H100 Recommended Fans

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JediKnight

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I'm looking for a recommendation on what the best fans would be for an h100, running a push/pull setup to exhaust out the top of an 800d.



Between these 3 fans (or any others if recommended)



Gentle Typhoon AP-15
Noctua NF-P12
Cougar CF-V12HP (worried about these due to all the horizontal mounting issues with them)



Any input would be appreciated, thanks.
 
I have the NF-F12s. (Same as P12 just the pwm version) I can honestly say I don't regret spending the amount I money I did on buying 4 of them. They are silent while still pushing decent air. Also, great static pressure.

btw, this is where i got my f12s from http://us./products/?sku=66920 ($15.98 each with free ship over 50.)

I am pretty sure I will never buy any other fans except Noctura now.
 
Can't beat the AP-15's. Sure, they don't have the highest fan speed, but they're built solid, and that's important imo.
 
#1 Sanyo Denki Silent Series
#2 Scythe Gentle Typhoon

For quiet I would recommend Sanyo Denki 9S1212L401 (1500 RPM, 17 dBA) or Gentle Typhoon AP-14 (1450 RPM, 21 dBA). For little more performance (and noise) Sanyo Denki 9S1212M401 (1850 RPM, 24 dBA) or Gentle Typhoon AP-15 (1850 RPM, 28 dBA).

You could even go with some of the higher speed Sanyo Denki Silent Series if you want (9S1212F401 or even 9S1212H401) as they seem to undervolt quite well.

Sanyo Denki are the better and quieter fan, although the noise is a bit closer to the Scythe than the ratings suggest.

Only place I know that sells Sanyo Denki Silent Series is newark.
http://www.newark.com/sanyo-denki-sanace-fans
 
Not sure if noise is a disadvantage in this situation but, I'd grab two deltas since they have about 200 CFM. Be careful not to cut your finger off on one of those hard ass blades.

Just don't get the 7000 RPM version :)
Stay between 2800-5000 with a fan controller.
 
I would think frozencpu would be. They have always been great to do business with plus you can get custom sleeving done as well if you want.
 
The GT line is the best and really only choice at this point, even the San Ace someone else talked about fall behind the GT's. They really are king right now for Rad/HS fans and beat out even the 38mm fans.

As for places to get them FrozenCPU is often a bit more than other places, and can really hurt on shipping for their items, however places like JabTech are often cheaper on them as well as cheaper shipping.
 
Thanks for all the input. I've decided to go with the gt ap-15's for the radiator and noiseblocker blacksilentpro pk-3 (140mm 1700rpm) for the case intakes.
 
Quick question on the typhoons. How are they for case exhaust? I thought I had read somewhere they are more for rad use.

I'm going to be using this in an 800d which can use 3x 120mm at the top. Wondering if the non radiator spot should use another typhoon or something else.
 
JediKnight said:
Quick question on the typhoons. How are they for case exhaust? I thought I had read somewhere they are more for rad use.

I'm going to be using this in an 800d which can use 3x 120mm at the top. Wondering if the non radiator spot should use another typhoon or something else.
Click to expand...

If you wanna spend the money go ahead. For general case-fan use, GTs are pricey when cheaper alternatives will do just as well in non-restricted applications.
 
The GT's will do fine as case fans, however they are not top choice, if you want good case fans look at Noctua and Noiseblocker, Arctic Cooling has the F12 which is a good choice for a cheaper case fan.
 
BlueFireIce said:
The GT line is the best and really only choice at this point, even the San Ace someone else talked about fall behind the GT's. They really are king right now for Rad/HS fans and beat out even the 38mm fans.
Click to expand...

Then you have not tried the San Ace Silent Series.
The Silent Series are NOT that common (quite rare in fact). You won't see em in most fan shootouts and such (although you may see the regular San Ace). The Silent Series has quite a bit better performance per noise than the regular San Ace that most are familiar with.

In fact the most common place to find the San Ace Silent Series fans are in some of the better Seasonic power supplies. Outside of Seasonic it seems that very few are even aware of the San Ace Silent Series.

These are not cheap. But the best rarely is.

But the GT are indeed better than the regular San Ace, it is only the Silent Series that are better. Just go to the link in my previous post, then click on the 'Silent Series' link, and check them out!
 
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bleagh said:
Then you have not tried the San Ace Silent Series.
The Silent Series are NOT that common (quite rare in fact). You won't see em in most fan shootouts and such (although you may see the regular San Ace). The Silent Series has quite a bit better performance per noise than the regular San Ace that most are familiar with.

In fact the most common place to find the San Ace Silent Series fans are in some of the better Seasonic power supplies. Outside of Seasonic it seems that very few are even aware of the San Ace Silent Series.

These are not cheap. But the best rarely is.

But the GT are indeed better than the regular San Ace, it is only the Silent Series that are better. Just go to the link in my previous post, then click on the 'Silent Series' link, and check them out!
Click to expand...

Link to proof that shows them to be better than the GT's on a Rad/HS set up? If you want to do spec sheet battles that all fine and dandy, but until you can show some testing vs the GT, it's unproven.
 
Thinking of picking up some ap 15s for my h100 as well, be great if you could give some feedback after you run and test your pair. :)
 
BlueFireIce said:
Link to proof that shows them to be better than the GT's on a Rad/HS set up? If you want to do spec sheet battles that all fine and dandy, but until you can show some testing vs the GT, it's unproven.
Click to expand...

Like I said, they are quite RARE. And as such you won't find em in fan tests and shootouts and such. But unlike you, I HAVE tried em. And while I don't have any test data to show, they were better than the GT in my setup.

If you don't wanna believe, then fine. But you are missing out on a great fan.
 
bleagh said:
Like I said, they are quite RARE. And as such you won't find em in fan tests and shootouts and such. But unlike you, I HAVE tried em. And while I don't have any test data to show, they were better than the GT in my setup.

If you don't wanna believe, then fine. But you are missing out on a great fan.
Click to expand...

I am always open to seeing new fans on the market and buy tons of fans when I see or hear of something good, however stating something is better when you have no proof and there is massive data behind the other side of how good they are is not the best idea to give as advice. It's fine if you want to suggest them and say they are great fans, but don't go spouting off that they are better than a given fan without something to back it up, as it tends to mislead people.
 
http://www.overclock.net/air-cooling/724577-well-dressed-megahalems-65-fans-112-a.html

The only testing I have seen that includes the San Ace Silent Series.

The most direct comparison would be the SA-9S1212L401 and the GT-1450.

SA-9S1212L401 19.5 dBA, 55.5 degrees
SA-9S-H401@5v 20 dBA, 56 degrees
GT-1450 20 dBA, 56.5 degrees
YL D12SL-12 LED 20 dBA, 56.5 degrees

So according to this data, the low speed San Ace Silent Series beats out the GT-1450 (these are also the fans I have directly compared). Also the high speed San Ace Silent Series at 5 volts beats out the GT-1450 by a bit.

But really, all the fans above are quite good.
 
So, we have one review, that shows the fan is within half a C of the GT, yeah, to say this fan is "better" based off of that is weak at best, that is well within error range. And assuming this data can be reproduced by other reviewers it would mean that the "better" fan would come down to sound profile, so you have a fan that's almost unbuyable (hard to find) and that from your own proof is only as good as a GT, I have yet to see a price for them outside of bulk but the GT can be had for 15 bucks now, and has well backed data and its very easy to find, I still see no reason for the S-Type fan. If it has a super smooth motor and a price under 20 bucks it might be something to look at, but with the GT at 15 and just as good (assuming the same sound profile) and it being easy to get, it is still the choice.
 
bleagh said:
Then you have not tried the San Ace Silent Series.
The Silent Series are NOT that common (quite rare in fact). You won't see em in most fan shootouts and such (although you may see the regular San Ace). The Silent Series has quite a bit better performance per noise than the regular San Ace that most are familiar with.

In fact the most common place to find the San Ace Silent Series fans are in some of the better Seasonic power supplies. Outside of Seasonic it seems that very few are even aware of the San Ace Silent Series.

These are not cheap. But the best rarely is.

But the GT are indeed better than the regular San Ace, it is only the Silent Series that are better. Just go to the link in my previous post, then click on the 'Silent Series' link, and check them out!
Click to expand...

I've owned plenty of the San Ace 9S 25mm fans and can assure you that they do not outclass the GTs. Per the same perceived noise level they don't move as much air. That's not to say they aren't a good fan though. When I tested them side by side with GT1850s and used my fan controller to undervolt both to a noise level that matched my ambient the GT1850 had more airflow. The 9S does focus the airflow straighter than the GTs do. I really wanted to prefer the 9S fans (especially after spending about $28/fan on them!) but I just couldn't get over the GT's superiority in my test (I was quite disappointed). If the 9S had a more neutral noise pitch it'd probably have won, but since it's much more noticeable over ambient noise it had to be turned down to lower rpms compared to the GT.
 
ive been looking for a good fan replacement for my H80 for a long time. i had the scythe GT AP15, scythe slipstream 1900rpm pwm, silverstone air penetrator AP121, noctua nf-f12 and the cougar cf-v12.

the AP121, NF-F12 and CF-V12 all performed about the same at full load/speed. it kept my 2600k @4.3Ghz around 60C in a ~70F room. both scythes did better at around 55C. in the end i went with the F12's because they were the best compromise for me.

the AP15's have ball bearings and you can hear them buzz/grind at low speed which i didnt like. the silverstones performed great and were quiet but they werent pwm and swapped them out. i ended up using these 4 fans as case fans and they are great.

the slipstreams didnt perform well at low speed probably because of blade design(?) so they had to run at >50% speed and they were whiny at full speed. the cougars had bad bearings less than 2 weeks in but were just as quiet as the noctuas while they lasted.

i know these were all from a H80 but i hope my 2 cents help.
 
FaRKle0079 said:
I've owned plenty of the San Ace 9S 25mm fans and can assure you that they do not outclass the GTs. Per the same perceived noise level they don't move as much air. That's not to say they aren't a good fan though. When I tested them side by side with GT1850s and used my fan controller to undervolt both to a noise level that matched my ambient the GT1850 had more airflow. The 9S does focus the airflow straighter than the GTs do. I really wanted to prefer the 9S fans (especially after spending about $28/fan on them!) but I just couldn't get over the GT's superiority in my test (I was quite disappointed). If the 9S had a more neutral noise pitch it'd probably have won, but since it's much more noticeable over ambient noise it had to be turned down to lower rpms compared to the GT.
Click to expand...

Well, I haven't tried the higher speed ones. But with the low speed 9S and the GT-1450, I don't hear either one. And the 9S seems to cool a bit better (pretty close tho).

The other comparison to make would be the medium speed 9S and the GT-1850 (both rated for 1850 RPM).

Once you start comparing fans of very different RPM ratings, then other things come into play making the comparisons skew quite a bit (one may be better at one range, another at a different range).
 
BlueFireIce said:
So, we have one review, that shows the fan is within half a C of the GT, yeah, to say this fan is "better" based off of that is weak at best, that is well within error range. And assuming this data can be reproduced by other reviewers it would mean that the "better" fan would come down to sound profile, so you have a fan that's almost unbuyable (hard to find) and that from your own proof is only as good as a GT, I have yet to see a price for them outside of bulk but the GT can be had for 15 bucks now, and has well backed data and its very easy to find, I still see no reason for the S-Type fan. If it has a super smooth motor and a price under 20 bucks it might be something to look at, but with the GT at 15 and just as good (assuming the same sound profile) and it being easy to get, it is still the choice.
Click to expand...

Um, I did say they were quite rare.
My statement that they are better comes from 4 things...

1) Seasonic uses them and claim they are the "best".
2) They have somewhat better stats (comming from two fan makers that give real stats and not some made up crap).
3) The review link I posted.
4) My own experiece with the 9S1212L401 and the GT-14

If you don't think that is enough to say they are better, fine. Try em yourself or just ignore me (but I like em).

And I did also list the GT as the other fan I would recommend. And despite what you and others say, I still think the San Ace Silent Series and the Scythe Gentle Typhoon are the top two fans when it comes to performance vs noise (personally I like the 9S a bit better).
 
I have 2 Delta PWM fans on my H80, they are pretty loud at ful blast but they are really quiet at slower speeds. GREAT static pressure (probably better than any of the other suggested fans) and do a great job of cooling when they need to. I don't mind them being a bit noisy, personally, but some people do.
 
1) Seasonic uses them and claim they are the "best". Show me a product mfg that does not claim what they use as "the best".
2) They have somewhat better stats (comming from two fan makers that give real stats and not some made up crap). While both do real testing on their fans, unless they list how it was tested such as distance from hub/angle or the environment tested in the specs can be very far off. It is just like when two review sites do fans, based off of the dbA floor of the test chamber one reviewer might get 23dbA while the other gets 36dbA what matters are the side by side from the same review in the same test setup.
3) The review link I posted. As I said, one review, of which only shows them being the same, and well within error range and if that is the case, which fan has the better noise profile would be the winner.
4) My own experiece with the 9S1212L401 and the GT-14 That is fine, but personal experience does not mean allot, I have seen people all over rave about the CM R4 fans when they came out...Then some reviews came out with them and showed just how shitty they really were.

I am not saying these fans are not good, or might even be better than the GT's, what I am saying is that it is unknown and unproven, so if you want to quote my post and say that the GT's are not the best and *whatever* fan is, then you better have something to back it up with. We like hard data here, and the GT's have that, review after review showing them to best even 38mm fans along with a massive watercooling following, if these fans come into the market and prove to be better, I will more than welcome them and be one of the first to place an order.
 
The GTs are good fans. I just wouldn't pay much more than I would for fan with a standard FDB bearing like the Kama flow or Thermalright's FDB.
 
Martin's fan testing agrees with my findings. Please see his chart here. Per the same airflow output, the San Ace 9S is significantly louder (on average 8x louder per the same airflow). Compare rows 15 and 16 with row 30.
 
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Sorry I stepped on the toes of you GT fanboys.

I tried 2 similar rated fans. After a bit if testing, I decided one was a bit better. And I stated as much.

Then some GT fanboy who has NOT tried both fans tries to tell me that the fan I claim is better cannot be better than his beloved GT fan.

Then a couple others who say they HAVE tried both fans (they have NOT, they tried much higher speed San Ace fans which as I stated before skews the comparison) come and also claim the GT is better.

Well I am sorry, but these are all just WRONG!
I have tried to similar speed fans:
9S1212L401 17 dBA, 1500 RPM, 48.1 CFM
D1225C12B4AP-14 21 dBA, 1450 RPM, 50.02 CFM

And in my somewhat limited testing, while close, the San Ace come out a bit better.

I have over 50 DIFFERENT fans (compeltely different models), and over 100 fans total. So I HAVE tried quite a few fans. And I think I do know a little what I'm doing...

I'm sorry this upsets you. But if you don't like it, get someone else to test em. But don't try and tell me (or imply) that I'm wrong when you have NOT tested these same two fans!

CAUSE I HAVE TESTED THEM!

Other similar speed fans from these makers would be:
9S1212M401 24 dBA, 1850 RPM, 58.6 CFM
D1225C12B5AP-15 28 dBA, 1850 RPM, 57.68 CFM

I don't mind if you get different results that what I got. But at least TRY comparing somewhat similar speed fans before you tell me I am wrong. Because if you are not, then I am not the one in the wrong!
 
I don't mind if you get different results that what I got. But at least TRY comparing somewhat similar speed fans before you tell me I am wrong. Because if you are not, then I am not the one in the wrong!
Click to expand...

Ahem...
9S1212M401
GT AP-15

Well look at that, per the same airflow the GT is significantly quieter!

Don't tear yourself a new asshole ;)
 
bleagh said:
Sorry I stepped on the toes of you GT fanboys.

I tried 2 similar rated fans. After a bit if testing, I decided one was a bit better. And I stated as much.

Then some GT fanboy who has NOT tried both fans tries to tell me that the fan I claim is better cannot be better than his beloved GT fan.

Then a couple others who say they HAVE tried both fans (they have NOT, they tried much higher speed San Ace fans which as I stated before skews the comparison) come and also claim the GT is better.

Well I am sorry, but these are all just WRONG!
I have tried to similar speed fans:
9S1212L401 17 dBA, 1500 RPM, 48.1 CFM
D1225C12B4AP-14 21 dBA, 1450 RPM, 50.02 CFM

And in my somewhat limited testing, while close, the San Ace come out a bit better.

I have over 50 DIFFERENT fans (compeltely different models), and over 100 fans total. So I HAVE tried quite a few fans. And I think I do know a little what I'm doing...

I'm sorry this upsets you. But if you don't like it, get someone else to test em. But don't try and tell me (or imply) that I'm wrong when you have NOT tested these same two fans!

CAUSE I HAVE TESTED THEM!

Other similar speed fans from these makers would be:
9S1212M401 24 dBA, 1850 RPM, 58.6 CFM
D1225C12B5AP-15 28 dBA, 1850 RPM, 57.68 CFM

I don't mind if you get different results that what I got. But at least TRY comparing somewhat similar speed fans before you tell me I am wrong. Because if you are not, then I am not the one in the wrong!
Click to expand...

A fanboy? Really? Down to name calling now?

A fanboy is someone who in the face of proof does not change their ideas/views, however, everyone coming from the GT side are coming from well know data that shows the GT as a top performing fan, while you on the other hand come running in saying this magical fan is better, but have nothing to back it up with, we ask for data and the like and the data we find only shows it matching the GT or the GT beating it. Nothing at all showing this new fan to be "better".

So, because of lack of proof and data or data that shows it not to be as good, it costing allot more than the GT's and being very hard to find, we say stick with the GT's and you call us fanboys and "upset"? Sorry to tell you this, but everyone has been very calm and has provided you with data and charts etc, you seem to be the one here getting bothered by it all. I said myself, give me some good data and a place to buy one and I will, you are not the only one here with allot of fans, many people on this forum have a collection like yours or bigger, I myself have almost a whole 27 gallon tote box full of old/unused fans, many bought just to try out. However, that does not make you any better than anyone here, noless the real testers that have been linked to. Every person has a subjective sound perception, so how it "sounds" to you means little, very little when we have real data that points other wise.

As for your last statement, ummm, no. You see, burden of proof is on the one making the claim, we have data showing the GT to be a top fan, however you claim this is no longer the case, so until you show other wise, we will indeed call you on it.
 
FaRKle0079 said:
Ahem...
9S1212M401
GT AP-15

Well look at that, per the same airflow the GT is significantly quieter!

Don't tear yourself a new asshole ;)
Click to expand...

Yes, this is in fact the same test as from the chart in your previous post.
You can find the complete test here:
http://www.overclock.net/t/859483/round-6-fan-testing-working-thread
http://martinsliquidlab.org/2010/11/04/120mm-fan-testing-on-an-mcr120-radiator-round-6-summary/

And based on his test, the SA does perform quite average (poorly even), and the GT quite well. And it does NOT match what I have noticed with the lower speed fan. Even so it does seem to suggest that the GT is a safer bet.

I'm not sure why the SA does so poorly in his test. But I would like to point out that his testing is VERY DIFFERENT to what I have done. While he claims to be testing for better real world performance, he as constructed a test setup that is nothing like what most of us are using (a radiator mounted to a small box to help measure CFM). Personally I am NOT a fan of any testing method that tries to take a CFM measurement...

I much prefer mounting the fan to a heatsink or radiator that is being used it a real computer. And then monitoring temps for true 'real world' performance. That is how I do it. And that seems to be pretty much how it was done here:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2072209

I'm not trying to say his testing is bad. Just trying to give a reason for why he has gotten much different results that what I have gotten...

I suppose it could also be with the different fans. The fans tested where the SA seems better was the LOW speed fan (9S1212L401). And maybe the low speed fan does better than the higher speed SA fans...

But I can say, that in my setup, the SA 9S1212L401 was as good (and maybe slightly better) than the GT-1450. And while there are not many, I am not the only one who thinks the SA is a bit better:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2072209
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=17221665&postcount=8
http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1035756756&postcount=5

But yes, the Gentle Typhoon is quite a good fan also.
 
Thought I'd reference the 2012 tom's cooling fan roundup in passing.

It's got some pretty good data for choosing a fan (including obstructed airflow cfm relevant for radiator use).

It does seem to indicate that the SA 120 is a top shelf performer with a lower acoustic profile than some lesser fans.

I don't see the GT on the charts but the Scythe 120 Slipstream is there.

After glancing through the data and reading the conclusion I think I would recommend the SST-AP121 but they're a little on the pricey side.
 
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crABtoad said:
Thought I'd reference the 2012 tom's cooling fan roundup in passing.

It's got some pretty good data for choosing a fan (including obstructed airflow cfm relevant for radiator use).

It does seem to indicate that the SA 120 is a top shelf performer with a lower acoustic profile than some lesser fans.

I don't see the GT on the charts but the Scythe 120 Slipstream is there.

After glancing through the data and reading the conclusion I think I would recommend the SST-AP121 but they're a little on the pricey side.
Click to expand...

We never said the 9Sxxxxx401 series wasn't a strong performer, we just refuted the claims that they're better than the GT series.
 
Might not be worth the effort to determine which is greater at this point. There seem to be more readily available higher performing fans. In hindsight I'm not sure why I referred to it as a "top shelf performer" but I couldn't personally verify which one was better either.
 
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