my current CPU, Ryzen 7800X3D, gets a quite a bit hotter than my previous CPUs. My current GPU, an ASUS RTX 4070 Dual, is also quite loud compared to my previous GPUs. So I popped off the side fan slot cover off which helped, although I still find both the new CPU and GPU to be running a bit hot/noisy.

Airflow on this case is not as good as some cases as it is designed for quieter builds, although it worked perfectly fine while keeping my old GPUs (EVGA 1070/2070/3070s) / CPUs (1600/2600X/3700X/5700X) cool and quiet even on very hot days. But as I mentioned, my current GPU and CPU just seem to run hotter. 7800X3D seems to have a lower temperature before it starts throttling as well.

1) Case fan upgrade:

In the front of the case I currently have:
- 140mm Fractal Design fan that came with the case
- 11-12 year old Noctua NF-S12B 120mm that should be running at 900 RPM, at 1200 RPM it is loud enough to be heard
- 10 year old 120mm Corsair case fan from Corsair 550D

Rear:
- 140mm Fractal Design fan that came with the case

HWiNFO64 reports the following RPMs for each:
- Nocuta ~ 600 RPM
- 140mm Fractals 650-720 RPM
- Corsair 120mm 800 RPM

At idle it is very quiet, and based off experience 1000-1100 RPM seems to more or less be inaudible.

Looking at getting 2x Noctua NF-P14s redux-1200 140mms to replace the old 120mms. At 1,200 RPM, would these realistically provide any worthwhile decrease to temperatures for the CPU or GPU? And are they audiable or more or less quiet?

2) CPU fan upgrades:

Using a Phantom Spirit 120SE CPU cooler. Although I like it, I do find the included fans to be a bit loud for my tastes. When it starts hitting 1300 RPM it gets loud, and over that it becomes obnoxious. Are there any better 120mm PWM fans that would deliver similar or better airflow while being less noisy?


Not in much of a rush, with it being winter both the GPU/CPU are cool, but the CPU temps in the summer were reaching mid 80s quite easily duing gaming.
 
Flogger23m said:
Considering upgrading my CPU fans, and/or case fans. Trying to determine if it will produce any worthwhile results or will just waste money with my specific case. Looking to increase cooling capacity, while also keeping low noise as I like low noise builds.

Case is a Fractal Design Define S. I keep the front panel on. This used to be fine with my previous CPU/GPUs, although my current CPU, Ryzen 7800X3D, gets a quite a bit hotter than my previous CPUs. My current GPU, an ASUS RTX 4070 Dual, is also quite loud compared to my previous GPUs. So I popped off the side fan slot cover off which helped, although I still find both the new CPU and GPU to be running a bit hot/noisy.

Airflow on this case is not as good as some cases as it is designed for quieter builds, although it worked perfectly fine while keeping my old GPUs (EVGA 1070/2070/3070s) / CPUs (1600/2600X/3700X/5700X) cool and quiet even on very hot days. But as I mentioned, my current GPU and CPU just seem to run hotter. 7800X3D seems to have a lower temperature before it starts throttling as well.

1) Case fan upgrade:

In the front of the case I currently have:
- 140mm Fractal Design fan that came with the case
- 11-12 year old Noctua NF-S12B 120mm that should be running at 900 RPM, at 1200 RPM it is loud enough to be heard
- 10 year old 120mm Corsair case fan from Corsair 550D

Rear:
- 140mm Fractal Design fan that came with the case

HWiNFO64 reports the following RPMs for each:
- Nocuta ~ 600 RPM
- 140mm Fractals 650-720 RPM
- Corsair 120mm 800 RPM

At idle it is very quiet, and based off experience 1000-1100 RPM seems to more or less be inaudible.

Looking at getting 2x Noctua NF-P14s redux-1200 140mms to replace the old 120mms. At 1,200 RPM, would these realistically provide any worthwhile decrease to temperatures for the CPU or GPU? And are they audiable or more or less quiet?

2) CPU fan upgrades:

Using a Phantom Spirit 120SE CPU cooler. Although I like it, I do find the included fans to be a bit loud for my tastes. When it starts hitting 1300 RPM it gets loud, and over that it becomes obnoxious. Are there any better 120mm PWM fans that would deliver similar or better airflow while being less noisy?


Not in much of a rush, with it being winter both the GPU/CPU are cool, but the CPU temps in the summer were reaching mid 80s quite easily duing gaming.
Click to expand...
Noctua's redux fans aren't particularly quiet and only average at moving air. IMO, I don't think they are necessarily any better quality than anything else, either. I've had 2 90mm, an 80mm, and a 120mm. and 2 of them had unwanted bearing noise.

The best 'budget' fans, are Arctic's P12 and P14. They perform really well and are usually pretty quiet. That said, quality/consistency can be an issue, in terms of bearing noise or vibrational noise.

IMO, the best overall fan right now, are Thermaltake's new Toughfan Pros.

Here is Techpowerup's review of the 120mm version
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/thermaltake-toughfan-12-pro-120-mm-fan/

I personally own the old version of the 140mm and the new version of the 140mm. The new version is remarkably quiet, throughout the entire range (the old version creates a A LOT of air turbulence noise, near the end of its range). The old version was already a really good fan for cooling. But the new one is consistently about 2 degrees better cooling, at most speeds.

I am also a big proponent of Be Quiet! fans. IMO, they have some of the highest quality and most consistent quality fans. And their noise profile is usually more broad and pleasant. They recently released the Silent Wings 4/Pro 4. Although, they may not be great as "pull" fans (with their back against a fan grill/heatsink/radiator/case vent), as I have heard they can make unwanted sounds while doing that. Its actually pretty common though, for "pull" configs to have added noise.
 
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chameleoneel said:
The best 'budget' fans, are Arctic's P12 and P14. They perform really well and are usually pretty quiet. That said, quality/consistency can be an issue, in terms of bearing noise or vibrational noise.
Click to expand...

So I take it these would be good for the intake case fans? I'm reading mixed things on them, but I am seeing a pack of 5 P14 PWM for $40 on Amazon. For case fans I don't really like PWM, and it seems like that is what I am finding for sale. My motherboard's fan settings are fairly simple, seemingly quite, average and fast. Not sure how that would affect PWM if at all. I'd rather cap them at 1000 RPM or so.

chameleoneel said:
IMO, the best overall fan right now, are Thermaltake's new Toughfan Pros.

Here is Techpowerup's review of the 120mm version
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/thermaltake-toughfan-12-pro-120-mm-fan/
Click to expand...

Thanks, that should be good for a dual tower heat sink I take it? TPU review talks about radiators, but I assume it will work well with a regular heatsink. I like that it is PWM and has a low noise connector which caps PWM at 1500.
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/thermaltake-toughfan-12-pro-120-mm-fan/
chameleoneel said:
I am also a big proponent of Be Quiet! fans. IMO, they have some of the highest quality and most consistent quality fans. And their noise profile is usually more broad and pleasant. They recently released the Silent Wings 4/Pro 4. Although, they may not be great as "pull" fans (with their back against a fan grill/heatsink/radiator/case vent), as I have heard they can make unwanted sounds while doing that. Its actually pretty common though, for "pull" configs to have added noise.
Click to expand...

For the CPU I would need 2x 120mm in push/pull configuration, although if there are 140mm that can mount onto generic 120mm fan metal fan clips that would be nice. Assuming said 140mm fans actually move more air at the same noise levels.
 
So what are the best case fans out there? I have the arctic p12s but they are getting kinda loud when I have a game going.
 
Rev. Night said:
So what are the best case fans out there? I have the arctic p12s but they are getting kinda loud when I have a game going.
Click to expand...

My wife has 4 x P12s in her system and I'm finding the same thing... they are nice at low rpm, but when they ramp up they almost have a gentle "whine" to them that makes them super noticeable.

I have all Noctua's in my case (3 intakes, 1 exhaust, and 1 CPU) and even though it's a similar volume under load, it's definitely a more pleasing tone...!
 
I have the Arctic P12 PWM PST value back. So 3 intakes, 1 exhaust. They are either 2 or 4 years old, not sure which purchase it was for which pc. I don't mind keeping the exhaust as an Arctic P12, but I do want to replace the 3 intakes.

Whats equal to or better than the Noctua A12x25s these days? I want something quiet to cool my stock ref 7900xtx and stock ryzen 7700x (noctua d15 w/ 2 A12x25s)
 
hmm i just set that, i'll see how it sounds. I did manually move it to around 1100 rpm, def heard the droning
 
I am very impressed with the 120mm be quiet silent wings pro 4. Very very quiet and seems to move a good amount of air. There's also the Noctua NF-A12x25 that's been around a while; it's not the quietest fan at higher RPM's but the noise is a lot more tolerable than many fans, and it's very silent at low RPM.

I don't have many 140mm fans installed, the older be quiet silent wings 3 is very silent with moderate airflow.
 
Rev. Night said:
Whats equal to or better than the Noctua A12x25s these days? I want something quiet to cool my stock ref 7900xtx and stock ryzen 7700x (noctua d15 w/ 2 A12x25s)
Click to expand...
Thermaltake Toughfan 12 Pro

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/thermaltake-toughfan-12-pro-120-mm-fan/

I put a 14 Pro on my Noctua NH-C14S

Historically, I'm a fan of Be Quiet!'s fans, would have recommended the silent wings 4/pro 4. However, I've had both the Toughfan 14 and now Toughfan 14 Pro. And they have been great. That said, I would still recommend Be Quiet!. Their quality and consistency is fantastic. The Silent Wings 4/Pro 4 push slightly more air than A12x25, but with a better noise profile. Whereas the Tougfan 12 Pro pushes even more air, for similar noise.

Phanteks T30 is a 30mm thick fan. It pushes a little more air than even the Toughfan 12 Pro. But, is a fair bit louder, when under 1500rpm. And the 30mm thickness can cause mounting and fitment issues.
 
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Rev. Night said:
I see. Are silent wings pro 4 allowing Daisy chain or do I need a fan controller
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No daisy chain for the Silentwings 4/Pro 4, or the Toughfan 12 Pro.


*For a nice fan with daisy chain, check out this one from Lian Li
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/lian-li-uni-fan-p28-120-mm-fan/

They are 28mm thick, so compatibility shouldn't be too bad. But, they are very expensive.

**actually, there is a non-RGB version, and the price is pretty sweet for a 3-pack:
https://www.amazon.com/LIAN-Triple-...0&psc=1&mcid=38f4b2527e7b3e1c9fffd4b70072f916
 
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I run CoolerMaster SickleFlow V2s 120s and they are very nice and quiet and move heaps of air. They have anti noise anti vibration pads on both sides and I like the design on the fans and RGB LEDs. I run they very very slow though because I have 22 in a single case push/pull so it is near silent.
 
You can't daisy chain the be quiet or noctua fans, but you can run 2 or maybe even 3 from a single fan header with a Y cable.
 
Rev. Night said:
How the fuck do you have 22 fans in a case?

How's much $$$ is that
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The Coolermaster HAF700 has dual 360 roof rads (look closely) and a 240 rear another rad on the side. Then the bottom and front fans total 22. It's silent.
IMG_20240124_170923663.jpg
 
chameleoneel said:
No daisy chain for the Silentwings 4/Pro 4, or the Toughfan 12 Pro.


*For a nice fan with daisy chain, check out this one from Lian Li
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/lian-li-uni-fan-p28-120-mm-fan/

They are 28mm thick, so compatibility shouldn't be too bad. But, they are very expensive.

**actually, there is a non-RGB version, and the price is pretty sweet for a 3-pack:
https://www.amazon.com/LIAN-Triple-...0&psc=1&mcid=38f4b2527e7b3e1c9fffd4b70072f916
Click to expand...
So is the only difference between the Silent Wings 4 and Pro 4 the fact that the Pro can do 3000 rpm? Because I will never ever need to go that high, the 1600rpm
 
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Rev. Night said:
So is the only difference between the Silent Wings 4 and Pro 4 the fact that the Pro can do 3000 rpm? Because I will never ever need to go that high, the 1600rpm
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The pro goes up to 3000 RPM. I think it also has a switch which will hardware limit it to lower speeds. The frame is slightly nicer. and it comes with some extra pieces to change out the corners for different mounting options.

At the same RPM, the cooling performance is within margin of error. And the noise profile is very similar.
 
And I will only be using these as case fans, not on a radiator.

In theory, two 140s moving slower will be quieter and move more air than three 120s, right? I just have had nothing but bad experiences with 140s. I had the 140 noctuas and even on a custom fan curve these things were loud AF.

That is my use case btw. Three 120s acting as intakes. Are there 140s on the market that are demonstrably better?
 
Rev. Night said:
How much did all that cost?
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Got 3_ packs on sale last Black Friday season. I think it was like 35 per 3 pack. The case came with two 200mm front fans and three 120s for a total of 5. I already had 6 fans from my last build. So I only needed 3 more 3 packs. So 100 extra bucks to total 22. Including the ones I had before I'd say about 170 for all the fans total.
 
Rev. Night said:
And I will only be using these as case fans, not on a radiator.

In theory, two 140s moving slower will be quieter and move more air than three 120s, right? I just have had nothing but bad experiences with 140s. I had the 140 noctuas and even on a custom fan curve these things were loud AF.

That is my use case btw. Three 120s acting as intakes. Are there 140s on the market that are demonstrably better?
Click to expand...
I would always prefer to go with 3-120s vs 2-140s. For intake. Usually the 140 are spaced out more where the 120 will connect to each other. Also 120 usually have better directional static pressure which I find good for air cooling towers.
 
Looks like the silent wings 4 is what I'll get. I'll go do a time spy or something to get a base line
 
Rev. Night said:
And I will only be using these as case fans, not on a radiator.

In theory, two 140s moving slower will be quieter and move more air than three 120s, right? I just have had nothing but bad experiences with 140s. I had the 140 noctuas and even on a custom fan curve these things were loud AF.

That is my use case btw. Three 120s acting as intakes. Are there 140s on the market that are demonstrably better?
Click to expand...
I have Thermaltake Toughfan 14 Pro, and their noise profile is fantastic.

The original Toughfan 14 made A LOT of Turbulence noise, when you started getting close to their full speed. The new Pro version is like magic and has almost no turbulence noise. And the air coming through the heatsink is way more apparent (in terms of feeling it on your hand. Not sound).

Noctua's 140 is a years old design. and they are taking their sweet time on the new one.
 
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Ok 4 silent wings 4 (non pro) ordered.

I was told above that at the same rpm, theres no dba or cfm difference between the pro and non pro 4. Can anyone else confirm this?
 
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