Quiet fan for TRUE 120 Black

CoolGuy90

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Oct 1, 2007
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I will soon replace my 9500AT for a True 120 Black. The 9500AT is good, but when gaming it spins up and is too loud for my liking. I also want the better cooling the TRUE has. I am not going to be overclocking, I mainly am concered with quietness. I want to hook the fan to the 4 pin PWN slot on my P6T. What fans have you guys been using with the TRUE? I was looking at the SFLEX D, would this be sufficent for my needs? If not what are some other good quiet recommendations?


Thanks
 
Thanks for the quick replies. Did you guys use or have used the D varient? SPCR says the D makes a slight ticking noise, just wanted to see if this was a common problem with the fan itself or only some.
 
Pretty sure mines an F series, but don't quote me on that as I'm at work atm.
 
If your looking for PWM (which the S-Flex are not) I would suggest the Kama PWM fan, has the same bearing at the S-Flex and at 8 bucks a pop, not to badly priced.
 
I have tried the Noctua and the Gelid Wind 12 in UV blue. The Gelid delivers more pressure and more CFM than the Noctua. They are both VERY silent. For now I'll stick with the Gelid as it looks better in my case.
 
Quick question. Assuming I get a fan rated at 800RPM. Is this the max the fan can run? For example if I plug it into my chassis fan slot on my mobo and set the Q fan off, it was run at 800RPM regardless of temperature?
 
Yes. This is why it's best to get a higher rpm fan and use a fan controller or motherboard PWM fan controllers. I actually took off the noctuas today and put in rexus 38mm thick fans and at 6v they are as quiet as noctua but soooo much power air pressure and lower temps (idle 37c vs noctua 43c) and load (46c rexus vs 54c noctua).
 
I will soon replace my 9500AT for a True 120 Black. The 9500AT is good, but when gaming it spins up and is too loud for my liking. I also want the better cooling the TRUE has. I am not going to be overclocking, I mainly am concered with quietness. I want to hook the fan to the 4 pin PWN slot on my P6T. What fans have you guys been using with the TRUE? I was looking at the SFLEX D, would this be sufficent for my needs? If not what are some other good quiet recommendations?


Thanks
either the Kama PWM fan that BlueFireIce linked or the S Flex E
it will run at full speed if you connect it to the PWM header, but still pretty quiet
 
either the Kama PWM fan that BlueFireIce linked or the S Flex E
it will run at full speed if you connect it to the PWM header, but still pretty quiet

So any 3pin into a 4 pin will run at full speed regardless. Ok. Do you think I will be safe If I put on a SFLEX D?
 
I would say some S-flex maybe 1600 or even the 1900 rmp, but the 1600 are nice and quiet and move a good amount of air.
 
So any 3pin into a 4 pin will run at full speed regardless. Ok. Do you think I will be safe If I put on a SFLEX D?
I have a S Flex E at full speed on my P6T Deluxe and 920 in a P182
I'm at 3.6GHz and it gets kinda hot, this case is not the best for airflow

but with no overclock, yeah a S Flex D would be fine

your old heatsink is a Zalman 9500?
wow, I didn't even know you could mount that to an i7
I would recommend you save some cash and get the S1283 for $32 with a PWM fan
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1430249

or consider a heatsink that's better with low airflow like the HR-01 Plus
 
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I have a S Flex E at full speed on my P6T Deluxe and 920 in a P182
I'm at 3.6GHz and it gets kinda hot, this case is not the best for airflow

but with no overclock, yeah a S Flex D would be fine

your old heatsink is a Zalman 9500?
wow, I didn't even know you could mount that to an i7
I would recommend you save some cash and get the S1283 for $32 with a PWM fan
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1430249

or consider a heatsink that's better with low airflow like the HR-01 Plus

I tried the S1283, Problem was I could never get the thermal paste to distribute evenly, it was always just paste in the center of the CPU.

I got the Zalman i7 bracket when I picked up the 9500, easy installation.
 
I tried the S1283, Problem was I could never get the thermal paste to distribute evenly, it was always just paste in the center of the CPU.

I got the Zalman i7 bracket when I picked up the 9500, easy installation.
spread it out yourself
 
I run a Xigmatek XLF-F1253 on my 120e and it does a good job of keeping my quad running at over 4.3Ghz. 61cfm at a silent (>20dBA) 1500rpm is very nice but the price kinda hurts
 
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Lots of good replies, hard to choose. The main thing is that I don't want the CPU fan to be really audible under load like the 9500AT.
 
Lots of good replies, hard to choose. The main thing is that I don't want the CPU fan to be really audible under load like the 9500AT.

If you don't want to hear the fan then the only option is to get a fan that runs at a lower rpm than the other fans in the case (if you can hear them and what models are they anyway?), because anything more and it will make the noise stand out, best thing is get the PWM fan I showed, since it can be controlled by the mobo, or get a S-Flex and run it off a controller. The i7's run hot, but my Q9550 clocked at 3.8GHz, I only have to run my IXP-76-18 fan at 900rpm, and it doesn't make a lick of noise, wile keeping temps (on a hot day) under 62C.
 
If you don't want to hear the fan then the only option is to get a fan that runs at a lower rpm than the other fans in the case (if you can hear them and what models are they anyway?), because anything more and it will make the noise stand out, best thing is get the PWM fan I showed, since it can be controlled by the mobo, or get a S-Flex and run it off a controller. The i7's run hot, but my Q9550 clocked at 3.8GHz, I only have to run my IXP-76-18 fan at 900rpm, and it doesn't make a lick of noise, wile keeping temps (on a hot day) under 62C.

Currently the Tri-Cools. I got the SFLEX E 1200rpm, but under gaming they be too loud for my liking. Looking at the Kama it seels to be very similar to the SFLEX, both having the same fluid bearing. What is the difference?
 
Currently the Tri-Cools. I got the SFLEX E 1200rpm, but under gaming they be too loud for my liking. Looking at the Kama it seels to be very similar to the SFLEX, both having the same fluid bearing. What is the difference?

The speed ratings, like the low speed S-Flex is 800rpm, while the Kama is 1000rpm.

To give you an idea here are some specs from SPCR:

S-Flex SFF21D:

9V

<19 dBA@1m

620 RPM

16 CFM

Kama Flow SA1225FDB12L:

7V

<19 dBA@1m

610 RPM

16 CFM

As you can see they both push the same amount of air at the same noise level, the Kama fans are harder to find than the S-Flex, however Jab-Tech carries them and they are cheaper than the S-Flex. SPCR article here.
 
The speed ratings, like the low speed S-Flex is 800rpm, while the Kama is 1000rpm.

To give you an idea here are some specs from SPCR:

S-Flex SFF21D:

9V

<19 dBA@1m

620 RPM

16 CFM

Kama Flow SA1225FDB12L:

7V

<19 dBA@1m

610 RPM

16 CFM

As you can see they both push the same amount of air at the same noise level, the Kama fans are harder to find than the S-Flex, however Jab-Tech carries them and they are cheaper than the S-Flex. SPCR article here.

Interesting. The PWN Kama you sent me, is which of the Kama model series is it based on?
 
Interesting. The PWN Kama you sent me, is which of the Kama model series is it based on?

Yes...However it has a sleeve bearing, SPCR said it performed well (specs below) however they had trouble with testing because they were undervolting it, and PWM fans do not undervolt well, they are meant to be controlled through PWM.

Scythe DFS122512L-PWM:

@700 RPM (8.1V)

~18 dBA@1m

700 RPM

18 CFM

Link here. If you are doubtful listen to the sound clips, they don't give you an idea of how loud it is, but it gives you and idea of the type of noise. Also keep in mind a fan on a HS will be louder..Air turbulence and all.
 
Low

Alot of these test show different types of voltages. What Voltage would I need to look at if the fan is connecting to the 4pin mobo?
if a 3 pin fan is connected to the 4 pin PWM header, it will operate at full speed - 12V
 
have you considered just getting another TriCool fan for the heatsink?
 
Low

Alot of these test show different types of voltages. What Voltage would I need to look at if the fan is connecting to the 4pin mobo?

If it is connected to the 4 pin header and its a 3 pin fan it will indeed run at 12v, unless the mobo has an option in the BIOS for switching to voltage control, if its a 4 pin fan it will not change voltage but rather work off of PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation).

Another thing that might be worthy to note is that the TriCool fans spin at 870 RPM on low (5v) and make 20 dBA@1m wile pushing 21CFM, however SPCR had this to note about the quality of noise:

"Noise quality was also fairly good. Like the Papst 4412, the TriCool was smooth at high speeds, but developed some roughness when slowed down. In this case, the roughness took the form of a chuffing noise that was clearly audible in the Low speed setting and even when the fan was undervolted for the test at 25 CFM.

Unfortunately, this acoustic artifact at low speeds is enough to put the TriCool behind the Nexus and the Papst; it is audible no matter what speed the fan is operating at, which makes the TriCool unsuitable for users who want complete silence. But that should not take away from its good points: It is cheap, widely available, and is quiet enough for many casual users."
 
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If it is connected to the 4 pin header and its a 3 pin fan it will indeed run at 12v, unless the mobo has an option in the BIOS for switching to voltage control, if its a 4 pin fan it will not change voltage but rather work off of PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation).

Another thing that might be worthy to note is that the TriCool fans spin at 870 RPM on low (5v) and make 20 dBA@1m wile pushing 21CFM, however SPCR had this to note about the quality of noise:

"Noise quality was also fairly good. Like the Papst 4412, the TriCool was smooth at high speeds, but developed some roughness when slowed down. In this case, the roughness took the form of a chuffing noise that was clearly audible in the Low speed setting and even when the fan was undervolted for the test at 25 CFM.

Unfortunately, this acoustic artifact at low speeds is enough to put the TriCool behind the Nexus and the Papst; it is audible no matter what speed the fan is operating at, which makes the TriCool unsuitable for users who want complete silence. But that should not take away from its good points: It is cheap, widely available, and is quiet enough for many casual users."

Yeah that's exactly what I experince from the TriCools. In freeair they are nice and quiet, but right when you put them into the P182 with both side panels on, the turbulance noise is very apparent. I think they have gotten louder since I got the P182 this past January. What I'm going to do is order the SFLEX D's to replace my 3 TriCools. If I am happy with them, I will probably get another to mount to the TRUE and have it running full speed, to have the same type of consistant noise from the fans.
 
Kinda funny that everyone likes sflex. I have 2 Fs I think and found them loud unless I turn it all the way down. It was more of turbulance noise though. I haven't had many 120mm fans but quietest fan I've used and still using is Nexus and YL low speed. I still run it at slower speed but not as low as Sflex and still quieter than Sflex.
 
Kinda funny that everyone likes sflex. I have 2 Fs I think and found them loud unless I turn it all the way down. It was more of turbulance noise though. I haven't had many 120mm fans but quietest fan I've used and still using is Nexus and YL low speed. I still run it at slower speed but not as low as Sflex and still quieter than Sflex.
well of course you have to turn them down, that's a 1600 RPM fan at 12V
 
:D Now you are making to check which one it is when I get home. one thing though which could be just me is that when both fans were set all the way down or slow and quiet enough for me, Nexus/YL always seems to pushing more air. It might be just because I've heard so much good thing about them and had high expectation but definitely not worth the money considering YL is out there. I've used one on PC that I've built for a person that I know. The case was P182 and I put it on top vent. Didn't want to use YL there cause YL's are sleeve bearing although I've never had issue with it. I even had YL on top vent of my brother's P182 that I've built for him for about 2 years now with no noise or ill effect.

well of course you have to turn them down, that's a 1600 RPM fan at 12V
 
:D Now you are making to check which one it is when I get home. one thing though which could be just me is that when both fans were set all the way down or slow and quiet enough for me, Nexus/YL always seems to pushing more air. It might be just because I've heard so much good thing about them and had high expectation but definitely not worth the money considering YL is out there. I've used one on PC that I've built for a person that I know. The case was P182 and I put it on top vent. Didn't want to use YL there cause YL's are sleeve bearing although I've never had issue with it. I even had YL on top vent of my brother's P182 that I've built for him for about 2 years now with no noise or ill effect.
according to SPCR, the S Flex F at 9V should be pretty close to a Nexus at 12V in both noise and airflow
 
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