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Case Fan suggestions

M

mvillalo

n00b
Joined
May 13, 2008
Messages
17
Case is an NZXT Gamma.

So it has room for
FRONT, 1 x 120mm
SIDE, 2 x 120mm
TOP, 2 x 140mm
REAR, 1 x 120mm

I would like to keep fan noise down but still get good airflow.

Looking for suggestions on what fans to buy and on which fans should blow out and which should blow in

Thanks
 
Front and side blows in. Top, back blow out. Ideally, you should have more CFM blowing out to create negative pressure.

Yate Loon makes good fans. Might want to consider some good strong fans with a fan controller so you can have strong fans when you need them and quiet fans when you want them.
 
Front and Side should be intake, top and rear exhaust. You wan't to stay as close as possible to positive or neutral pressure. Negative pressure is where you'll run into dust issues.

As for the fans, that's a noise to flow question you need to ask yourself. Since their case fans, you don't have to worry about static pressure too much. Yate, Corsair, Noctua, Scythe, Cougar, Enermax, and Lepa all have good quality fans.
 
Never ask people what their favorite is, ask what the best is. Reason being, if you ask people for their favorite anything (fans, headphones, amplifiers) they usually tell you about the newest, most expensive one that they own.

Yate Loon D12SL-12 and Zalman ZM-F3 are both good fans in that price range. They're both sleeve bearing so I would recommend NOT putting them in the horizontal fan mounts. The YL has a startup voltage of around 10 V which means that you will be running it at full blast more or less. The Zalman can be undervolted all the way to 5V, so if you like complete silence during desktop work the F3 is the way to go.

EDIT BTW the Nexus Real Silent 120 is a rebadged Yate Loon. Look for the Nexus in the review.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/120mm-fan-roundup-2_15.html#sect0
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/120mm-fan-roundup-1_20.html#sect0

Here is the YL 4/$20 deal at Petra's: http://www.petrastechshop.com/12yalod1cafa.html
 
Antec TriCool DBB will do the job, and as a bonus it has wide local store availability in most regions for replacement. But it's likely $3-$4 over your $10 per fan budget.

Enermax Magma will do nicely as well, though I had 1 out of 18 start to make a high pitched noise that I'd never heard a fan make before. So I can't fully recommend the longevity of the product.

And I'd imagine if you want sleeve bearing, that the $10 CoolerMaster's would do fine also. You're talking case fans here, back pressure is almost a non-issue and as long as the fan has reliable bearings and a good MTBF, it'll work.
 
OP I just want to say one other thing, when it comes to fans quality really beats quantity. If you don't absolutely need all the airflow you can get, consider spending the same amount of money on higher quality fans. For example in the reviews that I linked above the Scythe Kama Flow 2 has the highest airflow in the roundup, uses a FDB bearing that can be mounted horizontally, and has a service life of 120,000 hours compared to about 40,000 hours for most sleeve bearings. In other words you could use the Kama Flow for several builds where a sleeve bearing fan may only last for one. And the Kama Flow 2 is "only" $14 per fan. You could get three of them instead of four cheap sleeve bearings and I think you would be happier with them overall.

I'm not making a specific endorsement of the Kama Flow 2 though, any kind of high quality ball bearing or rifle bearing or FDB fan is worthwhile if you use it long enough and take care of it and appreciate it.

Anyway hope you liked it.

Here's the Scythe Kama Flow 2 for $14 each on eBay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Scythe-...?pt=US_Computer_Case_Fans&hash=item27c8dfacbf
 
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I've tried a ton of different fans and the only ones I have been happy with in terms of price, performance and noise level are the original BitFenix Spectres. They looked to me just like CM R4's or sickleflows, and I bought them originally because of the LED color. I have used them ever since on radiators and intake/exhaust fans. I've tried literally everything from expensive GT's and Logisys rubberized things to cheap apeivas and none of them impressed me like those (especially overpriced AP-15's that sound like diesel motors). Naturally this is just my opinion but they work well for me. Good luck in your search.
 
For regular case fans, I've always used Yate Loons. Been meaning to mix it up with R4's or something similar but last year I outfitted my system with GT AP-15's which have been performing admirably.

Probably have to do a similar rebuy when I tear down and rebuild the server in a month or so.
 
Thanks for the suggestions I think I might go for a few more expensive fans now and add some more in later. As far as a fan controller goes what is good?
 
Arctic Cooling F12 120mm(pwm) and the Arctic Cooling f14 140mm(pwm). Awesome fans and they are QUIET.
 
As far as a fan controller goes what is good?
Click to expand...

Lamptron always gets my vote. I've been very happy with my FC5v2. I also had an FC5v1 where the screen went bad, but it still functioned perfectly. I was able to warranty replace it for the FC5v2 and have thad that over a year.
 
I've read good things about the higher-end Sythe controllers. Might want to give those a look as well.
 
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