Good 120mm Fans.

MC FLMJIG said:
He did say the F which is the loudest. You had the E which is medium... no?
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Whats the word on the cheaper DFB122512L series version?
 
i had it connected right to the power supply. when i was testing all the fans, but i've run it from the 3 min MB header also...i honestly didn't notice much of a difference.
 
I have the E series plugged into the mobo header. But the header on my Abit AA8XE is not being controlled by the FAN EQ at all. I mean, it's giving full power.

To be honest, I can't even hear them over my loud AC right now. And it's 112 here in AZ, so the AC runs all day long...
 
My s-flexes arrived today to replace my yate loons: 3 Es for my case and 2 Fs for my radiator. And they'll be going back on monday.

The Es are similar to the yate loons in cfm and sound except they have a louder humm when you listen up close; you can't hear it from a few feet away though. However, at 3x the cost this is inexcusable.

The Fs were on my fan controller and exhibited a very loud whine when undervolted down to 5 volts. To make matters worse the whine persists even if I bring them back up. It only goes away when I disconnect and reconnect them. Even though scythe says they're 28db like my yate loons, they're definitely louder.

Overall i'm disappointed, the whole "sony fluid technology" and 150k hour mtbf looked promising.
 
I feel your pain bro. I actually installed the bastards tho, so now I've got hunker down and get dirty again. Grrr...Sony...should of known better, haah!
 
I think the AC with the same tech seem better (not the thick ones)... however if I get the Lian Li case, it comes with 2 120's, I won't get them unless they are loud. Then I'll try the AC.
 
Cript said:
My s-flexes arrived today to replace my yate loons: 3 Es for my case and 2 Fs for my radiator. And they'll be going back on monday.

The Es are similar to the yate loons in cfm and sound except they have a louder humm when you listen up close; you can't hear it from a few feet away though. However, at 3x the cost this is inexcusable.

The Fs were on my fan controller and exhibited a very loud whine when undervolted down to 5 volts. To make matters worse the whine persists even if I bring them back up. It only goes away when I disconnect and reconnect them. Even though scythe says they're 28db like my yate loons, they're definitely louder.

Overall i'm disappointed, the whole "sony fluid technology" and 150k hour mtbf looked promising.
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Don't doubt the power of the Yate-Loon.
wink.gif
 
MrWizard6600 said:
call me a noob, but why is thermaltake noobs? why are their numbers bull?
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www.silentpcreview.com

Go on their forums and do a search about Tt fans... "a bit overrated" is a pretty accurate description.

To me, Thermaltake is just piss-poor ripoffs of the better stuff in the industry.
 
MrWizard6600 said:
call me a noob, but why is thermaltake noobs? why are their numbers bull?
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because testing has proven that their cfm and dba ratings are no where even close to what the rest of the industry is using. they have a different testing procedure to try and get better numbers.

overall their fans just lack quality
 
Man what a great thread dtess17!! I keep coming back to it as I've been wanting to get 6 matched quiet 120mm fans... I've learned alot from this thread. It's sad that the S-flex fans have been getting mixed reviews as I was planning on getting them, but then again they are so damn expensive.

Ok so I want to ask a favor of you... I have been using this site as a way to compare 120mm fans to each other as it has sound clips of each fan. After studying it for some time, the GlobalWin fan turned up some very competitive numbers especially for its sound level. It also kept the CPU in the test cooler than any other fan with its low dBa. The reviewer said that he could hear absolutely no motor noise and just air movement.

Well I decided to find this fan and found it here . It's cheap!! It uses a "nanometer ceramic bearing" and is rated for 80,000 hours... For its price and performance it seems like a much better deal than the S-flex E series but idk. So I ordered 2 and will let you all know how I like it... Sadly I only have a few 120mm fans to compare it too so maybe dtess you could get 1 and compare it to your S-flex E and any other you have :D.

IMO this fan seems quite promising for its price
 
Geo Fry said:
Man what a great thread dtess17!! I keep coming back to it as I've been wanting to get 6 matched quiet 120mm fans... I've learned alot from this thread. It's sad that the S-flex fans have been getting mixed reviews as I was planning on getting them, but then again they are so damn expensive.

Ok so I want to ask a favor of you... I have been using this site as a way to compare 120mm fans to each other as it has sound clips of each fan. After studying it for some time, the GlobalWin fan turned up some very competitive numbers especially for its sound level. It also kept the CPU in the test cooler than any other fan with its low dBa. The reviewer said that he could hear absolutely no motor noise and just air movement.

Well I decided to find this fan and found it here . It's cheap!! It uses a "nanometer ceramic bearing" and is rated for 80,000 hours... For its price and performance it seems like a much better deal than the S-flex E series but idk. So I ordered 2 and will let you all know how I like it... Sadly I only have a few 120mm fans to compare it too so maybe dtess you could get 1 and compare it to your S-flex E and any other you have :D.

IMO this fan seems quite promising for its price
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hell of a review...i just plug the fans in and listen to them for 5 min or so, then put in the next...i do head to head sometimes...makes me thing i should be doing more, but then again i am not a formal review site. Although i could perhaps redo this thread and turn it into something more like a nice guide.

I'll look into maybe buying a couple of those fans, i've heard great things before. I just never bought any.

let me know how things turn out.
 
dtess17 said:
i am going to order some of the Artic Cooling ACF12 to see how they compair to the s flex
the only problem i see with them is the 38mm thickness...might make use in some places more difficult.

i'll keep everyone updated.
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Any update on the Arctic Cooling fanes yet?
 
PsycoGeek said:
Any update on the Arctic Cooling fanes yet?
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should be here within a day or two, i got em off ebay and the seller used snail mail.

but i will have something on those soon too.
 
dtess17 said:
should be here within a day or two, i got em off ebay and the seller used snail mail.

but i will have something on those soon too.
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Fantastic... I am looking foreward to your opinions on them. One question I have though, which way is the air flow through the fan? Towards or away from the mounting side?
 
PsycoGeek said:
Fantastic... I am looking foreward to your opinions on them. One question I have though, which way is the air flow through the fan? Towards or away from the mounting side?
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i would assume going towards the side you mount
 
Thanatos. said:
Dont go with SilenX they lie about thair CFM & dBA.
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Well, I don't trust these numbers either.

Cooler Master LED - (22dba/43cfm)

I have two of these fans in my case and they were no quieter than the Antec 120mm fans I already had. I had to put volt mods on them to make them quiet. They were damn cheap though and a good buy for the money, volt mod them though if you want quiet.
 
dtess17 said:
you know what is real funny though, i nit pick about little things in my computer, and i am always looking for something to make it more quiet...but if it's not on at night, i have trouble sleeping...the average person might not even hear the machine, but for some reason i need it now.
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Cripes! Your computer has become your nurse maid now? :)
 
What about fans in PSU's? Those are improtant too when it comes to the noise factor. The quietest PSU with a fan I have ever used is the Seasonic S12-600. The 120mm fan runs at only 750rpm. Bit on the pricey side but worth it if you are wanting a good and quiet PSU.
 
to respond to all .

yes my computer is like a nightlight, i just need it to fall asleep.

the cooler master numbers are pretty close, maybe not exact, but testing has shown them to be pretty accurate, although i have started to notice motor noise coming from one of them

yeah the seasonic is an awesome psu, quiet and damn good quality.
 
Bit OT, sorry. One other thing I've been thinking about doing to cut down noise is to cut out the stamped grills on my case so there is no turbulence caused by the fan moving air through the grill. I don't currently have the tools to do it though and I'm a bit worried about ruining the structural integrity of my aluminum case. Anyone here do this and did it cut down the noise much?
 
depends on each case.

it will improve airflow, but does not always cut noise as much as you might think it would.

a good pair of wire cutters, or steel snips should take care of it.

just make sure you leave some to supprt the fan, start from the middle and work out.
 
vibe said:
I wanted to thank y'all for this thread...
My darn power supply is not even two months old and I've detected a rattle from the 120mm fan already. They just had to cut corners with a sleeved unit. So time for replacement already, sigh.
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I read on some website once that sleeved fans are actually quieter than bearing fans but bearing fans last longer. I don't know if that's true or not, I doubt it because my Seasonic PSU uses double ball bearing fan and it is very quiet.
 
dtess17 said:
depends on each case.

it will improve airflow, but does not always cut noise as much as you might think it would.

a good pair of wire cutters, or steel snips should take care of it.

just make sure you leave some to supprt the fan, start from the middle and work out.
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The case is an Antec Lanboy. I'll think about it some more. :p
 
you can cut that grill a fair amount, that should reduce noise, because it is a smaller one.
 
I always remove the case fan grilles. Have been doing that for about 7 years now.
 
Gatticus said:
I read on some website once that sleeved fans are actually quieter than bearing fans but bearing fans last longer. I don't know if that's true or not, I doubt it because my Seasonic PSU uses double ball bearing fan and it is very quiet.
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You are correct... sleeve bearings are quieter, but are more succeptable to wear. I have found out, though, that if you keep them clean the wear time on them increases significantly. any ammount of dust and normal househole debris (animal hair, human hair, loose fibers, dust bunnies, etc...) will take it's toll on them very quickly. Filtered intake is necessary if you want sleeved bearing fans to last.

Some ball bearing fans are quieter than sleeve bearing fans. It depends on the quality of the bearings being used, and on the quality (read: thickness) of the plastic housing the bearings are in.

Personally, I like the Panaflo fans for their reliability. I have never had a Panaflo fail on me yet, period. I still have Panaflo's running that I purchased 5 years ago. Their output has dropped a bit, but they are still running. The Hydro Wave bearings they use are just so darn reliable...
 
PsycoGeek said:
I always remove the case fan grilles. Have been doing that for about 7 years now.
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What tools do you use to cut out the grill? The tin snips mentioned will work but that sounds messy and will leave jagged edges. I want a a nice clean cut and smooth edges. I have a friend with a few power tools and he may have what I need.
 
Gatticus said:
What tools do you use to cut out the grill? The tin snips mentioned will work but that sounds messy and will leave jagged edges. I want a a nice clean cut and smooth edges. I have a friend with a few power tools and he may have what I need.
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Get Wiss (from home depot ) curved tin snips. They make great circles.

I am sorry if someone already posted these fans but I really like the AC cooling 8's.The sides are open for better air flow and they have a rubber suspension to keep down noise and they are only 4 for $20 (for 80's)

http://www.coolerguys.com/840556026105.html

here is the 120's
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556026129.html

But for really quiet I use these (amazing)
http://www.subzeropcs.com/silenx_120_x_38mm_14db_pro_fan.html
 
markkleb said:
Get Wiss (from home depot ) curved tin snips. They make great circles.

I am sorry if someone already posted these fans but I really like the AC cooling 8's.The sides are open for better air flow and they have a rubber suspension to keep down noise and they are only 4 for $20 (for 80's)

http://www.coolerguys.com/840556026105.html

here is the 120's
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556026129.html

But for really quiet I use these (amazing)
http://www.subzeropcs.com/silenx_120_x_38mm_14db_pro_fan.html
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if you read the very first post...i said no silent x their numbers ae such bullshitm they are overpriced. and they rattle.
 
Gatticus said:
What tools do you use to cut out the grill? The tin snips mentioned will work but that sounds messy and will leave jagged edges. I want a a nice clean cut and smooth edges. I have a friend with a few power tools and he may have what I need.
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I start with side cutters just to get it out of the way, then finish up with a dremel and a reinforced cutting wheel, then a sanding drum to deburr and smooth it out.
 
OK, thx for the info. Sounds like a bit of a PITA though. Do you find it really makes a big dif to cooling and noise? I can see doing this when one first gets a case but having to completely disassemble my PC isn't turning my crank right now.
 
No, I wouldn't dissasemble a case to do it either. Especially if it was your only PC. It is a PITA for sure, but if you have a new case worth the effort. My cases have always been quieter because of it, although a bit of a hazard to any cats waving their tails around where they shouldn't be...

If you do it, you have to be sure to make the hole the same size the fan is. Keep in mind that a fan housing is actually tapered hear it's outer edges, and narrower in the center where the blades are. If you don't get the hole to match the fan housing exactly, you are still allowing a lip of sheet metal to overlap the fan, and it will produce turbulence, and noise.
 
Geo Fry said:
Well I decided to find this fan and found it here . It's cheap!! It uses a "nanometer ceramic bearing" and is rated for 80,000 hours... For its price and performance it seems like a much better deal than the S-flex E series but idk. So I ordered 2 and will let you all know how I like it... Sadly I only have a few 120mm fans to compare it too so maybe dtess you could get 1 and compare it to your S-flex E and any other you have :D.

IMO this fan seems quite promising for its price
Click to expand...

Ok so my order for the 2 GlobalWin fans came in today. I opened 1 of the boxes and turned it on... my first impression was good so I decided to do a head to head with another 120mm fan. The contender was an Antec. Here are the specs for both:

GlobalWin:
42 CFM @ 19dBA
1300 RPM

Antec:
39 CFM @ 25dBA
1600 RPM

By looking at the specs the GlobalWin should... well.... Win lol

When comparing them side by side with both on and while on seperately the Antec is louder, but not by a whole lot. The Antec has more 'whine' and more motor ticking than the GlobalWin.

Here's the catch... the Antec pushes more air. even tho the specs say that the GlobalWin pushes more I am not fooled. I tried different setups and couldn't convince myself that the GlobalWin was pushing more air. Again the Antec only pushes more by a small margin but it is definitely more.

Thats not it! I still had the other fan and even though it was the same thing i wanted to open it... and to my surprise has quite a bit of bearing rub. If left in place too long a scraping sound will develope... I tried wiggling it to make it go away and it would always come back, like the ceramic bearing is dirty or wasn't lubed properly IDK. But that kinda sux cause I was really starting to like them.

So conclusion to the GlobalWins:
Pros:
-almost no motor noise
-very little whine

Cons:
-slightly weak (CFM wise)
-quality control?

My suggestions for these fans would be to have them as a quiet secondary exhaust (i.e. blowhole), an intake, or a stealth radiator setup ( I mounted both on my dual radiator and they pulled air decently)
 
/\
I
I
L and about this... is there any way to take off the actual fan and try to clean the bearing to see if that helps with the bearing rub?
 
Gatticus said:
Well, I don't trust these numbers either.

Cooler Master LED - (22dba/43cfm)

I have two of these fans in my case and they were no quieter than the Antec 120mm fans I already had. I had to put volt mods on them to make them quiet. They were damn cheap though and a good buy for the money, volt mod them though if you want quiet.
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They are pretty quiet and like dtess said they do hum a bit. I have a fan controller and at the highest level they put out a hum... not unbearable and i just bring them down 1 level and they push pretty much the same amount without the hum...

overall yate loons are the quietest, hands down, out of all the fans ive used. Then I would put the Silverstones next.

Silverstones fn 120mm
Coolermaster 120 led
Scythe f worst of the bunch
Thermaltake blue led.... about same noise as scythe but at least pushes more air!

and a couple others... i dont remember
 
PsycoGeek said:
No, I wouldn't dissasemble a case to do it either. Especially if it was your only PC. It is a PITA for sure, but if you have a new case worth the effort. My cases have always been quieter because of it, although a bit of a hazard to any cats waving their tails around where they shouldn't be...

If you do it, you have to be sure to make the hole the same size the fan is. Keep in mind that a fan housing is actually tapered hear it's outer edges, and narrower in the center where the blades are. If you don't get the hole to match the fan housing exactly, you are still allowing a lip of sheet metal to overlap the fan, and it will produce turbulence, and noise.
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I've got two PC's and I'll do it to each one the next time I have to rebuild them. Thx again for the tips. Good thing is I don't have any pets to worry about losing their tail. :)
 
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