Need suggestions for quiet 120mm and 140mm fans.

DTN107

DTN107

Supreme [H]ardness
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Jun 30, 2008
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So I recently did an upgrade and trying to make my new build a bit quieter. I'm not overclocking at the moment and the stock fans on the Corsair 450D are a bit too loud. I am out of touch on the computer scene seeing how I been on a laptop the past 4 years.

Anyone got any suggestions on quiet fans with decent air flow? For the longest time I bought ENERMAX UC-12EB as my standard quiet fan (though they were never on any silent fan bench-marking tests). However being pamper by the quietness of my laptop has changed me and I need something quieter than those Enermax.

Build:
Case: Corsair 450D
HSF: Corsair H60
CPU: i7-4770K
Mobo: ASUS Z87-A
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 980ti windforce
PSU: Corsair HX1050
 
I use all noctua fans on my pc and the only thign I hear now is my psu fan.

Noctua's released a cheap version of their fans in grey. The only cheap this is you don't get the accessories. I suggest checking them out.

Link to 140mm - http://**************/1Wqmztu

Link to 120mm - http://**************/1lqcj78
 
trentchau said:
Noctua's released a cheap version of their fans in grey.
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I tried one of the Redux fans you're referring to and it gave off a very audible humm, not something I was able to live with. I have a youtube video of it here (you may need to turn your speakers up). Plus, depending on how sensitive your definition of "quiet" is, you may not find that their rpms drop low enough, especially if used as intake fans. I'd like to think the humm is an isolated case, but both reasons did contribute to returning the fan.

The best fan I've heard, and the only one I use to date, is the Thermalright TY-147a. It's amazingly quiet, can operate at a very low rpm range (~260 rpm), and doesn't have the dreaded pwm tick that's prevalent in other pwm fans. Although b/c of it's odd shape (it's wider than it is taller), and being a 140mm fan that uses 120mm mounting holes, it may not fit in certain placements.

If you're looking 3-pin fans, I hear the Antec True Quiet is also extremely quiet.
 
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The best quiet 120mm fan I know of is from the Sanyo Denki Quiet series.
The low speed version (9S1212L4011 or 9S1212L401) operates at 1500 RPM, but is as quiet as most 1200 RPM fans. At full speed (12 volts and 1500RPM) it is a nice balance of decent performance and low noise. But if it is too loud it is rated for operation down to 7 volts (about 900 RPM).

Only places I know to get it is Mouser and Newark. And both places sell it with bare wires (so you would need to add a 3 pin connector).

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Sanyo-Denki/9S1212L4011/

I cannot recommend a 140mm fan as I don't know of one that beats the 120mm fan above!
 
I picked up some 140 Riings, they are nice and quiet (but thick / high pressure). The led's are always on however, if that matters.
 
Null, i'm not sure what noise you're referring to. I cranked my headset volume and didnt hear anything aside from the wind noise through the grills... unless i'm mistaken?

Do you have any rubber between the fan and metal case?
 
for the longest time ive used Yate Loons. I bought a bunch way back when and still have a couple left over.

has anything changed since then? and im speaking of the Yate Loons that are the Nexus copies.
 
Momo said:
Null, i'm not sure what noise you're referring to. I cranked my headset volume and didnt hear anything aside from the wind noise through the grills... unless i'm mistaken?
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The only noise I hear is humming, likely from vibration. When I stop the fan you should hear everything go completely silent, then the humming starts again as the fan restarts. I do that test a few times throughout the video.

If the noise you're hearing can be keyed to that (fan stop and restart) - that's not wind noise. The fan was spinning to slow for that (~360 rpm), and one thing the video doesn't communicate is slight vibration coming from the case while the fan was spinning. That's to say that if I firmly pressed down on the case, the humm died down noticeably.

Momo said:
Do you have any rubber between the fan and metal case?
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I don't. I know it's common, but I've never found the need for that. If it matters, you can compare the Noctua noise with a similar video I did of the Thermalright TY-147a. No humm or vibration, and no rubber used with it either. To my ear it's a stark difference compared to the Noctua.
 
i'd strongly suggest some simple rubber o-rings around the attachement points, or flat rubber washers... anything like that should make a large difference.
 
Phanteks fans are top quality. They perform equal to Noctua, cost less, better customer service. Also, the most quiet fans on the market currently, are from BeQuiet! Their new Silent Wings 3 fan is basically inaudible. I have a Silent Wings 2 fan and I can't hear it at full speed without putting my ear next to it.
 
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